For those who have never owned a lifted Jeep before, the idea of adding a lift to yours can be an exciting prospect. However, it is not without its unique challenges and considerations. Especially when you are new to Jeep lift kits, there are several things that you need to think about. Here's a look at some of what you need to know about the different options to ensure that you get the result you're looking for from your lift kit purchase and installation.

Body Lift

The most simplistic and basic of Jeep lift kits is the body lift. This lift simply raises the body of the Jeep up according to the dimensions of the lift. You can usually get body lifts in heights up to an inch or so. Installing a body lift is fairly easy. These lifts are simply spacers, sometimes referred to as pucks, that are placed between the body and the body mount on the truck. Then, new hardware supplied with the kit secures the body and the spacers to the body mount.

The catch with a body lift is that it only raises up the body. A body lift does nothing for improving ground clearance or ride height. You may find, depending on how high you raise the body, that you end up with a gap large enough that you can see between the body and the frame.

Budget Lift

A budget lift is a Jeep lift kit that's up to about 2.5 inches in height. These lifts are often accomplished by adding a leaf or two to the leaf springs in a leaf spring suspension or adding coil spring spacers where the coil spring mounts to the truck in a coil suspension.

A budget lift is so named because they are more affordable than some of the more elaborate suspension lifts, but they still provide you with an increase in ride height that correlates to the height of the lift. These are a bit more complex to install than a body lift, though they are still fairly straightforward and cost-effective for those looking to get a boost in their Jeep's stance and ride height.

Complete Suspension Lift

When you are looking to increase your ride height by three inches or more, it's usually best to opt for a complete suspension lift kit. These kits will come with new control arms, steering stabilizers, and all of the other suspension and drive train components needed to maintain the truck's suspension and steering geometry.

For those who aren't particularly mechanically inclined, it's usually best to work with a mechanic to install a lift kit like this because of its complexity, but with some experience and knowledge, installation can be a weekend project in your home garage, too.