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Suspension » Poly Performance 4.5” Synergy Stage III Lift Kit

I spent quite a lot of time researching the available JK lifts and evaluating the different brands, types, reviews and features. I knew I needed a minimum of 4 ½ inches of total lift because I wanted to run 37” tires. Eventually my choices came down to TeraFlex and Poly Performance. I eventually decided on the Poly Performance Synergy Stage III lift kit for a number of reasons mostly to do with the build quality and design/engineering features like adjustable control arms that can be adjusted without taking them off. I went with their stage III kit vs. the stage I or II because it included components like the upper control arms and high steer drag link which I would have ended up with down the road anyway.

In addition to the lift I decided to spurge out and get some really nice Fox Reservoir shocks with compression dampening.

This was my first real modification to the JK and will probably be the most complex. I’m not shy of wrenches (not to be confused with wenches ;)) but lifting a Jeep had me worried. It turns out not to be as complicated as I thought, and as always, hindsight doesn’t happen until afterwards. The best advice I can give to someone contemplating a lift is to do what I did and get help from a friend. I was lucky because my friend Alan had a JK on order at the time we lifted my Jeep, so helping each other was the obvious choice.

Because my lift kit came in a couple of shipments I didn’t follow the recommended installation order and spread the work over a couple of days. During the first day we accomplished everything needed for a basic lift (springs, bump stops, shocks) and also the rear track bar relocation bracket. On the second day I installed the upper and lower control arms, front track bar relocation bracket, front sway bar relocation bracket, front and rear sway bar links, high steer drag link and extended brake lines. I then spent the following day “dialing it in”, bleeding the brakes and double checking torque settings etc.

Suspension » Fox 2.0 Steering Stabilizer

With the 37” inch tires and lift the steering was a little shaky. This was not surprising given the wimpy little stock steering stabilizer shock so I added a nice beefy Fox Racing shock.

The installation was relatively straightforward. I drilled a hole on the driver’s side of the Poly Performance track bar relocation bracket and used the stock mount on the tie rod.

The shock had about 200 PSI in it from the factory with is way too much and it pulled to the drive side on the road. After some trial and error I found that 80 PSI was the correct setting, it still pulls very slightly but anything less was ineffective.

Suspension » Fox Adjustable CD Reservoir Shocks

I decided to go with high end shocks and Fox Racing CD reservoir shocks seem like the obvious choice. At first I had the shocks set way too hard at 7 but I’ve since found 2 to be the ideal setting for the road and 5 to be perfect for the trails. Hopefully these shocks last for a few years because there weren’t cheap.

Suspension » Poly Performance HD Chromoly Tie Rod

After bending the stock tie-rod I decided to install a Poly Performance HD Chromoly tie rod. As always Poly Performance parts can be adjusted without removing them from the vehicle.

First we use a floor jack to lift the rear end of the JK as high as we could and placed a couple of 6 ton floor jacks under the frame. We removed the wheels and put them under the JK as a safety measure. We left the floor jack under the rear differential to hold the axel it in place while we work working on installing the lift.

We then removed the shocks, sway bar links, and loosened the ABS wires (each side), locker wire, brake lines, emergency brake cables and the diff breather hose so they had more travel when we dropped the axle to install the new springs.

Note the stock mounts for the lower part of the shocks. These need to be cut off and are replaced by the kit’s shock relocation brackets.

We cut off both of the stock shock mounts using a 4.5” grinder and a cut off wheel. We then ground it smooth before finally rattle canning it with primer and then flat black paint.

It’s easier to do this before dropping the axel to remove the springs.

We removed, then unbolted the track bar from the axel and cut part of the factory bracket off to accommodate the Poly track bar relocation bracket. Even though it’s hidden by the new bracket we decided to grind down the sharp edges and prime it to stop it from rusting.

Next we carefully dropped the axle very slowly checking to make sure none of the cables over stretched or got caught. As we lowered the axel the old springs almost fall out (not a problem).

The new springs are longer that stock, hence the JK is lifted now ;)

We then stopped taking pictures for a while because we got busy installing everything. We installed the bump stops, new springs (it helps to have two people to work on the springs), track bar and relocation bracket and then the shocks and their relocation brackets. We did not install the sway bar links, brake line extensions, and control arms because I didn’t have them at the time.

After putting the 37”x12.5” Goodyear MT/Rs on AEV Beadlock wheels we took it off the jack stands.

It was at this point we realized a) this is a huge lift, and b) we had some serious concerns regarding the height of my garage door. It turns out the lift grows on you and the JK clears the garage door by about an inch.

All in all the rear went fairly smoothly and there was very little blood spilled.

Lifting the front end started out the same way. Jack the Jeep up and removed the shocks, springs and sway bar links. We then drilled a hole in the center of the stock bump stops (for the new bump stops).

We then tried to install the front springs and there was no way! We had the axle down as far as we could but something was holding it up. After a quick call to the “infamous” Phil Day at TrailDuty we disconnected the front driveshaft from the differential and disconnected the track bar from the axle. It was still a struggle to get the new springs with the help of a pry bar and the trusty BFH we got it done.

We got so busy again that I forgot to take any more pictures (also we started hitting the beer fridge at about the same time). We basically reassembly everything, put the wheels on, prayed that it would clear the garage door. Like with the rear, we didn’t install the brake lines, controls arms, sway bar link and the high steer drag link kit because we didn’t have them.

We took it out for a quick spin around the block (in the 4 inches of snow that had fallen during the day) and nothing fell off or made a weird noise so we called it good for the night.

Installing the control arms on the rear was a royal pain in the backside and took the best part of a day, mainly because I made some stupid newbie mistakes.

Installing the control arms on the front turned out to be relatively easy and only took a couple of hours.

I also installed the front track bar relocation brackets and sway bar links.

High steer drag link installed

After the bulk of the lift kit was installed it took a few weeks of on and off time to get everything dialed in a tuned.

One of the biggest problems I had was with the AEV beadlock wheels. I coved this in more details on the wheel write up but basically the actual backspace vs. the advertized backspace was different. Enough that they really didn’t fit without 1 ¼” spacers

Once I installed the spacers I could finish the rear end and install the sway bar links.

After figuring out the spacer issue the next problem I has was getting the front pinion angle correct. Eventually I found a 5° angle worked.

Finally, after putting on wheel spacers I felt happy enough with the suspension to take the Jeep out and see how it flexed and handles off road. My initial reaction to how the Jeep feels in the dirt can be summed up in one word, amazing! Granted, its first trip was only some muddy hills and a dry river bed but I can already tell this Jeep is going to be great off-road.

It looks like the suspension flexes find and the 37s basically fit. The rear wheels rubbed on the rear of the fender well which surprised me because I thought they were going to rub on the front of the well. Once I get an aftermarket bumper this will be a non issue and the rubbing was very light. The front wheel got very close to rubbing the fenders, but again this is not a concern since tube fenders will take care of this.

No cables and lines looked to be tight however I may extend them at some point.

All in all I was very happy!

I took the Jeep out to Moab in late March 2008 and ran Seven Mile Rim, Behind the Rocks and Poison Spider/Golden Spike/Gold Bar Rim. One word sums up the Jeep, awesome!!! It walked up everything I was brave enough to drive on including some famous obstacles like Double Whammy, Wipeout Hill, Golden Crack and Hummer Hill.