Is a 3" OME high enough on a XJ?

[winkosmosis]

there are thousands of guys on NAXJA that run this type of setup or taller without long arms. how is this any different than stock? it make little sense to me, this opinion.

It's different from stock because at stock height the control arms are horizontal. When you lift, they become angled, so they push the tires into bumps. It's like if you had a motorcycle fork tilted the wrong way. At 3.5" lift you're around 2x the angle as with 2".

Edit: I just calculated LCA angles using this http://www.csgnetwork.com/righttricalc.html

Stock the angle is just about 0°. The tire goes straight up when you hit a bump.
At 2" lift, the angle is 7.3°. At 3.5" it's 12.8°.

 

[njjeepthing]

3.5" is way too much lift for short arms IMO. That's a lot of stress on the weak unibody every time you hit a bump or pot hole.

I disagree as well, I am running the RE 3.5 short arm kit with OME shocks, drives nice on the road and does well off road. I am still using front stock LCA's as well. My RE arms transmitted too much vibration, (think I have a bad bearing in front axle) so for the time being I am running stock arms with stock bushings that don't transmit as much noise/vibration as the hard RE poly ones.
I have skids, a winch, etc., so the extra height of the 3.5 was nice, now I can afford a little sagging!

 

[comrad_zeelaagee]

Stock the angle is just about 0°. The tire goes straight up when you hit a bump.
At 2" lift, the angle is 7.3°. At 3.5" it's 12.8°.

this is certainly so, and more energy is transferred into the chassis. even at stock height, the vehicle is moving forward, and before uptravel of the suspension occurs, it must first meet the resistance of the chasis. this principle is no different after lifting the vehicle. one might even make the case that since this is so, there is less shear at the frame mounts because the angle is more direct to the fram rails in that portion of the chasis.

but to conclude that an exponentially increased amount of energy transfer from this modification within these parameters necessitates long arms in order to prevent chasis failure under reasonable and normal operation (even off road) is false. will the ride be smoother? yes.

 

[BTCSXJ]

Nice Xj NJJEEPTHING,

I just installed the "3 inch OME lift kit" which actually only netted me 2.5" with just the new springs and leafs. This is plenty of a lift for 31x10.50s, with stock wheels they tuck nicely. The ride, is in one word, INCREDIBLE. Better than stock.

My jeep is an 01' as well, and you WILL have drive line vibes (LP D30). luckily, the kit does come with a transfer case drop, but the better solution would be the SYE ($$). You will not regret getting OME, others will tell you they arent worth it, and their RE RC whatever ride better. I guarentee they have never riden in a jeep with OME.

I use my jeep for mostly exploring the backroads of Arizona, nothing terribly challenging as I am usually 50-100 miles from help, but it is quite amazing loaded down with a weeks worth of gear, over washboard and rough trails.

With a low lift like this, you will retain the driving characteristicsm, but you will need to invest in some body armor.

 

[bat]

I started at 3" and ending up with 5" and 32's, if I did it over again 31's 3" lift, bump stops and skid plates. I had after after market control arms at 4" and no problems with ride, I say build it and drive it and figure out what you need before spending money for nothing.