Lift questions

[jusolbob]

I just picked up a 97 Cherokee Country, and will be putting a lift kit on it soon. (first things first, ya know)
I would appreciate hearing from any of you that have anything to offer about how much lift is good for a Cherokee. It will NOT be my daily driver, but must have decent highway manners. My plans will be to have 31 inch tires, 4.10 gears, and it will need to take the place of my present CJ that's lifted 4 inches. The CJ has terrible onroad handling, and some drive shaft vibrations. Don't want that on the XJ. I'm not used to having the poor departure angle of the Cherokee, so I don't know how much lift it will need.
At about what lift inches does a Cherokee begin to suffer road problems? When will a dropped Pitman arm be needed? The CJ got one right away, no questions asked, and I suppose the XJ will too. Do the radius arms need to be replaced with a lift kit? Never had those before either.
I'm leaning toward a 3 inch kit, but this is my first XJ. I don't want to spend the bucks for too little lift. I need to get it right the first time. Maybe the 4.5 inch kit is better? I have zero interest in parking lot rock climbing exhibitions, just some fairly tough Arizona trails, so I have no need for 10 inches of lift and 44 inch tires. Could use your help on this.
Thanks to all,
Bob

[fredjacksonsan]

You might want to have a look here:

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...lay.php?f=2209

There are several discussions and some how to's.

[jusolbob]

Thank you fredjacksonsan, appreciate your help. Any further suggestions will also be appreciated.
Bob

[MagicRat]

3 inch lift is plenty. The XJ overhangs are not that bad.

The best lift is the minimum required to get the right tires to fit. A 3 inch lift is plenty for 31's. Most serious guys trim the fenders a bit (especially the front) if any contact is made under full articulation. They do not lift it to the moon, in order to maintain decent handling.

I have a 3 inch lift on mine, and the handling is like stock, with the original pitman arm.

Note, the 3 inch lift is the highest you can go without a slip-yoke eliminator kit, or a dropped transfer case. That said, some (but not all) XJ's will have a driveshaft vibration, even with only a 3 inch lift.

[jusolbob]

Thanks Magic Rat, for your response. I'm happy to learn that others agree that a 3 inch lift and 31 inch tires will get the job done. You indicated that you have the 3 inch lift. If you don't mind, who's kit do you have, and are you happy with the long term durability of it?
Thanks,
Bob

[MagicRat]

I use a Rancho 3 inch lift. I put it on twenty years ago... and still use it. (!)
I am not sure if this kit is still offered, but most kits are much the same.

Mine used longer than stock lower control arms in front, but retained the stock upper arms.
It also used the stock lower arm brackets. But some kits seem to include a dropped bracket. In theory, a dropped bracket maintains the stock suspension geometry, but in my case, it did not seem to matter.

In the rear, I have Rancho 1 inch lift blocks and custom-made taller springs. This seems to be a good combo, since using either a tall block or a really arched spring causes imprecise handling, since the rear axle will move side-to -side.

As for shocks.... front shocks from a stock Jeep YJ fit perfectly. I use Monroe. I use stock XJ rear shocks. They are long enough, but a longer shock would provide better articulation.

Finally, you MUST use longer flex lines for your brakes. The stock front lines are not long enough.
I used stock Jeep YJ lines in front, they have the identical fittings to an XJ, but are somewhat longer.
In the rear, I dropped the original steel brake line bracket and kept the original line.

My only problem with the Rancho kit is the poly bushings in the lower arms wore out after 80k miles. They do not last as long as the stock rubber bushings.

[jusolbob]

Thanks for sharing the details of your lift kit. The info you gave will help me make an informed decision about my needs. I looked for the Rancho kit, as that's what I have on my CJ, but it appears that Rancho is out of the Cherokee business except for shocks. Rusty's Offroad and Skyjacker seem to be most common these days. There are others of course, priced both higher and lower.
Thanks again,
Bob