Lift KIt Questions..

Anyone have any experience with skyjacker or rancho lift kits on thier jeeps???


Im between a 4" rancho trail system, a 5" skyjacker system and a 5" zone offroad kit, but i wanna get opinions on the rancho or skyjacker before i decide....

PLESE HELP!

Unfortunately, not really a fan of skyjacker just based on what other peoples experiences have been.

I don't know anyone with Rancho or Zone products.

Personally, I have been happy with Rubicon Express (now owned by transamerican) products. I have Rubicon Express on my jeep.

I hear people like BDS products.

What say you members????

My sister had Sky-crapper" on her 2000 Cherokee. She hated everything about it! And I've heard from a bunch of people runn SJ kits on various vehicles how bad they are. No experience myself with SJ, Rancho or Zone. I'm running a 3.5" Rubicon Express "Super-Flex" kit on my LJ and I love it. Just wish I had better shocks.

I say just talk to people on other forums or people with any of those other kits and gauge their reactions. Do some serious research then go with your gut instinct on which one.

And have fun doing it.

The kits you mentioned are arch-typically geared towards people who want to be taller, but do not need to be able to increase off road prowess per se.

Of the two, the Rancho typically has a better ride.

I don't know anyone with a Zone system...so I can't provide any info there.

Kits that use larger bumpstop extensions to allow shocks that are long enough but can't compress enough (less expensive at least)....and which rob you of uptravel, are not high on my wishlist for example.

On my TJ I had a 2" BDS coil spring lift, new BDS shocks, new BDS steering stabilizer installed. Jeep was 13 years old with 95K miles, so I felt the coil lift was in order as a suspension reset. Wheeled this lift 3 times this year.

My 2013 JK has a 2" budget boost. I'm pretty sure this is BDS (was installed by Adams included in financing of the new jeep, they install BDS now). Plus the Fox shocks that BDS sells, plus BDS discos. I wheeled this with the club a couple weekends ago at RC. I decided to go with the BB to preserve most of the stock suspension/handling, even knowing that I will limit travel. I'm not planning on going any bigger than 32" or 33".

BDS carries a lifetime warranty - you break it and they will send you a new part. For shocks, obviously only a workmanship warranty on the shocks since these are wear items. Not sure how you would break a coil spring or hockey puck lift, but the warranty is there. Of course, bigger lifts (did I see in your rig thread you're planning on going to 35-37"?) have more parts to break. Have fun!

Edit: Would help if I remembered to read that you are looking at 4-5" lift. Definitely more parts to break!

Ok Mike. Here is my honest opinion.

All those lifts are junk. Rubicon Express, Clayton are my top choices. BDS would be a distant 3rd.

Now for the honesty. DON'T BUILD IT UP

Why? Learn to wheel what you have in a relatively stock form for now. Get protection. Sliders. skids, bumpers first/ There is a great mod that I helped a friend with here that cuts the wings off the stock front bumper and makes a nice looking stubby bumper FREE

Learn to pick you lines and wheel stock, it will make you a better driver once you are lifted and can do the harder stuff.

Chris . . . for the stubby bumper mod, did you just take a sawsall and trim off the stock metal bumper and plastic cover just outside the bumper knuckles that cover the crush cans? I've seen kits from VDP and Rough Country that are essentially milkjugs for a trimmed off JK bumper (these run about $60-70), but are not nearly as stubby as the free mod. The free mod I've seen takes a sawsall, an angle grinder to clean things up, and a nut and bolt (well, almost free) to tie the end of the cut plastic cover and metal bumper together. I'm thinking about doing this on my JK. Its a pain to disco the links with the full bumper and air dam in place. No good place to reach in with all the stock plastic.

Edit: Here's a link to the write-up I saw on the stubby bumper mod: http://project-jk.com/jeep-jk-write-ups/jeep-jk-wrangler-homemade-stubby-front-bumper-write-up

In the pics, you can see how really thin the metal in the stock JK bumper is.

Ok, here's my two sense. Me personally I would leave the KJ as is. One of the main drawbacks is the front end, they are not very strong. Any amount of lift you install will not net you very much clearance for larger tires. I know you had issues with your KJ. If you want to build a Jeep you may want to consider selling the KJ and get a good, clean XJ. As far as your question goes, don't get Sky Cracker, go for Rubi, BDS with there great warranty and Zone. My Jeep has Rough Country springs and shocks but the CA's I built myself and all the rest of the components to go along with it. The reason I am mentioning this kit is the ride quality, it has been nice.

Hope this helps..

T-Case wrote:

Ok, here's my two sense. Me personally I would leave the KJ as is. One of the main drawbacks is the front end, they are not very strong. Any amount of lift you install will not net you very much clearance for larger tires. I know you had issues with your KJ. If you want to build a Jeep you may want to consider selling the KJ and get a good, clean XJ. As far as your question goes, don't get Sky Cracker, go for Rubi, BDS with there great warranty and Zone. My Jeep has Rough Country springs and shocks but the CA's I built myself and all the rest of the components to go along with it. The reason I am mentioning this kit is the ride quality, it has been nice.

Hope this helps..

He has a JK now...

Sorry, I thought he still had the Liberty. Ok, disregard everything I said. Go for the Rubi, BDS or Zone.

mike, listen to chris and get used to it stock(just ask sam and den how a stock jk wheels).