So I have been looking for a while into getting a lift for my 4 dr JK. I have been looking at 2.5" and 3" TF lifts for a while. I haven't been going up to 4" because I was told there is a lot more to do then just put the lift on, and more money for that matter. I didn't want to worry about dropping my transfer case, blah blah blah.

Currently Rancho is running a rebate special as I am sure some of you have seen. Now the question is, which do I go with? Rancho says all you have to do is boltup the 4" lift kit and thats it. Is this true? And also does anyone have anthing good or bad to say about the Rancho 4" lift?

Thanks in advanced!!!

 

Got it. Love it. I'll let you follow the links for all my praises.

1. https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/show...80#post2169580
2. https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/show...11#post2150511
3. https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/show...16#post2145116
4. https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/show...49#post2138549
5. https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/show...43#post2134643
6. https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/show...21#post2131821

I can post more, but I think you'll get the idea.

Good luck in your selection.

 

so you didn't have to get an extended driveshaft or anything? just bolt on get it alligned and go? because i don't want to do all that because mine is my daily driver

 

No, I didn't have to get an extended drive shaft. I chose to get it aligned because I did my lift, tires, and wheels at the same time and I didn't want to risk wearing the new tires incorrectly. The tires cost me $1700. the alignment cost $80. Spending $80 to protect something worth $1700 was an easy decision for me. The result of the alignment was a very small adjustment of the toe in on one side. I think it was like 0.2° on the driver's side, but I could be mistaken. And honestly, I thought it drove better before I had it aligned than it did afterward.

I love the ride for my DD purpose, and it has worked really well on the trails too. For me, the lift cost $500 because of the $500 rebate last year. If I had it to do over again for the $650 it would cost today, I would do it in a heartbeat. I've got nothing but good things to say about the Rancho 4" Sport Lift.

For a DD, I really don't think you can go wrong with this lift.

Cheers!

 

You spent $80 for them to recenter your steering wheel, which would have taken you less than 5 minutes.

With that lift, there is no Caster adjustment.
With that lift, there is no way to adjust axle centering.
With our solid axles, there is no Camber adjustment.
Toe, probably didn't need to be adjusted.

So, you paid them to loosen two bolts, twist a turnbuckle, and re-tighten the bolts. On the plus side, an out of spec Camber reading would give an indication of a bent axle or C's.


I am not a fan of these completely un-adjustable lifts, but the price is right and it will do the job. (well, until you lose a driveshaft and figure out that you need to add adjustables also)

 

I had already spent the 5 minutes re-centering my steering wheel by loosening two bolts, twisting a turnbuckle, and re-tightening two bolts. What I did was chose to verify what I had already suspected. That was, that this well designed lift had no negative effects on my alignment or suspension. I only paid $80 to have the alignment done so I would have the peace of mind in knowing that my $1700 tires wouldn't wear incorrectly as a result of the lift.

With this lift there was no negative impact to caster.
With this lift there was no need to adjust axle centering.
Your right on the solid axles.
I just missed top dead center by 0.2°. Not bad considering I did it by eye.

And I didn't pay $80 so they could recenter my steering wheel. Nope, I paid $80 for a service -- to have a trained professional put my jeep on a laser alignment machine in order to protect my $1700 tire investment.

It is obvious that you are not a fan of these lifts. That's what makes things so nice with the aftermarket products for Jeep. People that want to spend $3600 on a TeraFlex 4" long-arm kit can. Those who want to spend $500 on a Rancho 4" Sport Lift can too. When I frag a drive shaft, I guess I'll deal with that then. So far, so good though. I'm still happy with my completely un-adjustable 4" lift. For a DD with good wheeling capability, $500 was an outstanding purchase, and you are correct the price was very right. I couldn't imagine spending over 7X that amount for the same ground clearance and a bit more articulation. Doesn't make economic sense to me. This way I still have $3100 to play with for other mods. More bang for the buck!

Thanks for giving me the opportunity to defend a product that I believe in. I'd expect that you'd do the same given the opportunity.

 

i like mine. i would like to add control arms in the future but dont see the need right now. mine goes offroad only around 1-2 times a month. it sees a lot of highway miles and it does fine for me for the $390 i paid for it. i'm not a mechanic so i dont know why some people have driveshaft issues and some dont. but that teraflex 3inch is gonna be equal to or taller than the rancho 4inch from pics ive seen.

 

Thanks for the unsolicited endorsement. Our systems work! They have completed the Ultimate Adventure with no problems, completed the JKX no problems, and countless trails across this great land without a hitch. Simply put if you want great on road handling and off road capabilities we ave you covered. Choose your shock, the 5000 or 9000XL, and go. If there are any questions PM me and I will answer them. PS made in the USA as well!

 

nthinuf, would adding control arms make this kit "adjustable" and what really would he gain from it? i have the kit and i'm just curious. and if the jk drives good then is there a reason for it?

 

I'd say if your happy with the kit, thats all that matters. As for alinements, I have one done couple times every year just to check my specs. Even if nothing needs adjusting. It's always good to be aware of your toe-in and possible camber issues that can lead to excessive tire wear.