Many Jeep owners retrofit their Jeeps with lift kits when they know that they’ll be going on off-road adventures. A lift kit offers important elements to help ensure a safe and efficient ride through the backcountry. Even the fierce Jeep Wrangler JK can benefit from a lift kit. The range of a Wrangler lift kit is 1.5 to 4 inches, but most employ lift kits between 2.5 and 3.5 inches. There are many benefits to installing a lift kit before you tackle the outback.
1. Greater Acceleration
The reason that lift kits offer greater acceleration is that the tires get more traction and the vehicle sits at a higher center of gravity. This applies not only while you’re in motion, but also when you’re starting from a dead-stop. When you’re stuck on the edge of the precipice, it is this increased acceleration that could be the difference between making it up over the lip or not.
2. Better Ground Clearance
Without a lift kit, whenever you go off-roading, you risk damaging the undercarriage, the exhaust system and the bumpers. The lift kit literally raises these things higher off of the ground, which means that you’ll simply ride over things on that ground that you’d be slamming into with the standard Jeep specs.
3. More Climbing
A lift kit is a key to climbing, partly because of the improved ground clearance. The key to tackling bigger obstacles doesn’t end with the lift kit installation, though. Specialized drive trains and bigger axles will allow you go over vertical while retaining maximum visibility and control.
4. Upgraded Suspension
Jeep lift kits give you better suspension and more travel, facilitating easy rides through rough terrain. Lift kits also add strength to your suspension with aftermarket replacement parts, which offer greater durability. This improved suspension will likely be accompanied by more bounce in your seats.
5. Bigger Tires
Bigger tires are one of the obvious benefits of lift kit installation. There are lots of different types of tires that are suitable for off-road terrain, but, generally, the bigger they are, the better the experience. Consider how bigger treads and a wider tire base can grip more of the ground, and how powerful that is when you are riding through mud or sand.
6. Heavier Hauls
You can tow more when you have a higher center of gravity. This also allows you a bit more sag while under load, which decreased the risk of bottoming out. Jeep drivers will tell you from experience how a lift kit and bigger tires can be a difference-maker when attempting to tow their friends out of sticky situations.
7. Cool Aesthetics
Lift kits will add a formidable look to your Jeep. The Jeep, sitting bigger and taller, looks as though it’s ready for any offroad terrain, because it is.
When you’re scrambling over boulders or slowly crawling through an overflowing stream bed, you’ll either be happy that you installed your lift kit or you might just feel the effects of having not installed it. Replacement parts for Jeeps are better when you buy them before you’re replacing a broken part. Visit an online auto parts store or walk into your local store to investigate everything related to Jeep lift kits today, and conquer your choice of terrain tomorrow.
