I know there are tons of threads on lift kits and drive shafts etc. but I need a confidence booster from my fellow jeepers! Tomorrow I get my 4" Zone lift installed, trac bar, steering stabilizer, superchips traildash programmer and dash pod. Sounds awesome right?? Well I've got myself psyched out because I've read a lot about 4" lifts and suggestions on replacing the drive shaft? Do I need to have that done immediately?? I wheel offroad quite often but this is also my DD. 2008 jeep unlimited Sahara. And yes I'm newbie to jeeps and jeep mods.. Trying to learn.

 

They also have the same lift in 3" someone recommend that instead of the 4"?

 

I have a 4" lift. I have not had any problems with the rear driveshaft but the boot on my front drive shaft ripped pretty quickly and is slinging grease. I have been driving on it for a while until I have the funds to replace it and it hasn't caused any problems just slinging grease. I wouldn't drive on it long term though.

 

I ran a 4 inch RC X-series lift for two years before trading the jeep in without changing drive shafts. I had all 8 control arms and upgraded to two adjustable track bars. For a 4 door just watch the front drive shaft for a two door you really should plan on ordering both drive shafts. Just my experience, good luck and don't worry its a jeep. (Just Empty Every Pocket) I will never go without a jeep again.

 

You will need the drive shaft eventually. What happens is with a 4" lift you drive shaft is at a big angle compared to stock. And when you Flex while off roading you give your DS boot a big chance of ripping. Then you start slinging grease everywhere and sooner than later it will break.

My advice to you is drive with your current one until you notice it leaking. Start saving for an after market one and throw it on before you end up breaking it on the trail. Its not needed right away. Some people go years without replacing the drive shaft, some break their drive shaft in a matter of days. All depends on how much you wheel and flex it!

Good luck!

I had a 4" lift on my old 07 jk. Did lots of wheeling and the drive shaft boot never ripped. Guys I was one of the lucky ones!

 

Be very careful with a 3 or 4 inch lift from any manufacturer, it will ruin your head unit and you will have to replace it and the speakers.

 

my front drive shaft lasted approx 27K miles with a 4" before it went. I just bought a used one to replace it and install it when I wheel and take it off when I know I will doing a lot of road driving. Couldn't justify buying an upgraded driveshaft with the intent of swapping axles in the near future. It gets me by for the time being. Just keep an eye on it

 

There's a ton of good info in this thread:

https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/modi...17/#post211276

Take a look at this:

Q: Are new driveshafts needed after installing a lift?
A: You really should consider installing a new rear double cardin U-joint style drive shaft if you have lifted your Jeep JK Wrangler 3" or more and have a 2-door. This is needed because the short rear drive shaft of the 2-doors will be at a steep enough angle that the CV boots will wear out prematurely. However, in order to do this, you will need to buy a set of rear adjustable upper control arms so that you can properly set your pinion angle. 4-Door Unlimited models do not have this problem as their rear drive shafts are very long and a lift will not effect the angle of it too much. As far as the front goes, if you have an automatic transmission, you will need to replace the drive shaft with a double cardin U-joint style unit as well as the diameter of aftermarket shafts will be considerably narrower and will not come into contact with the transmission and/or skid plate. Failure to do this will result in the tearing of the factory drive shaft boot as it makes contact with the transmission. Manual transmissions will not have this problem and keeping the factory front drive shaft will not be a problem.

NOTE: On a 2012-Up, you will want to install a new front drive shaft regardless if you have an automatic or manual transmission. Assuming you install new, longer shocks with your lift, the extra droop you will see at a flex will cause the slip shaft boot on the drive shaft to tear. However, that is just one problem you will encounter. Even if you install exhaust spacers or relocate the cross over, the CV boot at the output shaft will be sitting at a significant state of pinch and this will cause it to fail prematurely.


Hopefully that helps out a little bit.

 

What do you mean it will ruin the head unit and speakers?

 

Pushrod was joking