jackflack44
New member
What is the cheapest 4-6 inch lift? Best value for the money? 97 TJ
Cheapest lift
- Thread starter jackflack44
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Bounty__Hunter
Super Moderator
Rough Country 4" kit. Best bang for the buck in my opinion.
jackflack44
New member
I do mostly street driving but I'd like to be able to go mudding and offroading a bit.
The cheapest way for you to get 4" of lift would be to get a 2" economy suspension lift like a Rubicon Express kit that is basically spring spacers and longer shocks. That would cost you about $200-250, then you could get a 2" or 3" body lift for another $140-150. That'll clear probably 35" tires or so, but most people on here will tell you that more than 1" of body lift looks ugly and usually puts too much stress on the body bolts if you're going to do any serious off roading. I would be one of those people (in fact, I think the only good reason for even adding a 1" body lift is for a high clearance belly pan, but I digress).
Your next option is going to be something like a Rough Country or Skyjacker "economy" 4" lift, but as mentioned previously you get what you pay for. An economy 4" lift may come with lower control arms but they almost always will be non-adjustable and will not have flex joints. If you don't add adjustable upper control arms (at least for the rear) you will not be able to install a SYE and will have to use a transfer case drop that will take away some of the clearance you get from adding the lift. Also 'economy' lifts may have a trackbar relocation bracket for the front but may ignore the rear so you could have problems there...and generally speaking most 'economy' lift kits will just come with extended sway bar links instead of disconnects.
There's more, but you get the idea. I'm not trying to tell you that you shouldn't get an economy lift kit (it would be better than a body lift), but if you do a lot of serious off roading an economy lift is going to leave you with a lot of issues that you will need to address. If you just do very occasional light wheelin' you probably would be ok.
Your next option is going to be something like a Rough Country or Skyjacker "economy" 4" lift, but as mentioned previously you get what you pay for. An economy 4" lift may come with lower control arms but they almost always will be non-adjustable and will not have flex joints. If you don't add adjustable upper control arms (at least for the rear) you will not be able to install a SYE and will have to use a transfer case drop that will take away some of the clearance you get from adding the lift. Also 'economy' lifts may have a trackbar relocation bracket for the front but may ignore the rear so you could have problems there...and generally speaking most 'economy' lift kits will just come with extended sway bar links instead of disconnects.
There's more, but you get the idea. I'm not trying to tell you that you shouldn't get an economy lift kit (it would be better than a body lift), but if you do a lot of serious off roading an economy lift is going to leave you with a lot of issues that you will need to address. If you just do very occasional light wheelin' you probably would be ok.
jackflack44
New member
Excuse my ignorance, but what is an SYE?
Slip Yoke Eliminator - essentially, when you lift a vehicle, the axles will stay at the same height relative to the ground, but the rest of the vehicle is raised. This creates a problem because the angle of the drive shaft from the transfer case to the axle is increased beyond what it is originally designed for. This can cause binding and vibrations in the drivetrain. To fix this problem you can do one of two things: The cheapest solution is to put spacers between the frame and the transfer case to essentially lower the transfer case back to it's original height. This is cheap and solves the problem, but if you raise your suspension 4" and have to drop your transfer case an inch or two essentially only gain 2-3" of clearance from the lift.
The other option is to install a Slip Yoke Eliminator kit on your transfer case. This essentially replaces the housing on the tail end of your transfer case and the output shaft and alters the overall length of the transfer case so the drivetrain angles and close to stock. Installing a SYE kit also requires installing a new rear driveshaft as the length will be different from stock. It's more expensive than a transfer case drop (think $200-250+ for the SYE kit plus a new driveshaft - if you have it done at a shop the SYE kit + driveshaft + labor will likely run you around $1000) but you will get the most ground clearance out of your lift. Another plus with the SYE is that if you so choose you can also install a high clearance belly pan (transfer case skidplate) that lifts the transfer case up even higher for 2-3" of additional gound clearance over stock. This usually requires installing either a 1" body lift or clearancing on the bottom of the body tub (i.e. taking a big hammer to reshape the bottom a bit to make room) or a combination of the two to make everything fit.
One last thing - on smaller suspension lifts (typically 2.5" or less) you normally will not need an SYE or transfer case drop. On most Jeeps you won't run into drivetrain vibrations from a lift until you get above those, but every Jeep is different (when I put a 2" economy lift on my TJ I had crazy vibrations and had to do a t-case drop).
The other option is to install a Slip Yoke Eliminator kit on your transfer case. This essentially replaces the housing on the tail end of your transfer case and the output shaft and alters the overall length of the transfer case so the drivetrain angles and close to stock. Installing a SYE kit also requires installing a new rear driveshaft as the length will be different from stock. It's more expensive than a transfer case drop (think $200-250+ for the SYE kit plus a new driveshaft - if you have it done at a shop the SYE kit + driveshaft + labor will likely run you around $1000) but you will get the most ground clearance out of your lift. Another plus with the SYE is that if you so choose you can also install a high clearance belly pan (transfer case skidplate) that lifts the transfer case up even higher for 2-3" of additional gound clearance over stock. This usually requires installing either a 1" body lift or clearancing on the bottom of the body tub (i.e. taking a big hammer to reshape the bottom a bit to make room) or a combination of the two to make everything fit.
One last thing - on smaller suspension lifts (typically 2.5" or less) you normally will not need an SYE or transfer case drop. On most Jeeps you won't run into drivetrain vibrations from a lift until you get above those, but every Jeep is different (when I put a 2" economy lift on my TJ I had crazy vibrations and had to do a t-case drop).
jackflack44
New member
Will I need to regear with 33's?
jackflack44
New member
Jason, thanks for the great explanation. I'm just trying to see how much money I will need to save.
Bounty__Hunter
Super Moderator
You don't 'have' to but it is ideal and is one of the best modifications when installing larger tires. Without regearing your engine will struggle along at lower RPM's where it used to have decent acceleration. Regearing gets the engine back in the proper RPM range for better performance and mileage.
I regeared my 4banger to 5.38 to push 35" tires and the performance is great, mileage is decent too.
jackflack44
New member
What kinda mileage? Also, what gearing would I need for 33''s? What would the pricing be for regearing? Sorry for all the questions haha.
jackflack44
New member
And do you guys have any recommendations for me to get the 3 inch lift? Links?
Bounty__Hunter
Super Moderator
Your axles currently have 4.10 gears, I would regear to 4.88 for the best performance. It can run 800-1000 minimum for a shop to regear both axles.
jackflack44
New member
Is regearing a difficult job to do in the garage?
Bounty__Hunter
Super Moderator
It can be done in the garage but takes some special skill to make sure it has the proper gear mesh pattern. This requires special tools like a dial indicator, micrometer, and a press. Setup bearings also help.
HTFireMedic
New member
I just put a 6" BDS long arm kit and Dana 44's with ARB's on my '00 TJ. I re geared to 4.56. I am averaging 14 mpg at 70 mph on I85 in SC. If I go 55 I am around 17 or so.
I saved a long time, but it was worth it.
Tested it at SFWDA's Dixie Run. I did well.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I saved a long time, but it was worth it.
Tested it at SFWDA's Dixie Run. I did well.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
jackflack44
New member
Bounty hunter, what would the costs be of simply parts? Or where could I find that info?
Htf what size tires are you running?
Htf what size tires are you running?
