Lift Install Help

DaveP · Unread post by **DaveP** » Fri May 17, 2013 12:18 am

I'm installing a 2.5" lift this Saturday on my JKU. Anyone around the North Shore that could lend a hand? My helpers bailed and I'm going it alone at the moment. Thanks, I really appreciate it!

ArticRubi · Unread post by **ArticRubi** » Fri May 17, 2013 1:27 pm

I would if I was in town. Have a floor jack, set of jack stands, full set of standard and metric sockets (I think 19mm is the biggest socket needed,) a BFH, and a pry bar. When you're doing the front, do your passenger's side spring first. You will likely need a set of spring compressors, you can get a loaner set for free at Advanced or Auto Zone.

Carl McFly · Unread post by **Carl McFly** » Fri May 17, 2013 9:47 pm

I'd help but I have a weekend full of work myself. Trying to get my rig in shape for the season but it's fighting me every step of the way

DaveP · Unread post by **DaveP** » Thu May 23, 2013 11:11 am

Got the lift installed last Saturday/Sunday. Took me 9 hours of crawling around under the Jeep. I was pleasantly surprised at the height and the handling is better and more stable than stock.

: Before

: After

Hope to make it to Class VI in a few weeks.

ArticRubi · Unread post by **ArticRubi** » Thu May 23, 2013 12:57 pm

Nice work Dave! If you haven't done a front end alignment, here's a link to a nice writeup:
http://project-jk.com/jeep-jk-write-ups ... -alignment

It's a really simple process, for your 33's I'd recommend inning 3/16" toe in. It's a good thing to learn to do, a lot of times you'll knock your alignment out on a wheeling trip while still running the stock drag link and/or tie rod.

Wasabi · Unread post by **Wasabi** » Thu May 23, 2013 3:43 pm

I did a 2.5" and an alignment on my JK 2 weekends ago. I had to install the dual steering stabilizer because of some wobble and have plans to upgrade to a new adjustable track bar next weekend.

I went with teraflex for the lift... And the 1" front coil spacers.

DaveP · Unread post by **DaveP** » Thu May 23, 2013 3:57 pm

So far the only issues I've had were some clunks in the rear because I forgot to re-tighten the upper control arms, and my steering wheel is off by a few degrees. My alignment seems pretty good and no wobble!

ArticRubi · Unread post by **ArticRubi** » Thu May 23, 2013 4:30 pm

Cool Dave. You can adjust your steering wheel by adjusting the drag link. Since you lifted it, it effectively made the drag link shorter - increased the distance from the pitman arm to the passenger's side knuckle. A side effect of this is you will have more steering travel to the right, but less to the left. Another issue is it will wear out your steering gear more rapidly because you will always be driving without the wheel centered.

The other adjustment that you should make is toe in. When running larger than stock tires, particularly wider, increasing the toe in will allow your vehicle to return to center with little driver input. Return to center is basically, when you are exiting a corner, the vehicle's natural tendency to drive straight. Without enough toe in (which sounds like Wasabi's problem) you can have a bit of a drifty or flighty feel to the handling. Having a lot of toe in is nice because it will really plant your vehicle on the road but it wears the tires very quickly. 3/16" in is a very good amount for your tire size to keep it handling nicely without wearing out your nice new rubber.

The writeup I posted above gives a nice step by step guide to both adjusting the drag link and toe in. More importantly, how to measure to know how much tow in you have.

There are other dimensions of adjusting a vehicle's front end alignment, but they require adjustable control arms (to adjust caster) or offset ball joints (to adjust camber.) Neither of these will be an issue you'll need to worry about at your lift height. Trust me, once you understand the variables, it's a heck of an easy job!

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