Reviews for Zone Offroad Products J27 2" Lift Kit for 87-95 Jeep Wrangler YJ

I just finished the installation today and went for a test drive, it's like a whole different Jeep! I won't get my 31" tires installed for a few more days but I'm really happy with the way it drives and handles. I bought a new skid plate and transfer case drop kit but haven't installed it yet, no vibration at 55 mph. It's really quiet and doesn't seem to ride any rougher than before. My old springs were flat and the right rear spring was actually broken, it fell out when I was loosening the bolts on the left spring. As far as the installation goes, here's what I encountered:
Removal of the old suspension was pretty straight forward but putting the new springs in on the front I was unable to get the U bolt plate to line up with the sway bar link and line up the pin hole in the plate so I pushed the link out of the way and everything fit easy. I went back together with disconnect links. To disconnect the upper sway bar link I had to heat the sway bar end cherry red with a mapp gas torch and beat it with a tie rod fork. For the rear springs the inside radius of the new U bolts was not wide enough to fit over the differential housing so the bolts spread out and wouldn't line up with the holes on the plate. I had to smack the U bolt down with a hammer , use a C clamp to close the bolt and lift it in place with a bottle jack until I could get the nuts started. I had to do this on all 4 U bolts. The bolts on all 4 leaf spring hangers had to be cut out with a Sawzall or a cut off blade on a 4 1/2" grinder on the inside of the hanger as nothing would budge them,, not an impact wrench or a 4 lb. hammer and all fasteners were soaked with PB blaster for over a week before starting. Having these bolts included in the kit or at least sold by QUADRATEC would sure have been nice. The dealer had to order them and I had to wait for a week and my local hardware stores never have a good selection of Grade 8 bolts.
What turned out to be the worst part of the installation was dealing with the brake lines. If your lines are rusty, especially if you live where they salt the roads in the winter just save yourself the frustration and replace all of them. You have to pull the lines and bend them to make them fit in the relocation brackets, I had one in the front break and decided to buy a steel braided extension for the rear and it broke while trying to disconnect it at the frame bracket. Far better to have them break in the driveway than on the road! I know that's life dealing with a 26 year old Jeep. Overall I'm very pleased with the Zone kit, it's a good value for the money. Hopefully this review will help others to be better prepared than I was.

I finally got the kit installed. What a difference it made in the looks and the ride. I gained about 3 1/4" because my old springs were worn out. The kit fit great. I did have to drop my transfer case 3/4" to get the drive line angle back were it needed to be, this was on top of using the provided shims for the rear end. I defiantly would recommend the kit.

A lot better ride than stock, all parts fit great, easy install

I've had this kit on here 3 months now, and as a daily driver it rides great. Simple install. I suggest reading the instructions completely first, and then follow them to the letter. Using hand tools in my driveway with a trolley jack, and 2 jack stand I had this one in about 8 hours. Rides good and looks good. I would do away with track bars though, it will make it easier to install.