Installed my 4" Rough Country Lift
01-16-2011, 06:16 AM
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Installed my 4" Rough Country Lift
I thought I would post my impressions of the kit as well as a few suggestions that will help others.
The quality of the parts is very high, I have no complaints. The brackets are twice as thick as the factory brackets. The rear track arm bracket uses additional bracing, so I doubt it could possibly break unless you rip off the rear axle. The arms are massive, probably 4 or 5 times stronger than oem. The flex joints have grease fittings, I did not see that mentioned on their website. The welds are very well done and had good penetration.
The directions left out a couple minor details. You really need to get the rear coil angle shims. They should be part of the kit. I read enough posts of other people adding the shims later, that I just ordered m them with my kit. When disassembling the old parts, stick the oem bolts and nuts back into the frame holes because a couple bolts are the same diameter, but slightly different lengths. Sticking them right back in the holes eliminates wasting time trying to remember which hole got the longer or shorter bolt. Cut the wire ties and make sure to pull a little extra slack at the eps wires at each wheel. You need the extra slack to get the new springs in place. Unhook the parking brake cable from the bracket above the rear axle; again the added slack makes a huge difference. Disconnect the breather hose, otherwise you will be fighting it until it pops off on its own. When assembling the arms, a little grease in the arms on the threads makes a huge difference threading in the flex joints. When setting the length, do not tighten the locknut as instructed. Later you will need to adjust the length when they are in position, so why tighten it and then have to break it loose later? I found that using a ratchet strap around the axle made aligning the bolt holes for the arms very easy. No need to muscle and pry, just a few clicks of the ratchet strap and they line right up. Do not tighten any bolts until the tires are on and the vehicle is sitting on the ground. Bounce/compress the suspension a couple times, then torque everything. Do not torque anything until after you check your axle alignments and angles.
Thing to do not included in the directions:
When installing the control arms, look at the grease fittings, rotate the fitting and install the arm so that you can actually get the grease gun on it. It is very easy to overlook that and then later find that you can't get the grease gun on it because you installed the arm with the fitting hidden up in the frame bracket.
When assembling the bushings in the arm, pack the void inside with wheel bearing grease. Otherwise you will be installing it dry with no mention in the directions to lubricate it.
I found that my rear axle was not aligned true to the centerline of the vehicle. I was able to correct that by adjusting my rear arms. The directions do not mention checking that. After adjusting the rear axle alignment, I then adjusted the pinion angle.
After adjusting the rear axle, measure the wheelbase. My left was longer then my right. Once the wheel bases are equal, then look at the pinion angle and adjust if needed. I increased my caster by installing the lower arms 1/4" longer than R.C. spec'd because at my alignment check last month my caster was a little low.
After the installation I test drove it on a variety of roads and found that now my Jeep does not drift like it used to. It tracks much straighter and longer. The ride is a little more firm than stock, yet it is not harsh. The shocks in the kit are better than oem on expansion cracks in the street. There is less body roll on rocky trails, the roll is more controlled, by not harsh. Previously, when hitting dips and whoops, the suspension felt overly compressed, now it has more spring and float to it. Turning and handling feel different, more responsive, probably due to the fact that all 4 wheels are square to each other and to the centerline of the vehicle.
In addition to the 4" X kit, I installed the rear coil spacers and the dual steering stabilizer kit.
The bad:
Someone packed the wrong links in the kit. The links are much thicker than the disconnect brackets and lock nuts. Obviously a minor mistake, they probably put the links from a full size truck into the bag when making up the kit.
The kit includes quick disconnect links. Unfortunately, I need to wait a week to install that part of the kit.
The directions should, but do not list the OEM torque spec's for any of the bolts or fasteners. The generic torque table leaves much to be desired.
All in all, I would rate the kit as a 10. Worth every penny, a great value when comparing the cost to the competition.
The quality of the parts is very high, I have no complaints. The brackets are twice as thick as the factory brackets. The rear track arm bracket uses additional bracing, so I doubt it could possibly break unless you rip off the rear axle. The arms are massive, probably 4 or 5 times stronger than oem. The flex joints have grease fittings, I did not see that mentioned on their website. The welds are very well done and had good penetration.
The directions left out a couple minor details. You really need to get the rear coil angle shims. They should be part of the kit. I read enough posts of other people adding the shims later, that I just ordered m them with my kit. When disassembling the old parts, stick the oem bolts and nuts back into the frame holes because a couple bolts are the same diameter, but slightly different lengths. Sticking them right back in the holes eliminates wasting time trying to remember which hole got the longer or shorter bolt. Cut the wire ties and make sure to pull a little extra slack at the eps wires at each wheel. You need the extra slack to get the new springs in place. Unhook the parking brake cable from the bracket above the rear axle; again the added slack makes a huge difference. Disconnect the breather hose, otherwise you will be fighting it until it pops off on its own. When assembling the arms, a little grease in the arms on the threads makes a huge difference threading in the flex joints. When setting the length, do not tighten the locknut as instructed. Later you will need to adjust the length when they are in position, so why tighten it and then have to break it loose later? I found that using a ratchet strap around the axle made aligning the bolt holes for the arms very easy. No need to muscle and pry, just a few clicks of the ratchet strap and they line right up. Do not tighten any bolts until the tires are on and the vehicle is sitting on the ground. Bounce/compress the suspension a couple times, then torque everything. Do not torque anything until after you check your axle alignments and angles.
Thing to do not included in the directions:
When installing the control arms, look at the grease fittings, rotate the fitting and install the arm so that you can actually get the grease gun on it. It is very easy to overlook that and then later find that you can't get the grease gun on it because you installed the arm with the fitting hidden up in the frame bracket.
When assembling the bushings in the arm, pack the void inside with wheel bearing grease. Otherwise you will be installing it dry with no mention in the directions to lubricate it.
I found that my rear axle was not aligned true to the centerline of the vehicle. I was able to correct that by adjusting my rear arms. The directions do not mention checking that. After adjusting the rear axle alignment, I then adjusted the pinion angle.
After adjusting the rear axle, measure the wheelbase. My left was longer then my right. Once the wheel bases are equal, then look at the pinion angle and adjust if needed. I increased my caster by installing the lower arms 1/4" longer than R.C. spec'd because at my alignment check last month my caster was a little low.
After the installation I test drove it on a variety of roads and found that now my Jeep does not drift like it used to. It tracks much straighter and longer. The ride is a little more firm than stock, yet it is not harsh. The shocks in the kit are better than oem on expansion cracks in the street. There is less body roll on rocky trails, the roll is more controlled, by not harsh. Previously, when hitting dips and whoops, the suspension felt overly compressed, now it has more spring and float to it. Turning and handling feel different, more responsive, probably due to the fact that all 4 wheels are square to each other and to the centerline of the vehicle.
In addition to the 4" X kit, I installed the rear coil spacers and the dual steering stabilizer kit.
The bad:
Someone packed the wrong links in the kit. The links are much thicker than the disconnect brackets and lock nuts. Obviously a minor mistake, they probably put the links from a full size truck into the bag when making up the kit.
The kit includes quick disconnect links. Unfortunately, I need to wait a week to install that part of the kit.
The directions should, but do not list the OEM torque spec's for any of the bolts or fasteners. The generic torque table leaves much to be desired.
All in all, I would rate the kit as a 10. Worth every penny, a great value when comparing the cost to the competition.
Last edited by A/C Guy; 01-16-2011 at 06:22 AM.
01-16-2011, 06:26 AM
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JK Freak
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I have installed many lifts and know exactly what you mentioned in this thread. For others that don't or haven't, it is really well written and will help others. Great job!
01-16-2011, 06:20 PM
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Thanks for the HELP.
I'm purchasing and plan on installing the same kit myself, I very much appreciate the indepth review and hopefully others will as well. I can't wait and I'm more than sure it will come in handy. Thanks for the write up.
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01-16-2011, 09:50 PM
#8
JK Newbie
Join Date: Jan 2011
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Gear Ratio
I am interested in this left kit as well and have been trying to figure out if I need to change out my gear ratio. The research that I have been doing points to the 4.88 ratio. I have a 07 unlimited X 4dr auto. Just want to make sure its back to original stock performance when done. What are your suggestions? Thanks
I thought I would post my impressions of the kit as well as a few suggestions that will help others.
The quality of the parts is very high, I have no complaints. The brackets are twice as thick as the factory brackets. The rear track arm bracket uses additional bracing, so I doubt it could possibly break unless you rip off the rear axle. The arms are massive, probably 4 or 5 times stronger than oem. The flex joints have grease fittings, I did not see that mentioned on their website. The welds are very well done and had good penetration.
The directions left out a couple minor details. You really need to get the rear coil angle shims. They should be part of the kit. I read enough posts of other people adding the shims later, that I just ordered m them with my kit. When disassembling the old parts, stick the oem bolts and nuts back into the frame holes because a couple bolts are the same diameter, but slightly different lengths. Sticking them right back in the holes eliminates wasting time trying to remember which hole got the longer or shorter bolt. Cut the wire ties and make sure to pull a little extra slack at the eps wires at each wheel. You need the extra slack to get the new springs in place. Unhook the parking brake cable from the bracket above the rear axle; again the added slack makes a huge difference. Disconnect the breather hose, otherwise you will be fighting it until it pops off on its own. When assembling the arms, a little grease in the arms on the threads makes a huge difference threading in the flex joints. When setting the length, do not tighten the locknut as instructed. Later you will need to adjust the length when they are in position, so why tighten it and then have to break it loose later? I found that using a ratchet strap around the axle made aligning the bolt holes for the arms very easy. No need to muscle and pry, just a few clicks of the ratchet strap and they line right up. Do not tighten any bolts until the tires are on and the vehicle is sitting on the ground. Bounce/compress the suspension a couple times, then torque everything. Do not torque anything until after you check your axle alignments and angles.
Thing to do not included in the directions:
When installing the control arms, look at the grease fittings, rotate the fitting and install the arm so that you can actually get the grease gun on it. It is very easy to overlook that and then later find that you can't get the grease gun on it because you installed the arm with the fitting hidden up in the frame bracket.
When assembling the bushings in the arm, pack the void inside with wheel bearing grease. Otherwise you will be installing it dry with no mention in the directions to lubricate it.
I found that my rear axle was not aligned true to the centerline of the vehicle. I was able to correct that by adjusting my rear arms. The directions do not mention checking that. After adjusting the rear axle alignment, I then adjusted the pinion angle.
After adjusting the rear axle, measure the wheelbase. My left was longer then my right. Once the wheel bases are equal, then look at the pinion angle and adjust if needed. I increased my caster by installing the lower arms 1/4" longer than R.C. spec'd because at my alignment check last month my caster was a little low.
After the installation I test drove it on a variety of roads and found that now my Jeep does not drift like it used to. It tracks much straighter and longer. The ride is a little more firm than stock, yet it is not harsh. The shocks in the kit are better than oem on expansion cracks in the street. There is less body roll on rocky trails, the roll is more controlled, by not harsh. Previously, when hitting dips and whoops, the suspension felt overly compressed, now it has more spring and float to it. Turning and handling feel different, more responsive, probably due to the fact that all 4 wheels are square to each other and to the centerline of the vehicle.
In addition to the 4" X kit, I installed the rear coil spacers and the dual steering stabilizer kit.
The bad:
Someone packed the wrong links in the kit. The links are much thicker than the disconnect brackets and lock nuts. Obviously a minor mistake, they probably put the links from a full size truck into the bag when making up the kit.
The kit includes quick disconnect links. Unfortunately, I need to wait a week to install that part of the kit.
The directions should, but do not list the OEM torque spec's for any of the bolts or fasteners. The generic torque table leaves much to be desired.
All in all, I would rate the kit as a 10. Worth every penny, a great value when comparing the cost to the competition.
The quality of the parts is very high, I have no complaints. The brackets are twice as thick as the factory brackets. The rear track arm bracket uses additional bracing, so I doubt it could possibly break unless you rip off the rear axle. The arms are massive, probably 4 or 5 times stronger than oem. The flex joints have grease fittings, I did not see that mentioned on their website. The welds are very well done and had good penetration.
The directions left out a couple minor details. You really need to get the rear coil angle shims. They should be part of the kit. I read enough posts of other people adding the shims later, that I just ordered m them with my kit. When disassembling the old parts, stick the oem bolts and nuts back into the frame holes because a couple bolts are the same diameter, but slightly different lengths. Sticking them right back in the holes eliminates wasting time trying to remember which hole got the longer or shorter bolt. Cut the wire ties and make sure to pull a little extra slack at the eps wires at each wheel. You need the extra slack to get the new springs in place. Unhook the parking brake cable from the bracket above the rear axle; again the added slack makes a huge difference. Disconnect the breather hose, otherwise you will be fighting it until it pops off on its own. When assembling the arms, a little grease in the arms on the threads makes a huge difference threading in the flex joints. When setting the length, do not tighten the locknut as instructed. Later you will need to adjust the length when they are in position, so why tighten it and then have to break it loose later? I found that using a ratchet strap around the axle made aligning the bolt holes for the arms very easy. No need to muscle and pry, just a few clicks of the ratchet strap and they line right up. Do not tighten any bolts until the tires are on and the vehicle is sitting on the ground. Bounce/compress the suspension a couple times, then torque everything. Do not torque anything until after you check your axle alignments and angles.
Thing to do not included in the directions:
When installing the control arms, look at the grease fittings, rotate the fitting and install the arm so that you can actually get the grease gun on it. It is very easy to overlook that and then later find that you can't get the grease gun on it because you installed the arm with the fitting hidden up in the frame bracket.
When assembling the bushings in the arm, pack the void inside with wheel bearing grease. Otherwise you will be installing it dry with no mention in the directions to lubricate it.
I found that my rear axle was not aligned true to the centerline of the vehicle. I was able to correct that by adjusting my rear arms. The directions do not mention checking that. After adjusting the rear axle alignment, I then adjusted the pinion angle.
After adjusting the rear axle, measure the wheelbase. My left was longer then my right. Once the wheel bases are equal, then look at the pinion angle and adjust if needed. I increased my caster by installing the lower arms 1/4" longer than R.C. spec'd because at my alignment check last month my caster was a little low.
After the installation I test drove it on a variety of roads and found that now my Jeep does not drift like it used to. It tracks much straighter and longer. The ride is a little more firm than stock, yet it is not harsh. The shocks in the kit are better than oem on expansion cracks in the street. There is less body roll on rocky trails, the roll is more controlled, by not harsh. Previously, when hitting dips and whoops, the suspension felt overly compressed, now it has more spring and float to it. Turning and handling feel different, more responsive, probably due to the fact that all 4 wheels are square to each other and to the centerline of the vehicle.
In addition to the 4" X kit, I installed the rear coil spacers and the dual steering stabilizer kit.
The bad:
Someone packed the wrong links in the kit. The links are much thicker than the disconnect brackets and lock nuts. Obviously a minor mistake, they probably put the links from a full size truck into the bag when making up the kit.
The kit includes quick disconnect links. Unfortunately, I need to wait a week to install that part of the kit.
The directions should, but do not list the OEM torque spec's for any of the bolts or fasteners. The generic torque table leaves much to be desired.
All in all, I would rate the kit as a 10. Worth every penny, a great value when comparing the cost to the competition.
01-17-2011, 05:51 PM
#10
JK Enthusiast
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Join Date: Aug 2009
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Do not let the nay sayers sway you away from from this kit. I will flex it later this weekend.. My kit had the wrong front links in it, so I can not disconnect the front sway bar yet. I can tell you that the highway ride is much better than expected. I was really hesitant to buy a "cheap" kit, but their 60 day money back guarantee gave me confidence to "try" this kit. The Free Shipping promo sealed the deal for me.
I can honestly recommend this lift to a friend. The ride is better than stock and is far superior to many other older Jeeps with lifts that I have ridden in. This kit is not harsh, nor is there any excessive body roll when cornering. I am using the stock wheels with their spacer kits.