Rough Country Products and Customer Service

[Converted96XJ]

I figured since I did a review of Rubicon Express I would put one up for the Rough Country Products I purchased for my lift.

Hydro 8000 shocks for up to 4.5" lift
Fixed Sway Bar links 4.5-6" of lift
Brake line relocating brackets
Fixed Lower Control Arms for 3-4.5" lift

So long story short these are the items I purchased from Rough Country. The shocks are nice and beefy compared to the stock shocks that are on the cherokee. They come ready to install, there is no pins or bushing sleeves to press in. I went with the Hydro as I read the rode a little softer. I have not ridden on the Nitro series shocks so i have nothing to compare them too. Overall I am happy with the shocks for the price.

The brake line relocating brackets were nice for moving the lines to prevent over extending them. the kit was about $13, some will say well just get some steel and bend it and drill holes. You can do that, but for the price I would have probably been the same, and I didnt have to do any work and they came with the hardware.

The lower control arms are beefy and sit really nice at 4-4.5. I have a 3.5 rubicon kit, but it sits higher so these worked out really nice. They are 16 3/4 eye to eye.

The sway bar links, these are another story. While they are a nice fixed link and look very durable they just dont match up well with 4.5" of lift, which my jeep had when installed. they are about an inch or so too long, my sway bar sits at a steeper angle than it should. They are 10" eye to eye, for a 4"ish lift it should be around 8 3/4 to 9" from calling several other places and getting the lengths or their links. These links would be great for 5.5 or 6.5 of lift. Dont bother getting these for any less. I am going to be going with quick discos in the future.

Their customer service is awesome though. Its really great I have no complaints here. I was missing the sway bar link mounting brackets, well I forgot to order them, they through them in the mail, along with another hardware kit to just make sure I had everything.

Overall RC is a good company and I would buy their products again.

FYI, the only thing in my list you will find on the site is shocks. If you are interested in individual lift kit components you have to call.

Hope this helps some of you out if you were wondering about different components of their kits.

[RTPG]

I figured since I did a review of Rubicon Express I would put one up for the Rough Country Products I purchased for my lift.

Hydro 8000 shocks for up to 4.5" lift
Fixed Sway Bar links 4.5-6" of lift
Brake line relocating brackets
Fixed Lower Control Arms for 3-4.5" lift

So long story short these are the items I purchased from Rough Country. The shocks are nice and beefy compared to the stock shocks that are on the cherokee. They come ready to install, there is no pins or bushing sleeves to press in. I went with the Hydro as I read the rode a little softer. I have not ridden on the Nitro series shocks so i have nothing to compare them too. Overall I am happy with the shocks for the price.

The brake line relocating brackets were nice for moving the lines to prevent over extending them. the kit was about $13, some will say well just get some steel and bend it and drill holes. You can do that, but for the price I would have probably been the same, and I didnt have to do any work and they came with the hardware.

The lower control arms are beefy and sit really nice at 4-4.5. I have a 3.5 rubicon kit, but it sits higher so these worked out really nice. They are 16 3/4 eye to eye.

The sway bar links, these are another story. While they are a nice fixed link and look very durable they just dont match up well with 4.5" of lift, which my jeep had when installed. they are about an inch or so too long, my sway bar sits at a steeper angle than it should. They are 10" eye to eye, for a 4"ish lift it should be around 8 3/4 to 9" from calling several other places and getting the lengths or their links. These links would be great for 5.5 or 6.5 of lift. Dont bother getting these for any less. I am going to be going with quick discos in the future.

Their customer service is awesome though. Its really great I have no complaints here. I was missing the sway bar link mounting brackets, well I forgot to order them, they through them in the mail, along with another hardware kit to just make sure I had everything.

Overall RC is a good company and I would buy their products again.

FYI, the only thing in my list you will find on the site is shocks. If you are interested in individual lift kit components you have to call.

Hope this helps some of you out if you were wondering about different components of their kits.

Great feedback. As a Rough Country dealer (for many years) I too believe that they are one of the best as it relates to customer service.

I am curious as to why you went with fixed mount swar bar links instead of the discos?

BTW: We stock most of the Rough Country parts you talk about as well as many others. I have shelves and drawers full of Rough Country odds & ends. Most of them Jeep XJ and Chevy straight axle.

[bluedragon436]

Awesome review.. I myself also love the RC customer service.. I had a few things missing from the odds and ends that I ordered for my lift kit.. and all I did was called them to find out how much it would run to order the needed items... and they were in the mail to me.. and got to me the next day or one day later, no extra charge.. The majority of my lift is RC.. and if I have to build another XJ or any Jeep really.. I will def. go with RC's lift kits. I have heard all kinds of stories over the years about their customer service.. and that is why I went with them for the components that I was needing to complete my lift.. after working with them and their customer service.. I can def. say that they are well worth the money spent on the components..

[dagr8tim]

I'm a fan of RC stuff & have quite afew things under my Jeep of their's. Ofcourse it doesn't hurt that I have afew members of my jeep club that are dealers and cut me a break on the stuff.

[sinat]

so if im looking for a good lift I should go with RC?

[Mudderoy]

so if im looking for a good lift I should go with RC?

I hear Rubicon Express is a good lift, I've never had anything but Rough Country. Just ordered a 4" lift for the wife's TJ, yep Rough Country.

[dagr8tim]

RC is a great cheap entry level lift. I ordered one because a member of my jeep club is a dealer and got it for me at his cost.

[nickxj94]

I like RC both my xjs have there 3 inch lift. I have added there shocks and stabilizer and lower control arms to mine it works great no compliants,and I just ordered a RC adjustable trackbar for my wife's xj

[bigjim350]

Rough Country is good. But they have been pissing me off lately. They wont warranty the flex joints on my arms, which have less than maybe 5k miles on them, and the TRE on the adjustable trackbar has had to been replaced 7 times.

[Mudderoy]

Rough Country is good. But they have been pissing me off lately. They wont warranty the flex joints on my arms, which have less than maybe 5k miles on them, and the TRE on the adjustable trackbar has had to been replaced 7 times.

You call, they put you on hold and say "It's WILD MAN again!"

Might be time to talk to Andy at Ironman4x4fab.com for a longer lasting solution.

[bluedragon436]

I had some issues with bushings on my shocks from RC, contacted them and they send me new ones a few months back... Been running them with no real issues since I swapped them out... But I got a call the other day from RC asking if I had any other issues and how the new bushings were holding up?!... Was pretty surprised to get a call from them checking up... especially as I have seen quite a few folks complaining about their waning customer support!!

[sinat]

Ok, because i was lookin at their 3" lift and for $829.99 didn't think it was a bad deal, because it came with everything I needed, and i would be getting their more expensive shocks, and all those goodies, but thank ya for the advice

[EekGirl96]

I have a rough country lift and love it, even though it doesnt sit as high as I thought and would like(i got the 6.5" sa lift) and its kind of rough. Other than that thet have good customer service, they sent me the wrong part and was missing a piece but they sent everything to me free of charge. I like RC but if I get another lift itll be someone else, someone who'd sit higher like Skyjacker, etc.

[Mudderoy]

I have a rough country lift and love it, even though it doesnt sit as high as I thought and would like(i got the 6.5" sa lift) and its kind of rough. Other than that thet have good customer service, they sent me the wrong part and was missing a piece but they sent everything to me free of charge. I like RC but if I get another lift itll be someone else, someone who'd sit higher like Skyjacker, etc.

You expected it to sit higher than 6.5 inches? I think Rubicon Express does that. They sell a 3 inch lift and it's really 4 or 5 inches.

[bigjim350]

I have a rough country lift and love it, even though it doesnt sit as high as I thought and would like(i got the 6.5" sa lift) and its kind of rough. Other than that thet have good customer service, they sent me the wrong part and was missing a piece but they sent everything to me free of charge. I like RC but if I get another lift itll be someone else, someone who'd sit higher like Skyjacker, etc.

Skyjacker lift is one hell of a rough ride. Makes the rough country lift feel like a cadillac

Sent from my nerdy smartphone

[EekGirl96]

Well the arch of the springs looked huge until I put them on and they flattened out, lol

Yeah I know, but its the height I would like so the roughness wouldnt bother me at first

[Mudderoy]

Well the arch of the springs looked huge until I put them on and they flattened out, lol

Yeah I know, but its the height I would like so the roughness wouldnt bother me at first

Unless they have changed it, RC only has 4.5" leaf springs. The additional 2 inches is gained by the shackles they sell.

I've been slow to increase my lift to 6.5" because of center of gravity concerns, but I think I've added enough weight down load to counter act it. Also I wanted to get the SYE installed.

All I need to do is order the 6.5" coils from RC now. I already have the 4.5" leaves and 1"/2" shackles.

[4.3LXJ]

I have a rough country lift and love it, even though it doesnt sit as high as I thought and would like(i got the 6.5" sa lift) and its kind of rough. Other than that thet have good customer service, they sent me the wrong part and was missing a piece but they sent everything to me free of charge. I like RC but if I get another lift itll be someone else, someone who'd sit higher like Skyjacker, etc.

I have some 5" Skyjacker coils that sit you at 7" if you want them. I currently use RE coils that put it at 7.5 - 8" But my front end is a little lighter than yours.

[xj4life2]

For what its worth the RC lifts in my opinion are the best value for the money. I personally had a RE but when sitting side by side with a RC there was no visible differance in quality and as for actual performance I've wheeled with guys that had all the lifts known to man kind and I will tell you this... they all break. The advantage to RC is the replacement parts are cheaper. For the record most of you know I'm a 4 wheel drive shop and have access to all brands of lifts and my Bronco will be getting a RC lift in the near future. OK rant off and thanks

[bluedragon436]

I will have to say that I rode in an XJ with the skyjacker lift as well as RE... And they both rode just as "rough" as my RC lift does... I actually have no quams with the way my suspension rides... Can't wait to get to really flex it out on the trails... but for DD and some offroad rides it isn't too bad... and it is way better than the stock 120+K mile suspension... which I found out while installing the lift had huge holes in the side of all four shocks... so I def. have a much better ride than I did before the lift!!

[RTPG]

I hear Rubicon Express is a good lift, I've never had anything but Rough Country. Just ordered a 4" lift for the wife's TJ, yep Rough Country.

Who did you get that lift from and how did it turn out? :rolleye0012:

:D :D :D

[RTPG]

Rough Country is good. But they have been pissing me off lately. They wont warranty the flex joints on my arms, which have less than maybe 5k miles on them, and the TRE on the adjustable trackbar has had to been replaced 7 times.
Did you buy direct from Rough Country or from a "dealer"? :confused:

[RTPG]

You expected it to sit higher than 6.5 inches? I think Rubicon Express does that. They sell a 3 inch lift and it's really 4 or 5 inches.
:confused: :confused: :confused:

That is one of my biggest complaints about Rough Country... their lifts are taller than advertised. :eek:

IMO: The XJ has lots of room in the back and top/roof holds lots of stuff. Perhaps XJ owners are over loading their Jeeps?

[ColbyAttack]

Just ordered their 4.5" X-Series kit, should be in on Tuesday.

[Mudderoy]

Who did you get that lift from and how did it turn out? :rolleye0012:

:D :D :D

I did a post about it on our sister site, WranglerTalk.com
You can view it here!

:link: (http://www.wranglertalk.com/showthread.php?t=664)

[drakan1908]

I have a 4 inch Rough Country lift on my Grand. The only complaint I have is that the Xflex ends are noisy but that was to be expected. When they wear I will replace the ends with ones that take a stock type bushing. Other than that I have had no problems with my lift and for the money it was well worth it. I bought mine 2 yrs ago before they went up in price. I ordered mine directly from Rough Country and had it in 2 days. I did use a JKS rear adjustable track bar and I already had a Rustys offroad adjustable front track bar and double shear frame bracket instead of drilling holes and using the supplied bracket.

[Mudderoy]

I have a 4 inch Rough Country lift on my Grand. The only complaint I have is that the Xflex ends are noisy but that was to be expected. When they wear I will replace the ends with ones that take a stock type bushing. Other than that I have had no problems with my lift and for the money it was well worth it. I bought mine 2 yrs ago before they went up in price. I ordered mine directly from Rough Country and had it in 2 days. I did use a JKS rear adjustable track bar and I already had a Rustys offroad adjustable front track bar and double shear frame bracket instead of drilling holes and using the supplied bracket.

What's the noise? Clucking? Squeaking? Never had any...

[drakan1908]

What's the noise? Clucking? Squeaking? Never had any...

They make a clunking sound plus they transmit a lot of road noise. It's not to bad, thats why it's not high on the priorty list. Have a CV joint gone dry and thats making noise that I probably should fix first. LOL

[msmoorenburg]

So I am disappointed with Rough Country. You know I ordered the fully optioned 6.5in long arm kit with SYE "2k to the door". I finally took my finished jeep out for a drive you know hit the magic 60mph mark ,and the vibs come on like no other (the droning inside the jeep). So after a chat with RC (jimmy) he say's I will be the ONLY Jeeper that will need axle shim's . At a glance the sye/pinion angle is off ( i will get a pic for you guys). Thanks to 4.3xj's wright up http://www.xjtalk.com/showthread.php?t=7299&highlight=driveline I told Jimmy (RC rep) it looks more like the 2nd pic.
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/warriorsuspension/2joint_angle.gif
My complaint is that I ordered a complete kit and no shim option / nothing in reference in the directions in needing shims (you have to buy them) but they do give you the dana35 and the 8.25 axle u-bolts. So the moral of the rant is you think your buying a complete kit when your not.

[Mudderoy]

So I am disappointed with Rough Country. You know I ordered the fully optioned 6.5in long arm kit with SYE "2k to the door". I finally took my finished jeep out for a drive you know hit the magic 60mph mark ,and the vibs come on like no other (the droning inside the jeep). So after a chat with RC (jimmy) he say's I will be the ONLY Jeeper that will need axle shim's . At a glance the sye/pinion angle is off ( i will get a pic for you guys). Thanks to 4.3xj's wright up http://www.xjtalk.com/showthread.php?t=7299&highlight=driveline I told Jimmy (RC rep) it looks more like the 2nd pic.
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/warriorsuspension/2joint_angle.gif
My complaint is that I ordered a complete kit and no shim option / nothing in reference in the directions in needing shims (you have to buy them) but they do give you the dana35 and the 8.25 axle u-bolts. So the moral of the rant is you think your buying a complete kit when your not.

I think most people just put up with the vibs. I know I have. This just reminds me that I need to go ahead and drop my leaf spring to the final notch on the shackles, then measure the shims I need for mine.

[bigjim350]

My kit came with 2 different sets of shims.

Sent from my nerdy smartphone

[98FloridaXJ]

I have a RC 3" lift with shocks and AAL, 2.5-4.5 track bar and winch bumper on my XJ. I love their budget friendly prices and haven't had any issues with any of their products. My only complaint and is not a bad one is their lift allows me great articlation of Jeep but I need more adjusting on my end to keep my tires from stuffing in the wheel wells. I like their products enough that I'm saving my pennies to purchase their 4.5" system.

[98FloridaXJ]

Well here's an update on my RC equipment, my adjustable track bar jam nut came loose allowing enough play to not extend the distance from the joint to the tie rod but give some "wiggle" room between the tie rod end and threads on the track bar. I retorqued the jam nut but it seems that the track bar has enough play in it some how that I'm getting death wobble now. I'll be contacting the local shop I bought it from first before contacting RC and see what happens. :bang: