Jeep Wrangler Lift Kit Guide: YJ, TJ, JK, JL and 4xe

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The Wrangler has been lifted more than any vehicle we sell, and it is still the one buyers get wrong most often. Not because lifting it is hard. Because there are five generations on the road, two body lengths, a hybrid and a diesel, and a kit built for one of them will not bolt to the next.

This guide goes generation by generation. For each one it says what the kit actually contains, what height it gives, and what it will not fit. Every part named here is one we have fitment data for, and the years come from that data, not from memory.

First, know which Wrangler you have

Jeep names its Wrangler generations by chassis code, and the kits follow the code, not the model year on the title. The YJ is the square-headlight Wrangler from 1987 to 1995. The TJ ran from 1997 to 2006 and brought back round headlights and coil springs at every corner.

The JK arrived in 2007 and was the first Wrangler with a four-door body, badged Unlimited. It overlapped with its replacement: in 2018 Jeep sold the old JK and the new JL side by side, so a 2018 Wrangler can be either one. The JL continues today, and from 2021 it is also built as the 4xe plug-in hybrid, which carries different weight and needs its own springs.

If you are not sure which you have, the fitment check on every product page answers it by year and trim. The sections below assume you know.

YJ, 1987 to 1995: leaf springs, not coils

The YJ is the last leaf-sprung Wrangler, so a lift here means new springs at all four corners rather than spacers. Skyjacker's YJ20K is built that way. It is a 2 to 2.5 inch kit with front and rear leaf springs, front and rear bushing kits, and front and rear U-bolt kits.

That is a full replacement of the spring pack, which is more work than a coil spacer but also the only way to lift a YJ without stacking blocks. One note from the fitment data: if your YJ has manual steering, Skyjacker lists a separate part, JA850, for that configuration.

TJ, 1997 to 2006: the easy one

The TJ is the Wrangler that made lifting simple. Coil springs at every corner, short wheelbase, and a frame that takes a few inches without complaint. The kits we carry for it run from a 2 inch spacer to a 6 inch system, and the step between them is mostly about how much geometry correction comes in the box.

At the entry level, Skyjacker TJ20 is a 2 inch kit built on polyurethane spacers with blocks and U-bolts. The shocks are not included; Skyjacker lists its Nitro and Hydro shocks as a replacement option if yours are tired. TJ20-B is the same 2 inch kit with Black MAX shocks added.

At 2.5 inches the kit changes character. TJ25BPBLT and TJ25BPHLT are Dual Rate Long Travel coil kits, which replace the springs rather than spacing the stock ones. The two differ only in shocks: Black MAX on the BPBLT, Hydro 7000 on the BPHLT.

The 4 and 6 inch kits are what Skyjacker calls Rock Ready. TJ40XRR1 is the 4 inch Rock Ready 1 box. TJ60RR1 is 6 inches and adds a steering box skid plate, a front adjustable track bar, and front and rear sway bar end links, which is the hardware that keeps a tall TJ tracking straight. TJ60X2, the Rock Ready 2, is the 6 inch kit with a pitman arm and bump stops and spacers on top of that.

Every TJ kit above fits the 1997 to 2006 Wrangler across the Rubicon, Sahara, Sport, SE and X trims, and the TJ Unlimited.

JK, 2007 to 2017 plus the 2018 JK: two-door and four-door do not share springs

The JK was the first Wrangler offered as a four-door, and the extra length and weight changed the spring rate. The kits are built for one body or the other, so check whether yours is an Unlimited before you order.

For a mild lift there is Skyjacker JK23, a leveling kit: 2 inch front coil spring spacers with bump stop spacers, and 3/4 inch rear spacers. It fits both the two-door and the Unlimited, across the Sport, Sahara, Rubicon and X trims from 2007 to 2017 and the 2018 JK.

The 2 to 2.5 inch coil kits split by body. JK20BPBLT is the two-door kit: Dual Rate Long Travel coil springs front and rear, extended sway bar end links, Grade 8 mounting hardware, and Black MAX shocks. JK25BPMLT is the Unlimited version of the same system, with M95 Monotube shocks instead.

ICON Vehicle Dynamics 22040 is a 3 inch front and rear box kit for the 2007 to 2017 Wrangler and the 2018 JK. ICON carries a lifetime warranty on it, and an installation document is linked on the product page.

JL, 2018 to 2025: the one with the most choices

The JL is the current Wrangler, and it is where most of the kits in this guide land. Three things decide which one is yours: two-door or four-door, Rubicon or not, and whether it is a gas model at all. Skyjacker's JL kits will not fit the diesel or the Rubicon 392, and the 4xe hybrid has its own section below.

Under 2 inches

The lightest option is a spring swap with no other hardware. Skyjacker JLU15FDR is the front Dual Rate Long Travel coil spring for a four-door non-Rubicon, and JLU15RDR is the matching rear. Each gives 1 to 1.5 inches. They fit the 2018 to 2025 Unlimited in the Sport, Sahara, Willys, Freedom, Islander, Moab and High Altitude trims.

2 to 2.5 inches

This is the height most JL owners end up at, and there are two ways to get there.

The spacer route is Skyjacker JL25MSB: 2.5 inch front coil spacers and 2 inch rear spacers in metal, with bump stop extensions, shock extension brackets, extended sway bar end links and Grade 8 hardware. Skyjacker builds it to fit all 2018 to 2025 JL models, which makes it the one kit in this guide that does not care about body length or trim.

The coil route is Skyjacker's Dual Rate Long Travel system, and it is built per body. JL20BPBLT is the two-door kit, for the 2018 to 2025 Sport, Sport S, Willys, Freedom, Islander and 80th Anniversary. It is listed as not fitting diesel models or the Rubicon 392.

For the four-door there are three. JL25BPBLT and JL25BPMLT fit the non-Rubicon Unlimited (Sport, Sahara, Willys, Freedom, Islander, Moab and High Altitude) and differ by shock: Black MAX on the BPBLT, M95 Monotube on the BPMLT. JL25RBPBLT is the Unlimited Rubicon version, with Black MAX shocks. All three include front and rear coil springs, front extended sway bar end links, front and rear bump stop extensions and Grade 8 hardware. Skyjacker notes the lift is designed so a drop pitman arm is not required.

ICON Vehicle Dynamics covers the same height with two staged systems for the 2018 to 2022 JL, two-door and four-door, Rubicon included. K22011 is the 2.5 inch Stage 1 and K22012 is the Stage 2, which adds links to the coils and shocks. ICON warrants the shocks for a year and the coil springs for a limited lifetime, and both kits carry installation documents. ICON also publishes a recommended wheel for these kits, a 17x8.5 with 4.5 or 4.75 inches of backspacing, and notes that its stated heights assume a Jeep carrying a heavier bumper, winch and spare, so a stock-weight Jeep may sit a little higher.

3.5 to 4 inches

Above 3 inches the axle moves sideways as it rises, and the kit has to correct it. Skyjacker's 3.5 to 4 inch JL kits do that with an adjustable high-angle front track bar, a rear track bar extension bracket, and front and rear eccentric cam bolts for alignment, on top of the Dual Rate Long Travel coils, extended end links and bump stop extensions.

JL40BPBLT is the four-door non-Rubicon kit with Black MAX shocks. JL40BPMLT is the same with M95 Monotube. JL40RBPMLT is the Unlimited Rubicon kit, also on M95 shocks. All fit the 2018 to 2025 Unlimited.

3.5 to 6 inches, 2018 only

Skyjacker's tallest JL kit is sold as component boxes for the 2018 model year. JL36FLS is the front box with shocks and coil spring, JL36RLS is the rear box with shocks and coil spring, and JL36CB is the main component box the two sit under. Together they give 3.5 to 6 inches.

Two conditions come with that height. On a two-door, Skyjacker requires an aftermarket rear driveshaft; on a four-door it recommends one. And the kit requires wheels with 4.5 inches of backspacing, so plan the wheel purchase with the lift.

JL 4xe, 2021 to 2025: the hybrid gets its own kits

The 4xe carries a battery pack and sits on different spring rates, so Skyjacker builds a separate line for it. Every one of these is listed as not fitting the non-4xe gas models, and the gas kits above are not listed for the 4xe. Do not cross them.

For the Unlimited Sahara 4xe and High Altitude 4xe, 2021 to 2025, there are three heights. JL25EBKXLT is the 2.5 inch suspension lift kit and JL25EBLT is its component box. JL37EBKXLT and JL37EBLT are the 3.75 inch pair. JL45EBLT is the 4.5 inch component box.

The Unlimited Rubicon 4xe, 2021 to 2022, has its own set: JL37ERBKXLT and JL37ERBLT at 3.75 inches, and JL45ERBKXLT and JL45ERBLT at 4.5 inches.

How to choose

Start with the chassis code, then the body, then the trim. A kit listed for a four-door non-Rubicon will not be listed for a two-door or a Rubicon, and the fitment on every product page shows exactly which trims and years Skyjacker or ICON has signed off.

Then decide how much correction you want to buy. Up to 2.5 inches on a TJ, JK or JL, a spacer or a spring swap does the job without touching the track bar. From 3.5 inches up, the track bar, cam bolts and, on the tallest kits, the driveshaft and wheel backspacing are part of the purchase, not an afterthought.

Last, read the exclusions. The diesel, the 392 and the 4xe each have kits that are theirs alone. The product page says so in the fitment table, and the guide above says so in words.