Who here has pulled the lift off?

[Kane]

I have had my CJ lifted anywhere from 4-6 inches over 19 years with 33 inch mudders and I have never had any different on the 5. I had a CJ7 that was bones stock with 31's and rancho shocks and I prefered to drive that daily due to the better ride. Well I have come to the conclusion that I will most likely never wheel my 5 again because for 1, it's getting old and 2, I want to keep it minty forever. I have plans for a cheep cherokee wheeler machine. I have really been considering lowering it back down to near stock height and put some 31's with 15x8 rims to get a little ride quality back. Plus I have been looking at stockish CJ's on other forums and I like them more for some reason. I will of course keep the bitchin small block so the 5 will motor very well.

So has anyone actually gone the other way and made their Jeep stockish appearing again?

 

[Sasquach]

Well..I bought mine with a rubicon exp. 4.5 lift, 33" tires and 1-1/2" wheel spacers knowing that was not for keeps. From there I have gone back to original steel wheels with 31" tires and have taken a couple leaves out of the springs to bring the wheel well ratio back to a decent look. My original thought was to make the CJ correct as possible but in reallity I was wanting a 2" or so lift with the 31's, still sits a bit too high for me but without changing alot of things I will just stick it out were I am for now.
Completely original look is a bit too low in my opinion.

 

[BajaEdition]

I have brought the CJ5 down from 4 inches to 2.5, and with the proper offset on the rims and bumpstops it works well with 33s

 

[kschitoskey]

Interesting question. My 83 has undergone numerous "upgrades" over its life as well, at one time running 33s on 10" wheels with a body lift. When I began it's restoration, I thought about this issue for literally years. As I was going back to stock (including Renegade stickers), I went with 1" Rancho springs. I now have 31s Goodyear MTRs on stock white spoke wheels.

My considerations were longevity - driveline angles (who on this forum hasn't had a rear driveshaft turn loose while going down the highway), steering geometry, and center of gravity.

 

[Kane]

I am sold on dropping it back down and running 31's which I have never had on this Jeep before but I loved them on my old CJ7 . After hours of research I am going to get the Old Man Emu springs with matching shocks and a small lift. These springs seem far superior in build quality compared to the rest and they put alot of effort into the ride quality. The more CJ5s I look at with 31's and a small or no lift the more I like it. I guess that is a sign of me turning 40.

 

[73CJ]

I took off 4" Trail Master lift and put 2.5" OMEs on. The shocks actually move now. I found out the 4" springs were 550lb/in vs 230lb/in (OME) spring rates. No wonder it rode like a tank and broke spring mounts on the frame. Can't say anything good about Trail Master after they wouldn't honor their lifetime warranty. They wouldn't cover loss of gas pressure on a gas shock.

Love the OMEs

 

[Kane]

The Old Man seems to know what up with springs. I am glad you like the ride quality because this will be my fourth set up over the years and so far no luck on getting even close to stock ride quality.

 

[MrFurious]

If going back to stock height, why not switch over to YJ springs? A couple companies make kits to facilitate this and they supposedly improve ride quality a great deal. Used YJ springs are plentiful and cheap to.

Food for thought...