Lift Concerns/Questions

Ghost7

New member
Let me start by saying that I love my Witch (what can I say I'm an old school kind of old guy; every vehicle that I have ever owned had a name).

I took a trip the first few weeks that I had her to Va Beach and I loved every minute of the 7 hour drive. Cruise was set between 75 and 80 and she handled like a dream. I was pleasantly surprised by 26.2 mpg out of my little 2.0.

In all honesty I will never take her hard off-roading; she is my daily driver and hauls the boy and his bass drum to practice and football games. I will occasionally be on wood trails and have a plan to hit Daytona and New Smyrna Beaches in the near future.

That being said I want to lift her. I want a bolder stance and I absolutely hate the factory rake that they put on these things. I have talked with my local shop and also gotten feedback on the JL forums. I think I am going to go with a Teraflex 2.5" lift and 5100 Bilstein shocks with Mopar LCA's from the lift kit: https://www.allmoparparts.com/sku/68322798aa.html

The shop tech says that the Teraflex will give me a ride very similar to my factory Sahara handling with the benefit of removing the rake and giving me about 3" to 3.5" of lift when finished?

The local shop says I will need an alignment when it is all installed and the forums say I won't have anything to align? I am confused on this point. I was told I would need to adjust my drag link to re-center the steering wheel. I have looked for videos on how to do this but I haven't come up with anything.

I plan on new wheels and moving up from the 33's to 35's this winter or in the spring.

Will I need to do anything else to her? I don't think that I will need to re-gear with the 35's? I believe I have 3.45 gears based off of the copy of the original window sticker.

Is this something a newbie should tackle or should I fork up the cash and have the shop install it for me? I have a lot of auto shop work in my past and seemed to always be turning wrenches through out the 80's and early 90's. I put a hitch receiver and wiring harness on a few weekends ago; it took about 2 hours and felt good to do. I have never done any suspension work.
 
I touched base with the new shop today. He says that Rancho gives a rough road ride and that I should look at the Teraflex or Rock Krawler and see what I like best. I know to stay away from the TF and I am not sure about the RK. I actually can't find just a small lift in them. Most are with control arms and are move advanced systems.

I have to say my level of frustration in myself for not being able to decide on a lift is very high at the present time. I have done them on trucks in the past and never thought twice. I suppose I am being given too many choices and "ride quality" is subjective to what each individual thinks it is.

I watched Eddie's video on the Rancho kit and to me it looks good and his review seems positive.

I never thought that making a decision to lift this a few inches and level it out would be such a cluster.

Thank you all for the input!
Like I said earlier, shops will always point you in a direction that is best for them, not you. Me, I have nothing to gain by pointing you one way or another. Clearly, on my Jeeps, I run very expensive components and ones that I feel is best for me. That said and based on my personal experience testing out a myriad of lift kits, I would still recommend a Rancho Sport lift over Rock Krawler or TeraFlex. Shops don't like Rancho because their kits are affordable and they make no money on them. Internet heros don't like Rancho because it's not trendy or cool. I like Rancho because their products are made well and call me crazy but have always found them to offer a MUCH SMOOTHER ride than what you're being recommended. And, I should note that I HATE rough rides. But then, that's just me.
 
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Going back to my original post, what I want/need is:
1. Smooth ride; the same or better than my current ride.
2. A leveled vehicle; I can't stand the factory rake that is on her.
3. A more aggressive (higher) stance.
4. Eventually move up to 35" tires.

Is this the right kit for what I am looking for: https://www.extremeterrain.com/ranc...ension-lift-kit-rs5000x-shocks-rs6612br5.html

I will not be getting it from ET but unfortunately they are one of the few net shops that list them and show the components.

Is there anything else I should order when I order the kit? LCA's, Geo brackets?

Thank you so much for all of the input and putting up with my crazy questions!
 
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Going back to my original post, what I want/need is:
1. Smooth ride; the same or better than my current ride.
2. A leveled vehicle; I can't stand the factory rake that is on her.
3. A more aggressive (higher) stance.
4. Eventually move up to 35" tires.

Is this the right kit for what I am looking for: https://www.extremeterrain.com/ranc...ension-lift-kit-rs5000x-shocks-rs6612br5.html

I will not be getting it from ET but unfortunately they are one of the few net shops that list them and show the components.

Is there anything else I should order when I order the kit? LCA's, Geo brackets?

Thank you so much for all of the input and putting up with my crazy questions!
1. Ride quality is 100% subjective. That said, I personally found the Rancho coils to be one of the softest I have ridden on. Also, regardless of what lift kit you install, hydraulic shocks will offer a smoother daily driver ride than monotubes. It's just that simple. If you get the adjustable 9000 shocks, you can set them to however soft or firm you want them to be. Where monotubes outperform hydros is out in the desert driving hard and fast as they will not fade.

2. I personally felt that the Rancho kit offered a very level ride but would be first to admit that my opinion is subjective.

3 & 4. The Sport lift WILL be a good fit for 35's and can even clear 37's. I've done it and felt that it did it better than much more expensive kits that I've tested.

Installing drop brackets will eliminate the need for adjustable lower control arms up front. While they will give a better feel, they will also be rock targets that you just paid good money to get higher up. So, it's a toss up. What I would recommend is just install the kit as is and drive your Jeep for a bit. You'll know one way or another if a geometry correction is needed for your taste.
 
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Here's a side shot of my JLUR soon after installing a Rancho Sport Lift and with 37" tires. This should give you a better idea of how it stands.

20180722102033-7851dc2a-me.jpg
 
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I think this is the best for my needs but I am just not sure: RS66124BR5?

I'm not sure if the 3.5" is too high for me. I tried to find a 2 or 2.5" sport lift and they don't seem to have any. I asked the Rancho tech service folks and this is what they told me I should use.

Unfortunately nobody seems to have them in stock. I called Rancho and tried to order it directly from them; of course I can't unless I am a vendor. They are out of stock until November 5th but have several coming in with no back orders on them yet. I have reached out to Quadratec and haven't heard back from their sales rep; it isn't a stock item for them.

Once I am sure this is what I need I will reach out to the local shop and see if they can get their hands on one.

 
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I inadvertently ordered the Rancho 3” Sport lift w/ 9000XL shocks for the 2 door, rather than the 4 door. I didn’t take before/after measurements, but actually figure I netted ~2.5”.

Before…

F0CF8E78-1230-4455-A65A-B20712F93AE6.jpeg


After…

8C11AD8E-B06A-40FE-9482-6B93613DB38D.jpeg
 
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I inadvertently ordered the Rancho 3” Sport lift w/ 9000XL shocks for the 2 door, rather than the 4 door. I didn’t take before/after measurements, but actually figure I netted ~2.5”.

Before…

View attachment 383069


After…

View attachment 383070
Just based on spacing between tire and fender, my 2.0L 2-door Rubicon with a 2" Mopar lift might be an inch higher than that. Behind the front fender I measure 19-1/2" between the ground to the bottom of the slider. What does yours measure?
 
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Have you given any thought to the Mopar lift? I got about 2.5" lift, rides great on the street and is acceptable offroad. This is with BFG 37"s.
trip1.jpg
 
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