I've owned a few JKUs and have never had more than a budget boost spacer lift on them. It has been a while and I am now looking at buying a used 2 door. One in particular I have my eye on looks great, but I don't really know what to look for. He says it has a 4 inch skyjacker lift that was on it when he bought it and 35s. First off, it doesn't really look to me like quite a 4 inch lift, but I guess it could be. So I have a few questions, and keep in mind this is for my wife who wants a "cool looking jeep". The only off-road this thing will ever see more than likely is driving it out on the beach a few times a year.

What do I need to look for?
How do I tell if this is in fact a 4" lift?
How do I tell if the driveshafts have been replaced for such a lift?

Assuming it is a 4" lift, would the driveshafts absolutely have to be replaced considering it won't really be used off road? Or would a transfer case drop be ok instead?
And finally, this thing came with 4.10 gearing according to the build sheet and I doubt he knows whether or not it's been regeared. So, first off how can I tell if it has or not, and second how bad will it be if it hasn't to leave it at the 4.10 with that size tires?

I am attaching a couple pics of the one I'm looking at in case it helps


Thanks in advance

 

I can't recommend enough.....don't buy something lifted. Buy something in stock form and do it yourself, that way you know what has been installed. Buying something that is already lifted is just a major headache. Sellers tend to think that the lift has added value, when often times they just create issues. Unless you know it was a quality lift, installed by a quality person, I wouldn't touch it. I would not buy a jeep with a Skyjacker lift on it....much less a cheap 4" lift. Do not buy something based on the looks.....you'll most likely be disappointed...cuz 80% of the lifted jeeps out there are not lifted properly....or done with cheap parts.


**I'd also add....if you have general tools and are even remotely handy, you can install a suspension lift yourself. The information and support are there for you. I just mention this as some people might look at a lifted jeep and think "the work is done....and I can't do the work myself so that's a bonus".

 

So, first, what resharp001 said.

But if you insist on looking at this jeep, here's my 1/2 cent worth of feedback.

How to tell if it's really a 4 inch lift. So that's going to be a bit troublesome because a 4 inch lift may give 3 inches or 4.5 inches of lift depending on the weight of the vehicle and the age of the coils. See below for how to measure what the actual amount of lift is right now. The measurements below are for factory spec. So take what you measure on the jeep and subtract the value below. What you have left is the amount of ACTUAL lift you have.

Things to consider with a 4 inch lift on a 2 door. First, you've exceeded what is usually considered the threshold to address steering geometry issues with a lift (most will say anything over 3 inches of lift). So does this lift address that? Has caster been addressed with adjustable control arms or control arm drop brackets? Has the drag link and track bar been addressed so that they are still parallel with each other? (this usually means a drag link flip and a raised front track bar).

There's many other issues to consider with a lift if you're going to use it off road, but I'll leave it to the on-road drivability issues that the stuff above should address.

Drive shaft - if it's got 4 inches of lift on a 2 door, it's not if the front DS is going to go, but when. Also, if this is a 2012+ you need to look to see if they've added the exhaust spacer to keep the exhaust away from the drive shaft.

Gears. This is one way to determine what gears it has. -
But... like resharp said... if you're not versed on the details of lifting a jeep and what that does to the suspension and steering system, I'd look for a stock jeep and start fresh.

 

Very true resharp001 but there are those of use who simply can not attempt these types of installations anymore due to physical limitations. In this case and as you've said we would not attempt to purchase a jeep that has already been lifted by an off site installer. However we would have purchased a system If it was from an authorized AEV service center. it become apparent that these authorized service center at the dealership have the knowledge and the tools to do what we need done. So in the event that persons are not physically able to handle these type of installations, I would seek out these official/authorized service centers.

 

I was afraid that would be the consensus, and my common sense is telling me that it's not really a good idea. It's really one of the best looking rides I've found which really sucks. I've done lifts before and did a 2.5" on a TJ I had many years ago. I'm not really scared of something already lifted 2.5 on maybe 33s because that doesn't seem to really stress the drive line enough to be a deal breaker. 4" and 35s however gives me a little hessitation. If I knew for sure WHAT had been done would be a little more settling. Thanks for the input.

 

Sorry, sure wasn't looking to burst a bubble, but I call it like I see it. If it had what I considered to be a real quality lift I'd probably say just look it over real good giving you specifics of what to look for. On the bright side, there are a ton of unmolested jeeps out there....the numbers are on your side, and if "looks" for onroad use are important, you can really transform the look from factory to something you like on a pretty modest budget.

 

From my experience rigs that are built for looks cheap out on suspension and gears because you cant see that stuff. From the looks of this one and a 4" skyjacker lift, I would guess the same thing but look at the stuff others have said. If you like it there is no reason you cant swap out the 4" coils and longer shocks for a 2" coils and correct length shocks or even find some free stock coils and add a budget boost. I would not pay a preimum for what has been done to the jeep though KBB or less.

 

I have a 2.5" lifted JK on 35s (currently on 34" KO2s for winter) and it does look that much higher than mine. Skyjacker and Rancho both use a block for raising the rear track bar, and if you combine my browsing on various forums, Reddit and Facebook I have seen probably dozens of them that have broken the mounting bracket off of the axle (most have been street only vehicles). I wouldn't even take a second look at one of those 4" lifts as people who get them installed just want to lift their JK to look good at Walmart for the least amount of money.

As far as gearing goes, only Rubicon models have 4:10 gears as options in the auto, or standard in the manual trans. Early JKs did have options for 4:10, so I guess since this one is probably pre-2011 it is possible. 4:10 gearing is workable, but with the 3.8L it will feel rather slow.

 

This is something I have gone back and forth on. I purchased an '05 Colorado with a Rancho Lift Kit and 33's already installed, but it rode like crap and the owner put the wrong backspaced wheels on that rubbed on the upper ball-joints, which I never noticed until later down the road when I changed the brakes. Luckily I didn't have a blow-out on the highway prior to noticing as the cutout in the sidewall was pretty severe.

Anyways, I swore that I'd never buy a lifted vehicle again, but (and it's a big but) one of the best things about buying a modified vehicle is the fact that you can often save so much money up front. Yes, some people jack up the price to try and make up for the money they put into it. But it's often understood that you won't get that investment back and there are deals to be had. So when it came time to buy my Jeep, I looked at several stock ones, but found a killer deal on the one I own now. I knew it had some type of lift with ~33's, but the guy I bought it from (2nd owner) was under the impression that it had no lift (even though I knew it did). Being new to Jeeps, I took it to a shop and got it looked at and weighed my options. I decided to buy it because A) my wife loved it, B) it was in good shape mechanically and C) it was such a good deal. And since I planned (still planning) to change out the lift anyways, I wasn't worried about that since there was no death wobble and it had a track bar and ball-joints that were in good shape. But like the others have said, things are a little different when stepping up to 35's and a 4" lift. That does look like a 4" lift to me BTW.

Either way, I just thought I'd play a little devil's advocate and say that if you find a modified Jeep that you like and the price is right, I'd consider it, especially if it's primarily for daily driving. Best of luck in your decision and search and let us know what you decide!

 

The sad part about this question is that those I've spoken with who buy modified used, never actually use any the stuff that been mounted on it or in it.. Lifts included. They tell me it's just for looks. Never base your opinion on looks alone.