lift advice

[bigdog]

i found a 5.5 long travel lift on rustysoffroad.com and was wondering if anybody has used it or heard about it. i looked at the list of parts it comes with but dont know enough about lift kits yet to figure out if it is complete or what else i would need to go along with it. any help or expertise would be appreciated.

[korisu56]

This was a lift that I considered when I was looking to buy. I've heard mixed things about the "Rusty Experience". I've heard nothing but great things about his product, however I've heard bad things about his customer service due to the scope of his operation. For the price you can't beat it. However, I chose to get the Rubicon Express lift and will upgrade to LA's hopefully next year.

[tsgtbob]

I have a few Rusty's components, here's my experence wit h one of them.
XJ Lower Control Arms.

I got my LCA's from a friend who's XJ was involved in a head on with a drunk. Ranger, vs. XJ w/5 inches lift, Rusty's LCAs. The Ranger hit the l/front wheel, driving the driveshaft back THROUGH the T case warping the unibody bad enough that the tailgate broke! (Conn. SP estimated the impact speed to be in excess of 180 MPH)
The Rusty's LCA's survived! One, the right was twisted. After speaking to Rusty himself at York, he said send it to us, we'll fix it. They did. As in replaced the twisted LCA!

Some of his earlier customers had problems, when he was doing that fast growth stage, but he has got those issues under control now.

[bigdog]

hey chris about how much will the la upgrade run

[korisu56]

Just to give you an idea:

Rubicon Express 4.5" Super Flex Kit w/ SYE and Driveshaft (http://www.4x4groupbuy.com/store/rubicon-express-re7000-superflex-combo-p-40.html) Will run you about 1600 bucks. Then add shocks (call it in, they'll give you a bigger discount). Don't forget about tires and wheels where you can get hooked up.

Then, when you can afford it or you're comfortable with it you can jump to the Rubicon Express LA upgrade (http://www.4x4groupbuy.com/store/rubicon-express-re7230-extreme-duty-long-upgrade-free-p-45.html) for around 1800. That one comes with free shocks. As always, shop around. I went this route cause I didn't have 3500 to drop at once. I'm excited as I drove somebody's jeep with RE LA's and it drove smooth as hell.

[bigdog]

Just wanted to put this back on top to see if aybody has any more info, thanks.

[94GC52]

In order to give you really good info on lifts i'd rather know what kind of jeep you have, If its a TJ you can't go wrong with RE products.

[korisu56]

Tis a TJ Josh

[greenbean]

What is it exactly that you want to do with your Jeep? If you just want to put on huge stupid tires and look cool cruising for chicks you don't need all that, just buy some cheap short-arm kit and some huge tires and wheels with the wrong back-spacing and call it good. On the other hand if you are going off road on trails and more importantly rock-crawling there are several "bolt-on/weld-on" kits that have good reputations. People like to say buy this or that because they own it, sunk a pile of money into that particular lift and so they know because of that it's gotta be the best.

Here are some reccomendations in no particular order:

Rubicon Express etreme duty long arm
Clayton's off road long arm
AEV/Nth degree Mobility long arm
Full Traction Suspension Long Arm
TeraFlex LCG series
If you have fab skills you can also go with a custom type link system from either Gen-right off road or Poly-performance as well.

Be advised though when you do the lift receiving the kit is a small part of it, there is a ton of little items that have to be ordered in conjunction with the suspensions. Do your self a favor as well and get shocks that are truly tuned for your suspension, don't settle for the el-cheapo bottom of the barrel shocks a vendor may offer with a kit, they usually suck.

Also consider:
You will need a new driveshaft
Wheels/Tires
Specialty tools if you do the install your self or
Use the Military auto hobby shops, makes life a little easier
Find a buddy that has done lift installs before

Installing yourself is reccomended as your understanding and learning curve of your rig and how the suspension works will benefit you in the long run, and you may be able to help someone else out with an install in the future!

If you have any specific questions shoot me a pm, I'm no expert, but I know a lot of people smarter than me!!!!

Will