leveling?

[f1tbiker6]

okay to start things off, my comanche does not sit level. the front is lower and the rear is pretty high. the closest comanche i could find level wise looks like this:

 

now in the next couple weeks i will be putting on the rocky road 5" lift with the SOA in the rear, but i DO NOT want the truck to be un-level like it currently is. will the new lift level it out, or will i need to do something to bring it level? if anything i would want to lower the rear end to solve the problem rather then raise the front. i don't want the lift to tire ratio to look goofy.

 

sorry for all the questions lately. still new to all this and i trust you guys know your stuff. i have much to learn.

[BLHTAZ]

First thing... go here & read rule #2... http://www.comancheclub.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1239 ;)

 

OK...now about your truck... The lift should level it out as a lift is designed to be less lift in the rear than front. If you get a 5" lift, the 5" rating is for the front only. The rear will be 3" - 3.5" for a 5" kit.

[f1tbiker6]

haha thanks man! i didnt realize how laid back this site is. most forums I'm on people get rude if you ask too many questions.

[BLHTAZ]

:cheers: I was skeptical too when I first came here. I think everyone is as there are way to many forums out there that have people that live to be jerks. I can hang with them, but it is very refreshing to be able to come here and actually talk to people.

 

Sorry to take this off topic... ;)

[mvusse]

I believe he mentioned SOA. I'm pretty sure a soa swap will net more than 5" in the back, so in the end the truck will be raked forward even more.

 

With the new(er) springs on the back, my truck looks like in the picture. Currently waiting for my front spacers to arrive in the mail to hopefully level it out a bit more. I think since I bought this Jeep I need to cut up my credit card before it gets me into trouble.

 

With a soa kit, I would lift the front 6.5". Motion Offroad has a nice kit complete with crossover steering conversion, three link long arm conversion, bump stops, sway bar quick disco and longer brake lines.

[BLHTAZ]

 

With a soa kit, I would lift the front 6.5". Motion Offroad has a nice kit complete with crossover steering conversion, three link long arm conversion, bump stops, sway bar quick disco and longer brake lines.

Absolutely right... I didn't catch the SOA part for some reason.

[Motion Offroad]

SOA in the rear will net you a min. of 5.5". Most see right at 6.5" of lift with a SOA on the MJ's.

 

It will be based on what leafs your using (4wd, 2wd, or metric ton). It will also be based on what leaf perches you use. Some perches sit higher than others so you'll get more lift simply due to that fact. This is why our 4.5" and 3" kits include new rear leaf packs (made by Alcan FYI).

 

If your going with SOA rear you'll need a 6.5" front coil for it to sit level. Running 6.5" coils is than in our opinion in need of longarms.

 

I believe that the RRO kit uses a 3" coil with a 2" spacer to get 5" of lift. Why don't they just use the correct 5" coil to begin with? Also the RRO kit does not include lower control arms. They are needed at 5" of lift. Why are they not included? So if you bump upto a 6.5" coil with stock control arms your asking for major issues.

 

But to answer your question a SOA with a 5" hodge-podge of lift in the front will still make your MJ sit like the above photo.

[f1tbiker6]

so now i have the feeling i should lean away from the 5" rusty road lift and do a 4.5 regualr lift without soa? so confused! posting links would help me the best.

[Pete M]

What size tire are you looking to run and what kind of offroading will you be doing?

[maddzz1]

You shoud wait and just do the lift right the first time. Research some different lifts and either get everything in a kit or buy parts individually.

 

Motionoffroad has kits and springs

hellcreek sells springs

rubiconexpress has both

those are just a few to look at.

[f1tbiker6]

What size tire are you looking to run and what kind of offroading will you be doing?

 

33's and i will be doing mostly mud and trails type stuff. i was just talkin to my freinds dad and he has two jeeps and likes the idea of a 5" with 33's.

[Pete M]

Then I have a bunch of assorted tips.

-I noticed in your ad that your were looking for 10" rims. I'd recommend 8"ers. They retain the bead better and the tire will stick out less.

-I'd recommend 33x10.5s as they fit much better than 12.5s. BFG mud terrains come in that size as well as some other brands. Don't forget to look into the metric sizes too

-You should look into upgrading the rear axle if you've got a Dana 35.

-You'll want to upgrade the U-joints and shafts in the front axle.

-Gearing, gearing, gearing. You'll want lower gearing to push those 33s around.

-If you don't have flares and want some, look into the aftermarket variety as they are wider and bigger than stock.

-I would go with a 4.5 inch lift kit and either go with full on aftermarket leaf packs or do SOA and find some Explorer or 2wd MJ leafpacks in the junkyards. (if you go with the Explorer, you'll need to reuse your main leaf and then cut the eyes off the explorer's main leaf and retain it too as an anti-wrap AAL.)

 

 

What I would do:

-4.5" coils

 

-longer swaybar links (as opposed to drop brackets),

 

-a quality adjustable track bar

 

-stock YJ flexible brake lines (longer than stock MJ) and then relocate the brake line bracket on the body

 

-New longer fixed lower control arms and adjustable upper control arms

.....OR......

-drop brackets and stock UCA and WJ LCA (if you don't know what they are scroll down to the bottom of this page: http://comancheclub.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1556)

 

-SOA the rear with a bastard pack created from either 2wd MJ leafs or 4-leaf Explorer pack and the original 4wd MJ main leaf

.......OR.....

-4.5" lift leafpacks

 

-Mopar performance leaf perches (like $10 from the dealer)

 

-new U-bolts (beefier than stock if possible)

 

-A stock flexible rear brake line from a mid 90s Dakota (longer than stock MJ)

 

-33x10.5" BFG muds or 34x10 swamper LTBs on stock TJ 15x8" aluminum rims

 

-a junkyard Dana 30 from an XJ/MJ with 4.10 gears and then swap in the later modal Dana 30 shafts that have the bigger 297 U-joints

 

-a late 90s Explorer 8.8 axle with 4.10s, posi, and disk brakes (I would buy a single 2" steel spacer and put it on the passenger side, then center the axle on the new WMSs and burn in the perches in the appropriate spots)

 

-Mopar Performance leaf perches

 

Whew. I hope I didn't miss anything. :roll: Feel free to ask about any of the gibberish I just spewed. :D

[LEAD_NOT_FOLLOW]

-I'd recommend 33x10.5s as they fit much better than 12.5s.

What is it with you guys and your skinny tires on stock rims? I've never had an issue with running 12.5" tires on any of my rigs.

 

We ran 10.5" wide tires on Rebecca's XJ for a while on stock rims and I have to say I felt the most uncomfortable I've ever felt in a Jeep during that time. It felt so dang tipsy; even on the road.

 

Bumpstop correctly and 12.5" wide tires will be fine.

[Pete M]

But 10.5s do fit better. And they are easier on drivetrains. These are all relative statements though and 12.5s can be made to work with the proper planning. :cheers:

 

For what it's worth, I run 12.5s up front and 14s out back. :D But then I'm not running Jeep width axles anymore and don't really drive it on the street. :brows: