20 Best Tj Lift Kit (2022 Updated)

No instructions were included with the kit and initially Cameron that assisted me with the purchase never mentioned the wrench level for the product. Overall, the install was simple enough. The only issue my husband and I came across was that my truck spent 6 years in N Dakota where I was stationed.

All the salt they use on their roads did not make the install “easy or smooth”. I do love how my truck rides with it, some reviews for this product stated that the ride would be stiff, but I do not feel that way.

Even after install, as I drove it to the shop to get an alignment done, my steering wheel never vibrated and didn’t pull to either side. Just ensure that you have a coil suspension compression kit if you don’t have a mounted tool like the pros do.

Bought the Old Man Emu light load kit and also ordered JKS adjustable track bars, adjustable JKS sway bar end links and JKS brake line relocation brackets. The install took me about 6 hours in my garage and went quite well.

Found some helpful install videos online of how the install goes and it was a big help to know what to expect. As for the kit WOW WHAT A DIFFERENCE from the stock suspension. My JK has 100,000 miles on it and after the install the drive is a huge difference.

The OLD MAN EMU kit is a great upgrade and the Jeep is about 3. 25 inches taller. Front and rear axles were about 5/8″ off center and the JKS adjustable track bars made the correction easy to accomplish.

The only other adjustment was needing to center up the steering wheel. IT was about a third of a turn off center and freaked out the ABS traction system on initial test drive. Easily corrected by loosening up the drag link adjustor and making a couple turns.

Highly recommend this kit if you are looking for 2. 5″ – 3″ of quality lift. My only suggestion is to do it right and add the adjustable track bars / end links and brake relocation brackets.

I’ve never installed a lift kit before, so I recruited a very knowledgeable friend to help me. We watched the ET tutorial on YouTube and got to work. We didn’t have a coil spring compressor, so we improvised by using the floor jack against the weight of the vehicle.

Worked like a charm. I love the way my Tacoma looks now. It didn’t take quite a full Saturday. Maybe 6 hours? Also, I haven’t had the chance to take it off road yet. I want to take it in for a front end alignmant first.

Now my Wrangler looks the way it should have off the factory floor. I have 31×10. 5’s on it and they look just right, although I bet 32’s would fit just fine too. I installed the kit with a little help from my dad in a well tooled shop and it was easily done in a few hours.

Get the external spring compressor when you do yours, we had an internal one and had to mickey mouse it a bit, but it worked. The spacers in my kit were black, not the red pictured, but I prefer not being flashy, especially with a bargain lift.

Lifting my jeep did not negatively effect my mileage, btw. I’m happy with it and would do it the same way if I had to again.

This is just what the jeep needed. I don’t do a ton of off roading and the parks here are small anyway, most what we do is 2 tracking. Getting the jeep up a little gets those 35’s where they need to be.

Easy install, took about 4 hours laying on the ground in the driveway.

installed skyjacker leveling kit. test dove jeep and the rear end bounced so bad i almost lost control. found that the rear shocks were defective. had to remove and install old shocks. contact with auto anything and the so called experts at skyjacker solved nothing.

returning the shocks became such an issue i decided to accept the loss and move on. I will never buy from auto anything again or any skyjacker products.

Beware of oversights/omissions in both the hard copy and online instructions. Installed this kit on my 2021 JL Rubicon. Issues to be aware of include the photos and instructions which do not cover all of the hardware that may need to be disconnected to properly lower your axles enough to be able to easily remove the coil springs and install the spacers.

There’s an additional wiring harness that needs to be removed on the front axle of a Rubicon directly below the vent tube that is not shown in the pics nor noted in the instructions. Also the torque specs that are noted to install the provided stabilizer links ended up being too strong and crushed the inner sleeves.

(Or the quality of the sleeve material was insufficient for the required torque) On the rear axle install, the very lower mounting bolts that hold the shock extension brackets on are too long and make contact with the crush sleeve provided to be installed directly above them.

Also there was no mention instructions of having to remove the E brake parking cables to allow the rear axle to droop far enough to be able to remove the springs. Outside of these issues finished product results were as specified.

Installed on my 2020 JLU Sting Gray Rubicon along with 35×12. 50R17 Ridge Grapplers with black Fuel Rebel 17×9″ wheels with 5″ backpsacing. Fantastic setup. Install was pretty easy. Went with the V2 shock -worth the extra $$$- setup on mine, along with RC front and rear adjustable track bars to re-center my axles, and RC adjustable lower front control arms to regain proper caster.

In my opinion, that is a complete kit with a 2. 5″ lift. Rough Country was more than amazing through the whole thing. They even sent me a couple front sway bar end-links free of charge because I over-torqued the ones that came with the kit.

(Heads up installers, -obviously- go off Rough Country’s torque specs. If you torque the swaybar end links down to factory torque, you will crush the inner bushing sleeve. ) That was clearly on me though.

I also went with a set of MetalCloak polyurethane lower spring isolators up front. Toss the factory plastic ones, as they can sometimes cause spring bow. Other than that, could not recommend this kit enough.

Thank you very much, Rough Country!!.

I will start with the Pros of the lift. This lift was very affordable and it gave the proper height that was expected. Overall, the lift was simple to install with basic tools. The parts and pieces were packaged well and separated into individual bags for easy identification.

The ride remains the same as stock due to only adding spacers. The Cons: I ended up having to buy new hardware due to several of the bolts having major burs in the threads. These burs were so prevalent that I could not run the securing nuts down to be seated.

My options were either buy new hardware or use a thread chaser on many of them. I opted to purchase new hardware all around. The instructions are printed in black and white which makes some steps hard to identify what exactly they are depicting.

If you are fairly mechanically inclined you should have no trouble with this but for someone that may lack a little experience, this could be a hurdle. There is no reason that in the year 2021 we should be printing in black and white.

With this kit, I added front and rear adjustable track bars and adjustable control arms. I intend to swap to lift springs at a later date. At the time of this review, most springs seem to be on backorder or hard to obtain.

Overall, for a budget friendly lift, I think this is a good option. Just be sure to check your hardware and ensure all items will thread.

Instructions were not that great if I hadn’t already installed another ST3 kit it would of bean a little harder and the Instructions were for the CT kit I had parts that were not even on the Instructions but it was close enough to get the job done with a little research.

I installed it on the garage floor with no torch or plasma so it is possible just takes longer. After the I stall the kit is amazing I can put the tire 42 inches in the air before another tire comes up.

Ride is great. Looks aggressive as anything out there. I was missing a couple bushings for the front axle I contacted Teraflex and they fixed it with no hassle or charge at all. Very happy with my time nothing but a big smile everytime I look at my jeep now.

Awesome kit, rad build quality, pain in the ass to install. The instructions were not very understandable. The Teraflex guy we talked to said he didn’t need the instructions. So that didn’t help us in figuring out how to do it.

it took us about 2 weeks to get it fully built & aligned etc. All in all, great kit. cannot complain to much. on ride is very rough too, roughly 16″+ of drop travel. Keep in mind, It does like to body roll a lot more now than before.

People do ask what lift my Jeep has all the time, I love it people love it. If you have the money, time & grit to get it done and enjoy the ride. Do it, no questions!.

Install was easy enough with the proper tools and equipment. Plasma cutter a must to make it faster. Better written instructions would have been nice. Very vague on a lot of the install. Very happy with the end results.

I’m 58 yrs old and did the complete install in my backyard and on jackstands.

Bought this teraflex long arm and its a good kit. The only thing i don’t like is the regular bump stops limit flex, and it doesn’t flex as good as a long arm typically should. Also, the control arm brackets are beefy so its very easy to notice them compared to other lifts.

Overall I enjoy this lift, rides good on the road and great on the freeway.

Purchased in December 2021. Having installed a different 3. 25″ Rough Country suspension lift on a 1997 Jeep TJ during a frame swap rebuild, and having enjoyed the quality of that lift, I opted to go with the 3.

5″ Rough Country suspension lift for our 2012 Jeep JKU as a gift for my wife, who is the principle driver of “Spike”, her JKU. First off, I was appreciative of the quality of the lift kit and its design and engineering.

Rough Country had seemed to be a more budget-friendly company early in its life, but has seemed to have really focused on quality and engineering. Thumbs up Rough Country! The install, (completed by my son and I in our driveway during a cold New England December), went pretty smooth, though it took much longer than listed in the directions.

(We took our time to make sure we did it right). The hardest part was getting the stock pitman arm off, which we ended up cutting with a cutting wheel. The suspension install was pretty straightforward, and the directions pretty concise.

There are a few videos circulating on this lift install on JKU’s, so there was always a reference to go by as a guide. The Rough Country website suggested buying the exhaust adapter kit, which I did.

We found that this was not required on ‘Spike’. Just after install, the lift was just over 5″ in height, and it took about a month+ to settle fully to just about 4″ of lift. The first test drive went fine, but on the second tour of our neighborhood, ‘Spike’ went into limp mode.

I was pretty certain that this was a clock-spring issue, and the next day I took it in for a 4-wheel alignment and this corrected it. No more limp-mode issues at all. The ride is actually better than the stock ride, with more spring travel evening out harsh jarring bumps.

My wife, son, and I are very impressed with this lift kit!.

First off, I purchased this for a 2010 Jeep Wrangler Sport Unlimited or jku. I’m only giving this a 4 star due to the instructions not being the greatest. For starters, the list of tools required is missing a couple things like the drill bits needed but later in the instructions says you need a 13/32 and a 3/8.

A couple other things weren’t very clear. I ended up with 4 thick washers and a 3/8 bolt left over. I ended up using the washers to drop the crossmember a little so the front driveshaft wouldn’t hit it at full drop.

As far as the installation time 4-6 hours is pretty funny. I didn’t have any issues and it took me roughly 6 hours just for the rear on my back in the driveway, probably 6 or so for the front. There isn’t much to this kit but had I brought it to the shop and used the lift, it’s possible it would’ve take 4-6 but the average joe in the backyard with a basic tool kit and jack stands and jack laying on their back, count on 8-10 minimum.

I’m far from a novice mechanic and as close to expert as you can be without a degree. Anyways, you really can’t beat this kit for the price. I paid over $3000 for a 6″ Fabtech lift for my H2 and that took me 16 hours by myself using a lift and it was recommended 2 professional mechanics with an 8 hour installation time so to me I did just as good.

There was no issue with clearance of the factory front driveshaft and tranny pan or exhaust clearance issue just like they say on this site for that year. It does handle a little weird even after the alignment and 35’s put on my my girlfriend doesn’t mind it.

Seems like it might be like an awkward rocking. You won’t beat the price for this lift though so get it now before the prices go up. lol.

Was super excited for my kit. When it got here i was super happy. Then the day came to install. I thought i took a good count of the parts. So i went at it. Everything looks super beefy and quality. Had to trim the tc shield but that was no biggie.

Had to replace a bolt that was supplied with the kit because the head was literally rounded like it wasnt pressed right. No biggie there either. But then i got to finishing up the front with the struts and im missing one bag of parts for the other strut.

And noticed the sleves for the rear struts are missing as well. I feel for the amount of money i am paying for this kit i should have gotten everything i needed. Made a call to rough country and the service person got my parts ordered.

So they on the way. But i shouldnt have had my vehicle sitting in a garage for longer than it should for parts that shoulda been supplied. If they were included i woulda given much better rating. Because of this my car has been sitting for Week untouched and will continue to sit until i receive the parts that shoulda been supplied and for me to have a free weekend to work on it.

Deff make sure u triple check u have all the parts in your kit before starting.

These require a dexterity my old hands didnt like. So, it took a little longer to install than I intended. The left side I had to put in the Lang bolt first, but no real issues. These are solid and Im completely happy with them.

Now to buy and install a pair on the wifes.

This is a very good lift for the money I installed it with a steering stabilizer on my 04 wrangler tj. It is pretty stiff but It make my jeep have a much better stance. also note that you might not be able to reuse all of your old bolts if you vehicle has very many miles some of them break so new bolts might be needed so be prepared to go to the hardware store.

But over all for as much as it cost I am vey happy with mine.

Seats are as expected for the price. comfortable, well made and stylish. As advertised, they are thin and built to hold upper legs and body into the center of the seat; my wife and I fit well into the design of the seat (5′ 9, 165 lbs; 5’6, 115 lbs).

Looks great! Rides like stock. Hydro shocks are the way to go! I put them on my 1998 jeep wrangler.

Install was easy. Fitment and color was good. Took my time cutting out the blank plates for the switches.

The lift went in as it should but when it came to the 6 speed transmission shifter that’s where it all went south their shifter extension only made things worse could not get 2,4,6,or reverse it hit the floor pan needed another two inches to clear after an hour and half of cursing i through their POS in the scrap bin and pulled the shift tower and heated the shift shaft bent it straight up to solve the issue.

ROUGH COUNTRY YOU CAN DO A BETTER JOB THAN THAT HIRE A REAL ENGINEER! Not my first rodeo. Signed. A millwright of 50 years.

Bought this to replace my 17 year old stock mounts. I love that it gave me another inch of lift as my 35’s look so much better under there now. Instructions were really good. EXCEPT they don’t tell you what to torque the bolts too.

They just list what the max torque is for the bolt diameter. I already installed 1 inch lift motor mounts and everything lined up good. It rides like a it should now. I HIGHLY recommend this kit to anyone!!!.

This body lift looks great. We really didn’t need anymore lift than our JL already has, but why not? Myself and the wife threw this on our JL with out already installed Mopar 2 inch lift to give us a total of 3.

25” of lift. We already have 35’s but now we have even more clearance to get over most obstacles and rougher terrain.

Went with this kit because it had the desired parts that I wanted. As a welder by trade the parts are pretty well built and I must say RC’s trac bar bracket is pretty clever in design. I also like that the joints have very long threads making it very easy to adjust if you have different axles or relocated mounting points.

Install was smooth, only took a Saturday to get the jeep back on all fours. My only gripe is I wish it came with new hardware for the control arms. This doesn’t affect my opinion of the kit but my jeep is silver so I was pleased that the springs are painted silver, just looks really nice with my setup.

Overall pleased with the purchase. Installed on an 06 Unlimited LJ.

I recently installed this kit, wish I had spent the extra money and bought a kit with double adjustable control arms, the recommended pre-adjustments weren’t even close. Spent massive amounts of time trying to get this right and still not 100%.

1st, the rear track bar is pushed up against my gas tank skid, need angled rear track bar relocation bracket from JKS. The straight one will not work with a SYE and double cardan driveshaft. 2nd had to shorten my driveshaft to obtain proper angle.

3rd, drop pitman and front track bar relocation bracket have made my steering “SCARY”, I am currently researching on whether I should remove them both or not. Basically everything is new on the front of this jeep.

Feels like my jeep is riding on water balloons!.

I installed this lift on my jeep and I kid you not, I’m glad I wore sweatpants because my balls grew so much from just the masculinity flowing through the car into the seat and vibrating all up in my balls.

All seriousness, awesome lift kit. Works really well, no vehicle vibrations and worth every single penny. My jeep doesn’t even look the same anymore.

It can be very difficult to find accessories, parts, kits, for my 2003 Tundra, so it was nice to find this first generation Tundra suspension kit for my truck. Utilizing the preexisting front coil-overs and maximizing factory parts, you get the best value with this kit and installation wasn’t terribly difficult for me, personally (only needed two jack stands, one hydraulic jack, no air-tools, no impact wrenches, just my socket set, pickle fork, etc.

basic tools for most home garages). My only beef would be that the kit does not come with extended sway bar end links. The factory sway bar is at too severe an angle to meet with the OE end links (threaded rod at top, 90 degree ball joint at bottom), and it is virtually impossible to find a suitable end link in an extended or adjustable version to make it work.

I had to buy OE end links and weld an extension to the threaded rod on top to make it long enough to mate with the sway bar. Also, the kit did not come with rear shocks, and your old shock absorbers are not going to have enough travel after the lift is installed.

Make sure you buy a pair of Tuff Country’s SX8000 (that they recommend) or some rear shock that compresses to 14″ and extends to 26″. I used Bilstein’s. 46mm Monotube Shock Absorber (item#24-185417).

If you buy Tuff Country’s SX8000, be advised that you have to also purchase the rubber boots separately (don’t know why the manufacturer doesn’t include it, poor business choice for them). Of course, with most any lift of this size that utilizes the OE rack and pinion, steering performance is going to suffer, depending on your tires.

I’m considering upgrading my power-steering sometime in the future, although I was impressed with the manufacturer taking the time to include poly bushings for the rack and pinion mounting to the lower sub-frame.

All-in-all, I think my truck looks great, and after a precision alignment on the front tires, and replacing all the ball-joints and bushings (while I had the suspension all apart, I figured, “why not?”), my truck performs great.

I would definitely recommend this product to other first generation Tundra owners (unless you want to fork over a few grand for a complete suspension swap out for a lift, in which case, have at that).

Toyota Tundra 2003 SR5 TRD Off-Road 4. 7L V8.

This is a good kit but expect “bolt and go”. My review summary is : If you don’t want the extra cost and are installing 35” tires or shorter stick with the 4” kit. You will pay for that extra 2”. I installed the 6” kit.

I installed then removed the transmission 1-1/2”drop kit, 1st it caused the distributor cap to hit the fire wall. 2nd the kit was not complete for my application the cross member has upper frame brackets as well that connect to the lower cross member but parts came to only drop the lower cross member.

3rd it didn’t look like a good fix, Modify change your drive shafts. The Front drive line I upgrade to 1350 CV and u-joint with new D44 yoke lengthened. The stock drive line would not allow the angle needed.

Also I did not install the front 4 deg shim, it throws your caster off and creates bump steer. Under the rear springs I did use the 4 deg shim, but with no Trans drop kit installed the stock drive line was a couple inches short and the driveline spline was exposed over an inch.

I upgraded to 1310 rear conversion joints and built a new drive line the correct length. The rear leaf spring eyes are bushed for ½” bolts. My RC’s came with 5/8” eye bolts, you will have to remove the busing to get your 5/8” bolts to pass through the rubber bushing.

Not a good idea to use ½” bolts in hangers made for 5/8”. The brake line drop down kit. Just toss it and get front and rear braded steel brake lines the correct length to better solve the problem. I used the skyjacker set soled here.

I used only the cast iron steering arm spacer, no drop pitman arm or adjustable drag link. You will need to grind it for proper shape and clearance around the upper ball joint. And your steering wheel will be off ¼ turn but my steering was great and didn’t need any further upgrades.

The ride when I was done was great but my conclusion is if your running 35” tires or smaller stick with the 4” kit or spend the extra on drive like work. And don’t use front shims or the drop kit for the transmission they are just tradeoffs for other problems.

Shipping was very fast and very reasonable from suspension connection. Absolutely the best deal I could find. After I had a front end collision, I had to replace my old lift kit and I chose this tuff country lift.

Seems to be a solid product for a good price. The instructions are good, but if your going to install this kit yourself, your going to want to have a good assortment of tools to make the job easy. The 8-10 hour installation is a bit underestimated once you add rust into the equation, and my truck is pretty dang clean underneath.

Lubricant is your friend. There were some minor paint blemishes that I had to touch up with undercoat. I’m assuming they had the parts hanging in a booth. I’ve been driving on salted roads and the finish seems to be holding up nicely though.

I bought the tuff country shocks with the kit and the ride quality is good. If your looking for a 4″ lift, my opinion is this is the best bang for you buck. 2003 GMC Sierra 1500HD SLT.

I have bought many RC products in the past with no issues but this time I was missing a 2 body bolts. Called costumer service and was told a hardware kit would be sent right away. Got the box 2 days later and it was an entire new kit.

No arguing on the phone and they have got a RC fan for life. BTW RC Has came along and they are not cheap or poorly made kits.

The Rough Country 1. 25 in body lift is a good buy. The install didn’t take long and it was simple. My jeep looks great I plan on paring the body lift with a suspension lift soon. The only thing that is annoying is that you need to bang out the original body mount bolts to replace them with new hardware.

If you use a vise or two blocks of wood with a hammer placeing the mount in between it won’t be to bad. The other downside is that you need the shifter extender which helps with clearance with the shifter to the tub.

But you still have to modify the shifter boot so the shifter will stay in gear. This product is great for those with automatic transmission but standard transmission folks are going to run into minor issues with shifter clearance.

Overall it gives you that extra clearance to run bigger tires and I’d recommend paring it with a suspension lift.

First lift on my 2020 Rubicon. Took me longer since its the first one i installed ever. Over all it was good instruction and the video helped a lot. Back spring squat more than i want with my trailer on them.

My front sway bar links are angled. I dont like that. It does ride much better on the interstate. Their is a little more body roll when turning. Over all for what i paid I don’t feel ripped off. It would be different if i had paid a couple of grand.

After deciding how much I wanted to invest in this first, I ended up choosing the RE 2. 5, i plan on it being my base to build from. I ordered the kit, it came within 3 days. The paperwork now the box was a little a little confusing, as it didn’t match the year of my 2014 JKU.

I called just to confirm, customer service was extremely helpful, and assured me that it was the right kit, just that RE hasn’t updated the paperwork that comes in it. Install: I by no means am a mechanic, however I watched the videos the on the app and can say it’s an outstanding resource if you’re planning on doing this yourself.

I was able to complete this in about 9 hrs by myself. One thing that helped me was I had 2 x seven ton jack stands. It allowed me to use my two smaller ones and the 1 floor jack I have. (I recommend having at least 2 floor jacks, but can be done with one).

Also I did this entirely with basic hand tools as I don’t own impacts. I also recommend having 2 x 18 and 19 mm wrench’s. I drive a lot, so I went with 33” tires, there is a little extra space in the wells bit overall I love it.

After completing I took to have the alignment checked, the rear was fine, the front was really close, had to have the tow adjusted a little. It rides pretty smooth, Not as good as before, but I blame that on the all terrain tires and not the lift.

Extreme Terrain sent me the wrong springs with this kit (I got the 3. 5″ Sport ones). They did supply store credit after speaking with customer service so I was happy with the outcome. YouTube is your friend, and I strongly recommend watching the videos before even looking at the instructions.

Have the videos handy throughout your installation. The instructions specify a 7/8″ hole for the drag link flip kit. THAT IS TOO LARGE DO NOT DRILL!! I had to go buy a new knuckle ($75 on APW; 3 day delay).

The tapered sleeve was also out of spec (too small, 0. 845 instead of 0. 875) so I bought the Teraflex one for the new knuckle ($11 on 4WP). I blame R. E. for this not Extreme Terrain. The hole you drill for the bump stops is not 5/16″ that is too small the self tapping bolts won’t grab (ironic, right?) You use your rear linkages in the front, and the supplied ones for the rear.

With all that said, the ride is better than stock and looks great. Handles well with all the kinks worked out. I’m running 35’s with stock fenders. Will definitely need a new/better steering stabilizer.

Did this in my buddy/mechanic’s garage with a full suite of tools and hi-lift jack/stands. Took 15 hours of 70 focus.

Installing the lift spacers and rear bumpstop extensions was easy and straightforward. Knocked off a star because instead of 2 sets of extensions they supply replacement poly bumpstops which are a complete nightmare to press into the cups.

Might be easier to come in at an angle before the springs are installed, or maybe not, and then it’d be more difficult to get the springs back on. Just use extensions all around, or make the bases of the longer stops out of factory material.

This lift bolted right on with out an issue it was easy to install and my Jeep rides better than the factory suspension. I was able to install bigger tires without any issues I will definitely be ordering more upgrades for my Jeep from Rough Country.

Thank you for such an awesome product Bob Rattiger.

I needed a small lift to my LJ to prevent dragging the fuel tank skid plate when crossing dry washes. This worked fine. It pulled the axles slightly to the left and right, so I installed RC adjustable track bars to correct this.

Ride was like new.