Lifting a Daily Driver

tigerKJ · Oct 24, 2015

I am looking to lift my '02 Liberty Renegade to handle some off road trails and mild rock crawling (if you can call rock crawling mild). I still have to use my Liberty as a daily driver. What I am wondering is how much lift should I do while still having a decent ride on streets?

I have been reading many of the posts here and it seems 2.5" to 4" is a good amount. I am looking to put on 245/75R16 tires as that size seems to be the most common with 265/70 (or 75) R16 being the next most common for lifted Libertys (or is it Liberties/Libertys' ? :icon_confused

.

Also, I have noticed most of you are using parts from Ironman, JBA, and/or OME and have had good success so I think I will go that route.

First I need to come up with a size, then I can start picking the parts for the lift. I know I will have more questions in the future as I get closer to ordering the parts.

Thanks for any advice on lift size!

tommudd · Oct 24, 2015

tigerKJ said:
I am looking to lift my '02 Liberty Renegade to handle some off road trails and mild rock crawling (if you can call rock crawling mild). I still have to use my Liberty as a daily driver. What I am wondering is how much lift should I do while still having a decent ride on streets?

I have been reading many of the posts here and it seems 2.5" to 4" is a good amount. I am looking to put on 245/75R16 tires as that size seems to be the most common with 265/70 (or 75) R16 being the next most common for lifted Libertys (or is it Liberties/Libertys' ? :icon_confused.

Also, I have noticed most of you are using parts from Ironman, JBA, and/or OME and have had good success so I think I will go that route.

First I need to come up with a size, then I can start picking the parts for the lift. I know I will have more questions in the future as I get closer to ordering the parts.

Thanks for any advice on lift size!

for that size ( 245-75-16-265-70-16s) you'll need at least 3 inches of lift
ALL of the information is on here as you have seen / read
So whats the main questions

tigerKJ · Oct 24, 2015

I guess my first question is how does a 3 or 4" lift handle on the street for DD? And if 4" is too high for DD, then what height and tire size?

What is confusing me is reading what each member has on their Liberty, but the sizes don't seem to match up. I have seen where one person has OME 927 HD and 948 HD springs with OME NS131/NS132L shocks and fits 245/75R16s underneath when I thought the OME parts only got you 1.5" of lift. Even the Frankenlift II says it is 2.5" even though it uses the OME parts.

So my next question is how much lift do you really get? I guess I don't really understand how much lift the kits (or the pieces) get you in the end.

So should I go a complete kit or piece it together?

I like the JBA equipment but I don't think I can afford any kit except the 2.5" silver package and below. Plus, I see everyone seems to mix and match their parts anyway. How do you get the sizing correct between front and rear? And are the JBA kits worth it?

Sorry for all the questions, I'm just trying to do my research so that by next year I can have my liberty lifted and trail ready.

Thanks again for the help!

twowings · Oct 24, 2015

You need to keep reading...it's all there...Ironman=2.25" OME=2.50"...decide on your budget then call the folks at JBA or Frankenlift...if you go with proven parts, it's just that easy...tommudd and others have already taken care of the guesswork...

4x4kayak2112 · Oct 24, 2015

Both of mine are daily drivers......check out my signature

Sent from my SM-N900P using Tapatalk

tigerKJ · Oct 24, 2015

4x4kayak2112:
OK, so your signature is whats below the line (and below the like/share links). I was wondering how people put their information down there.

So you are DD on 4" with 32s, sounds like fun!!!

I have been looking at what Tommudd, John3seventeen, M38, and a few other members have done. I definitely like the look and size.

twowings:
Yes I am going to keep reading and I do want to stay with proven parts, I don't want to skirt the bleeding edge of tech.

Thanks guys!

tommudd · Oct 24, 2015

Mines a DD has been since I bought it new September 2004, been lifted since it had 20,000 miles on it and now over 218,000
Most of those miles have been at 3.75-4.5 inches of lift, depending on which lift I was running at the time
Handles better lifted than it ever did when it was brand new stock
Have had OME 927/948 combo, OME 790/948 combo, Ironman HD and JBA adjustable coilovers on it
Getting plans to do my 03 KJ I just bought a while back, it will end up in the 3 to 3.25 range is all.
With 4 inches of lift more issues with CVs/ need JBA UCAs, may as figure in regearing to 4.10s etc
So first figure what you want to spend/ the look you're after etc

u2slow · Oct 25, 2015

The setup in my sig line makes for a good daily driver too.

tigerKJ · Oct 25, 2015

I am going to have to put my spec's in my signature.

Looks like I need to keep reading the Lift Kit threads and look at members signatures.

TwoBobsKJ · Oct 25, 2015

I think what gets confusing is thinking the lift means that the Liberty becomes an off-road machine only. Couldn't be further from the truth!

Mine's a daily driver and sits at about 3.25" lift since it's settled in and it rides great on the road and off. Very comfortable, soaks up bumps, potholes, washboard roads really well. A basic spring/shock upgrade will give you about 2.5" of lift - it's the extras that get the lift up into the 3.5" range. Here's what I'm running:

- OME 927/948 springs
- Bilstein shocks
- JBA 1/4" top plate, 3 ring clevis in front
- Two extra upper isolators in the rear
- JBA Gen 4.5 A-arms
- TJ Moab Rubicon wheels
- Goodyear 265/70-16 shoes

Next on my suspension upgrade list is a set of JBA coilovers. Not that the OME's aren't good (MUCH better than stock) but I'm looking for the ability to adjust height now that I have an ARB bumper and winch up front.

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Bob

twowings · Oct 25, 2015

^^^ That pic is drool-worthy! Perfect KJ look....

tigerKJ · Oct 25, 2015

TwoBobsKJ:

I like the look! Do the 265s rub when you turn the wheels?

I am also planning a bumper and winch, but that will be in the future. I would like the JBA coil overs, but again that will be a future purchase.

I should add a pic of my Renegade as my profile pic and I have seen some members add a small pic of their Jeep to their signature. Might have to do the same.

4x4kayak2112 · Oct 25, 2015

Heres my 04, if you look closely you can see why thats the furthest its been offroad. Its sitting 2" over stock factory height. Ride is 100x better than stock. Its a 100% daily driver, never offroaded.