Lift's affect on handling

[Thelt]

For you guys who have lifted your Jeep, how did it affect your handling. Mine feels pretty nimble to me with stock 225/75/16s and no lift. I know it would lose some of that if I went with a mild lift and some 31s. I am just wondering how much. I do not want to have to take twisty mountain roads like I am pulling a trailer behind me.

 

[kj924]

Before my lift, my KJ felt like a "car" driving down the road. Now that it is lifted and I put on the wheel and tire combo, it feels much more stable on the road and it drives like a Jeep should. The heavier springs up front took away that soft spongy feeling from the stock coils.

 

[tommudd]

more stable now than before, feels way better now, it doesn't drive like a marshmellow

 

[Thelt]

I lifted the Ford Explorer I had before this Jeep and it felt like it was going to tip over on me. It was only a 2" lift and some 32s but it really changed its handling.

 

[J-Thompson]

I lifted the Ford Explorer I had before this Jeep and it felt like it was going to tip over on me. It was only a 2" lift and some 32s but it really changed its handling.

what year explorer and body or suspension lift?
if suspension what brand?

I had a '98 Ranger ,first year with the true IFS, and when I did the 4" super lift it used the OE Torsion bars
problem was they were soft
they had to be preloaded ,they make a tool to turn them a little so when you put them in they are under a load
this fixed the "tippy" feeling
fixed it to the point of almost to stiff ,added over an inch of lift
I also did an add-a-leaf to the rear to make up for the saggy rear end

on our KJ we did the OME med. coils
and with 255/70 AT's on OE wheels
it drives and handles like a stock ,show room new, KJ
The quality of suspension will dictate how well it handles

 

[liberty84]

I'll put it this way.....before the lift I would drive pretty fast if I need it, after the lift I hardly pass 70 lol to me it gets scary,

 

[ThunderbirdJunkie]

ThunderbirdJunkie drives his KJ with reckless abandon on the interstate and around corners.

The lift has made it better. It was wallowy and squishy and sometimes even scary with the stock suspension.

 

[ridenby]

ThunderbirdJunkie drives his KJ with reckless abandon on the interstate and around corners.

The lift has made it better. It was wallowy and squishy and sometimes even scary with the stock suspension.

X2

 

[tjkj2002]

ridenby Quote:
Originally Posted by ThunderbirdJunkie
ThunderbirdJunkie drives his KJ with reckless abandon on the interstate and around corners.

The lift has made it better. It was wallowy and squishy and sometimes even scary with the stock suspension.

X2

X3

I drive my KJ like it's a Porsche that I just stole,handles great with the stiffer coils and better tires.

 

[LibertyOrDeath]

Well, when I ditched my stock suspension I also ditched my stock tires. The Wrangler ST's. Drives, rides, and corners a lot better. Even with mud tires.

 

[Andynator]

I have never been entirely happy with my lift. I run the Frankenlift with the Rancho front strut combo and OME springs & rear shocks on an '02 KJ. I definitely like the ride height and I am okay with the added "firmness". But it is terribly noisy on my KJ. The front end bangs, clanks and clunks over every moderate bump. The rear shocks or springs make a constant creaking noise, even at parking lot speeds.

If I didn't need the extra ground clearance, I'd probably switch it back with the old parts.

My two cents.

 

[LibertyOrDeath]

Wow I don't have the FrankenLift just the OME HD springs. No clanging or anything like that.

 

[ThunderbirdJunkie]

I have never been entirely happy with my lift. I run the Frankenlift with the Rancho front strut combo and OME springs & rear shocks on an '02 KJ. I definitely like the ride height and I am okay with the added "firmness". But it is terribly noisy on my KJ. The front end bangs, clanks and clunks over every moderate bump. The rear shocks or springs make a constant creaking noise, even at parking lot speeds.

If I didn't need the extra ground clearance, I'd probably switch it back with the old parts.

My two cents.

Andy, one of two things to check.

A: double check that your nuts retaining the shock mounts to the shocks on the top are secure
B: check your LCA bushings (where the clevis goes) for play
C: check to see that your upper control arms are not contacting the spring

BTW...you should rock out to one of our meet 'n' greets or wheelin fests since you're in Bellefontaine...Ohio guys abound

 

[Thelt]

what year explorer and body or suspension lift?
if suspension what brand?

I had a '98 Ranger ,first year with the true IFS, and when I did the 4" super lift it used the OE Torsion bars
problem was they were soft
they had to be preloaded ,they make a tool to turn them a little so when you put them in they are under a load
this fixed the "tippy" feeling
fixed it to the point of almost to stiff ,added over an inch of lift
I also did an add-a-leaf to the rear to make up for the saggy rear end

on our KJ we did the OME med. coils
and with 255/70 AT's on OE wheels
it drives and handles like a stock ,show room new, KJ
The quality of suspension will dictate how well it handles

It was a '02 and I used custom made coil spring spacers all the way around. They were only 2". Maybe the key to this is getting firmer springs as part of the lift? Spacers do not accomplish that...

 

[J-Thompson]

It was a '02 and I used custom made coil spring spacers all the way around. They were only 2". Maybe the key to this is getting firmer springs as part of the lift? Spacers do not accomplish that...

'02 ,that was around the time of the IRS correct?
Explorers have always been unstable but with the spacer you would have preloaded the springs on the struts
who knows it is a Ford?

 

[Thelt]

'02 ,that was around the time of the IRS correct?
Explorers have always been unstable but with the spacer you would have preloaded the springs on the struts
who knows it is a Ford?

It was the first year of the IRS on the rear. It handled pretty well stock. It was certainly not meant to go offroad though. The lower control arms were really close to the ground. It advertised decent ground clearance but it was not measured at the lowest point, which was the control arms.

So you guys think a 2.5" lift, say a Daystar, and some 31" tires will not kill my handling?

 

[Boiler]

I'd think a spacer lift would lower handling quality, because you've got the same suspension components except you're raising you're center of gravity. If instead you do a full OME/Rancho type lift at least you're putting in new / stiffer springs and such. That's how people gain firmness. I'm going that route and also changing to soft 8's, which will widen my stance to boot. This should counteract a bit of the COG raising.

Currently on my stock suspension and tires, some 2 lane highway curves get pretty hairy. I'm constantly braking on stuff that I used to take doing 65-70 in my car, because the body rolls so far.

 

[Mangate]

what year explorer and body or suspension lift?
if suspension what brand?

on our KJ we did the OME med. coils
and with 255/70 AT's on OE wheels
it drives and handles like a stock ,show room new, KJ
The quality of suspension will dictate how well it handles

I have just ordered the OME medium kit from JBA with their UCA's.
Intend to put on 255/65 General Grabber AT2's

I was hoping the handling would be better than "stock, show room new"

 

[Thelt]

Wow I don't have the FrankenLift just the OME HD springs. No clanging or anything like that.

How much lift did you get from just the springs?

 

[J-Thompson]

I have just ordered the OME medium kit from JBA with their UCA's.
Intend to put on 255/65 General Grabber AT2's

I was hoping the handling would be better than "stock, show room new"

why 255/65's?
why spend the money on the UCA's ,you dont really need them with this suspension
the handling is great ,not to stiff or harsh and not to soft
the OEM suspension is fine for the first few thousand miles but goes down hill fast