Should you add a lift kit to your Jeep?
Tuesday, June 13th, 2006One of the first things new Jeep owners (myself included) think about when modifying their Jeeps is adding a lift. And why not? A lift will allow for larger tires, increase your offroad performance, and maybe even make your Jeep look a lot cooler in the mall parking lot. So, it’s settled, lifting your Jeep is a no-brainer, right? Wrong.
There are a variety of things to think about before you lift your Jeep such as:
Cost: how much do you want to budget towards this project. Lift kits alone run anywhere from $200 to $3,000+. A simple lift can turn into a costly endeavor once you add in tires, regearing, adjustable control arms, heavy-duty tire carrier, slip yoke eliminator, custom driveshaft, adjustable track bars, stronger axles, etc.
Lift kit type: there’s a wide variety of lift options out there for your Jeep. In general, you can choose between a body lift, a suspension lift, or a combination of the two. Body lifts are cheap and relatively easy to install, but don’t offer any additional suspension flex offroad. Suspension lifts are significantly more expensive than body lifts, but they offer great performance advantages on the trails. Suspension lifts come in several varieties such as budget boosts or coil spacers (entry level), short arm lifts (middle level), and long-arm lifts (require most customization & also carry the highest price tag).
Tires: once you lift, you’ll inevidably add larger tires. Before you choose a lift, you should think about what size tires you want to add. Note that larger tires will affect your current gear ratio. The bigger the tire you add, the more power your Jeep will appear to lose. This power loss issue can be rectified by regearing your Jeep, but regearing comes at a pretty hefty price tag (often $1,000+ to do both axles).
Wheels/rims: if you have stock wheels on your Jeep and you add wider tires, you’re most likely going to run into some problems. Stock rims have a relatively deep backspacing and wider tires will often rub. To avoid most rubbing issues, you’ll need to buy new rims with proper backspacing or run wheelspacers (which essentially push your rims outward).
Adjustable control arms: some lift kits come with them and some don’t. If you add a suspension lift over 3 inches, you will often need adjustable front lower control arms in order to get your alignment back into spec (so your Jeep won’t be scary on the highway). If you add a slip yoke eliminator and custom rear driveshaft, you’ll need adjustable rear control arms in order to set your rear pinion angle properly (eliminating driveline vibrations).
Tire carrier: bigger tires = more weight. If you upgrade to 33″ or 35″ tires, you’ll be pushing your stock tailgate-mounted tire carrier beyond it’s limit. A heavy tire rattling around on your stock mount can easily bend your tailgate. There are some cheap alternatives to get you by, but a custom tire carrier is probably your best bet in the long run.
So, to summarize, adding a lift to your Jeep isn’t as simple as pulling out your credit card and hitting your favorite Jeep retailer. Before you take the plunge, I would encourage you to visit some Jeep forums and read Jeep lift kit reviews to get a feel for what’s out there. Don’t believe the kit manufacturers’ marketing hype…adding a lift to your Jeep WILL change the way your vehicle handles onroad. After you install a lift, you’ll need to be prepared to make many minor modifications such as alignment tweaks, transfer case drops, pinion angle adjustments, and potentially steering component upgrades to make your Jeep handle safely.
I added a 4-inch short arm suspension lift to my Jeep Wrangler TJ several years ago. Although I do not regret the modifications to my Jeep, they’ve definitely tested my patience along the way. When I started out, I wasn’t prepared for all of the side effects that came with lifting a Jeep (i.e. death wobble, driveline vibrations, need to regear axles, need to upgrade axles for bigger tires, etc.). Hopefully my advice will allow you to properly plan out your Jeep modifications and help you build a safe vehicle which performs up to your expectations on the highway, on the rocks, or in the mud.