Questions on lifting an XJ

Shocks.... Bilsteins. Lifetime warranty.

Chris on my old XJ I ran an RE 2.5" AAL in the rear and adjustable acos style spacers in the front with stock shocks. I had Stock rubi wheels and tires on it( 245/75/16s) which measured 30.5" with zero clearance problems. I would think with your plan of 3-4" of lift, you should clear 31" tires with no problems. I had no plans to take mine off road other than maybe to the beach so I didnt even bother with the shocks and had no issues with any type of driveline vibes, or deathwobble. Considering the tires were all chopped up and sounded like a dump truck going down the road, I did great. Mine had 3.55s and still had plenty of power. I think the AW4 is a bit more forgiving when dealing with gearing, unlike some of the TJ autos I have driven. Thats all ive got.....

.......I have ridden in vehicles OME shocks and owned one with Bilstines and I dont think you can go wrong with either.

As for lift height... here is my XJ with 31" Maxxis Bighorns on 15x7 stock wheels under a RE 3.5" lift (sitting around 4" here... was 4.25" until it broke in).

So, I guess there would be enough room with a 1.5" lift, but doesn't give you much travel. The problem with bigger tires is clearing the flares. When I bumped up to 32s and wider wheels, I rubbed the back of the front flares. If you trim or switch to a bigger design like Bushwacker that's less of an issue... 33s may fit there, although most people with a less-abused XJ tend to go up to a 5.5" lift for 33s. This is when I jumped up to the 7" long-arm that eventually had me running 35s.

The only AALs I'd consider would be the 2" AAL lift from RE (if they still offer it). It's a full-length AAL so won't destroy the factory main leaf. Most AAL kits only use a half-length spring and after a while the main spring will bend pretty bad. Plus, the AAL kits ride stiffer and won't flex much because that one AAL is very stiff, having to do all the work of lifting the rig.

I really liked the 4" and 31s setup... both for looks and performance. I had factory control arms and rubbed the front in hard turns. Stock 15x8s would probably clear but 1" spacers would give plenty of room even when aired down. As for needing an SYE and new rear shaft... that depends. RE got bought out and I dunno how tall their lifts run now. I didn't need an SYE, but did need a 1" lowering kit for the t-case.

RockKrawler has a pretty good fan base on some of the forums, but I've never used their stuff. No opinion on trackbars, but I used JKS on mine. If you go up in tire size past 31s, get yourself a brace plate for the driver side frame at the steering box (some bumpers have long mounts and use steering box bolts) and a steering box brace. My XJ was on 35s, but had a ton of play... part of the death wobble cause.

For tires, don't forget the Goodyear Duratracs... I think they're the best all-around tire for an offroader. Not as good in the clay, but better in the sand and snow. For gearing, I didn't have any problem with the 3.55/31s combo. I actually got pretty good gas mileage going to the beach, I think I got 23mpg one day. However, climbing I-81 to get to Rausch required speeding up a bit to keep the RPMs in the power band. I guess just try it out and see how it feels. Assuming you have the 8.25" rear, Aaron already has the adjuster tool.

I had Bilstein 5150 res shocks with my 7" lift, good stuff... crappy Doesch Tech shocks with the 4" lift, way too stiff. I've always heard good things about OME, but they didn't have anything long enough for my 7" lift.

i ran a 2.5 OME kit with 33's on my FJCruiser. Very similar ride to stock. i liked the way the shocks are designed with the overlapping housings. Hard to cause damage to the shock's shaft and they clean out easily (compared to boots)

i am getting ready to install a Rock Krawler 2.5 on my JKU with Bilstien 5100's replacing the AEV spacer lift with shock extensions.

it's all sitting in the garage, just need to put it on. Im planning on doing it by the end of the month. Ill update with my opinions.

For the track bar, RE makes a HD version (puts the frame mount of the track bar in double shear) that comes with a new frame bracket. I would go this route, along with the RE lift you've specified. Other options for a track bar is Claytons setup and Rock Krawlers setup. Both would be overkill for your usage, but also do the same as the RE kit by replacing the bar and bracket. Since you need to replace the track bar anyway, its worth the extra expense to spring for one that puts it in double shear. And you've probably heard, but its very likely you'll need an sye.

If you call and talk to Clayton Offroad, I am sure they can put together a competitive lift for the RE. It will be a bit more $$ and overkill for your plans, but it should last until your ready for the next stage of the build.

... and Bilstein shocks are the way to go. 5125's for the budget-minded.

No spacers, just the stock wheels. RE used to rate their lift height with a moderate load... So it wouldn't be sagging when you're loaded for a weekend trip. So they tend to ride a little taller in the back of an XJ.

I got the photos when I was working at the range, forgot about them... Lol I'll go check them out.

Bilsteins have been around for decades. They were the new "hotness" in the mid '70's. Oem on Mercedes, and lots of other European vehicles.

Quote from quadna

Thanks Andy. I looked at the RE HD version but seems a little overkill as well for a mainly street Jeep with 3.5" springs. Even their website says for 4.5" and higher...so I may be stuck with the axle still shifted past center due to being too low of a lift and too long of a trackbar. Same thing goes for the Clayton trackbar as well as the RK trackbar. I think I will give Clayton a call and see what they have in the 3.5" spring range that might not be on the website. I'm not too concerned about the "next stage of the build" as this is the highest it'll ever be with the current owner. I'm leaning more towards Bilstein now....hopefully people aren't just shouting it out as the next hotness because it's popular...

When you talk to Clayton, ask them if theirs will work with 3.5" lift. If it won't work, they can probably shorten up their track bar a bit. I am sure he can build you something somewhat custom to work with 3.5" of lift, and he can probably use poly bushings or something to keep the $$ down a bit too.

I used an OLD (maybe 2001? 02?) Rusty 3 inch coil and AAL on my old XJ, 31x10.50 Goodyear MTs on stock wheels. Whatever shocks they used with the lift, no track bar readjustment, axle did sit a little cocked. It does in my Excursion too, so I guess thats how I roll

I welded the bar pins to the unibody because even the eliminators still require the bolt to come out (mine all snapped). About as low buck as it gets.

Thing was a TANK! Didn't regear it (4.0/aw4), didn't do anything but drive it all over the country. Gas mileage wasn't great, but nothing stopped that little thing.

That was a long time ago, but if I were doing it again, the only thing I would change was full rear leaves. I think sagging leaves were a standard feature.