Slow down, put away the credit card for a second, nobody is offering it as a complete kit ... yet. This is just bench racing. "What's the best lift kit for my Wrangler?" is one of the most common questions we get from readers.
We've spent seat time behind the wheel of lots of different kits, but, ultimately, what's good for us may not be good for you or the next guy. It really depends on the kind of wheeling you do, the amount of highway driving the Jeep sees, your driving style, and your tolerance for road noise and limited versatility.
But if a suspension company gave us the keys to its research and development fab shop and we had the opportunity to build our own lift kit for TJ and Unlimited Wranglers, they'd end up something like this.
Basic Design
Up front we kinda like the standard four-link with a track bar (like factory). We think it allows for better traction, more precise steering and handling, and better axle control than some aftermarket kits. Many lift kits convert the Wrangler front end to a radius arm suspension. However, our dream kit would be a three-link with a track bar. This would require some extra gusseting or bracket reinforcement on one of the upper link mounts (this may require welding). But this design would allow for plenty of flex without sacrificing axle control. No kit like this is currently available off the shelf, but we've seen several custom Jeeps come from Currie Enterprises with this system.
The many recently popular lift kits replace the factory four-link and track-bar with a triangulated four-link in the rear. We actually prefer the track bar because it locates the rear axle more solidly, especially when the link ends start to wear. However, a sturdy bracket and heavy-duty track-bar would be used. A few of the currently offered parts are a little spindly for our tastes and have been known to crack and break. Staying away from the triangulated rear suspension would also allow us to retain the factory exhaust system or a bolt-in aftermarket one.
Long Arms
Lots of Wrangler suspension arm and joint designs have come and gone since 1997. Of course, our dream kit would feature longer-than-stock arms, but it would also maintain the geometry required for proper antisquat, roll center, caster, and pinion angle change. The most innovative arms we have seen are those which are bent up for clearance. Companies like Nth Degree Mobility and TnT Customs offer this. We also prefer arms made from round tube (DOM or chromoly) because we think it looks better than square stock. We'd make them from 1 3/4-inch .250-wall so even real thrashers wouldn't have a problem. If bending did become a problem we'd pierce the tubing and weld internal plate gussets in the bends rather than using overly-thick-and-heavy tubing.
The upper and lower arms of the dream TJ/LJ lift would also be adjustable to allow pinion angle, caster, and slight wheelbase changes for tire clearance. Future mods like axle and drivetrain swaps are made easier with arm adjustment, as well.
Arm Ends
At the arm ends we like the less-harsh feel of rubber bushings, but not the durability. The flexibility and strength of rod ends are great, but they're harsh and not all that long-lasting in the elements. The durability and easy maintenance of urethane bushings is fantastic, but they aren't very flexible and can be noisy. The jointed ends of our ultimate lift kit for Wranglers would incorporate the best features of all of these. Companies like Currie Enterprises, Fabtech, Rock Krawler, and Rubicon Express already offer these kinds of joints in the form of Johnny Joints, Super-Flex Joints, and so on. Like most of these, our arm ends would be rebuildable. The arms would feature these joints at the axle ends only and rubber or soft greaseable urethane at the frame and skidplate-mounted ends of our links.