Anyone switch from AEV 2.5" to 3" HD springs?

[Lambo77]

Looking to see if anyone has upgraded their standard 2.5" springs to the AEV HD springs with 37’s. Mainly looking to see how much of a lift Increase it would be. The 2.5" kit lifted my gladiator 3" so I was hoping to get 3.5-4 with the HD springs.

reason being is I already have the 2.5 dualsport kit and not sure if I want to get springs from another company

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[chorky]

I just did that swap about a month ago. Although I am on stock 33's. It definitely raised at least a half inch up front and probably more like a full inch or slightly over in the rear. It's almost too tall for me but I will not be going any larger than 35's

I am definitely in the weight category to warrant the 3" coils. Here are some comparison photos keeping in mind the second photo with 3" coils does have more weight than the first pic with the 2.5" coils.


AEV 2.5" dual sport with Teraflex rear geometry correction brackets and Teraflex progressive bump stops. Stock 33" tires. Approximately 600 pounds extra weight.

AEV 3" dual sport with Teraflex rear geometry correction brackets and Teraflex progressive bump stops. Stock 33" tires. Approximately 1190 pounds extra weight.

I have not had time to do a full flex test, nor have I been on a dirt road yet, but the highway here has some pretty bad dips and bumps, and the HD coils are plenty compliant. If you are at least in the lower number realm for the HD coil capacities as described by AEV it should rid just fine. If you are super light, and at stock weight or in the SD coil weight range as described by AEV it might be a bit bouncy or rough depending on your opinion of that subjective term and also depending on your shocks. Just my .02. But with the weight, I am 100% satisfied with these HD coils. If you are stock, and only looking for more lift but not more capacity, it would probably be better to consider adding some 3/4" spacers.

 

[Wolf Island Diver]

I have. I recommend it. I’m running 37s on beadlocks. I measured at the time of the install and generally AEV understates their lift heights. I believe it was about an inch of lift. My 2.5s gave me 3 inches. The 3” springs gave me about 4”. The main thing is that it gave me my rake back when the truck is loaded with stuff that lives in/on the truck. With it fully loaded it’s ass isn’t sagging. It improves the handling a bit too.

Even with all this lift, I still consider this more of an overlanding lift than a rock crawler since it’s still using stock control arms and AEV wasn’t shooting for maximum up travel or droop. It still holds its own on rocks. But for extreme stuff I’d still want to relocate the LCAs, triangulate the UCAs, run longer stroke shocks, anti-rocks, limiting straps, etc. Don’t take this to the bank but I do believe that with lots of fender trimming on a Rubicon you can probably get by with 40s.

The truck will ride noticeably stiffer. Personally it doesn’t bother me. AEV says you don’t need its reservoir shocks and I didn’t spend the $2500 for them. That being said, I’d prefer a skosh more damping. This does mitigate the wallowy feel driving a loaded truck.

Installing these is like installing a lift. You’ll need to reset the indexing on your control arms, I.e., loosen the control arms on the ground and retorque or you will damage the bushings. I didn’t replace my AEV sway bar ends but their bushings are worn out and probably will get replaced. I’m running a Helwig rear sway bar, I believe on the stiffest setting.

The truck fully loaded with 1000+ lbs of gear, rack, etc. As you can see, it’s somewhere between a tiny amount of rake to dead even in the 2nd pick. That’s with a full cooler in a cart, full 63qt ARB fridge, Gazelle T8, 18 gal of water, grill & stove & cook box on a slider, a ROAM 95L case, awning, yeti chairs, recovery gear, passengers and a dog.

 

[Lambo77]

Thanks for the feedback, it’s a tricky decision I guess because I don’t carry the weight all the time just when towing. With 37" ko2’s I sit 43.5 inches to front fender lip and 45 at rear fender lip(unloaded with winch) My goal is to upsize to 39" ko2 or KM3 after I regear and was hoping the AEV 3" springs would be all i need to change. I know the 39 bfg’s are like everyone else’s 38’s.

 

[Lambo77]

I have. I recommend it. I’m running 37s on beadlocks. I measured at the time of the install and generally AEV understates their lift heights. I believe it was about an inch of lift. My 2.5s gave me 3 inches. The 3” springs gave me about 4”. The main thing is that it gave me my rake back when the truck is loaded with stuff that lives in/on the truck. With it fully loaded it’s ass isn’t sagging. It improves the handling a bit too.

Even with all this lift, I still consider this more of an overlanding lift than a rock crawler since it’s still using stock control arms and AEV wasn’t shooting for maximum up travel or droop. It still holds its own on rocks. But for extreme stuff I’d still want to relocate the LCAs, triangulate the UCAs, run longer stroke shocks, anti-rocks, limiting straps, etc. Don’t take this to the bank but I do believe that with lots of fender trimming on a Rubicon you can probably get by with 40s.

The truck will ride noticeably stiffer. Personally it doesn’t bother me. AEV says you don’t need its reservoir shocks and I didn’t spend the $2500 for them. That being said, I’d prefer a skosh more damping. This does mitigate the wallowy feel driving a loaded truck.

Installing these is like installing a lift. You’ll need to reset the indexing on your control arms, I.e., loosen the control arms on the ground and retorque or you will damage the bushings. I didn’t replace my AEV sway bar ends but their bushings are worn out and probably will get replaced. I’m running a Helwig rear sway bar, I believe on the stiffest setting.

The truck fully loaded with 1000+ lbs of gear, rack, etc. As you can see, it’s somewhere between a tiny amount of rake to dead even in the 2nd pick. That’s with a full cooler in a cart, full 63qt ARB fridge, Gazelle T8, 18 gal of water, grill & stove & cook box on a slider, a ROAM 95L case, awning, yeti chairs, recovery gear, passengers and a dog.

Nice gladiator, that’s a lot of gear and handles it like nothing. From your pictures it looks like I should be ok going to 39’s just might not have the flex

 

[chorky]

the feedback, it’s a tricky decision I guess because I don’t carry the weight all the time just when towing. With 37" ko2’s I sit 43.5 inches to front fender lip and 45 at rear fender lip(unloaded with winch) My goal is to upsize to 39" ko2 or KM3 a

I think you should write down a list of your use case and wants before making any changes first. What do you do 90% of the time% What do you want to be able to do the rest of the 10%? What is your overall goal? Defining your use case should always be first before making any changes IMO.

 

[Lambo77]

I just did that swap about a month ago. Although I am on stock 33's. It definitely raised at least a half inch up front and probably more like a full inch or slightly over in the rear. It's almost too tall for me but I will not be going any larger than 35's

I am definitely in the weight category to warrant the 3" coils. Here are some comparison photos keeping in mind the second photo with 3" coils does have more weight than the first pic with the 2.5" coils.


AEV 2.5" dual sport with Teraflex rear geometry correction brackets and Teraflex progressive bump stops. Stock 33" tires. Approximately 600 pounds extra weight.

AEV 3" dual sport with Teraflex rear geometry correction brackets and Teraflex progressive bump stops. Stock 33" tires. Approximately 1190 pounds extra weight.

I have not had time to do a full flex test, nor have I been on a dirt road yet, but the highway here has some pretty bad dips and bumps, and the HD coils are plenty compliant. If you are at least in the lower number realm for the HD coil capacities as described by AEV it should rid just fine. If you are super light, and at stock weight or in the SD coil weight range as described by AEV it might be a bit bouncy or rough depending on your opinion of that subjective term and also depending on your shocks. Just my .02. But with the weight, I am 100% satisfied with these HD coils. If you are stock, and only looking for more lift but not more capacity, it would probably be better to consider adding some 3/4" spacers.

Nice colour by the way, great looking gladiator! Looks like you have lots of room for tires, maybe by the time I’m ready for the springs and tires I’ll have added more gear to my setup.

 

[Wolf Island Diver]

Thanks for the feedback, it’s a tricky decision I guess because I don’t carry the weight all the time just when towing. With 37" ko2’s I sit 43.5 inches to front fender lip and 45 at rear fender lip(unloaded with winch) My goal is to upsize to 39" ko2 or KM3 after I regear and was hoping the AEV 3" springs would be all i need to change. I know the 39 bfg’s are like everyone else’s 38’s.

The bigger issue is the spare and axles. I can barely fit a deflated 37” KM3 under the truck, but it fits. 37s are pushing it if used off road especially on the aluminum knuckles. Otherwise the shafts and ball joints can easily be upgraded. I’m about to install a steering booster on my 37s because the steering, especially when off road or parallel parking is a pita. 40s are supposedly the cutoff for ram steering but I’m not sure how close 39s are to requiring it. Between 37 and 40 it’s a somewhat subjective grey area on a lot of this stuff. I don’t think you’ll have any issues fitting 39 KM3s under the truck with these springs. You may need to do a fender chop, but that’s a pretty cheap and easy mod.

 

[Wolf Island Diver]

Nice gladiator, that’s a lot of gear and handles it like nothing. From your pictures it looks like I should be ok going to 39’s just might not have the flex

You may need more bumpstop with 39s. My 37s have never rubbed with either spring. Personally I don’t mind rubbing when off road depending on where it is. You may only need to adjust the steering stops only. The AEV bump stops could use an upgrade to adjustable hydraulic ones anyway if you do have issues. I’d prefer to raise mine a bit since I have no rubbing to get a little more uptravel.

 

[chorky]

The bigger issue is the spare and axles. I can barely fit a deflated 37” KM3 under the truck, but it fits.

This is a big factor and one of several reasons I am not going larger than 35's. I'm not at all interested in a spare in the bed or a rear tire carrier which is kinda required for anything larger than 37's. Lots of people just don't even carry a spare but that's pretty dumb IMO. Not to mention I also have a rear winch - so I dont think I can even fit 37's - 35's it is.

Nice colour by the way, great looking gladiator! Looks like you have lots of room for tires, maybe by the time I’m ready for the springs and tires I’ll have added more gear to my setup.

It is definitely taller than I expected and had hoped with the 3" coils. I did hope for a little more height, but not as much as this gave. But the weight warranted the upgrade and thats the sole reason for the change for me. With this amount of gap I can easily run 35's with a set of chains on all 4 tires without any concern of rubbing or damaging anything - which is exactly what I was going for. Most people will hate on the 'goofy' look. I dont mind it at all. In fact, I think the opposite - completely filling up the wheel well so much that when fully flexed your rubbing on something, IMHO is a terrible risk. I want to be able to bottom out hard, with chains, and not risk any damage of anything at all - call it planning for worst case scenario. This offers that. If I were to be on 37's I wouldn't be able to do that.

 

[Wolf Island Diver]

This is a big factor and one of several reasons I am not going larger than 35's. I'm not at all interested in a spare in the bed or a rear tire carrier which is kinda required for anything larger than 37's. Lots of people just don't even carry a spare but that's pretty dumb IMO. Not to mention I also have a rear winch - so I dont think I can even fit 37's - 35's it is.




It is definitely taller than I expected and had hoped with the 3" coils. I did hope for a little more height, but not as much as this gave. But the weight warranted the upgrade and thats the sole reason for the change for me. With this amount of gap I can easily run 35's with a set of chains on all 4 tires without any concern of rubbing or damaging anything - which is exactly what I was going for. Most people will hate on the 'goofy' look. I dont mind it at all. In fact, I think the opposite - completely filling up the wheel well so much that when fully flexed your rubbing on something, IMHO is a terrible risk. I want to be able to bottom out hard, with chains, and not risk any damage of anything at all - call it planning for worst case scenario. This offers that. If I were to be on 37's I wouldn't be able to do that.

I have the 40s bug, but to do it right it’s $18k in axles, $3K for a rear bumper/tire carrier, another $3k for ram steering, $4-6k for long arm suspension. And ideally you do what AMW does and reinforce the frame. Then there’s the whole 5 lug or 8 lug decision and new wheels to match. And with all of that you still don’t have a truck that can follow a JL with a mild lift and 37s everywhere because it’s so damn long. 37s are the practical limit if you care about off roading and want a spare all without major modifications and money. I feel like you can run a belly skid, LCA and axle sliders and just hump rocks and get down most trails without 40s even if you look less graceful doing it and have to use a winch.

 

[chorky]

40s bug, but to do it right it’s $18k in axles, $3K for a rear bumper/tire carrier, another $3k for ram steering, $4-6k for long arm suspension. And ideally you do what AMW does and reinforce the frame. Then there’s the whole 5 lug or 8 lug decision and new wheels to match. And with all of that you still don’t have a truck that can follow a JL with a mild lift and 37s everywhere because it’s so damn long. 37s are the practical limit if you care about off roading and want a spare all without major modifications and money. I feel like you can run a belly skid, LCA and axle sliders and just hump rocks and get down most trails without 40s even if you look less graceful doing it and

I agree I dont think 40's are necessary. Theres this assumption these days that to properly take a trial you have to be lifted enough to not touch the belly on anything at all. But back in the TJ era it was common to hit hard on the skid plates - that's what they are made for.... All that said, I have no interest anymore in going on a hard core 4x4 trail, it would be fun but I dont want to risk damaging anything and my fun is more about exploring, camping, finding new places than conquering the hardest trail. That's why the JT is so awesome though, it is very versatile.

 

[Wolf Island Diver]

I agree I dont think 40's are necessary. Theres this assumption these days that to properly take a trial you have to be lifted enough to not touch the belly on anything at all. But back in the TJ era it was common to hit hard on the skid plates - that's what they are made for.... All that said, I have no interest anymore in going on a hard core 4x4 trail, it would be fun but I dont want to risk damaging anything and my fun is more about exploring, camping, finding new places than conquering the hardest trail. That's why the JT is so awesome though, it is very versatile.

Yeah, every time I talk about going further, either more extreme mods or trails, my father says “are you really going to do that with a $70k truck.” Of course with the mods it’s really more like a $95k truck. But he’s right. You can finesse a stock Gladiator down the Rubicon. I’m good with 95% Trail Recon/The Story Til Now type stuff and maybe 5% LiteBrite rock play. More than that and you actually need to be on a YouTuber budget to do that kind of stuff. I got the Gladiator to get to where the views are and the people aren’t and bring along some comfort. For that, there’s really no platform that’s better, even stock.

 

[chorky]

Yeah, every time I talk about going further, either more extreme mods or trails, my father says “are you really going to do that with a $70k truck.” Of course with the mods it’s really more like a $95k truck. But he’s right. You can finesse a stock Gladiator down the Rubicon. I’m good with 95% Trail Recon/The Story Til Now type stuff and maybe 5% LiteBrite rock play. More than that and you actually need to be on a YouTuber budget to do that kind of stuff. I got the Gladiator to get to where the views are and the people aren’t and bring along some comfort. For that, there’s really no platform that’s better, even stock.

Although Seans PW has me looking at a 2500 w/Alaskan camper. Oh it never ends hahah

 

[remlemasi]

For those who did the upgrade from 2.5” to 3” (or even those who decided to stick with 2.5”), was there any wallowing or excess motion on the 2.5” that was solved by the 3”? Or is it mainly to gain extra lift to compensate for the extra weight?

Shock valving is the same between 2.5” and 3” kits correct?

Couple more questions:

1) Was an adjustable front track bar upgraded needed to center to front axle, either with 2.5” or 3”?
2) Is spring bowing an issue? Did anyone use the upgraded (non-AEV) lower spring isolator pads to correct it? Or just use the stock ones?

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