Can you just change spring sizes?

[JibCrane]

I’ve been looking for an LJ and one guy said he just decreased the springs 2” (4-2”) and it rides better (I take that as a warning of a cheap lift). Someone else said they had a 3” and upgraded to 4” to run 35s.
Assuming it doesn’t cause vibration going larger, is either a good idea or does it mess up the geometry too much? If so, can adjustable control arms correct for it? Thanks!

 

[Jerry Bransford]

For your longer wheelbase Unlimited it's usually fine to lift it 2" with 2" taller springs which won't normally cause any problems like vibrations which are more common at that height with the short wheelbase TJ.

 

[pcoplin]

Depends who you ask. In my opinion, lifting 4 inch on short arms does ruin the geometry of the Jeep. Way too high anti squat for my liking. You'll notice the whole body lifting on acceleration, this translates to lifting front tires when bound up.

2 inch lifts don't seem to have this same characteristic. And to be honest, I've never had a short armed LJ, so the extra wheelbase may not show it as much with 4 inch on a TJ Also, if you never rock climb and climb steep, the high anti squat will likely never bother you.

 

[Arthurius]

As someone who bought and dailies an LJ with stock control arms & a 2" spring lift, I can say it runs fine. However. there were some compromises that the previous owner had done to avoid replacing components. These are slowly needing to be addressed. Most notably my front track bar was still stock and instead of an adjustable bar, they re-drilled the hole for it in the bracket. That track bar setup eventually wallowed out and caused death wobble. Like $130 for an adjustable fixed it right up. My current setup still wouldn't mind some adjustable control arms, though.

 

[TheBoogieman]

they re-drilled the hole for it in the bracket. That track bar setup eventually wallowed out and caused death wobble.

That's your fault for not keeping it properly torqued.

 

[JMT]

I’ve been looking for an LJ and one guy said he just decreased the springs 2” (4-2”) and it rides better (I take that as a warning of a cheap lift). Someone else said they had a 3” and upgraded to 4” to run 35s.
Assuming it doesn’t cause vibration going larger, is either a good idea or does it mess up the geometry too much? If so, can adjustable control arms correct for it? Thanks!

What do you want? Build a rig for the final tire size. Doing so is not as easy as just changing the springs or adding control arms. Keep reading. There are plenty of threads on the forum about how to build for 31’s, 32’s, 33’s, and 35’s.

 

[jjvw]

I’ve been looking for an LJ and one guy said he just decreased the springs 2” (4-2”) and it rides better (I take that as a warning of a cheap lift). Someone else said they had a 3” and upgraded to 4” to run 35s.
Assuming it doesn’t cause vibration going larger, is either a good idea or does it mess up the geometry too much? If so, can adjustable control arms correct for it? Thanks!

Whatever he did with the springs is not the direct cause of improving the ride. Likely he had too short of shocks with the traller ride height. And now the shocks work better.

 

[Arthurius]

properly torqued

Even after several ugga-duggas the shaking wouldn't stop

The point remains, a 2' lift can lead to some minor compromises. None are very serious.

 

[NashvilleTJ]

Even after several ugga-duggas the shaking wouldn't stop

The point remains, a 2' lift can lead to some minor compromises. None are very serious.

I kinda think a two foot lift would lead to some pretty major compromises…

 

[TheBoogieman]

I kinda think a two foot lift would lead to some pretty major compromises…

It sure did on my XJ. It wouldn't fit under the awning at the trailer park.