John's 1" Lift

[jjt250]

Yeah the new gas tank skid replaced the whole unit. Check out the "how to" section; Sal and I both have threads that show R&R of the gas tank skids. Mine shows how to trim for control arm clearance.

As for shocks- most of us run extended length shocks for better articulation offroad. You can gain A LOT of down travel in the rear with a good shock setup.

I figured since I'm only looking for 1" of lift I'd go for the stock length Bilsteins. I don't think I'll contact the skid with them but I'll trim in the future....someday I'll upgrade anyways haha.

awesome post... looking forward to seeing a comparison next to another WK.

interested in doing this. matt are you not making spacers anymore after this last batch? if replace my MLLs with bilsteins id like to keep alittle bit of a boost in the rear.

i need to get me some XK HEMI/TOW coils.

I will try to find another WK to park next to as soon as possible. I also had MLL's (stock length) at one point and I didn't love the ride. It was a little harsh but not terrible. I decided to go with Bilsteins for the improved ride, but also wanted to retain the added help when towing that the MLL's provided. That's why I also switched to Hemi/Tow XK coils and a 1/2 inch rear spacer. Not to mention I appreciated the added lift. BTW, keep in mind that I have the CRD which is the heaviest engine choice available. If you wanted a bit more lift in the front, I bet the CRD front coils have a little higher spring rate.

I hear ya. I definitely didn't set the price to make any real profit.... basically just covering the material cost, shipping and some quality beer. Someday id like to get into a fabrication side business, but for now im busy enough with 2 (+1 in June) kids, full time job, working on masters degree (before kids get on enough for after school sports), volunteering my time mentoring highschool robotics team, and trying to sneak some "me" time in there to play with my jeep.I think thats why im on these forums so much..... gives me an opportunity to enjoy my hobby and help out other enthusiasts in between my daily chaos!

Hey Matt, out of curiosity, what line of work are you in? Engineering?

[paroxysym]

I will try to find another WK to park next to as soon as possible. I also had MLL's (stock length) at one point and I didn't love the ride. It was a little harsh but not terrible. I decided to go with Bilsteins for the improved ride, but also wanted to retain the added help when towing that the MLL's provided. That's why I also switched to Hemi/Tow XK coils and a 1/2 inch rear spacer. Not to mention I appreciated the added lift. BTW, keep in mind that I have the CRD which is the heaviest engine choice available. If you wanted a bit more lift in the front, I bet the CRD front coils have a little higher spring rate.

great- exactly the info i was looking for. i have the stock length MML in the rear as well with my BB. however, once i take out my BB and leave the MLL i was going to use her as a DD and towrig maybe. but i was curious how harsh the MLLs would be and how i would compensate for the boost they gave/give me. sounds like you found the right solution. thank you sir.

[Matt]

Those bilsteins, depending on model, may be longer than the oem shocks. Not a big deal regardless.

And yessir.... used to be an ASE certified tech, now a mechanical engineer (B.S. working towards M.S.) w/aerospace cert.

[jjt250]

great- exactly the info i was looking for. i have the stock length MML in the rear as well with my BB. however, once i take out my BB and leave the MLL i was going to use her as a DD and towrig maybe. but i was curious how harsh the MLLs would be and how i would compensate for the boost they gave/give me. sounds like you found the right solution. thank you sir.

No problem! I don't think the MLL's were that stiff. Some people don't mind, others do. Part of the problem for me might've been the fact that I was stock in the front so I thought it felt a little bit unbalanced IMO. Also when going over bigger bumps, the MLL's just felt less willing to use travel (which makes sense) which made the ride suffer and gave a sort of harder landing. I also like the peace of mind of having less stress on the shock mounts, which weren't really designed to hold a lot of load. Although it probably wouldn't be a problem, this is what I tow a lot and it clearly has a lot of tongue weight:



This was a heavy one...


Bottom line, if you're willing to spend the extra money on Bilsteins, XK coils, and coil spacers, I think it is a better set up and I know I enjoy driving it much more now. I'll post towing impressions next time I have it hooked up.

Those bilsteins, depending on model, may be longer than the oem shocks. Not a big deal regardless.

And yessir.... used to be an ASE certified tech, now a mechanical engineer (B.S. working towards M.S.) w/aerospace cert.

Very cool! Also, I'll be sure to check the length of the Bilsteins next time I'm working on the Jeep (Thursday). I didn't notice a difference in length, but it would certainly be welcomed...

[paroxysym]

wonder what the biggest size tire you cam fit now, comfortably...

[jjt250]

wonder what the biggest size tire you cam fit now, comfortably...

Well I really want Goodyear Duratracs, but there really aren't many sizes available that I'm looking for. I was thinking 245/70/17 but Duratracs are still expensive, kind of heavy, and those are load range E which I don't need. I was thinking General Grabber AT2's because they have a lot more sizes, much cheaper, and lighter. I know you can do 265/65/17 on stock suspension but you'll probably want to run spacers. I don't want to run spacers until I get Moabs this summer and I want 1" Bora wheel spacers. So many tire decisions, but I do love the way Duratracs look and perform so I might just get those.

[jjt250]

So I have to take back what I said about CRD coils possibly giving more lift on other WKs. After a week of settling, I'm sitting at 19 inches in the front and 20.5 in the rear. I'm somewhat disappointed by this and now I want a bit more out of the front. I did some research and found that certain Commander coils (Hemi XK, I assume) have a spring rate of 601 lb-in (PN 52124207AA) whereas CRD coils have 473 lb-in (driver) and 433 lb-in (passenger). So now I'm considering picking up a pair of Commander front coils. If anyone is interested in selling me theirs, I might be interested. I just really don't want to disassemble the front again. That was not fun at all, but I hope this helps other people out who are looking for about 1" of lift.

I didn't find another WK to park next to this weekend, unfortunately. I see so many WK2s around, but WKs seem to be harder to come by now!

On another side note, tires look to be narrowed down to Goodyear Duratracs, Goodyear Silent Armors, and possibly Cooper Discoverer AT3s. Really leaning towards Duratracs in 245/70/17, but dang are they expensive, and so are Silent Armors! Five will cost at least $1000! Does anyone have a preferred place to buy tires from?

[paroxysym]

any recent pics?