Okay I'm putting together my lift wish list that I hope to make reality in about a month and a half when the b-day roles around and that little extra cash I need for Jeep spending comes in the mail. And I want you to help me spend it.

Hypothetically, lets say I have $700 of extra money to spend. My 2dr JK already has a 2"BB and Pro Comp shocks that are roughly 2" longer than factory, and extended bump stops. I also have Teraflex extended sway bar links for the front, and 33x12.50 tires. We'll leave out the other exterior details.

List so far:

- OME HD front and rear coils. $150 a pair = $300 total. These should give my 2dr that 3" of lift everyone is claiming, correct? I have front & rear steel bumpers by the way.

- Figure I'll keep my Pro Comp shocks for now to put money elsewhere. They should work well with the OME springs, correct? Or should I upgrade to bigger shocks?

- JKS front track bar. $138 is the going price. For the rear I was thinking of getting the Teraflex track bar bracket for $33; it will work fine with the factory track bar, right? Or should I get the JKS rear adjustable trackbar too?

So now I have hypothetically spent $471, leaving me with $229. This is leaving me with some other questions I would definitely like you to chime in on.

Other Questions:

- You have an extra $229. Should I just save it up for something that I will need down the road (like control arms or driveshaft)? Or is there something I'm missing from the list that I should spend the money on?

- Should I look into extended brake lines, front and rear? Or are the factory rubber ones fine with this amount of lift when flexing?

- Is there a huge need for adjustable control arms, or will these coils on my 2dr JK be fine with the factory control arm set up?

- After lifting I know I have to align my wheels, not a problem. But will the JK be significantly "flightier" if I leave the factory control arms?

- How will this lift affect my front and rear driveshafts in the meantime, until I sum up the cash to replace those?

- Down the road, lets say I pick up a front and rear driveshaft from Teraflex. Can I just begin installing them, or will they require the need for upper/lower adjustable control arms? Or am I fine keeping my factory control arms with the aftermarket driveshafts?

See, I know the benefits of having adjustable control arms. It's just I'm a penny & dimes spender, trying to save my money for living expenses. So whatever I can get away with and be fine, that's the route I want to take at the moment. By the way, I try to wheel once a month; at least once every two months with the exception of hitting a dirt road to a campground or mountain bike spot on the weekends. Also, I know a few may say to just keep my budget boost. But personally, I want it out of there. I miss the full coil lift set up like what I had on my old TJ. I want the coils now.

- What about extended rear sway bar links. Should I look into those or will the factory ones be fine at the moment?

I think I covered just about everything. Please answer away, ask questions, throw in your advice and suggestions.

I appreciate the help everyone. I really do. Remember, I'm on a budget so I'm trying to throw together the right lift at the right price, and still keep my JK performing smoothly on the road and off even though I cannot afford everything.

Thanks!

 

I'll make this easier. You don't have to answer every question. Just some help would be great.

 

OME HD's on a two door, don't be surprised if you are closer to 4". (3 1/4 on my 4 door, with a heavy bumper and 9500 lb winch)

Those shocks will likely be over-extended. They'll work for a while, but you'll want to go longer or get some extensions at some point.

If you go with a Trackbar relo bracket, make sure it is frame mounted or reinforced. (do a quick search for the pros/cons of having the extra leverage going against the weak welds on the stock mount...)

At that lift height, you'll want to seriously consider a set of front control arms. Upper or lower is your choice, but if you get uppers only, (since uppers are less expensive) be sure they can adjust short enough to get the caster where you want it.

Extended brake lines front and rear is a very good idea. I would also suggest running down to the hardware store and spending $5 on the parts to make extension brackets as well. (plenty of pics and writeups on this)

Driveshafts - Again, a quick search will show that new driveshafts are a good idea on 2 door JK's going up over 3". You may not need them right away, but start budgeting for them.

Extended rear sway bar links are cheap, go ahead and get them.

 

Everything just posted sounds right to me. As for the driveshafts...yes, anything over an actual 3" of lift will, at some point, require new driveshafts. Even if you get 3-4" of actual lift and you start saving for the driveshafts, you still need to get at least 1 set of front control arms. I would say the lowers, but I guess uppers would work. You need those so you can adjust your caster in the front end. If it is off, you could get death wobble in the Jeep. Once you get driveshafts on, then you would need at least front lower control arms (which you should already have installed by then), and rear upper arms (you can ad the other sets later). That's so you can set the pinion angle of the axles/driveshafts.

Depending on how you use your Jeep during all of this time, ie. lots of off roading or mostly DD, will determine how long your components will probably last as you are upgrading your parts. Extended brake lines are a good idea, but even with 3" of actual lift, relocation brackets will work just fine, especially if you are not flexing your rig alot.

 

Thanks. Your input is really appreciated and is definitely helpful.

 

Let me ask now. Instead of getting the HD coils, if I got the standard OME coils, will that still affect my need for adjustable control arms? Or will I be okay?

 

I don't recall the lift heights on the OME MD springs, hopefully someone else will chime in. (you could also call or message Mr. Northridge for advice on it)

But to take it back a step, what is the reason for moving from spacers to coils?

If you are staying with the 33's, the 2" BB you have now is plenty of lift. You might consider keeping it and putting the money into other components, then adding the coils later when you can do the drive shafts as well. (rather than settling for a coil lift roughly the same height as the BB lift...)

Anyway, just throwing out an option as it sounds like the money is tight and you're looking at jumping into a lift that will quickly snowball into more and more added components...