is a 1" lift worth time, effort, and money?

[Mayne]

I've been looking at lifting my TJ up about 1.5" from stock, and I found a company that has a 1" spring lift for it. I'm not sure if the 350.00 and change would be worth chumping out. I was thinking about doing this and a 1" body lift, as many of the neet do dads that bolt under the jeep require a body lift of 1", and I don't want or need anyhting over 2" of total lift.

Any advice, or should I suck it up and get a 2" spring lift for cheaper price, as a set of Rusty's or Pro comp springs will only run 225.00. I'm outsourcing shocks thru doetch tech.

Mayne

PS wow! post No. 100 and a new tag......

 

[roadkill]

what year and mileage jeep do you have? if you have an older TJ you could probably net the same amount of lift by replacing your worn coils for a set of low mileage Rubicon coils (or coils from another TJ that are the same part # as those found on the rubis) your shocks should be ok with the rubi coils, unless of course they are worn out too. I'd find someone with a Rubi doing a lift and buy their shocks and coils. should be able to get all this for $200 or less

 

[goodtimes]

Personal opinion here....don't do the doetch tech shocks. Been there, won't do it again. They overheat and lose performance quickly....I heated the fronts up so hot that the shaft turned blue and had a bunch of small cracks after one trip to Baja.

The rear shocks were similar, except I bent the rods and sheared the bar pins (then I had to drive from BoLA to Tucson with my rear shocks riding shot gun). That wasn't fun.

 

[Matto0]

Knowing nothing about your jeep, weight, usage, items you've added on etc...

I'd say a 1" suspension lift isn't worth it mainly because its much easier to do a 1" body lift, and cheaper. Also as you add accessories/gear if its a nice riding spring, it will most likely sag under load, basically negating the lift to begin with.

For smaller lifts, I'm biased towards OME, and with out the HD coils you'd see around a 2" lift depending on the Jeep's weight. Keep in mind with softer springs/lower spring rate (nicer ride) they tend to be more effected by extra weight.

Regarding the shocks... I can't speak to Doetch Tech, OME rides nice and are valved specifically for TJs, with the bigger lifts people really like Rancho, with the 9000s you can dial them in to your liking.

Matt


btw... I have a set of TJ Rubicon springs sitting in the garage that I pulled off 2 months after buying the jeep new... but like I said, I think you'd be spinning your wheels going in that direction.

 

[UK4X4]

not worth it.....$ 35o for 1"

save your money and get a 3.5" rubicon express superflex setup, with shocks mine cost around $ 750

then I added a front adjustable track bar for $ 150.

Going cheap will not get you better flex, just height...

OME are nice simple setups

 

[robert j. yates]

Mayne.....
2 questions:

What 'doodads' are you trying to provide clearance for with the body lift and what is your reasoning behind needing a spring lift?

 

[Mayne]

Sorry bout the lack of the info... The Jeep is an 05 TJ. The doo dads are going to be a belly up kit, and a gas tank skid (Kilby... 05 TJ needs a body lift for it). My springs aren't worn horribly, I don't plan on getting any bigger in the tire dept. I'm running 31's. My wheeling does not incounter any rocks larger than a soft ball, soo.....
I may check out the rubi springs, but I hear they don't net much over stock.

Thanks for your help.

Mayne

 

[Matto0]

Mayne.....
2 questions:

What 'doodads' are you trying to provide clearance for with the body lift and what is your reasoning behind needing a spring lift?

:wavey: Hey Robert... its been a while! (This is Matt, who helped you with your Daughter’s jeep, and you helped me with my steering)



Mayne...

As for doodads... what about racks... bumpers, winch, extra skids etc?

As for the Rubicon springs... basically they are a little firmer... and supposedly give you a little lift, throw an ice chest in the back and a bumper on the front, and you just lost any gains...

 

[robert j. yates]

Mayne......
Thanx for the info.....I wanted to make sure I understood what you were after before I made any comment.

That being said.....if I were you, I would not invest the $350 in the 1" springs and instead, invest in an OME system.

I ran OME years ago and frankly, its a great suspension system that will work outstandingly well with your belly-up plans. While it will lift your Jeep, its not an obnoxious amount. OME does not even refer to it as a lift but rather a complete suspensuon system when combined with their shocks.

You can get various spring rates in order to accomodate bumpers, winches or nothing at all. I ran both the regular springs as well as their heavy duty springs once I added a winch and aftermarket bumpers.

The only downside I can see is that you might need an SYE with the OME but since you plan on a belly-up you should be including that in your plans anyway.

I know you don't want lift but I think that going OME is a better use of your funds. It also rides great and will not require you to make a lot of changes to other suspension elements on your rig which I think might be another goal of yours.

Hey Matt....nice to see you on the portal.

 

[maximumrob]

The Jeep is an 05 TJ. The doo dads are going to be a belly up kit, and a gas tank skid (Kilby... 05 TJ needs a body lift for it). My springs aren't worn horribly, I don't plan on getting any bigger in the tire dept. I'm running 31's. My wheeling does not incounter any rocks larger than a soft ball, soo.....

I drive an '05 Unlimited Rubicon, so I know what you're starting from. Unless you're just scratching the itch to lift it, you don't need a lift. If I could do it all over again, I'd either shell out the big bucks to a pro for an expensive kit and "do it right," or I'd just...

DO A 1" BODY LIFT AND PUT A BELLY-UP ON IT WITH 265's. You can go almost anywhere with that combination if you're not rock crawling.

For reference, I've done the following: 2.5" ProComp spring lift with MX-6 shocks (love 'em!), 1" body lift, 1" motor mount lift, Anti-Rock, JKS lowers on every corner, Monroe steering damper, and a pricey Tom Woods driveshaft. Guess what...all that money and I still have a driveline vibe between 53-62mph that NOBODY seems to be able to fix.

Do the body lift and a belly-up and 265 MTR's. You'll never regret it unless you're just the type of guy that can't stand to leave it stock.



.

 

[Mayne]

I drive an '05 Unlimited Rubicon, so I know what you're starting from. Unless you're just scratching the itch to lift it, you don't need a lift. If I could do it all over again, I'd either shell out the big bucks to a pro for an expensive kit and "do it right," or I'd just...

DO A 1" BODY LIFT AND PUT A BELLY-UP ON IT WITH 265's. You can go almost anywhere with that combination if you're not rock crawling.

For reference, I've done the following: 2.5" ProComp spring lift with MX-6 shocks (love 'em!), 1" body lift, 1" motor mount lift, Anti-Rock, JKS lowers on every corner, Monroe steering damper, and a pricey Tom Woods driveshaft. Guess what...all that money and I still have a driveline vibe between 53-62mph that NOBODY seems to be able to fix.

Do the body lift and a belly-up and 265 MTR's. You'll never regret it unless you're just the type of guy that can't stand to leave it stock.



.

I think the 265 are 33's yes/no? I really am happy with the disco st 31's on the jeep. Yeah my brain is sticking today, I have the confer rack and basket sett up, along with a heavy front and rear bumper set up and soon winch. So yes I'm incurring some weight. I like the sound of OME but price....
I guess I may suck it up and do it, but I'm also thinking os supplementary air bags in back for tow duty.

Thanks again

Mayne

 

[maximumrob]

Hmmm...with that much weight, maybe you do need aftermarket springs. Maybe an OME lift, no body lift, and the 265's (32" tires). Look hard for a belly-up that doesn't require a 1" body lift; they are out there.

Now, if you're one of those guys that just can't keep his hands off his machine, or must have one of those, "ooohhh, look at that" type trucks, go talk to this guy. http://www.diamondoffroad.com/ I talked to him quite a bit when I was troubleshooting the problems I caused, and believe in his recipe. There are also many, many guys on RubiconOwnersForum that run his set-up.

Good luck, and have fun. Tinkerin' is part of it!



.

 

[jh504]

wow I would never spend the money or go through the trouble of putting in a lift for just 1". If you are planning on doing it yourself I would def just try to be happy with what you have until you can afford a real lift. Unless you just really love wrenching that is alot of work for a 1" gain.

 

[jagular7]

Sorry bout the lack of the info... The Jeep is an 05 TJ. The doo dads are going to be a belly up kit, and a gas tank skid (Kilby... 05 TJ needs a body lift for it). My springs aren't worn horribly, I don't plan on getting any bigger in the tire dept. I'm running 31's. My wheeling does not incounter any rocks larger than a soft ball, soo.....
I may check out the rubi springs, but I hear they don't net much over stock.

Thanks for your help.

Mayne

Find some throw away Rubi Unltd springs, add an extra coil isolator (rubber pieces on top of the front springs), get better shocks or controllable shocks, or if anything, 31's will clear with the appropriate wheels and backspacing. You could also limit uptravel with bump stop risers to keep larger tires off the body if you want to go to the 32's. I'd suggest you look into 16" rims and metric sized tires as they are usually better matching to the size indicator rather than 15" tires (comparing 265/75-16 to 31x10.5x15 in same tires from same mfr). Or just add the 2" poly spacer lift and keep your old springs, but once again, get matching shocks for your terrain and use.

For going belly up, you'll need clearance under the floor and this usually requires a body lift. You could look at replacing the stock body bushings with poly's and the kit will be 1.25" taller. Or go for the standard body spacers.

For my tired old 4cyl TJ, I went with 05 Rubi Unltd coils, 2" poly spacers, and 1" body lift, 6" lift shocks, and adjusted bump stops to work with the shocks and the 34" LTBs. The coils gave me 1.5" lift in my situation.

 

[Dools]

For my first post, this is my 2 cents...If you are trail running and exploring the backcountry then a 2" BB and a 1" BL/MML is the best setup to keep the center of gravity and still gain clearence. I reccommend 32" for trail running. If you are rock crawlin then a 3.5" and beyond is prefered. If you are goin to stay with 31" then it wont be long before you get 33" if you get a 3.5" lift.

And not to hijack...but maximumrob, could the guys at RoF not help you with the driveline vibes? They seem to be able to solve all Jeep problems on that site!