Rusty's 4.5-inch Suspension Lift for a Jeep Cherokee: A Review

A few years ago I got a pretty good tax return and wanted to lift my 1988 Jeep Cherokee. There were tons of choices as far as brands went. Rubicon Express seemed to be top of the line but quite expensive, Rusty's was middle of the pack, Rough Country below that and several others such as Superlift and Old Man Emu scattered in between. I went with the Rusty's full-spring 4.5-inch lift and have never regretted it. Visit: http://rustysoffroad.com/

Great customer service. When I called Rusty's Off-Road to order the suspension lift, I was treated like a valued customer. In no time the associate had helped me choose all the components I needed. For under $800.00 I got the flexy front coils, full leaf-pack rear springs, new lower control arms, brand new shocks, an extended and beefier track bar, a 1" transfer case drop and all the hardware necessary to install the lift. It even came with degree shims which rotate the rear axle slightly to alleviate u-joint bind due to the new drive shaft angle. The kit was delivered on time, too.

Great performance and flex. The Rusty's coil springs provide a heck of a lot of flex up front and a decent amount out back. The coils are soft and responsive. Like a lot of other brands, I found the leaf springs in back to be a tad stiff, but when I'm loaded down for the trail they really perform well. Also, although advertised as a 4.5" lift, I saw more like 10" out back and over 7" in the front because my stock springs were tired and sagging. Those are real world numbers that matter to those of us who love to play in the dirt.

33-inch tires. With some slight fender trimming I was able to slap on some 33" tires and my Jeep Cherokee went from station wagon to trail beast. After a couple of club runs I did trim a little more because the awesome flex in front was causing the tires to rub. I was not running bump stops. The rears tucked pretty well but I rolled them under too for added clearance.

Trail-tested opinion: I have never had a single complaint about my Rusty's 4.5-inch lift. My Cherokee keeps up with any of the rigs in my club (http://www.naxja.org/) and it just keeps on flexing. I have run just about every conceivable trail in my area and it has never let me down. If you search the Internet about Rusty's Cherokee lifts, you may see a lot of complaining about the track bar the kits come with. Well, it took a few years but mine eventually cracked, as well, and I have since upgraded to a Rubicon Express one. I run my rig hard, and demand a great deal of it. The Rusty's suspension has been there through rocks, mud, snow, dirt and everything in between. I would purchase it again today in a heartbeat.