If you were to lift your XJ 3" what would you buy?

[lightningflash12]

Would you get new coil springs or spacers? Add-a-leafs or shackles? New lower control arms? Sway bar quick-disconnects? Transfer case drop or a lowered cross-member? Would you shim the rear-end? Track bar relocation bracket?

I was just wondering of those who have lifted their Xj's what would you get or what did you find that worked best?

Thanks for your response!

[StvDiego]

Coil springs, full leafs, disconnects, cross member, no shims, relocate the track bar and more. That is of course if I wanted to spend all the extra money.

It really depends on what you want to do with your Jeep. If it's your daily driver and you do some occassional, moderate off-roading, get a good quality kit with shocks, coil springs and an add-a-leaf and run with it. I have a similar set-up on my '88 right now and it works fine with 31"ers, for now. Next year I will probably be putting on a bigger lift and more stuff. If you want to save money and just get it up, go with the minimal, spacers and shackles but don't expect a whole lot out of it (you get what pay for kinda thing).

Also, remember that add-a-leafs will likely sag fairly soon after installation depending on the age/condition of your springs. You can always add a 1.5" or so shackle to level it out. Don't forget, check your rear brake line, it gets stretched out pretty good with a lift, don't want that thing breaking on ya...

[lightningflash12]

So what's your reasoning for going with springs and not spacers? I put some springs and an add-a-leaf in my truck and it made it hard as a springboard so I took the springs out and put the spacers back in to make it somewhat more forgiven on the road. I am also taking back out the add-a-leafs to soften up the rear end and will add shackles.

[maltesesteeze]

this is the most important part man... Either get nice qulaity (more money unfortunately) full rear leafs or just blocks and shackles. add-a-leafs will destroy the comfort and performance of your ride, especially if you want a daily driver, which a 3" would suggest. Add a leafs are almost always incredibly stiff and always end up sagging, so your 3" turns into a 2" after a while. If you like your rear suspension right now, do blocks and shackles and it will feel the same. The front, ive heard mixed feelings, but once again, spacers will keep your original ride quality, but new coils are a lot more sure fire then new add a leafs. a Transfer case drop is not critical but highly recomended for a 3" to reduce vibration and car health. Hope thats helpful, and good luck, there are a ton of options out there.

[Ray H]

Get as much as you want to pay for. That sounds like a smarta$$ answer but its not meant to be, its just true. You can go cheap with spacers, shackles, AAL, homebrew, no arms or brackets and it will work but there are compromises with all of these options, or you can spend some $$$ and get a 3" lift that addresses everything and the ride, handling and longevity will be better than stock.
If you're worried about the ride and dont want to spend lots of money, dont lift it. I dont think you will find any lift that rides as soft as stock, except maybe OME. When you lift, there are other factors that effect the ride and handling besides just spring rate. Your steering and front suspension geometry is changed, your driveline angles are changed and your COG is changed. All of these things will have some degree of adverse effect. They can all be addressed but it costs $$$.
Rear shackles will ride nice but they will waste your stock leafs real quick, especially if you haul heavy loads or off road it. If you ever plan on adding skids protection or bumpers, which can add as much as 500lbs to the Jeeps weight, I think you will regret just going with shackles.
To make an AAL ride better, remove the short stock leaf from the pack. You will lose about 1/2" lift but it will ride alot better. Also, full length AALs last longer than the short ones and I believe ride better.