general lift question

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vegas4x4

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Today I took the KJ out for a 20 mile trail ride through the desert and there were a few times I could feel rocks rubbing up against my front skid plate (or whatever its called)

My main question is would a lift give me more clearance there? I guess I dont understand the basic mechanics when it comes to a lift. Would this give me more clearance say between front to rear or would this also give me more clearance on the axles? (if they arent called axles then the front and rear sections that hold my wheels) If not what do I need for more clearance there?

Oh yeah I must say I had an 06 Ram 4x4 Hemi and I liked the KJ off road way better. Just never lifted the ram, never needed to.

-Ivan
 

tjkj2002

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Well the front is an IFS(independant front suspension, I learned that here). A lift will give you more ground clearance as far as the undercarrage goes. So your underbelly won't be hitting stuff as much. You don't get more clearance for the IFS and the rear axel unless you get bigger tires. But a lift will help you get over a bunch of stuff much easier and with less ground contact.


Anyone feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.
I'm open to learning new things.
For the KJ with IFS and solid rear axle................

A lift will gain you clearance for the front and not for the rear if using same sized tires as was used when not lifted,so if you lift your KJ 3" then you gain 3" under the front skid and zero inches under the rear axle if you are still on stock sized tires.Now if you add a 3" lift to your KJ and then go from 29" tall tires to 31" tall tires you will gain 4" under the front skid and 1" under the rear diff.
 

vegas4x4

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Thanks for the info.

So would I be able to fit some 33's under there once lifted? Would I need wheel spacers?
 

HoosierJeeper

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I guess I should that a popular size for a 2.5" is 245/75....:)
 

vegas4x4

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from what I am reading if I dont want to go with the cheaper "budget" ebay lift (I think its a day star) all I need is...

2 OME 927's
2 OME 948's
2 Rancho RSX 17505's
2 Rancho RSX 17004's

Would that be it? Or is there more? When I looked at a site about the OMe parts it says you only get 1.5" lift am I missing something LOL? Or is this when tires come in and raise it up a little more?

The ebay kit says 2.5" so instantly I am thinking that is better...

BTW thanks for all the help this forum is great :) I guess 32's it is
 

vegas4x4

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One more thing... Since it is lifting 1.5 to 3 inches all the way around will my front end still sit lower?
 

long_tall_texan

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Well you will hate the day star. everyone who gets it does.

Not quite everyone... There are a few of us that have Daystar or other spacer lifts that are content with them. I have had mine for almost a year now. I have put about 12,000 miles on the lift and have 36,000 on the KJ. My springs aren't sagging yet, and I am happy with the ride. The biggest improvement is to change the shocks from stock OEM to the Rancho's. That improves the ride tremendously.

As for the stock nose-down rake that the KJ has... You will still have that factory rake, only taller. The way to level that out is to add one of the 1/4" - 3/8" top spacer plates, and/or add a 3/8" clevis lift. Then you will be leveled like most of the lifted KJs that you see on here.
 

vegas4x4

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I know if I went with the Daystar I could get it this week LOL but I dont know. I am not 100% sure but in theory if you install the Daystar at 2.5" and also install the OME springs and Rancho shocks struts at another 2.5" wouldnt you get a total of 5" in lift? Like I said before I dont know everything when it comes to lifting but I figure spacers are one thing and larger springs are another.

Can one do a clevis lift (leveling) before you install a lift?

I don't plan on going with a lift for a couple months and I hate the way any truck or SUV looks when the front end is lower than the rear. So I was thinking of doing the Clevis in the next few days.
 

kj924

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Yes.. you can do a clevis lift before an actual lift.

NO... You can't use the 2.5" Daystar and OME springs together....too much lift which causes too much angle on the CV joints causing failure. 3" of lift is about the max you can lift these IFS front ends.
 

vegas4x4

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Just read it, there has to be a way around the CV Binding issues... But o well thanks :)
 

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