To handle the install, we visited our official shop of the Steal-J buildup: TAG Motorsports in Escondido, California. Since TAG pumps out several dozen Jeep lifts a month, we were confident head wrench Jay Miller could handle any eventuality that may arise during the install. In our next installment we'll be adding an overdrive so we can eventually ditch the pathetic 3.07 axle gears we're running.
Driving ItAs you may expect, since the spacer lift uses the stock spring, the ride is very similar to before. Our biggest differences on-road is the clunk-free control-arm bushings and the superb Bilstein 5100 shocks. The 5100s have excellent rebound characteristics that make for a much more controlled, jerk-free ride on- or off road. The biggest bummer is if you hit a bump pretty hard at speed, the rear will hit the bumpstop with a noticeable thud because of Fabtech's lowered bumpstop location. It doesn't hurt, but it does get your attention over severe dips and bumps.
Off-road, the huge amount of droop makes it pretty easy to keep all four tires on the ground. Even with open diffs, we were able to get up climbs that the stock suspension was stopped cold on. The biggest bummer is, once again, the rear suspension. Because of the increased amount of droop afforded by the 4-inch lift Bilsteins, the coils become unseated from their buckets and clang on the billet adjuster threads. The springs go right back in their seats, but the rattle and clank may ultimately be enough to make us swap to a longer, soft rear spring to eliminate the rear coil spacers or swap to a shorter shock.
The JKS adjustable bumpstops...
The JKS adjustable bumpstops come with a 3/4-, 1 1/4-, and 2-inch bumpstop spacers. With the front Bilstein (PN PN F4-BE5-6241-H5) installed, Miller settled on the midsized 1 1/4-inch spacer and the factory bumpstop in lieu of the Fabtech-supplied poly bumpstop. This setup allowed the most compression of the 4-inch lift shock and provides insane droop of the front axle.
Miller adjusted the JKS lower...
Miller adjusted the JKS lower control arms to be 1/2-inch longer than the stock units and the uppers 3/8-inch longer. The longer measurements brought our post-lift wheelbase out to 94 1/4-inches, compared with the stock measurement of 93.6-inches, and set the pinion angles at the right height for buzz-free operation.
Once the suspension install...
Once the suspension install was completed, Miller set the Jeep back on the ground and measured each corner. Using the supplied spanner wrench, he brought the driver side up 1/2-inch and the passenger side up 1 3/8-inch for a completely level stance.
We were nervous about adding...
We were nervous about adding 2 inches of lift in the rear without dropping the T-case or adding a CV driveshaft. Especially since our Jeep is an automatic, which is more prone to driveline vibrations. By lengthening the upper control arms less than the rears, Miller raised the rear pinion angle about 2 degrees, which resulted in only a slight driveline vibration right at 50 mph.
Notice the droop afforded...
Notice the droop afforded by the use of the longer Bilstein shocks and with the front sway bar disconnected. The droop on the axles is actually being limited by the track bars hitting their mounts. Had we opted to upgrade to JKS's adjustable track bars, we could have even more downtravel.