Impacts of suspension lift vs. Body lift on 89 Wagoneer?

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MReno
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Impacts of suspension lift vs. Body lift on 89 Wagoneer?

Post by MReno »

Looking for everyone's opinion on suspension lift vs. body lift. The Wagoneer has 31X10.5 tires on it and they are in good shape. However they seem to rub somewhere when making a tight turn. I noticed this when loading the vehicle on my auto hauler. I know the body bushings are shot and need replacement so that will raise the body a bit from the frame, but what is the easiest way to gain clearance for the 31's?

I'm not trying to turn it into a mudder truck, but just a bit higher sitting profile would be nice to provide the clearance and make the tires look more proportional, but not interested in having to modify a bunch of other things to accommodate this...Any suggestions on suspension lift vs. leaf spring lift vs. additional body busing lifts?
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Stuka
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Re: Impacts of suspension lift vs. Body lift on 89 Wagoneer?

Post by Stuka »

A 2.5" suspension lift will clear those tires, and be much less of an impact than a body lift. Body lifts have lots of downsides, including causing cracks on the body.

A 2-2.5" suspension lift is arguably easier to install. It can change the ride depending on who's springs you go with.
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Pevious Jeeps: 1981 J10, 1975 Cherokee, 2008 JK, 2005 KJ, 1989 XJ
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Tripwire
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Re: Impacts of suspension lift vs. Body lift on 89 Wagoneer?

Post by Tripwire »

I put a 2 1/2 spring lift on mine, it certainly increased the caster angle causing very sensitive and wandering steering, having the caster re-adjusted resolved it...the only problem for you is finding a 4WD specialty shop to adjust this for you as the big box and mom and pop shops wont /cant do the work

If you dont understand what i am talking about caster angle is somewhat similar to riding a bike with the handlebars 180 degrees around....very quirky steering, not quite as bad as a bike but why induce more problems in a gearbox steering system

a 2 inch lift is perfect - it looks nice, adds some "stance" to the rig and is not red-necky looking

steve
FSJ.ORG JOIN DATE JULY 2000

Tripwire. 86 Grand. Howell fuel Injected 360. MSD Ignition + Dizzy. 727/228 BJ's 2" Lift and 31's

88 Wrangler Howell TBI and MSD - Borla Headers w/ Cat-back + winch and 31's AND a M416 trailer

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Tripwire
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Re: Impacts of suspension lift vs. Body lift on 89 Wagoneer?

Post by Tripwire »

if you pm me your e-mail i will show you my rig with a 2 inch lift running 31's
FSJ.ORG JOIN DATE JULY 2000

Tripwire. 86 Grand. Howell fuel Injected 360. MSD Ignition + Dizzy. 727/228 BJ's 2" Lift and 31's

88 Wrangler Howell TBI and MSD - Borla Headers w/ Cat-back + winch and 31's AND a M416 trailer

Washington State
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Stuka
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Re: Impacts of suspension lift vs. Body lift on 89 Wagoneer?

Post by Stuka »

Tripwire wrote:I put a 2 1/2 spring lift on mine, it certainly increased the caster angle causing very sensitive and wandering steering, having the caster re-adjusted resolved it...the only problem for you is finding a 4WD specialty shop to adjust this for you as the big box and mom and pop shops wont /cant do the work

If you dont understand what i am talking about caster angle is somewhat similar to riding a bike with the handlebars 180 degrees around....very quirky steering, not quite as bad as a bike but why induce more problems in a gearbox steering system

a 2 inch lift is perfect - it looks nice, adds some "stance" to the rig and is not red-necky looking

steve
Typically lift springs should not change your caster at all. Lift shackles certainly will. Your case was kind of an oddball. I have run numerous lifts from 2" to 6", never had to touch caster.
2017 JKU Rubicon
Pevious Jeeps: 1981 J10, 1975 Cherokee, 2008 JK, 2005 KJ, 1989 XJ
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