1.25" Budget Booster Lite (Coil Spacers + Shock Extenders)

Difficulty 1/52–4 hrs$90–2001984-1990, 1991-1995, 1996, 1997-2001

The cheapest possible XJ lift: 1.25" poly coil spacers up front, shock extenders to keep the stock shocks within stroke, and an optional small rear shim. Levels the front sag, clears a 30x9.50, costs less than a tank of gas. It is not a "build" — it is a tide-over.

This is the absolute floor of the lift hierarchy. You drop in a pair of 1.25" polyurethane spacers between the stock front coils and the unibody coil bucket, bolt 1" shock extenders to the front shock mounts so the stock shocks don't top out at the new ride height, and call it done. Total install is two hours in the driveway with hand tools.

The honest framing: this is a leveling kit, not an off-road lift. The 1.25" of front lift mostly cancels the well-known stock XJ front sag. You will clear a 30x9.50 AT tire on stock 15x7 wheels with stock backspacing and a stock fender. You will not clear 31s without trimming. You are not going to crawl rocks or run any trail that involves real flex with this setup — the stock leaf pack, stock shocks, and stock geometry all remain.

The reasons to consider this kit:

The front of your XJ is sagging and you don't want to commit to a full lift yet.
You're running 30x9.50 AT tires and want a slightly fuller stance.
Budget is genuinely tight and you want to drive the rig as-is while you save for a real lift.
You're trying to keep the rig stock-appearing for emissions, lease, or insurance reasons.

The reasons to skip it and save for the next step up:

Spacers stack preload on stock coils that are probably already tired. The sag will come back faster than you expect.
Shock extenders move the shock mounting points but don't replace the shocks — stock shocks at extender length are still tired stock shocks.
This kit does nothing for the rear. If your leaves are also sagging, you'll end up with a nose-high stance.
You'll outgrow it within a year if you actually wheel the rig.

If you wheel anything harder than fire roads, skip this and go straight to a 2" Budget Boost (coil spacers + new shocks of appropriate length + rear add-a-leaf) or a 3" Rough Country / Rusty's spring pack kit with proper coils.

Why it works

Cheapest possible lift on the market (under $200 all-in)
2-hour driveway install with hand tools
Levels factory front sag and clears 30x9.50 AT tires
No geometry corrections required at 1.25"
Reversible if you don't like it

Trade-offs

Stacks preload on already-tired stock coils — sag returns quickly
Doesn't replace shocks, relocates the mounting points
Rear stays stock unless you add a shim or AAL
Not a foundation to build on — you'll redo all of this when you step up

Tools required

floor jack
jack stands
basic metric sockets
torque wrench

Parts

Some parts links are Amazon affiliate links — if you buy through them Trail Manual may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only list parts we’d run on our own rig, and never on safety-critical pages.

Part	Vendor	Est. price
Rusty's 1.25" poly coil spacer pair (front)	Rusty's Off Road	~$50
MORryde or Daystar 1" shock extenders (front, pair)	Daystar	~$35
Rear shackle relocation OR small AAL (optional, if rear needs match)	Rusty's Off Road	~$40

Sources

{'title': 'NAXJA - smallest cheapest XJ lift', 'url': 'https://naxja.org/threads/smallest-cheapest-lift.812003/'}
{'title': 'Cherokee Forum - 1.25 spacer + extender combo', 'url': 'https://www.cherokeeforum.com/'}

Written and maintained by an AZ wheeler and driveway wrencher. Always cross-reference your factory service manual — modifications affect vehicle safety and warranty. Work at your own risk.