4" lift on a TJ

  • Hey guys... My last off road adventure was a bit torturous on the underside and I want to install a 4"ish lift. I don't know what route to take and am looking for some advice/feedback on brand, style, dos and donts... I have a $1800 budget to get me started. I know that won't cover everything, but I will add as I go as this is my daily driver. I currently wheel with 33's, and swap to 35's for the daily drive.


    Thank you in advance for any info.

    If you're afraid of struggle, then you're afraid of growth. You have to go through it to get to it. Let it build you, not break you.

  • It would be at the top of your budget but well worth the money spent. The Clayton Long Arm Kit gives a great highway ride and will handle whatever you throw at it off road. Check out A to Z Fabrication he had the best price hands down

  • I can't remember, what setup do you have now? Instead of a 4" lift, maybe consider a 2" spacer lift with new shocks and a 1.25" body mount lift to give you the room to fit bigger tires. Unless that's what you already have... O:)


    Food for thought... when you increase the control arm angle, you increase the ride harshness. So, a 4" lift will be a noticeably stiffer ride than a stock Jeep, even with very expensive shocks. Unless you go with a long-arm lift (which is a lot more involved than a standard lift) or with drop brackets for the arms. With my XJ (same front suspension), the 7" longarm lift was so much smoother than a 4" short-arm lift. There are thousands of TJs out there running ~4" lifts on short arms, but only because they haven't experienced the ride quality of a long-arm kit. Of course... that does come at a price.


    Clayton has a stupid-beefy suspension, I don't think you'd regret it.


    You'll need longer driveshafts if you haven't already done that. You won't need an SYE kit, since you have the Rubicon, just the driveshafts intended for the Rubi. Those run around $300 with the DEJA discount at Quadratec. You'll need the rear for sure, the front might be ok unless you go with a long-arm kit (more flex).

    Jerry / Whatevah

    2020 Gladiator Mojave - 33" Falken mud tires, LoD side steps, Zroadz bed rack, Quadratec QRC winch bumper, Superwinch EPi 9.0, Kleinn on-board air, Kleinn air horns, lots of lights, Yaesu ham radio with GPS tracker.

    Gone- 2012 JK Rubicon with stuff. Long gone- Long-arm 2001 Cherokee with stuff.

  • I currently have a 2.5" lift and the transfer skid plate was dented up pretty good. Not to mention the axle housings, control arms and my inner fenders took a good beating as well. I'm sure it also has to do with my novice offroading skills as well ( not one bit ashamed to admit it ). I definitely don't want anything to do with spacers, that doesn't solve my problem... I need some height, and I want to wheel with my 35's..... Or at least attempt to. I do like old man emu and procomps stage 2. I do want to go with long arms, I just don't know if that's what I want at this point. Can't I add them later?

    If you're afraid of struggle, then you're afraid of growth. You have to go through it to get to it. Let it build you, not break you.

  • Yeah, sounds like suspension height is what you need... the springs are the same for a short vs longarm lift, so you can upgrade later.


    If you're doing it a la carte, you'll want the coils and shocks, plus extended brake lines, extended bumpstops (or spacers for original bumpstops), longer swaybar links (if you've already got disconnects, they might work), a rear trackbar bracket and a new front trackbar (or just drill a new hole in the mount on the axle). You may also need adjustable control arms (one set per front and rear) to adjust the pinion angle for the driveshaft.


    You might want to consider a steering box skid plate, and skids for the lower control arm mounts, too. The control arm skids are pretty simple and are welded to the bracket, making it stronger and protecting at the same time. And, beefy differential covers if you haven't already replaced those. :) That'll ruin your day quickly. (I'm one to talk, I'm still running the stock covers on my Rubi... but I'm pretty good about picking a decent line).

    Jerry / Whatevah

    2020 Gladiator Mojave - 33" Falken mud tires, LoD side steps, Zroadz bed rack, Quadratec QRC winch bumper, Superwinch EPi 9.0, Kleinn on-board air, Kleinn air horns, lots of lights, Yaesu ham radio with GPS tracker.

    Gone- 2012 JK Rubicon with stuff. Long gone- Long-arm 2001 Cherokee with stuff.

  • I have a full set of adjustable control arms I took off when I went long arm. Most of the bushings should be replaced so they aren't exactly drop in as-is but I'd let them go for a small fraction of what they cost. As others have said, a long arm is definitely preferable but you're looking at a lot more $$ to go that route.


    Also, I disagree with whatevah when he says he picks decent lines...I've followed him on the trails and learned to take the opposite line he does. :)

  • Thank you everyone for the info.... The wife and I decided to allocate the funds to a camper, so the lift will have to wait. I will take the control arms though. Will get in touch about when to get them.
    And as far as who to follow when choosing lines to crawl..... Let's just say I won't be following you in the near future with my current setup. That phrase "you should be ok" haunts me!! :innocent:

    If you're afraid of struggle, then you're afraid of growth. You have to go through it to get to it. Let it build you, not break you.

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