Like a lot of 4x4 buildups this TJ started off mildly. When purchased in 1998 the intention for the Jeep was to have a decent daily driver that would be capable of mild to medium level four wheeling. But like many buildups that begin with modest goals, the goal posts kept moving. Over the course of a couple of years the desire to handle more challenging terrain lead to continual modifications that pushed the limits of performance that Jeep originally intended for the vehicle.

Initially this TJ started with a budget 2" coil spring spacer lift and 1" body lift to accommodate 32" tires. Soon after that, the desire to run 35" BFG Mud T/A's required the installation of the then new Rubicon Express 4.5" lift kit. The 1" body lift was retained for maximum wheel well room. After a couple of years of daily driving and weekend wheeling the Rubicon kit had proven itself to be a very good lift system. Off road it had excellent flexibility while providing a decent ride on the street. However, like most things technology had continued to progress and in the space of the two years since the RE kit was installed, new lift systems have been released which improved on the original TJ lift kits. The most noticeable feature in the new systems is the introduction of much longer control arms. The idea behind the long arm kits is to reduce the operating angle of the control arms. On a stock TJ the control arms are close to horizontal. This is the way the Jeep engineers designed the vehicle for optimum ride and handling. When a 4.5" lift coil is introduced the chassis of the Jeep is raised away from the axle thereby increasing the angle at which the control arms have to operate. Jeep engineers didn’t design the stock suspension mounting points to be optimized for a 4.5" lift kit.

We want to make it clear that in no way are we saying that the standard type kits are bad. The Rubicon Express kit has served this TJ very well. However, when you want the best suspension performance and lots of lift, simple physics dictates that the longer arms will have the advantage. Of course, this advantage comes with a larger price tag.

One of these super long arm kits is the very comprehensive Skyjacker Rock Ready 8" lift system. Raising any vehicle 8" by suspension lift alone is a technical design challenge. This point was amply made when we opened up the Skyjacker boxes and saw how many parts came with the kit.

Complete Skyjacker Rock Ready 8" lift system.	Skyjacker front axle differential cradle for mounting of upper front control arms	Skyjacker 8" lift coils in comparison to the RE 4" springs
Lower control arm frame mounts are removed	Frame mount removed	Skyjacker's integrated 2 piece sub-frame assembly lowers the transfer case and serves as mounts for control arms
High quality 3 piece teflon lined spherical rod ends are used	Complete rear suspension with Skyjacker shocks	SYE and CV driveshaft are required but not included with kit. The driveshaft was lengthened 2.5" to work with this system
Rear suspension showing new control arm, trac bar and mounting system	Integrated 2 piece sub-frame assembly showing lower control arms mounted	We are running 35" BFG's but tires up to 37" can be used with ease

With the install completed it was time for a test drive. Even though conventional wisdom would lead you to believe that an 8" lift kit can't improve street handling, the Skyjacker system blows that thought out of the water. The long arms setup provides a dramatic improvement in streetability. The Skyjacker kit has completely eliminated issues with the regular arm kits: front tire lift is eliminated; handling is more stable and predictable on the highway and at low speed.

The secret to this improvement is the subframe assembly that replaces the factory control arm points on the frame. This allows Skyjacker to use much longer control arms. These longer arms operate at an angle closer to horizontal which results in suspension vectors which have a much higher vertical component than horizontal. In other words, the wheels spend more time moving up and down than back and forth.

The explanation may seem like dry science but the result is pure magic. When you drive it, It's hard to believe that the TJ is sitting on a whole 8" of lift. The handling is so good that it feels like a much more modest 2" lift. So, if you want 8" of lift without the freaky side-effects normally associated with that kind of modification, the Skyjacker kit is your best choice.