Opinions on BJs 2" lift

[Kali]

Would like to know how the 2" lift from BJs rides. Couldn't find much using the search button on ride quality.

How would it compare to the Skyjacker 4" lift? I know they are kind of apples and oranges, but I'm just looking to cover the spectrum on ride quality. From what I've read the skyjacker kit rivals if not surpasses stock springs.

I currently run a 3" Rough Country lift and 31x10.50 BFG A/Ts. I don't like the harsh riding springs, but I do enjoy the maneuverability of my J-10. It handles very nicely on the road. I want to maintain the road manners I have, so I figure a 2" lift and 285/70R17 (33x11.50) tires will give me more off-road capability while still retaining the good road manners. I'd really like to go with the soft riding Skyjacker system, but I fear the ~5" from the lift and the 315/70R17 (34.5x12) tires would raise the center of gravity too much.

So... do the 2" springs from BJs have a comparable ride to the Skyjacker system? Or comparable to a stock (soft ride) setup? I would match the 2" lift with 1 of 3 shocks: Procomp 9000s, Rancho 9000s, or a Bilstein that fits (haven't looked into them for fitment yet).

Thanks in advance for any input

p.s. yes you read correctly. if BJs ever sells that 17" wheel that looks like the factory 5-slot I will most likely go with a 17" rim!

[jeeping1974]

personally i think that any new lift is going to ride harsh until it gets broken in. why don't you stay with the 3" and put on a set of 33s?

[The PIG Smith]

Originally Posted by Kali

I currently run a 3" Rough Country lift and 31x10.50 BFG A/Ts. I don't like the harsh riding springs, but I do enjoy the maneuverability of my J-10.

IMHO, Nothing, I mean NOTHING, rides rougher/stiffer/harsher than a 3" Rough Country lift kit.
Anything else would be better.

After I get the 6.2L Diesel in my '86 Wagoneer and many other things done, the Rough Country lift kit is being replaced with anything else.
Do to my limited budget for such things, I'll prob'y go with BJ's.
I feel they have the best value, most bang for the buck.
I like Skyjacker products, but are much more expensive than anyone else.

[Jameshallmodel]

I just went from stock springs to Rusty's 4" aal, cant tell a bit of difference, still feels great on the road, haven't been off yet, but on the road I wouldn't be able to tell you which is which other than height.

[Ristow]

Originally Posted by The PIG Smith

IMHO, Nothing, I mean NOTHING, rides rougher/stiffer/harsher than a 3" Rough Country lift kit.

Rancho AALs' in a stock spring pack make rough countrys' feel like a dream.

[Kali]

Originally Posted by jeeping1974

personally i think that any new lift is going to ride harsh until it gets broken in. why don't you stay with the 3" and put on a set of 33s?

The RC kit has been in my truck for a very long time. It saw years of off roading with the previous owner, and I've done a fair amount myself. Rough Country kits just aren't suitable for lots of pavement driving. Without a doubt, these springs are getting replaced.

I'm willing to dump some extra money on the J-10. Its more of a DD than just a toy.

[Wagoncrzy]

If I ever get the motor back in my truck I'll let you know .

[Redwood]

I just installed BJ's 2" springs and Rancho 9000's this week (springs bought two years ago!). We drove a few hundred miles and wheeled several hours over a few days.

First off, it's always nice to have fresh springs and shocks instead of a saggy clapped out suspension with questionable old shocks. The ride is stiffer than fresh stock (I imagine), but has the crisper handling you mention. From what I've seen, you pretty much have to expect a stiffer ride coupled with any handling improvement to live axel suspensions. Having never driven a GW with a fresh suspension, it was nice to discover how nicely it could hold a lane at speed passing semis on the interstate. Tooling down a realtively twisty highway was actually pretty fun.

Secondly, after wheeling around a little, I can see that if you really want to set your rig up for more than casual wheeling, you'll be considering at least a 4" kit within a year or two.

Not to say the 2" doesn't have advantages: Grandma and the kids could still crawl in and out on their own, for towing lower is probably better than taller, and I figure the waggy will still squeeze into a parking garage every now and then.

I'm real happy with the kit - it all comes down to your particular priorities.

Do not even start this job without all new hardware in hand. And do all potential future owners a favor and use antisieze!

Dean
91 GW

[Kali]

Yeah, I was surpised how so many people on here have such reserved opinions on the handling capabilities of these rigs. I do things in my J-10 I wouldn't even consider in a 2001 Cherokee, and things I'd think twice about in a 99 Tahoe. Perhaps it is partially due to the stiffness of the Rough Country springs minimizing the body roll-- but it still handles on road like crazy.

Right now Im at a 3" lift and 31 inch tires, so I'm about 5 inches over what my truck was like stock (it had H78-15s, so ~225/75/R15 or ~29 inch tires). I figure if I go with a 2" lift and 33s, I'll drop the body 1" closer to the ground, but raise it and the diffs 2" up. So basically I'm only going to gain about an inch going that route. It will handle fairly similar I'm assuming, so my main concern, unknown, was how the 2" lift rides.

With the Skyjacker lift and ~34.5 inch tires I will be closer to 11 inches over stock. I know the ride will be "like a cadillac", and, sure I won't have trouble where I currently do offroad, for instance sometimes I nick the back bumper or scrape a frame rail, but what will I lose in handling on the pavement? I figure it will be too much for my tastes.

[edit]
i just spent a while thinking about it and my figures are wrong. for every inch you go up in tire size, you're really only putting the truck 1/2" higher into the air. So I'm ~4 inches over stock currently, a 2 inch / 33x11.50 config would put me at exactly the same height as I am now but add an inch clearance for my diffs, and the skyjacker conifg would put me ~8 inches over stock (~4 inches higher than I am now, plus add almost 2 inches under the diffs).