So now my teardown is complete and the body and frame are out to sand blasting I need to decide on a lift kit.
I have a 93 YJ that will be intended for mostly beach driving and some off-road. I live in PA so I will be somewhat limited in my trails.
My question is do I go with a body or suspension lift and how high. I would like to set this up for 31" tires. I'm on a budget so cost will play into this. Any recommendations for kits out there?
If you're only going with 31"'s then you have lots of options... You're in the right place as PA seems to have a huge Jeep/salvage/Ebay concentraition (half the used Jeep parts I see on ebay are coming from PA it seems like)
Cheapest will be either TJ fender flares ($50 bucks at a salvage yard, $65 off ebay) trimming the sheet metal to match the new flares. Or DIY lift shackles... 8 pieces of 1/4" X 1.5" X 6" flat bar with holes drilled will clear your 31"s assuming your stock leafs are good. You'll also either want to get wheels with more backspacing than stock (4" or even better 3.75" the stockers are about 5" which means the inside rim is 5 inches from the mounting surface, this translates to 3.75's sticking out about; you guessed it 1.25" more than stock wheels and a little more for the fatter tires. Or adjust the steering stops, but who wants to lower that great turning radius?
Any way... you need about an inch to an inch and a half of clearence. To get 31's under there and some wheels that stick out further to keep the wider tires from rubbing on your springs and for a nice aggressive squaty stance (looks good in my opinion)... It also translates into a SERIOUS very noticable increase in cornering and ride stability (very enjoyable).
BTW My YJ just went from a 1.5 inch shackle lift with 3.75" BS steelies, to a 5.5 inch suspension lift for putting on 33's.
Buying lift shackles is also a cheap option. Add a leaf lifts are in between, but are not well liked by the "conventional wisdom" (AKA opinions around here).
If you are really going to do some wheeling I would recomend a more serious suspension lift springs and shocks, extended brake lines etc. THis is where you start spending money though.... from 350 bucks on ebay for a used but complete 3 (or more) inch kit, to several thousand at your local 4x4 shop... think $1500 before labor...
Spring-over or lift shackles.
Carl
I have a stock suspension 94 yj and have run 31" tires for the last 4 years with little trouble. I do some low key off-road, they rub on occasion. About a year ago I finally put a washer behind the wheel stop so they wouldn't rub when turning tight, I hardly notice a difference in turning radius. I do have stock gears and 4cyl which is more than slow going up into the mountians 6,000 ft where I live. I'm a generally patient man, if I wanted to go fast I'd buy a mustang.
I have a YJ with 31 inch tires, and I all I have is a 2 inch body lift.
I have the stock suspension on a '93 YJ and run the 30's without any problems. It helps a little bit with the 4 banger in the dirt but I don't do any truly aggressive riding in the dirt. Mostly banging around on the desert trails and sand. I stayed with the 30's so I didn't lose any power or turning clearance and for what I do they work just fine.
I did notice a little bit of power loss at altitude when I visited some friends > I have a stock suspension 94 yj and have run 31" tires for the last 4 years
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