Jeep Lift Kits: Handy Guide Helps Us Choose Between Best Options
With a dizzying array of options, choosing the right lift kit for your Jeep can be hard, but this guide helps simplify the process.
Without a shadow of a doubt, lift kits are by far the most popular Jeep modification. And the reasons why are pretty obvious. Even if you don’t care about increasing ground clearance for off-road purposes, most folks just love the look of a lifted Jeep. Lift kits also make room for larger tires, which might be the second most popular mod. But as anyone who’s ever shopped for a lift kit already knows, there are an incredible number of options out there. Narrowing it down can be difficult, especially if you’re new to the world of Jeep. Thus, we found this nifty guide from Extreme Terrain to be quite helpful.
The guide is quite comprehensive, which is nice for both beginners and seasoned pros. You can simply skip to whichever section pertains to your unique situation rather than read through stuff you already know, which is pretty awesome. Regardless, Extreme Terrain does a nice job of breaking down the factors you’ll want to consider before shopping for lift kits. Things like your intended purpose, your budget, and whether or not you can install it yourself.
There are also considerations with each level of lift. Anything over 3.5-inches typically involves swapping out lower control arms and shocks, along with lengthening the brake lines. Four plus inches of lift typically requires new upper control arms, a new track bar, and longer emergency brake lines. Lift kits start out at 1-2 inches, which give you room to run 31 or 33-inch tires. These typically consist of front coil spacers and long shackles or blocks in the rear. Small lifts are easy to install and inexpensive. But for some, it just isn’t enough and they eventually get buyer’s remorse.
Going over two inches of lift on your Jeep gives it a more aggressive look and enhanced off-road performance without sacrificing ride quality. You’ll also be able to run up to 35-inch tires, which is a nice size for aesthetic purposes. Of course, bigger lift kits have cons as well. They’re more expensive, more complicated, and more difficult to install. You’ll also be redesigning the entire front end geometry, so these types of lifts should be installed by a professional unless you’re comfortable doing it yourself.
If you want to go really big with your Jeep, consider a 3.5-inch or more lift kit. This way, you’ll also be able to run 37-inch tires. Of course, these kits are also more complicated with lots of components. Including springs, shocks, brake lines, sway bar links, control arms, and track bars. Extreme Terrain provides a series of handy charts in their guide indicating which lift kit you generally need to run a specific size tire, including charts for each Jeep Wrangler generation.
And that’s just scratching the surface of this amazingly detailed guide. Extreme Terrain gives us a ton of information here. Covering everything from alignments and exhaust considerations to body lifts and long arm setups. It’s an extremely comprehensive piece. And well worth the read if you’re planning on lifting your Jeep in the near future. So be sure and head over here to check it out in its entirety!
Photos: Extreme Terrain
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