jeep cj-5 lifts

Howdy all,
I could use some help with chooseing a lift kit for my jeep cj-5 1980 model
the choices are,
black diamond
rough country
superlift
will i need to install a pitman arm for the 3'' lift
will a 3'' lift look good with 31/10.50/15

 

I hear Superlift rides great. But then again I have not lifted mine yet so I do not know from personal Experience.

 

BD seems a little stiff so far - bout I doubt there's much difference btw them. I like the way it flexes on the trail. no road miles yet.

 

I am not impressed with my rough country. Just can't get them to move, might as well have welded my axles to the frame. 3" lift will fit 33s just fine so it might be a bit high for 31s. IIRC the Rancho 1" lift is the normal lift for 31s

 

But Jeff, you haven't driven your Jeep - and there's no drivetrain in it. Those springs shouldn't move in that case.

 

I installed a superlift 2.5" lift on mine with 33's and it sits pretty high. The ride is decent I guess, a little bumpy but fun. Driving down the road it feels fine but when you hit a speed bump, even at 5mph, its rough. Tomorrow I will install my new tie rods and hopefully this will make it much better to drive. Beware of the rear driveshaft angle, it will become quite steep.

 

You put a few friends jumping up and down on the front bumper and that I think would give an idea of how the springs will act. BTW I drive my Jeep all the time... in my head R)

 

I have NO experience either, but from what I've read here I believe they say you can runs 31's with just fine with NO lift. With a 3" lift, the tires might not be tall enough and you might not like it. I'm sure you'll be getting a lot more qualified opinions than mine.

 

I've got Rough Country on mine. I drove around with leafs only for a while, and they were actually quite bouncy. Then I added Rancho RS5000 shocks to the front and SkyJacker Nitro8000 shocks to the rear. It is very firm on bumps and pot holes now, but feels much safer at highway speeds. I haven't had any trail time in it, but I'm thinking when I do, I might just run the leafs/no shocks and see what happens.

 

Rojo,
I just aquired a '73 CJ5 with the original suspension, and it was a nasty ride. I didn't want to replace the suspension, but the ride was so bad I felt I had no choice. I ended up purchasing a 3" Black Diamond suspension lift with shocks from Rocky Mountain Suspension, and it rides good, and I didn't have to use shims or a dropped pitman arm. I mean the difference was day and night. I don't know how a good jeep suspension is supposed to ride, but this lift clears 33" tires and looks good. When I'm on a dirt road, it absorbs a lot of bumps that would normally jar your teeth. I also installed 1/2 " Daystar greaseable shackles, front and rear. I'm happy with it. That's my 2 cents.

 

4wd.com lift I put on rides awesome. I didn't get the whole 2.5 lift, but it rides 100% better than it did with stock springs. My vote is for 4wd.com lift hands down.

High5

 

I also installed 1/2" daystart shackles and a 3" Black diamond lift. They do not send the correct U-bolts, you'll have to drill your Ubolt plates to 1/2" holes and bend the U-bolts in a vise and cut them to length... but the lift itself went on well. Superlift and Black Diamond are the same people.