Well I have owned a 96 ZJ and currently own a 98 ZJ. The Rusty's kit is great but you will end up with probably 5 inches of lift after the springs settle. I would go this route, get Rubicon Express 3.5 inch coils and get 1 inch coil spacers all around, that will give you 4.5 inches and you will be able to fit 31s without trimming anything because from the looks of your ZJ, I wouldnt want to trim any of those fenders.

 

As for you wheels, the choice is all yours. If you want to keep those rims, they looks from the pictures that they have plenty of back space to them to fit some 31s but they look really clean and I would honestly get a set of 31s for those and get a wheel and tire package for offroading, but that all depends on how deep you pockets are. Also you will pay way out of pocket to find some decent offroad/street tires that will fit the 17" rim.

 

Also now that I think about it, the Rusty's lift kit is great and most of us in the club do run Rusty's products, I would just recommend doing some research and find a lift kit that would best fit your life style, if you are looking for something that you could put on and wheel with the ZJ and still have it as a daily driver, go Rusty's or Rubicon Express, if you want to do something and make the ZJ a complete trail rig, look at Kevin's Offroad or Claytons. It all depends on what you want to do (with proper research) and like I said how deep your pockets are.

 

Hope this kind of helps you.

 

Also check out NAGCA.com or MallCrawlin.com, they are Grand Cherokee forums and researching the forums might help you as well.

 

Evans :)

Post edited 6:03 am – April 3, 2010 by Moparboy

---

Well not to be the guy to tell you but Rusty's doesnt make a lift kit at 4.5 inches for the ZJs, they make a 3.5 inch at basic lift kit at about $500.00, and advanced lift kit system at $1,100.00 and a 5.5 inch lift at $1,350.00. If you do a 4.5 inch lift you will need to get the 3.5 inch lift and 1 inch coil spacers, at 4.5 inches on the ZJs, you can get 31s in there without any trimming, at 3.5 there will be a small amount of rub. This is what you get with the basic lift

 

The Basic Lift

KIT INCLUDES
• Front 3" Coil Springs
• Rear 3" Coil Springs
• HD Rear Trac Bar Bracket
• Front Sway Bar Drop Kit
• Front Hydro Performance Shocks
• Rear Hydro Performance Shocks

 

The Advanced Lift

Kit Includes:

• 1 pr. Front Coil Springs
• 1 pr. Rear Coil Springs
• Front Adjustable Trac Bar
• Rear Trac Bar Bracket
• 1 pr. Front Upper Control Arms
• 1 pr. Front Lower Control Arms
• 1 pr. Rear Adjustable Upper Control Arms
• 1 pr. Rear Lower Control Arms
• JKS Sway bar Disc
• Rear Sway Bar Drop Bracket
• SS Brake Lines
• 4 Rusty’s Hydro Shocks

I honestly would do research with some other companies but if you would like to go with Rusty's which everyone in the club would recommend, I would go with the advanced system because basically you would be replacing those parts down the road as it is, trust me I am in the process of doing that with my ZJ right now. Grand Cherokee lifts are always more expensive and owning both a XJ and ZJ, I know this oh too well. I would highly recommend though either doing a little more research or if you like what you see here, go with the advanced lift, the price is a little higher but comes with pretty much everything you will need.

 

As for a tires and wheels combo, I would also highly recommend doing tons of research about that. Honestly that is the biggest decision to make when lifting your vehicle.

 

Hope this helps a little more.

 

Evans :)

Well lets start off from the beginning. You would like to lift you Jeep, you want a different wheel and tire combo and you want to stay at a comfortable ride. Here is what I would recommend

 

I would do the Advanced lift from Rusty's because you are planning on getting new shocks and since the lift comes with new shocks, that would honestly be a no brainer. The kit also comes with products that you would have to replace eventually and/or want to over time. The ride quality on the Rusty's kit is actually pretty close to stock but the ride quality is also like Rubicon Express, Kevin's Offroad or even Skyjacker. Whenever you lift a vehicle whether its a Jeep or truck, you will notice that it is lifted, the ride quality will always change but Grand Cherokees ride great even when they are lifted. Like I said, I would honestly do some research on what kind of lift would be go with your driving and what fits in price range.

 

I would check out the following

Rubicon Express

Rusty's

Skyjacker

Rough Country

Kevin's Offroad

BDS suspensions

Tough Country

 

I am probably missing a few compaines but those are the ones I can remember. You also have to take a step back and look at how much offroading you will be doing. Most of the members in this club use their vehicles not only for offroading but also daily driving. Finding a lift kit out there with the most upgraded parts is the best thing to do. Speaking from experience you do not want to buy a lift kit that only comes with certain things because the stock parts will break faster with abuse from offroading, i.e., my stock steering on my ZJ, replaced it with Rusty's steering upgrade.

 

As for wheels and tires, that is going to be the biggest decision after lifting a vehicle. The Soft 8s are great and honestly would look very nice with your ZJ. I would recommend calling either 4wd.com or quadratec and talking to them about the backspacing and in the process of talking with them, you might be able to find the right wheel and tire combo for you Jeep. My recommendation, Trxus MTs, they are by far the best tire I have had on and off road.

 

Hopefully you will be at one of our events this month or at our meet and greet next month and I will be able to talk to you more about the ZJ because honestly, from my experience with them, I have owner 2 ZJs, they are a completely different beast from the XJ and sometimes more costly.

 

Evans :)

Post edited 6:00 am – April 4, 2010 by Moparboy

---

Well trying to compare offroading to MMA is…,well, you cant compare the 2, lol. Anyways here is what I would do. You want to be on the road most of the time but use it as a weekend warrior, right? I'm I kinda going in the right direction? If I am then go to either Rubicon Express or Rusty's Offroad. Rubicon Express has a lift kit at 4.5 inches of lift, part# RE8000. It is their super flex system. The maximum tire clearance WITHOUT trimming is 32x11.50, their wheel backspacing guide is 4-4.5". This is what I would do. It comes with everything you will need, here is a link to what comes with the lift kit.

 

 

http://www.rubiconexpress.com/…..art=RE8000

 

You will need to buy shocks separately and I would go with the twin-tube shocks from Rubicon Express. They have great ride quality on road and off road. The price is a little high so you could go with the Rusty's lift kit system, link below..,

 

 http://rustysoffroad.com/mm5/m…..sus_zj_kit

 

Now the Rusty's kit is only 3.5 inches but you can still fit 31s under but there will be some rubbing at full flex. That is what I would do if I was building up a ZJ.

See you at the meet and greet.

 

Evans :)