Like or dislike your lift? What do you have and are you happy with it?

[marshotel]

Hey all,
Trying to decide which lift to go with for my stock GW. Wha'dya got and do you like it? How is it for wheelin'? How is the road ride? Thanks!

[HD_JEEP]

I am about to do the same... making that leap myself...:confused:

[Chevelleguy]

BJ's 6in all spring. Very stable, rides like a truck. Took a couple of years to fully break in, flexes reasonably well. Have had it for about 5 years and 35K miles.

[Josh D]

I ran the 4" Rusty's on my GW with their shocks and I liked it a lot. Rode really well.

[The_Gouge]

Rusty's 4" Springs and hydro shocks. It rides fine, not too hard, but stiff enough to drive alright without the swaybar hooked up. One complaint I have is the rear springs are breaking in unevenly :( Drivers side sits ~1" lower than the passenger side after 4 or 5 months on the road.

[KJ Ryu]

Lift details are in my sig below. Only had mine done for a few weeks so I can't really tell you much about how it wheels/rides yet. Doesn't help that the rims/tires I have are impossible to balance, either. I get death wobble on really bumpy roads when doing more than about 45 but, I'm pretty sure that's not related to the lift. I do like the stance and added clearance though. Should help keep my belly off the rocks this summer.

[rmorit01]

I have had 3 different lifts on two different trucks with 31" to 33" tire sizes.

The lifts are 4" BDS with BDS shocks with (33X12.50 Cooper SST Mud Terrain), 3" rough country all spring lift with with rough country shcoks(33X12.50 Dick Cepek FCII all terrain) and 2" rancho (front springs and rear blocks with new stock springs) with adjustable rancho shocks (31" truxus MT).

I mention the tires because they seem to make a difference in ride quality also.

rough country has fewer leaves per spring and is stiff -- after several times wheeling they did break in a bit but were way too stiff in the rear for my liking. I would rate this lift as simply not acceptable on a daily driver. It was OK offroad but there are far better choices. This lift got worse in ride quality when I switched from 33" to 31" tires --

2 inch rancho with stock rear springs and 2" block - I was expecting a really soft ride with this combination and I think I would have achieved if I went with 33" tires...the adjustable ranchos allowed some variation.

4" BDS - this is the sweet spot lift for me -- The quality and shocks are the best I have experienced with springs that are "just stiff enough to feel like a truck" but flex when needed. Plus they make a big deal out of the warranty which is for a lifetime.

Again, I think the 33" tires help smooth out any lift as compared to smaller tires.

Bob

[Tad]

Spring over axle front and rear shackle flip w/63" Chevy springs.
Ride is great, better than when I ran 4" springs (rearched) up front and 2.5" lift spring in back with a block.
Flex is great in the rear, still running the older/shorter springs up front, not so great there, those will get cut off and replaced pretty soon I hope.

It's not for everyone but I would do it again in a heartbeat.

[Heavy_Metal_Thunder_81]

Rusty's 4" w/Procomp ES9000 shocks...rides like a tank and flexes like crap...Ill be going to BJs for my 6" when the time comes...

[InfiniteWisdumb]

Rusty's 4" w/Procomp ES9000 shocks...rides like a tank and flexes like crap...Ill be going to BJs for my 6" when the time comes...

I swapped out the ES9000 in my baby Jeep for some hydraulic Skyjackers a while back because of ride stiffness. really helped. Those pro comp shocks are STIFF

[Heavy_Metal_Thunder_81]

I swapped out the ES9000 in my baby Jeep for some hydraulic Skyjackers a while back because of ride stiffness. really helped. Those pro comp shocks are STIFF
I thought about that...might have to give it a shot. My buddy's BJs lift with ES3000's rides like a dream.

[turtlejoe]

BDS 4" lift, springs and shocks, with BFG 33X12.50X15 AT's. Been on since '04 and 75K miles. Love it. Love the warranty, and have used it once. It was no joke - "it broke? OK, we'll replace it." The fault was with me, and in no part the failure of the spring. I let the u-bolts get loose and didn't pay attention.

Wheels great, road ride as said before is firm for sure, but improves with a load and flexes when it needs to flex. Wouldn't trade it for another.

[Chief Gunner]

I just finished a SOA/ SF lift. I am running 33X12.5 tires on 15 inch steel wheels. There was a lot of work into the project. We had to bebuild the rear shackle hangers cause the one I got was for a J-truck. We had the material, and we were able to custom make them to my exact Jeep setup, so I couldn't ask for a better lift. The flex is unbelievable. I ran a local trail called pancake rock, and the axles flexed like crazy. MY budy has a 4" spring lift on his Jeep, and every time we hit a rock or deep rut, my axles flexed and kept all tires on the ground while his axles wouldn't flex at all and he often times had to change to an easier line. Right now, I am not running with a sway bar or track bar and other than taking turns a little slower, I have had no problems on road either. If you're looking for a capible off road lift and are able to do some fab work, than the SOA is the way to go. I have zero negitives at all about the lift. Here are some pictures of pancake rock when we were testing things out.

http://i621.photobucket.com/albums/tt298/paulma600/JeepFlex1.jpg

http://i621.photobucket.com/albums/tt298/paulma600/flex2.jpg

[gotgas]

I purchased my jeep about 5yrs .It has a 4inch lift and I believe it's a Rusty's. It rides well on the Hwy and it's great in the mud.My only complaint is that, the clamp that holds rear leaf spring together the bolt rubs against my frame.I recently purchased a 6inch bjs several months ago and I'm waiting for the weather to clear up so I can put it on.:thumbsup:

[rockin wagoneer]

i have a rustys 4in on my dads jeep now and it kicks but i love it the ride on and off road is really really good and it flexes great with the rustys shocks.

[janie]

4 inch Hell Creek suspension lift on this Honcho:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v203/79j10peso/DSC00882.jpg


The springs were too harsh for my liking, but my lower back is trashed.



4 inch Skyjacker suspension lift here:


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v203/79j10peso/DSCF1377.jpg


Absolute sweetness. Great on the road and super flexy off.



Only experience with BDS was on this:


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v203/79j10peso/834873-R1-13A.jpg

Great on the highway, little "floppy" offroad.....:)

[twojeeps]

4 inch Hellcreek on my GW. Pretty stiff, but I only drive it a little on Saturday

[Millerluck]

The '88 has Skyjacker 4" all 4 springs. Rides great.

'89 has Rusty's 4" and rides like a brick.

Larry

[babywag]

I've owned 4" softride lift, and 6" BJ's lift.

Personally the softride was excellent, 6" is acceptable if I tune out the wife's complaints.

[fulsizjeep]

4" Rancho Springs in front - 2" Rustys AAL and 4" block in back - recent ProComp ES9000s. Kind of stiff in the front. Good road warrior though.
http://jubileejeeps.org/ourfsjs/phoebe/mexicanhat.jpg

SOA & shackle reversal up front - 4" blocks in back - Rancho 5000s. Smooth and Flexy. :thumbsup:
http://jubileejeeps.org/ourfsjs/luna/lunaon33s.jpg

Rusty's 4" spring packs and Rusty's brand gas shocks. Smooth rider, great on the highway.
http://jubileejeeps.org/ourfsjs/bmaster/costateline.jpg

Warn Black Diamond front springs with BJ's 1" shackle lifts - Black diamond 2" AAL and 2" blocks in back - Rancho shocks in front BD shocks in back - harsh ride on highway, great off road.
http://jubileejeeps.org/fsjrides/07moab/thebigrun/images/IMG_2243_JPG.jpg

We are not sure what lift is on here. Approx 4" spring lift with 32s. It is a very stiff ride unless we have about 1200 lbs of hay and feed in back.
http://jubileejeeps.org/ourfsjs/artemis/09artemis.jpg

edit: we like them all... it is part of the addiction :D

[tgreening]

BJs 6" with 5-position adjustable shocks. On their stiffest setting it rides like a truck. A truck with a single 3 inch thick solid steel spring at each corner and 2 inch .120 wall DOM tubing in place of shocks.

On their softest setting it rides like a truck. A truck with a 2.75 inch solid steel spring at each corner with 2 inch .120 wall DOM tubing for shocks.

At highway speeds it will literally launch me out of my seat. Generally when transitioning from highway pavement to overpass/bridge pavement. You know how sometimes you get that little whoop-di-doo going on and coming off? It sends me towards my roof and in a hurry. I'm fairly certain that if not for my seat belt I'd stand a better than even chance of bonking my head on the head liner.

Looks pretty good though. :)

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff222/tgreening/Wagoneer%20Rebuild/121.jpg

[Serious Johnson]

Got mine from a junkyard for fifty bucks. The springs are obviously BDS -- 4404 & 4402, and they had cracked urethane bushings. Put in new bushings all 'round, Rancho 9000 adjustible shocks & 5000 steering damper (which since fell off and is not missed), longer braided brake lines and a dropped Pittman from BJs. Parking brake barely hooks up. I don't know what the official lift number would be, but the Wag sits (on 33" tires) a good 9" higher than it did on the old gear & rubber. Rides smoother than worn-out stock, and is darn near Caddilacky with the shocks turned full cush, but is a wee bit too soft for heavy towing. 33x9.5 BFG ATs occasionally rub the unmodified bodywork at full angle-stuff, but not enough to be a problem.

I've had stiffly-sprung rigs before (stock FJ-40 comes to mind), and can tell y'all that a soft suspension with good dampers makes a world of difference in control when skittering along a dirt road at 40 MPH.

S.J.

[1983 j10]

i have a 3in bds on my xj and hate it the shocks are junk and i had to add an add a leaf to the rear pack after a year of running it to get it back up to a 3in lifts. and the bushings in the springs make a lot of noise. i will never buy bds again.

[Dirt Wag]

I'm running BJ's 6" lift - stiff ride, not much flex especially in the back - no complaints though - does pretty well off road. The bottom line is it's an "all spring lift" which means ALL the lift comes from the arch in the springs. To maintain that arch, the springs MUST be stiff. On the plus side it's 100% bolt on and you don't have to mess with the stock steering setup.

I kept my stock springs and eventually will use them to do an SOA/shackle flip. That should give better flex and a softer ride with about the same lift - maybe an inch more.

[marshotel]

Thanks for all the input fellow jeepers. Keep it comming!

[Monkeyfrog]

I have 4in Superlift springs at all 4 wheels, Procomp shocks and BJ's U-bolts with 31in BFG Muds on my 82 Cherokee... I am happy with the set up... it works well for camping and some wheeling... The truck has a 258 so going with larger tires would really slow down mu rig.

[marshotel]

after reading this post and others, seems like the BJ's 4" lift will give the best ride quality on-road and give me enough offroad clearance to get to my hunting and fishing spots for the money. Thanks!