Best set-n-forget lift for the money...

psinsyd · **Posted:** Fri Sep 01, 2006 11:36 pm

Hey everyone,

I've been a bit out of the loop lately as far as doing research on lifts, so here goes...

I was just wondering which 2.5" [spacer] lift offers the best performance for the money, with the least issues after installation.

I'd really like to get away with paying the spacer lift price, since it's also about time for me to order new tires for the '02 Renny.

If I do end up going the coil lift route, I'd probably end up going with the Rusty's coil lift, but I'm pretty much clueless when it comes to spacer lifts.
[EDIT: forgot to mention that mine is "lowered"...ugh.

As always, thanks a ton for all the help in here, everyone!!!!

DarbyWalters · **Posted:** Sat Sep 02, 2006 6:57 am

Well if you want a lift that causes less issues with UBJ contact and trimming...get a 1.5" to 2" lift. If you go with the 2.5" lift you will need to order some aftermarket UCA's ( like Jeepin Als ) and will have to do some trimming with 265/75/16s.

A 2" lift with 245/75/16s is less problematic. Either spacer of OME spring lift will work.

psinsyd · **Posted:** Sat Sep 02, 2006 10:00 am

Awesome! Thanks for the insight Darby! I'll take a look at the OME website (I'm assuming they have one!).

Thanks a ton for taking the time to reply!!

Tokyojoe · **Posted:** Sat Sep 02, 2006 10:11 am

Darby, I somewhat disagree. If you are referring to all 2.5" lifts, I have not heard of anyone with UBJ issues with a Rusty's coil lift, though there seems that there are a few issues with Rusty's Spacer lift. I know he is asking about the Spacer lifts perhaps because of cost. I recommend spending a little more and getting a coil lift. If you must stay with a spacer lift. from what most people say, the Daystar lift is the spacer lift to go with.

the1jferg · **Posted:** Sat Sep 02, 2006 12:39 pm

Rusty's 1.5 spacers or front springs and 2" rear spacer or EMU HD springs with longer shocks. (Rear Springs about the same $$ as spacers).

Better struts and shocks, Tires: 245/70's or 225 75's (16'S) Don't forget, they'll RUB :lol:

Forget about wasting money on all that other pointless lift crap that gains you little except Ego or Broke !!!!!!!!!!!!! :wink:

Put that extra money towards some bars and skids.

Drop your pressure down to 14 pounds and go ! :wink:

DarbyWalters · **Posted:** Sat Sep 02, 2006 2:29 pm

Tokyojoe wrote:

Darby, I somewhat disagree. If you are referring to all 2.5" lifts, I have not heard of anyone with UBJ issues with a Rusty's coil lift, though there seems that there are a few issues with Rusty's Spacer lift. I know he is asking about the Spacer lifts perhaps because of cost. I recommend spending a little more and getting a coil lift. If you must stay with a spacer lift. from what most people say, the Daystar lift is the spacer lift to go with.

Well from experience...if you have a full 2.5" lift and have not replaced the UCA with something longer...at full droop the UCA will touch somewhere on the strut. You can put bumpstops in to fight this ect. but the angle caused by that much lift puts stress on the UBJ IMHO. You also dont' get the same amount of droop because of the limited travel before contact. I figured the original poster was looking for a good lift without much hassle (trimming, contact, stress, ect). I know that the 2.5' lifts work great...I have had many...but the safest way to go is a 1.5-2" lift and 245/75/16's or smaller. Heck even a 2" lift might contact the UBJ...not sure.

AllJProducts also have the OME springs you are looking into...RockyRoads "Combo" lift seemed to work well for DessertHorizons on this forum...I guess more research is needed ...

Jeepjeepster · **Posted:** Sat Sep 02, 2006 5:29 pm

DarbyWalters wrote:

Tokyojoe wrote:

Darby, I somewhat disagree. If you are referring to all 2.5" lifts, I have not heard of anyone with UBJ issues with a Rusty's coil lift, though there seems that there are a few issues with Rusty's Spacer lift. I know he is asking about the Spacer lifts perhaps because of cost. I recommend spending a little more and getting a coil lift. If you must stay with a spacer lift. from what most people say, the Daystar lift is the spacer lift to go with.

Well from experience...if you have a full 2.5" lift and have not replaced the UCA with something longer...at full droop the UCA will touch somewhere on the strut. You can put bumpstops in to fight this ect. but the angle caused by that much lift puts stress on the UBJ IMHO. You also dont' get the same amount of droop because of the limited travel before contact. I figured the original poster was looking for a good lift without much hassle (trimming, contact, stress, ect). I know that the 2.5' lifts work great...I have had many...but the safest way to go is a 1.5-2" lift and 245/75/16's or smaller. Heck even a 2" lift might contact the UBJ...not sure.

AllJProducts also have the OME springs you are looking into...RockyRoads "Combo" lift seemed to work well for DessertHorizons on this forum...I guess more research is needed ...

Getting upper baljoint contact has nothing to do with how high you lift the jeep. That has to do with how much droop the front shocks will allow. One of the spring lift kits that has UBJC is the franken lift. Thats only b/c they used a different upper strut plate. The rancho nor OME front shocks will give you UBJC unless you give it to much clevis lift or use a different upper strut plate. :wink:

kolesy · **Posted:** Sat Sep 02, 2006 9:43 pm

Jeepjeepster wrote:

DarbyWalters wrote:

Tokyojoe wrote:

Darby, I somewhat disagree. If you are referring to all 2.5" lifts, I have not heard of anyone with UBJ issues with a Rusty's coil lift, though there seems that there are a few issues with Rusty's Spacer lift. I know he is asking about the Spacer lifts perhaps because of cost. I recommend spending a little more and getting a coil lift. If you must stay with a spacer lift. from what most people say, the Daystar lift is the spacer lift to go with.

Well from experience...if you have a full 2.5" lift and have not replaced the UCA with something longer...at full droop the UCA will touch somewhere on the strut. You can put bumpstops in to fight this ect. but the angle caused by that much lift puts stress on the UBJ IMHO. You also dont' get the same amount of droop because of the limited travel before contact. I figured the original poster was looking for a good lift without much hassle (trimming, contact, stress, ect). I know that the 2.5' lifts work great...I have had many...but the safest way to go is a 1.5-2" lift and 245/75/16's or smaller. Heck even a 2" lift might contact the UBJ...not sure.

AllJProducts also have the OME springs you are looking into...RockyRoads "Combo" lift seemed to work well for DessertHorizons on this forum...I guess more research is needed ...

Getting upper baljoint contact has nothing to do with how high you lift the jeep. That has to do with how much droop the front shocks will allow. One of the spring lift kits that has UBJC is the franken lift. Thats only b/c they used a different upper strut plate. The rancho nor OME front shocks will give you UBJC unless you give it to much clevis lift or use a different upper strut plate. :wink:

Nope I have to say your are wrong there Jeepster. To say the Franken only causes it because of the different upper strut plate is wrong. I have a rustys lift and get the contact, their front struts are OME. If you lift the Kj or any rig for that matter, you are gonna get more "droop" for teh simple fact you are raising it. :wink:

jason thompson · **Posted:** Sat Sep 02, 2006 10:04 pm

kolesy wrote:

Jeepjeepster wrote:

DarbyWalters wrote:

Tokyojoe wrote:

Darby, I somewhat disagree. If you are referring to all 2.5" lifts, I have not heard of anyone with UBJ issues with a Rusty's coil lift, though there seems that there are a few issues with Rusty's Spacer lift. I know he is asking about the Spacer lifts perhaps because of cost. I recommend spending a little more and getting a coil lift. If you must stay with a spacer lift. from what most people say, the Daystar lift is the spacer lift to go with.

Well from experience...if you have a full 2.5" lift and have not replaced the UCA with something longer...at full droop the UCA will touch somewhere on the strut. You can put bumpstops in to fight this ect. but the angle caused by that much lift puts stress on the UBJ IMHO. You also dont' get the same amount of droop because of the limited travel before contact. I figured the original poster was looking for a good lift without much hassle (trimming, contact, stress, ect). I know that the 2.5' lifts work great...I have had many...but the safest way to go is a 1.5-2" lift and 245/75/16's or smaller. Heck even a 2" lift might contact the UBJ...not sure.

AllJProducts also have the OME springs you are looking into...RockyRoads "Combo" lift seemed to work well for DessertHorizons on this forum...I guess more research is needed ...

Getting upper baljoint contact has nothing to do with how high you lift the jeep. That has to do with how much droop the front shocks will allow. One of the spring lift kits that has UBJC is the franken lift. Thats only b/c they used a different upper strut plate. The rancho nor OME front shocks will give you UBJC unless you give it to much clevis lift or use a different upper strut plate. :wink:

Nope I have to say your are wrong there Jeepster. To say the Franken only causes it because of the different upper strut plate is wrong. I have a rustys lift and get the contact, their front struts are OME. If you lift the Kj or any rig for that matter, you are gonna get more "droop" for teh simple fact you are raising it. :wink:

I agree with jeepster he is correct your "drop" is limited by your shocks/struts and how far they move up and down
I can put a longer shock on the rear of a stock KJ and remove the spring but the same shock with a longer spring and the spring stays in
The drop in the ffront works the same if the length of the strut is correct like the rancho or OME and you dont put spacer's over or under the strut then there is no way it can gain length
A spacer on top of the strut acts like the strut is that much longer the same goes for the bottom and if the strut is to long that will allow the UBJ problem

DarbyWalters · **Posted:** Sat Sep 02, 2006 11:14 pm

Well, if you lift your KJ 2.5" ... you are eating up more than half of you travel in the droop range of your KJ (no way to avoid the fact that it moves the UBJ assembly down and closer to the strut at rest). Any lifting brings the UCA/UBJ closer to your strut assembly. If you don't add any mechanical way to stop droop before it travels the other few inches...you will get contact. I would bet that every KJ out there with 2.5" (all 2.5") and a stock UCA, most likely has contact. You can use the Daystar puc that has a "bumpstop" built in so that the UCA hits before the UBJ touches, but that is a mechanical limiting device. Jack up one and you will most likely see the UCA touch the strut assembly. It happened with stock shocks so longer front struts would make it more likely. The other factor is that in a real world conditions (offroad in a twisty situation...or bounciong with some speed over some larger bumps), the extra "flex, weight transfer, speed" make a difference.

As for the statement that adding lift will not cause the UBJ to get closer to the strut...lift it 3" or 3.5" then...it wil get even closer at rest. Well when you get droop you are moving it at least that much if not more. On a stock height KJ there is no contact because the strut travels the full amount it can and the UBJ assembly has "more room".

Again, I am really just answering the first post and giving him the "safest" route to go (he was originally asking about puc lifts):

SAFEST to LESS SAFE
1) Stay Stock
2) Small Spacer 1.5" or less
3) Medium Spacer 2.0" or Springs
4) Full 2.5" of lift with spacer, springs or combination of both

MINIMUM:
**Will need longer rear shocks to take advantage or lift
**Might need longer front struts and/or better with 3) and 4)
**On some or all 2006 KJs you need to do something about the brakelines I believe

Matt400 · **Posted:** Sun Sep 03, 2006 1:18 am

kolesy wrote:

I have a rustys lift and get the contact, their front struts are OME.

I bet you get contact because you also use a strut plate that pushes the strut down farther in addition to the clevis mod you have.

I have a Rusty spring lift and at full droop there is no way to get contact. I later added 3/8" to the clevis and it then put the UBJ right next to the spring at full droop. Its easy to see that a strut plate or any more on the clevis would mash it up against the spring.

Jeepjeepster · **Posted:** Sun Sep 03, 2006 8:46 am

kolesy wrote:

Jeepjeepster wrote:

DarbyWalters wrote:

Tokyojoe wrote:

Darby, I somewhat disagree. If you are referring to all 2.5" lifts, I have not heard of anyone with UBJ issues with a Rusty's coil lift, though there seems that there are a few issues with Rusty's Spacer lift. I know he is asking about the Spacer lifts perhaps because of cost. I recommend spending a little more and getting a coil lift. If you must stay with a spacer lift. from what most people say, the Daystar lift is the spacer lift to go with.

Well from experience...if you have a full 2.5" lift and have not replaced the UCA with something longer...at full droop the UCA will touch somewhere on the strut. You can put bumpstops in to fight this ect. but the angle caused by that much lift puts stress on the UBJ IMHO. You also dont' get the same amount of droop because of the limited travel before contact. I figured the original poster was looking for a good lift without much hassle (trimming, contact, stress, ect). I know that the 2.5' lifts work great...I have had many...but the safest way to go is a 1.5-2" lift and 245/75/16's or smaller. Heck even a 2" lift might contact the UBJ...not sure.

AllJProducts also have the OME springs you are looking into...RockyRoads "Combo" lift seemed to work well for DessertHorizons on this forum...I guess more research is needed ...

Getting upper baljoint contact has nothing to do with how high you lift the jeep. That has to do with how much droop the front shocks will allow. One of the spring lift kits that has UBJC is the franken lift. Thats only b/c they used a different upper strut plate. The rancho nor OME front shocks will give you UBJC unless you give it to much clevis lift or use a different upper strut plate. :wink:

Nope I have to say your are wrong there Jeepster. To say the Franken only causes it because of the different upper strut plate is wrong. I have a rustys lift and get the contact, their front struts are OME. If you lift the Kj or any rig for that matter, you are gonna get more "droop" for teh simple fact you are raising it. :wink:

I also have the OME front struts and I have 0 UBJC. So idk whats going on with your setup? :wink:

Troysterr · **Posted:** Sun Sep 03, 2006 2:48 pm

Here's some useful info:

http://www.youngs.org/kjparts/default.asp?category=2

kolesy · **Posted:** Sun Sep 03, 2006 5:25 pm

Makes sense now. I was thinking along the lines of darby. I see how adding the spacers outside of the strut will give you the added droop. Matt you are 100% corect! Obviously wasn't hinking when i posted. :oops:

Matt400 · **Posted:** Sun Sep 03, 2006 8:05 pm

Troysterr wrote:

Here's some useful info:

http://www.youngs.org/kjparts/default.asp?category=2

Cool link..Thanks!!

Best set-n-forget lift for the money...

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