I am eating my words...

We took the kids to Moab this last weekend. I decided to take the Commander instead of the JK. We were just planning on easy trails since we didn't know how the kids would handle a whole days riding dirt roads. Kids had a great time. We didn't do anything really difficult, probably could have done almost everything in a car. We did Gemini Bridges, Long Canyon, stopped by Dead Horse Point state park, and Tusher Tunnel. I only had one pic on my camera phone but I will try to post a few more once the wife gets them off the camera.

We had three car seats, kids 5,3,1. I also downloaded a bunch of geocaches to my GPS before and used that as a way to make the riding more interesting, we were treasure hunting! My 3 year old son is into pirates right now so he loved treasure hunting. There are lots of caches along the trails.

I didn't think I would ever wheel a IFS anything but the Commander sure fit the family better. Now I have to decide how I am going to build up two jeeps. The 4" superlift is starting to look like a need now. I am also very interested in the post I read a while back about someone who put a QDII front diff in and a locker in the back.

I also wonder if the struts aren't tightened down correctly, I get a pretty good clunk in the front end while offroading.

Pic is along the Gemini Bridges trail where we stopped to find a geocache and eat a snack.


https://theultimatejeep.com/images/i...1139072c-1.jpg
2013-05-03 10.49.05 by duneslider, on Flickr

Time for a good lift and more family XK wheeling!

Your son obsessed with Jake and the Neverland Pirates too?? Thats all my boy watches. We have a similar family..... this time next year my kids will be 4.5, 3 and 1. My XKs gonna get a whole lot of family wheeling trips in

Obsessed with anything pirate. His favorite saying is "Argh, matey, Sail the seven seas". We picked up the XK since three car seats in the JK was tight! I still was intending to spend all my money working on the JK but now I have to figure out how to build both.

I might be able to make do with a heavy duty OME lift but the superlift sure seems nice. Mat, your XK looks nice. I really wanted to hold out for a white one, and QDII but in the end the wife said she liked the black one and I wasn't gonna wheel the XK.

If anyone sees a QDII front diff around let me know!

Im the one with the front and rear lockers. Well worth the $$ if you ask me. Total cost for both was around $1500 for everything. I did they install myself

I couldn't remember who it was that had done it. The wiring of the ELSD is the only thing I am unsure of, if you have any info on that portion I could handle the rest pretty easy. I would still love to go with a solid axle but I just don't think it makes sense financially, if it is even possible. It would probably need 6-8" of lift to make it happen.

I've got some feelers out for a QDII but they don't seem too common.

Let me know if you get your hands on one and I'll help you out with the wiring. It's very easy to wire up

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Originally Posted by 07JeepXK

Let me know if you get your hands on one and I'll help you out with the wiring. It's very easy to wire up

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Have to agree! Way easy to do!

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Originally Posted by stites-xk

Have to agree! Way easy to do!

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Did you get to test yours out yet???

Just some dirt road! Saturday I'm doing china wall! I'll test it then! It locks in great! I still need to run a switch for traction control!

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Originally Posted by duneslider

I might be able to make do with a heavy duty OME lift but the superlift sure seems nice. Mat, your XK looks nice. I really wanted to hold out for a white one, and QDII but in the end the wife said she liked the black one and I wasn't gonna wheel the XK.

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Thanks man. But trust me on this one, especially with all the great wheeling where you live, go with the superlift over the OME if you can. My 2nd daughter is due in a few weeks... and im hoping to upgrade to the superlift when she's ~2yrs old (or in a forward facing car seat) to make it easier for my wife to get the kids all belted in.

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Originally Posted by Matt

Thanks man. But trust me on this one, especially with all the great wheeling where you live, go with the superlift over the OME if you can. My 2nd daughter is due in a few weeks... and im hoping to upgrade to the superlift when she's ~2yrs old (or in a forward facing car seat) to make it easier for my wife to get the kids all belted in.

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I thought I'd toss in my 2 cents on the subject along with a couple of pictures.

Put simply, I went with the Superlift because it corrects for stock geometry. And if you go with some other lift, I'm not convinced that things work out all that much cheaper. I think most who don't want to spend the $$$ for the Superlift want to go with OME instead of a spacer lift. I believe that the OME lift still runs several hundred dollars. Maybe someone who knows real numbers will chime in. Regardless, OME or spacers will result in changes in geometry. This means most likely premature wear of various components. Now, you can compensate for these things, but that means buying more parts and spending nice money for the fix. Well, JBA upper control arms can correct ball joint angles, but how much have you spent now? I can't find a picture of someone's stock upper control arm after an OME or spacer lift, but here is a picture of mine after the SL:

https://theultimatejeep.com/images/i...6_202331-1.jpg

So you can fix that one, but what are you going to do about the steering rack tie rod end?

You can see a really rough steering tie rod angle here.

Here is a picture of mine after the SL:

https://theultimatejeep.com/images/i...6_202254-1.jpg

I wouldn't want to have to keep replacing tie rod ends, or even worse, steering racks ($$$!!!).

So, while the mod bug can keep you forever throwing cash at your Jeep, I felt that the SL gives the best platform. I can stop here, or I can more easily upgrade as the fever consumes me.

Exactly ^^^

Side note... Mark you gotta fix that WSS line hanging near your CV.

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Originally Posted by lekmedm

I can stop here, or I can more easily upgrade as the fever consumes me.

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The fever will get you! Trust me!!



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Quote:

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Originally Posted by lekmedm

You can see a really rough steering tie rod angle here.

Here is a picture of mine after the SL:

https://theultimatejeep.com/images/i...6_202254-1.jpg

I wouldn't want to have to keep replacing tie rod ends, or even worse, steering racks ($$$!!!).

So, while the mod bug can keep you forever throwing cash at your Jeep, I felt that the SL gives the best platform. I can stop here, or I can more easily upgrade as the fever consumes me.

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You can't use oleblue's tie rods as a reference. He is double lifted with both OME HD coils and RC spacer lift up front.

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Originally Posted by lekmedm

I thought I'd toss in my 2 cents on the subject along with a couple of pictures.

Put simply, I went with the Superlift because it corrects for stock geometry. And if you go with some other lift, I'm not convinced that things work out all that much cheaper. I think most who don't want to spend the $$$ for the Superlift want to go with OME instead of a spacer lift. I believe that the OME lift still runs several hundred dollars. Maybe someone who knows real numbers will chime in. Regardless, OME or spacers will result in changes in geometry. This means most likely premature wear of various components. Now, you can compensate for these things, but that means buying more parts and spending nice money for the fix. Well, JBA upper control arms can correct ball joint angles, but how much have you spent now? I can't find a picture of someone's stock upper control arm after an OME or spacer lift, but here is a picture of mine after the SL:

https://theultimatejeep.com/images/i...6_202331-1.jpg

So you can fix that one, but what are you going to do about the steering rack tie rod end?

You can see a really rough steering tie rod angle here.

Here is a picture of mine after the SL:

https://theultimatejeep.com/images/i...6_202254-1.jpg

I wouldn't want to have to keep replacing tie rod ends, or even worse, steering racks ($$$!!!).

So, while the mod bug can keep you forever throwing cash at your Jeep, I felt that the SL gives the best platform. I can stop here, or I can more easily upgrade as the fever consumes me.

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Also, my lift is only temporary. I will be getting the superlift by the end of the summer. I also ordered new tie rod ends and sway bar bushings and links. And I do not take my jeep offroad.

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Originally Posted by 07JeepXK

You can't use oleblue's tie rods as a reference. He is double lifted with both OME HD coils and RC spacer lift up front.

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Got a pic of yours? Yours should be a bit better than oleblue's, but I'm guessing still angled. Curious...

I would say go with the OME lift just for the fact that you have a JK. The XK will still be very capable and for the same price of the superlift, you can have a 3+" OME lift with QDII swap. Even if you decide just to get the OME lift, you have saved enough to get a sizable lift on the JK, as they seem to run cheaper.

Jk is already lifted. I am just contemplating coilovers, prorock44 front, 37's, rubicrawler, supercharger, etc.

The engineer in me says IFS without correcting the angles is a bad thing. First and foremost, the XK is the family wagon. The wife drives it everyday with my kids in it and I don't want to make it less reliable or unsafe. I will probably end up with the superlift. XK's look great with the superlift and 33's! But then I will need sliders, tire carrier, bumper, etc.

It wont be unsafe with the OME. But still.. go with the superlift

I wasn't meaning to imply the ome wouldn't be safe. I have had ome lifts and they generally ride very nice. I have just seen that IFS suspensions don't last well when the angles get bad, the superlift from what I have seen is the only lift that does anything to address this. I still may end up with the ome depending on which direction we decide to go, though I would prefer the superlift. We will see how things go this year.

You are correct... the steeper the angles the quicker the parts will wear. One of the few reasons im currently running the OME with a bit of extra lift is because I have the ability to swap suspension components with relative ease.

Though my biggest concern is the steering rack. Rack and pinions, by design, dont do well with thrust loads. They're lower maintenance than traditional steering linkage setups.... but not really ideal for how most of us are running them.

I think you'll be very impressed with a superlifted commander offroad.... and with the size of your family that JK will probably sit for a while lol.

I just threw together some quick numbers...

OME springs front and rear, OME shocks front and rear, JBA upper control arms, and Rusty's rear adjustable track bar is already running $1196 not including shipping. This setup still leaves bad steering angles. Now contrast that to the SL that Steel Armadillo is selling for $1550 shipped! That's without the ERG module, though.

The only potential advantage I think the OME kit has is that the average handy home mechanic may be able to install it himself. The SL needs a professional install (unless you are uber talented and have lots of special tools). But at some point I think the up-front savings with the OME option become negligible

Eh the cost is a bit skewed. ...

For an equivalent price to the basic Superlift you dont need the OME struts, just the springs. And there are cheaper shock options for the rear than the nitrocharger shocks. I would argue that the OME struts and better shocks than the standard superlift shocks should be added to the Superlift, especially for 5+ year old vehicles where the front struts are coming to the end of service life..

So for that $1200 you're getting all new (and much better) shocks, struts, springs and UCAs.

For the $1600 superlift you're left with the worn oem front springs/struts, weak oem UCAs that you'll want to upgrade eventually and basic twin tube rear shocks.

IF you do decide to go with OME.... dont get their rear springs & shocks though. If you're planning on a rear bumper & tire carrier you'll want the JBA 4" springs instead. Also, while the rear Nitrocharger shocks are a good design, they limit suspension travel more than necessary so there are better options to improve offroad performance.

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Originally Posted by Matt

IF you do decide to go with OME.... dont get their rear springs & shocks though. If you're planning on a rear bumper & tire carrier you'll want the JBA 4" springs instead. Also, while the rear Nitrocharger shocks are a good design, they limit suspension travel more than necessary so there are better options to improve offroad performance.

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Cost-wise, to swap the OME rear springs for JBAs, you have to add about $70 to the costs I previously quoted. I'm sure other shocks will also be more expensive.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

To do a 1:1 comparison with the cost of the superlift all you need is:
Front springs
Rear springs
Rancho 5000 rear shocks ($40 each?)

Better struts, better rear shocks and better UCAs are recommended additions to both but not required.

Add UCAs, struts and monotube shocks to the price of the superlift if you want a better comparison to the $1200 combination you priced out. Otherwise its misleading. The superlift is a better starting point, but is still lacking.

With the basic superlift you get:
1- to reuse stock front struts. ... they should be replaced
2- reuse stock UCAs.... they should also be replaced
3- basic twin tube shocks. ... they should be upgraded if you want to offroad

For your $1200 example you get
1- better replacement struts
2- stiffer springs for the front
3- upgraded replaced UCAs
4- quality monotube rear shocks

Hence there are other benefits. Add the necessary components to make up for the deficiencies in the standard superlift kit and you'll be closer to $2500, not $1600.

I haven't looked really close at the superlift install but what special tools are required?

I have noticed that the superlift still needs other (stuff). I suspect I could replace cv's and ball joints pretty quick, the steering rack isn't something I have worked much with. I am hoping we will have the commander paid for this year and then it will be easier to spend money on it.

The superlift isn't really hard to install. The only somewhat special tool needed is the ability to weld a crossmember support in place (if you have a welder then you probably also have a cutoff wheel or plasma cutter to make the necessary cuts). Other than that, its pretty straight forward.

I would highly recommend the superlift + ome struts for the initial install, then upgrade the rear shocks at your convenience and upgrade the UCAs when the stock ones go bad.

I should be able to take care of the welding portion no problem. If that is the toughest part it shouldn't be a big deal. My front end seems to be sagging so I might have to address that sooner than later. If I go to the trouble to take it apart I may as well do the struts and maybe the uca's too. Doing that might keep me happy for a little bit. I would like to get rid of the stock side steps and replace them with a good slider. I love the look of the 4xguard and how stock they look but the SA with the step will make the wife and kids happier getting in and out. I haven't seen many pictures of them on the XK though, but haven't looked really hard.

If your front springs are sagging you may want to consider replacing them with the OME MD springs and cutting them down incrementally until you've achieved a lift height in front of 5-5.25" (so it'll settle around 4.75-5"). You'll end up with a spring rate close to the OME HD springs which will help you keep that front end up while offroading with a full family of 5.

Oh and check out USMC1's build! He's rocking the superlift, steel armadillo sliders and rear bumper..... he'd be a good example for what yours will look like. :)

I will check out his build. I think I will be able to make this capable of doing most of the fun trails in moab without it costing a fortune and still have a nice comfy family wagon. And if that isn't enough I can put the JK on a trailer and pull it to moab with the commander. Can't go wrong it looks like.

Check out some of trialbyfires pictures & videos. I dont think theres much he hasnt done in moab. :)