FAQ: Should I Lift My Jeep?
To many Jeep owners, this isn’t even a thought, you just do it (lift first…ask questions later). Truthfully, that’s what I did. However, I’d encourage any new Jeep owner to step back and think about whether a lift kit is REALLY the right decision for them before taking the plunge.
Why, you ask? Well, for the uninitiated, lifting a Jeep typically isn’t as simple as bolting on the kit and then living happily ever after. Suspension lifts, specifically, will change the geometry of how your suspension was originally designed to work. I won’t bore you with the specifics of control arm length, alignment specs, and pinion angles, but suffice to say that you’ll be tweaking all of these at some point after your lift (something the catalogs forget to mention in their marketing copy). So, learn from my experiences young Padawan, and hopefully you’ll save some cash and frustration along the way.
Here are some things to think about BEFORE you purchase a lift kit for your Jeep:
Research: make sure you do your homework before you buy. Read lift kit reviews, ask questions on forums, and quiz other Jeep owners about their lift experiences. If you’ve got a buddy (or club member) with a lifted Jeep, ask them to take you for a ride. Keep in mind that some Jeepers automatically think that the lift in THEIR Jeep is the best lift going….so make sure you talk to a few different people. 
Driving Habits: do you plan to take your lifted Jeep offroad regularly, or do you simply want to throw on your Jonas Brothers t-shirt and park out infront of Abercrombie & Fitch? If you want a “mall crawler,” hey that’s cool (everyone’s welcome here), but just be honest with yourself. If your Jeep will only see the pavement, you can probably deal with a budget lift, stock gears, and 33s. However, if you plan on aggressively hitting the trails, you’re bound to be disappointed pretty quickly with a setup like that.
Budget: how much are you willing to spend? You can spend as little as a few hundred or as much as several thousand dollars on the kit alone. However, don’t forget about other items that you “may” end up needing/wanting after the fact such as: control arms, longer brake lines, adjustable track bars, slip yoke eliminator (SYE), new driveshaft, bigger tires, new wheels, gears, stronger axles, better steering components, etc. $500 will suit some people just fine, but others may have higher expectations and should wait until they can save up some more cash. Make sure your expectations are inline w/ your budget.
Lift Kit Choice: there are tons of options out there such as short arm lifts, long arm lifts, coil spacer lifts (aka: budget boosts), and body lifts. Within those options, some kits are much more complete than others. For example, you can buy a 4-inch lift kit that comes with the bare minimum of coil springs, shocks, a transfer case drop, and a track bar relocation bracket. Speaking from experience, you can “get by” with a kit like this for while, but you’ll most likely end up spending more money later b/c of vibes and limited performance. Admittedly, I went this route in the beginning, but ended up spending significantly more money later on to correct driveline vibrations and poor handling. I ended up purchasing adjustable trackbars, SYE, new driveshaft, adjustable control arms, better shocks, better quick disconnects, etc. At the end of the day, I spent more money adding to my “basic” kit than I would have spent by buying a fully-equipped kit in the beginning. Some of this will come down to personal preference though. Not everyone will be comfortable with (or can afford) spending $2,000 on a kit right out of the blocks. Sometimes you may need to start with the $500-$600 kit b/c that’s all your budget (or gf/wife) will allow. I’ll just remind you again that you need to set your expectations appropriately and understand how much money you “may” need to allocate to additional accessories later on.
Jeep Performance & Road Manners: the right lift kit can really unlock your Jeep’s offroad potential, but it will also change your onroad handling as well. Again, think about your driving habits and make sure your prospective mods make sense for you. If you use your Jeep to commute 50 miles to work each way, the 6-inch lift, 35″ boggers, and 3.08 gears might not be the best option.
The Side Effects: as I alluded to earlier, lifting your Jeep and adding larger tires will change your ride and will most likely cause some annoying side effects. Some of the “fun” things you may experience are driveline vibrations, worn steering components, poor handling, tires that won’t balance 100%, etc. I’m sure some people will chime in and say that their Jeep rides better than stock after the lift and that they’ve never had any problems whatsoever. That may be true, but just search a few of the Jeep forums for keywords like “death wobble,” “wandering,” “loose steering,” “____ after lift”….this will give you an idea of the challenges that many lifted Jeep owners are dealing with.
Conclusion
So, this probably sounds like I’m telling you not to lift your Jeep, huh? No, that’s certainly not my goal here. I just want to give full disclosure on the pros and cons of lifting. I lifted my own Jeep several years ago and I would certainly do it all over again (I might choose some different parts, but I’d definitely still lift it). My lift, tires, gears, (and now lockers) have pushed my Jeep well beyond its original capabilities…it really is a blast to drive on the trails. However, my Jeep has certainly brought its share of headaches along the way (some b/c of the lift, and others b/c it’s simply a “Jeep”). But, I think that’s the life of a Jeep lover. I sometimes compare it to playing golf….you can have the worst 17 holes of your life, but if you birdie the 18th you can’t wait to get back on the course. When the doors are off my Jeep, there’s mud on the windshield, and I’ve just conquered a tough trail…I forget all about the previous steering box replacements, death wobble, burning brakes, crappy starter motors, and electrical demons.
Got some other suggestions about choosing the right lift?….please share w/ everyone in the comments.
December 22nd, 2009 at 11:20 am
hey, i am 17 and i have a 97 tj that is lifted 2 inches already, i want more but for a cheap price, can i just add on some inch spacer lifters and have that work along with my lift kit already?
December 31st, 2009 at 12:40 am
thanks.
Now i don’t know what to do
January 10th, 2010 at 11:55 pm
todd, you need a suspension lift. youre probably wearing out the control arms as it is. sorry, but it’s gonna cost you.
January 11th, 2010 at 9:39 am
@Todd
It really depends what type of lift you have already. If you’ve got a
2-inch “suspension lift” (meaning: you already put longer springs in your
Jeep) you could probably add some coil spacers to that to get a little
more height (not the ideal mod, but “could” work). However, if you’ve already got coil spacers, I don’t think you’d want to try and put more of them on (or use spacers bigger than 2″). Another possible alternative is a “body lift.” A body lift basically raises up the body of your Jeep and doesn’t change the springs. Most people don’t recommend adding more than a 1-1.5″ of body lift.
FYI, both coil spacers and body lifts have their limitations (as opposed
to saving your $$ and waiting to buy a bigger suspension lift). Coil
spacers & body lifts won’t give your Jeep suspension any additional flex
(or travel) which is very helpful when you’re going offroad. However,
maybe that’s not a major concern for you.?
Hope this info is helpful. It’s hard to give exact advice without knowing
how your Jeep is currently setup. Just make sure you think about what your goals are before you buy something that you’ll end up scrapping in a year. It sucks when you end up doing things twice…and paying twice.
Take your time and do a decent amount of lift kit research. It’ll payoff in the end.
Good luck!
-Garrett
January 22nd, 2010 at 10:34 pm
Hey Garrett, I really appreciate this site. I am a NY City kid, and am beginning research on potential lifts, as I like to go hard when I can get away upstate. I do use my jeep as a daily driver though, and should probably stay conservative. Anyway here’s my Q. The #1 thing that is bothering me was my run-in with death wobble. Oddly enough, all i have done to my 94 cherokee was trade in the stock 15’s for 16″ wheels with some backspacing… new shocks dampered the wobble, but its not quite eliminated– Any ideas? While I enjoy the power, I also enjoy the highway speed i get off the jeep. After this minor change, something as stupid as uneven pavement makes the jeep wander. I def want to regain a solid ride with good handling before i start lifting anything. Lord knows i’ll probably flip this thing on its first day… THanx, Bryan
January 23rd, 2010 at 9:56 pm
@Bryan
Wobbles can often be a hard thing to diagnose. There can be several culprits such as tire balancing, alignment, trackbar, worn steering components, etc. When you went from 15 to 16″ wheels, you would have had to change your tires, so now you’ve added another variable to the mix. Every vehicle is different, so it’s really hard to say exactly what it could be. I’d definitely check your tire balancing and trackbar to start with. Make sure the trackbar is nice & tight and all your bushings are good. Good luck.
March 2nd, 2010 at 4:54 pm
hey i am putting a 4in suspension lift on my 95 jeep wrangler rio grande and i am getting vibration from the driveshaft and i am wondering if i went too big on the lift and i am going in over my head and this week i am bying 29in tires. so i am wondering what kind of major problems i will encounter?
March 2nd, 2010 at 9:26 pm
@Jesse
First off, you probably don’t need 4in of lift (or any lift for that matter) if you’re going to put 29in tires on…but whatever you prefer. That being said, any time you lift more than a couple of inches you’re going to significantly increase your risk of vibes. Vibes can be fixed, just depends how much $$ you want to throw at it. Some lifts come with a transfer case drop kit (lowers your t-case to get your driveshaft back inline)…sometimes you can get by with this, and other times you may need to do more. FYI, I ran a 4″ Superlift on my TJ for several years with only a t-case drop (no adjustable arms, SYE, or custom driveshaft)….the vibes were very minor and it worked out fine for me & my budget at the time. Good luck!
March 11th, 2010 at 10:25 am
thank you All. Just what I needed. I am only a ppavement prowler and was considering a 4″ lft, w 37″ tires. Now I realize that I am even dumber than I had originally thought! LOL. I’ll have to invest in a cool t-shirt to park in front of the Abercr. & Fitch store…. thanks again.
March 11th, 2010 at 11:01 am
@Steve
No shame in being a “pavement prowler,” as long as you enjoy your Jeep (that’s the important thing). 37s for the road, though, wouldn’t be my top recommendation (unless you’ve got spare $$ to burn).
March 12th, 2010 at 10:56 am
I need some suggestions. I have an 87 TJ and my husband would like to do some modification for ME. I need to know if he is just doing them so he looks cool in it when he’s driving or if I would really need it. He wants to put a 4″ lift and 33’s on it because I do plan on taking it off road. I also drive it daily to work. I would like to find something that is going to accomedate both and would love suggestions. I do not know too much about the technical stuff yet so go easy on me.
March 12th, 2010 at 4:53 pm
I would like to add a 2″ suspension lift to my TJ. I don’t go off road to much but I’m going to this summer. Ok My question is how much ground clearince will this give me running stock tires. Just 2″ or more ?
March 12th, 2010 at 5:48 pm
@driftwood
Actually, a 2″ suspension lift will add zero inches of “ground clearance” if you don’t increase your tire size (the same goes for 4″, 6″, or 8″ lift). The suspension lift basically lifts up your frame (above your axles) and provides additional suspension flex. If you also want to gain “ground clearance” (the distance between your axles and the ground) you need to add bigger tires. Hope that makes sense.
If you’re referring to “ground clearance” as the distance between the fenders and the ground….then you should pickup about 2″ when you add a 2″ lift. It really depends on the lift manufacturer (sometimes the heights will vary slightly based upon the spring type & stiffness). FYI, “ground clearance” is typically referred to as the distance from the axles to the ground…and you can really only affect that with larger tires.
March 12th, 2010 at 8:30 pm
Thanks Garrett ! I guess I need some bigger tire. You just saved me $300.00 bucks man.
Thanks driftwood
March 12th, 2010 at 8:37 pm
@driftwood
Keep in mind, that once you add bigger tires you’ll need a lift so they won’t rub…it’s a double-edged sword unfortunately.
March 12th, 2010 at 8:49 pm
@Michelle
If you’re going to take your Jeep offroad, my recommendation would be to run it offroad a few times BEFORE you lift it. This will give you an idea of its capabilities and will give you a better feel for how aggressive you really want to go. Be careful though, b/c once you start spending, it’s hard to stop. Good luck.
It’s hard to make an “exact” recommendation for what you (or your husband) should buy. It really depends upon your budget, driving habits, etc. FYI, all guys want their (or their wife’s) Jeep to look cool…it’s in our DNA unfortunately.
March 12th, 2010 at 8:49 pm
Well damned if I do damned if I don’t.
Is there any middle ground in this?
I’m new I just got my jeep in Nov and I dont know about the trick’s or have the experience you guys have in this. I just hate to waste my money on stuff I don’t need.
March 12th, 2010 at 8:57 pm
As I mentioned to Michelle above, I always recommend that people take their Jeeps offroad BEFORE lifting them (assuming that offroading is your main reason for wanting to lift in the first place). Once you go offroad a few times, you’ll have a better idea of how your Jeep performs and what mods you want to focus on. Also, it’s helpful if you go offroad with other Jeepers and ask them about their own rigs. Especially, ask them what they’d do differently if they had a chance. A good entry level path than many people take is a budget boost. Basically, this adds coil spacers & longer shocks (and will allow you to increase your tire size a bit). This budget boost kit gets a lot of good reviews: http://www.jeepreviews.com/jeep-parts-reviews/117/rubicon-express-reviews/
March 12th, 2010 at 9:03 pm
Thanks Garrett I’ll do that .
March 15th, 2010 at 8:07 am
I thank you for your suggestion. I am takng her off road next weekend to see how she does before making any adjustments.