Breaking the Ice

[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.

[Matt]

I hear ya. My post about the benefits of the suspension lift were in response to IamJEEP's post.

I personally like the OME kits as well... and will probably be running that by next summer if SL doesn't come out with their "improved" kit soon. My point was just that people may get 'close' to the same ride height increase as the superlift, but there's a bit more to it than that. And it just seems like a lot of people only focus on the height of the vehicle for riding on the street, not how much clearance there is with the suspension at full drop.

Regardless of what kit anyone runs, if you're running bigger tires and/or offroading on occasion, you're going to wear and break parts. Just the way it is

[AJeepZJ]

I hear ya. My post about the benefits of the suspension lift were in response to IamJEEP's post.

I personally like the OME kits as well... and will probably be running that by next summer if SL doesn't come out with their "improved" kit soon. My point was just that people may get 'close' to the same ride height increase as the superlift, but there's a bit more to it than that. And it just seems like a lot of people only focus on the height of the vehicle for riding on the street, not how much clearance there is with the suspension at full drop.

Regardless of what kit anyone runs, if you're running bigger tires and/or offroading on occasion, you're going to wear and break parts. Just the way it is

Oh I see, lol. Yeah, I see a lot of people moving in the direction of the 'customized OME' lift.. And I can see there justification for it. They are trying to compensate for the sag of the bumpers, skids, winches, and settling of the suspension in the first place, and you are essentially attempting to restore that original height that you had + an inch, which really puts you at about 4.5" of lift all the way around. Conceptually, it makes perfect sense... But I'm going to wait to see how these components hold up and let the 'guinea pigs' try this set up out before I say "no, thats a disaster waiting to happen."

And yeah, I love my OME lift. If I get a ZJ, I've been looking at a 5.2L 98 Orvis and 5.9L 97 Orvis for under 3500... An OME lift is the first thing I want to slap under it. with some 32x11.5 anway - thats another topic for another day, lol.

[pjmjr508]

I might of missed this & if so Sorry, but am I to understand this correctly if I go with the Full EMU lift setup with their shocks & struts along with the EMU HD springs that I could get about 3 1/2 " lift and not break the drivetrain other than me being me doing what I shouldn't with the XK?

[Matt]

You're still increasing all of the angles (tie rods, balljoints, CVs, etc). Increasing angles = increasing wear... period... dot. Generally, with most of the budget lifts like RC spacers, and even the OME setups, you're not too extreme with the angles. So the increased wear and chances of things breaking is there, but not really an imminent issue. When you go further you get to a point where the angles get to the point of causing failures at a much more accelerated rate. What is that exact angle? It doesn't exist, depends on a lot of other factors.

So the short answer is yes/no. Rock the OME HD setup and don't lose any sleep... but just remember to keep an eye on the front end components so you can identify and correct and wear&tear items early.

[pjmjr508]

Cool thanks. Right now I using the Rough Country but is maybe a 2 " lift, if I can go with the OMU setup & get 3 1/2 and still be safe (within reason) I might do the plunge for the kit which is about 800 by next year