drphil

did you have to do anything with the trackbar? where'd you get the skyjacker kit?

RANGER666

drphil, yesterday I got on the FAQ's section and looked at everything I'd need for a 3" lift then took that information and crosschecked it with what came in all the lifts. I looked at teraflex bb and 3 in lift, rubicon express 3.5, and black diamond 3". I didn't even concern myself with skyjacker as I have owned their shocks before and hated them along with numerous others on this forum not likeing them to much. Here's what I found in my comparison.
Rubicon express 3.5" for $579- didnt include shocks or shock adapters which you can add for an additional cost.

Teraflex 3" for $670- once again didn't include shocks or adapters or a front trackbar which can still be added for additonal costs

Black Diamond 3" for $778- has everything!

As far as budget boost or the 2.5 with adapters it's only recommended that you get an adjustable trackbar. Once your jk is raised your axle with shift slightly giving you that flighty feeling. A trackbar will allow you to reenter it. Now keep in mind that there are people that didn't need it and some that can "deal"with the flighty feeling hence it being recommended.

For a 4 dr jk you shouldn't need driveshafts on a 3 inch lift due to the fact that our driveshafts are longer and wont affect the caster like it would a 2 dr.

If your running 35's you MAY have rubbing issues which can be solved with a little grinding or dealt with if it rubbed at full turn.

Finally gearing. with 35's your obviously gonna lose power which can be fixed with newer gears later on but you'll have time to figure out for yourself whether or not you want to drop that kind of money. I've also heard by simply getting a superchips flashpaq it will give you added power to compensate which is cheaper than re-gearing.

I personnally will be purchasing next week the black diamond 3" lift that comes with everything stated in the FAQ section including shocks and adjustable front trackbar, 315/75/r16 (35/12.50's) Toyo open country MT's on my stock rims with spidertrax wheel spacers and somewhere down the road the superchips flashpaq or re-gear if needed. hope this helps!

other notable lifts you might wanna check out is pro-comp, and old man emu.

drphil

RANGER666, thank you VERY much! That sounds like the same general direction I was heading in and some of the same research I'd started as well. Thank you!

Depending on how much the trackbar fix would be, the Teraflex package I mentioned earlier may be the way to go for me.

I did see a "Rock Crawler" JK version at Rockwall Dodge today w/ a 4" lift and 35's...I could see where rubbing might occur on the pinch seam from the rear tires...parked flat on the ground there was maybe 2" of gap between the metal and the tire. So I can definitely see the need to possibly grind that a little.

Thanks again!
DrPhil

drphil

Now that I'm home, I just looked over Teraflex's package I was previously researching (for substantially less $$ than all the other kits) and I guess I didn't initially notice that it included a rear track bar bracket. Score!

Question though, after looking at track bars and track bar brackets at various online companies...do I or will I need a front track bar bracket, too?

Winston

I did not.

Check it: http://www.quadratec.com/products/16117_102X_B_PG.htm

nthinuf

The rear axle moves up and back during flex. Feel free to grind the pinch seam, or take a hammer to it, but shouldn't be an issue with 35's. Same for the rubi rails, if you have them. Trim an inch if you feel like it, but shouldn't rub.

Concerning a few of the things mentioned above:

Trackbars center the axles. At the lift heights you are looking at, off-center axles may cause some ESP issues, or bring the driveshaft close to the tranny pan, or links on one side close to the tire, or tires on one side close to other components. - but this won't affect the handling/flightyness/bumpsteer.

Caster is what affects the handling. The higher you go, the lower your caster gets, the flightier the handling becomes. If you don't like the handling, buy components to adjust the caster. (options are a set of adjustable front control arms, or longer/shorter 'fixed' arms, or Cam bolts) Again, this is a preference. If the handling is decent at the lift height you choose, don't worry about it...

Comparing lifts based on the recommended components in the faq's was a good call. Just be sure you know what all the components do so you can make the right decisions on what you will need now - what can be added later - what you don't need.

Some more good reading would be the Alignment write-up. Copy the pic somewhere for reference if you want...

http://project-jk.com/jeep-jk-write-...-end-alignment

MikeyB

I am installing my TF 3" kit and JKS front track bar Wednesday. I will take pics and let you know how it is. I am sure I will not be dissapointed other than wanting front LCAs. I went with the kit with shocks.

RANGER666

drphil, Your welcome! I also like to add I missed a sentence in my explanation that nthinuf corrected me on. caster creates flightiness which is the angle your axle sits at. Your front trackbar is what reenters your axle. sorry, I was thinking faster than typing.

From what I've read on the site, (since there is never a guaranteed answer) is 3" lift and below your not gonna need much else right away than what comes with the kit. just go by the FAQ listing and everything else you can build upon later. Also your caster shouldn't be an issue at 3" or below due to the longer driveshafts. But once again I'm sure there is someone on this site who has had caster problems from a 3 inch lift.

Either way, the teraflex 2.5 has gotten great reviews and well respected. make sure you take before and after pics to share with the group!

drphil

nthinuf, thanks for all the great information. Sounds like the TF 2.5" kit may be where I'll start. as a side note, the family and i will be in your neck of the woods (Pueblo, actually) as of Thursday...heading to Mt. Bross, then over Mosquito Pass on our way to Lake City, then Cinnamon Pass over to Silverton where we'll spend the next few days. We usually spend about 10-12 days in the Silverton area each summer and while this year's vacation was cut in half, we'll still have fun as we're now getting to play with the new Jeep!

MikeyB, thanks and PLEASE post the pics...I'd love to see them!

RANGER666, thanks again. I'll be sure to take and post pics when I do it. Most likely I'll have to hold off until the fall, but that's the next major mod in my future!