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My bro in-law just bought a tj and wants to put a 4" lift in it and run 33"s. What is a good kit and how much?

Out of all the kits Ive seen and read about, the RE 3.5 is the best 4 inch lift. The re's usl settle a little higher. Def enough for 33's.

re 3.5 basic kit, forget the control arms..you can do that down the road.

why didnt he buy my tj!! lol

How much?   and thanks guys! how will it drive with the stock arms?

I ran 33s with 2 in spacer + 1 in body  Snapped 1 tail shaft + bent the 2nd 1

After install I got 4 1/2inches out of it  With my winch + ft bumper  It dropped a inch Then My tool box in back with spare parts and tools droped the back 1 inch
Mine drove ok with it  you will I did   a SYE  + New rear shaft   I am running 35s with the 3 1/2 RE + 1 in BL I have the 8 ADJ control arms + rear Trac bar
  Your looking at around $575 - 600
 RE Recomends a SYE + REAR SHAFT

You can either get a decent kit, and run that, or just put some new springs and tracbars in. 

Whats his budget?

I wonder if you could cut down a stock XJ front shaft.  I bet you could.  That would save a few dollars.

I run a shortened xj front shaft in the rear of my tj (thanks adam)  in the end it cost me i think over $200 to have it shortened, balanced and rebuilt (new double cardan joint and 3 u joints, the DC costs $70 alone)  I actually ordered a Tom Woods last week so if he wants to do a SYE i can sell him a rebuilt (less than 500 mi on the dc joint and u joints) shortend xj shaft. 

Bob, I ran a BB and BL with 33s for a while on stock arms, it worked very well for me.  Now I have 4.5" springs and a BL and clear 36s with room to spare.  I wouldnt go more than 3-4" with short arms, mine rides very harsh with the steep control arm angles.  Over the 2" spacer height youll need an adj front trackbar and rear trackbar bracket, shocks/brake lines.  As cpt carnage did, I bent the output shaft on the tcase at only 2" of suspension lift when I upgraded to the sye.  If its in the budget get it right away, if not you can get away with a tcase drop to get rid of vibes for a short time.

Just say no to the  Tcase drop kit.  Cheap fix but takes away the reason for the lift (to gain clearence)  If its a DD and a look but don't wheel then thats understandable but with a bro in law like Bob he will probably wheel with us no?

start out with the 2" BB and 1" BL. If he sticks with wheeling, he will upgrade, if not it will look cooler than 98% of the jeeps on the road, make that 99%...mine is still broken.

lol

 

 My front shaft was good for a year of hard wheeling  It was not greaseable thats why it went
Allmy driveshafts I get fromCustom Driveshaft in Spofford NH Right on rt 9 they are $ 270 a piece and made to fit your  jeep It was $75 to shorten my rear DS

stock control arms will run well enough until the bushing get shot.

mine always got bent  for some reason LOL

Thanks guys.

If the desired tire is 33, on a tj, I would use a bds 2 inch spring lift and run a 1 inch body lift. Will be more than enough for 33's, won't break the bank and will leave some cash for a SYE or a locker

when I pull out my BB I'll sell it to him for $50 if you want.  I have that and a 1" BL and I clear 33s no problem. 

I'm running Rough countrys 4 " lift comes with shocks and control arms. I have been on 3-4 decent trips with this set up. It also includes the dreaded t case drop kit. no vibes or other probs. I did need the adj. front track bar (jks). The lift is 500.00 and you can pick it up in NH at Steves jeep country w/ no tax.

Thats the one he was looking at, thanks!

agreed. good kit. ive actually installed 3 of those for people on the side at my shop. well built kit, includes A LOT for 500 bux. There are slight vibes even with the drop t-case however...

You should really get an adjustilbe trackbar too, the earlier kits I installed came with relocation bracekts for the front trackbar, but you can get away with drilling a hole a few 16ths over, but its still off a lil...and I dont like drilling into that thin "sheet metal"

I did the body lift and the motor lift ... no vibes.

i ordered and am impatiently awaiting the arrival (tomorrow!!!!!) of my Rough Country 2.5" suspension kit which includes their 1.25" body lift.  I added a few extras like steering stabilizer, rear track bar relocation bracket, .75" inch front spacers and a motor mount to eliminate the t-case drop that is included in the kit.  delivered to my door it was like $550.  Im gonna run 33's on it and just about everyone with this lift that i talked to over at jeepforum says its a great little kit and clears the 33's no prob.