I had a Rubicon Express 3.5 inch lift with Billstein 5100 shocks installed on Friday. I was expecting 3.5 inches of lift and instead ended up with around 5 inches on the front and almost 5 inches on the rear. The jeep sits really nice and rides great on road and on some easy trails I took it on today. I am not complaining and I am super happy with how it looks but should I be concerned with any drive shaft issues due to the height?. How much will the lift "relax" if at all. I have stock bumpers at this point and expect to change them down the road. Any input is appreciated. Thanks 3K91

 

Rear will be good for a long time, front = run it till it goes bad or just get an aftermarket. The worst thing about the stock front one is that under flex it can hit your auto tranny pan an cause damage. The top joint will eventually squeeze all of its grease out cause of the angle even at ride height. How long it'll last varies.

 

Thanks for the input it's appreciated.

 

Your Drive shafts should be fine for now, like MK said your rear isn't an issue, you just have to keep an eye on the front. I would look locally for a spare front driveshaft just to have the peace of mind.

 

What are the warning signs to check for on the front drive shaft. Is it noise or check for play. Is it the top or bottom of the driveshaft that usually goes bad.

 

Watch for spitting grease at the top joint on the tcase flange, listen for a racheting type sound. Once the grease is all gone, joint is done.

edit: I should add that it may start spitting grease since u just installed the lift. It puts the joint at a pretty steep angle, it'll spit some and then stop for awhile cause you've squeezed some out of it. If you off-road a good bit and flex it out, it'll spit more grease and or rip the boot around the joint effectively ending it's life.Again, longentevity varies.

 

Thanks I'll keep an eye on that

 

Lift was abt 500. The shocks were abt 300 and 4 wheel Parts in Orlando Florida installed it