Breaking the Ice

[Sal-XK]

AJ you can post all your WK stuff in the main forum since were trying to combine the XK\WK together. Your XJ build can go in the my other jeep section under the proper section. I would post in the new member section and AKA you other screen name so everyone knows who you are. Oh and if you get bored I'll be at Carolina beach all weekend bro. How's it going

[AJeepZJ]

Is it me or is your front higher than your rear?

Btw, im talking about your wk.... for the record.

It's pretty leveled, actually. But if you are talking about the general space within the wheel well... I know what you mean. The OME gave me about 3.5" in the front... 2.5 in the back. So it may 'appear' as though there is more lift in the front, which there is about an extra 1" in the front. But the body itself isnt any higher in the back than it is in the front. I think this is particularly more noticeable on the 3.7's since they weigh a lot less than the larger and heavier 4.7 and 5.7 engines.

AJ you can post all your WK stuff in the main forum since were trying to combine the XK\WK together. Your XJ build can go in the my other jeep section under the proper section. I would post in the new member section and AKA you other screen name so everyone knows who you are. Oh and if you get bored I'll be at Carolina beach all weekend bro. How's it going

ok - if you guys want to move it, thats cool with me.

aj

[IamJEEP]

Are you having any issues with your axles or balljoint being that high?

Yes i was looking at the wheel well space. I wonder if you use the rear shocks Sal has, if it will raise the rear an inch or so?

[AJeepZJ]

BJ's no... at least not yet - I'm waiting for them to go bad so I can replace them. I don't feel like fronting 400 bucks just to replace something that ain't broke yet, lol. So when they start to crap out, I will replace them then. My Axles and driveshafts are fine. The lift is still within a comfortable angle of operation as to not stress out the xcase or cv joint too much - by the time they would have gone bad - I would have probably already popped in some aftermarket. What I won't be doing is stacking any spacers or anything - I know there are a lot of WK's moving in the direction - But I will wait to see how the WK handles that first before I step in that direction.

[IamJEEP]

Well, 3.5" and 4"s are not that far apart and if you are rocking it without paying $1500 for a SL 4"er, more power to you. I'm strongly considering the OME lift for sometime in the future.

[Matt]

Probably for another threads discussion, but real suspension lifts like the 4" superlift has a lot more benefit than just 1/2" more at normal ride height than an OME + spacer 3.5" setup.

To keep this short, sweet and to the point... imagine suspending the vehicle in the air so that all of the tires are hanging at full drop. With a 3.5" spacer type setup, the distance from fender to hub is only as much as the stock control arms, tie rods and CVs will allow. This may be only 1-2" further than where the hub sits at your normal ride height (so say 3.5"+2"... you're looking at the wheel dropping a total of 5.5" from the position of a stock jeep). Now, a 4" suspension lift retains all stock geometry... so from the start you're already 4" further down than the position of the hub for a stock jeep. Add in the suspension travel of 5.5", and you're looking at a hub position change of 9.5" beyond a stock jeep.

In terms of clearance, this means that the belly of your jeep will keep tire contact for 4" higher belly clearance than a spacer lifted jeep would.

If you're just cruising around the streets, yeah there's really not much difference other than increased wear & tear due to the angles of 3.5" VS. OEM angles with the 4" suspension lift.

[AJeepZJ]

I'm familiar with the the benefits of the SL and I'm also aware of the realized lift actually acquired from a SL, which happens to be greater than 4". I don't know if my last post was misread, but I chose the OME and I've had it for almost a year now in September. I have not stacked, and do not plan on stacking any spacers on it. I chose OME because it is truely the maximum lift you should apply to the WK before you really start changing the geometry of the front. Even so, with the SL, i've heard of failures within the drivetrain. So, I don't feel the SL is as reliable as it should be. I wont be stacking spacers on my OME, I don't believe the benefits of this approach outweight the risks of several components failing - it's too much stress. Just thought I'd clarify.