SOA: Where's the benefit?

Hellsfyer, as I was reminded recently (you know who you are!), I have not owned a CJ in a long time, so my street cred may be a little thin.

JMO - you don't need any lift over what the OEM heavy duty suspension gave you, which I would guess is close to what's called a 1" lift today. Some folks like the way-up-in-the-air look, but I would prefer not. I think you can go as large as a 33" diameter tire with a 1" lift, and beyond that you're limited by the rear wheel cutout diameter. I'd suggest you get some pictures of lifted Jeeps and tire sizes before you decide - start another thread and ask. We could get into a long-winded discussion on suspension mechanics and spring placement, but not this morning...

 

The issue that I have with my OEM springs is that they are worn out, and with the aftermarket hard top, rear tire carrier, and the hopefully soon addition of a cage, the rear is squatty at best. I have thought about just replacing the springs as is, with HD in the rear. Am I thinking correctly here?

 

I would go with a 2.5" just for the simpleness of it, and you should have a smoother ride off-road which your family will appreciate.

 

All of these Jeeps will have flat springs if they weren't replaced by now. That's just the way it goes with leaf springs (not just Jeeps).

If the front ones are flat, you need to replace those too. I expect that, unless you get the 'soft ride' springs, your Jeep will sit up fine in the rear even with the hard top, tire carrier, etc. The ride height will be determined by both the spring arch and the spring rate. If you pick some springs with a high enough rate, you can choose your ride height depending on the arch.

We're veering off topic here, so I'd suggest you start another thread if you'd like to discuss this more.

 

Got it, and thanks for the info. I will start a new thread with any other questions.

Thanks again guys. Much appreciated.