Clayton Overland Plus vs Metalcloak Gamechanger - with towing

[GypsyMech]

Sorry, that should be second pic. Still not a crawler by any means, but very capable

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[RoboticsRob]

We’re making the same trade right now, target for us is 37’s, re-geared, 2.5” lift, heavy duty rear springs, and a camper shell, so definitely some weight back there in the bed, about 350-400 lb full time.

We like the idea of adjustable shocks, just not sure which ones to go with at the moment. Definitely looking for a stiffer more controlled ride on the road, but don’t want to give up too much compliance for the trails, and don’t want washboards to drive us nuts.

To further complicate things, we’re looking to install some geometry correction brackets up front with our lift, dropping the control arm attachment points the same amount as our lift to keep the ride nice for the many freeway miles we’ll put on it.

 

[Aleph]

21 Mojave with topper. Running Clayton 2.5 overland with HD rear springs, Pintler rims for the offset, 4.85 gears to fix Jeeps crappy gear ratio, Falken 35's, works for the Arizona trails I run. I've never heard bad about metal cloak, but as previously stated, you need to look at total picture. My build started off by replacing keeps crappy clutch and seriously high ratio gears, continued to accommodate heavy overland load. The larger tires and springs give a comfortable highway ride, haven't altered the shocks yet.

What were the changes you noticed to the Mojave’s stock ride/bump handling with this suspension setup? Do the stock Mojave shocks still feel adequate with your typical load on the HD springs?

 

[GypsyMech]

The larger tire made for squishier (balloon) feel, no issues with alignment or tracking. As for the shocks, I cheated and put on extensions for now, replacement option cost was more than I had, and I also want to see how it reacts when I get full time curb weig

 

[Tortuga41]

Hi
I have a 2023 Rubicon JT as a daily driver. We are into rock crawling and need a lift. We use the JT as a daily driver and would like it to ride nice on the road. We have an RSI Smart Cap on it with an Awning, so about 260lbs on the bed. We also tow a 3500lbs jet ski trailer and a bed full of gear to the lake, so want the lift to be able to handle these scenarios best

I purchased and installed Metalcloak’s 3.5” Game Changer in October 2024. I contacted their tech support 4 times during the install and they were extremely helpful and available. They even overnight mailed me new shocks since the incorrect rears were sent. Really can’t praise the quality of construction and customer support enough.

Can’t say I had a “plan” for a lift. Or any mods. We were just taking the Jeep off-road and figuring out limitations, finding out what we liked to do and the made changes. That is what led us the 37” tires, and the 3.5” lift and the off-road pop-up tent trailer. This Diesel Gladiator is also my daily driver and the lift was an improvement in ride quality in comparison to the stock Rubicon suspension, in my opinion and my wife’s opinion as well.

Picture is at the top of the Four Peaks trail in Arizona on our way to the lake for some camping. Trailer is about 5,000 lbs fully loaded with water tanks filled. Good luck!

 

[flyfish6214]

overland with Rubican suspension, no lift, added roof top tent, awning, deck drawer with tools, probably close to 400lb when camping

 

[tj3089]

I went with the Clayton 2.5" overland+ kit for my Ecodiesel. It was nice that everything came as one complete package ready to put on.

After reading about people using airbags on other lifts when towing, I decided to get the Clayton lift and HD springs. The ride is great on road and off-road, even better than my dad's stock JTRD suspension. The HD springs do not ride that rough to me, even when I take off my RTT to tow our 4800lb toy hauler (3200lbs empty).

We went to Colorado last year and the Jeep felt great going over all the mountain passes and didn't shake the crap out of us. My son was even able to fall asleep in the back.

The falcon 3.3 shocks are a big part of the comfort too and definitely worth it.

 

[Stan H]

I went with the Clayton 2.5" overland+ kit for my Ecodiesel. It was nice that everything came as one complete package ready to put on.

After reading about people using airbags on other lifts when towing, I decided to get the Clayton lift and HD springs. The ride is great on road and off-road, even better than my dad's stock JTRD suspension. The HD springs do not ride that rough to me, even when I take off my RTT to tow our 4800lb toy hauler (3200lbs empty).

We went to Colorado last year and the Jeep felt great going over all the mountain passes and didn't shake the crap out of us. My son was even able to fall asleep in the back.

The falcon 3.3 shocks are a big part of the comfort too and definitely worth it.

Man oh man that's a pretty spot there .

Oh and I like the Gladiator too ..hehe

 

[tj3089]

Man oh man that's a pretty spot there .

Oh and I like the Gladiator too ..hehe

Thank you! The photos are all from different trips. Colorado was so beautiful and we did all the passes except Black Bear (my family didn't want to do it). The lake is 2 hours from us and we beach camp there frequently and of course Moab every year we can.

 

[tj3089]

Man oh man that's a pretty spot there .

Oh and I like the Gladiator too ..hehe

This is our favorite spot in Moab at the moment.

 

[Clayton Off Road]

I went with the Clayton 2.5" overland+ kit for my Ecodiesel. It was nice that everything came as one complete package ready to put on.

After reading about people using airbags on other lifts when towing, I decided to get the Clayton lift and HD springs. The ride is great on road and off-road, even better than my dad's stock JTRD suspension. The HD springs do not ride that rough to me, even when I take off my RTT to tow our 4800lb toy hauler (3200lbs empty).

We went to Colorado last year and the Jeep felt great going over all the mountain passes and didn't shake the crap out of us. My son was even able to fall asleep in the back.

The falcon 3.3 shocks are a big part of the comfort too and definitely worth it.

Truck looks awesome! Appreciate the feedback on the HD springs unloaded, we get a ton of questions on that!

 

[lildev1972]

Thank you for thinking about us. I'd recommend our RockLander, Overland-Focused, kits - available in 2.5" & 3.5" - you can learn more about them here.

In the mean time I will also send you a PM so you can ask more questions directly. - Matson

Thank you for thinking about us. I'd recommend our RockLander, Overland-Focused, kits - available in 2.5" & 3.5" - you can learn more about them here.

In the mean time I will also send you a PM so you can ask more questions directly. - Matson

Hi

Thank you for thinking about us. I'd recommend our RockLander, Overland-Focused, kits - available in 2.5" & 3.5" - you can learn more about them here.

In the mean time I will also send you a PM so you can ask more questions directly. - Matson

Matson thank you I dont see your PM but I missed out on the Veterans Day sale today...... Id LOVE to get a build together with your help and then be able to jump on the next sale.

 

[Metalcloak]

Hi

Matson thank you I dont see your PM but I missed out on the Veterans Day sale today...... Id LOVE to get a build together with your help and then be able to jump on the next sale.

Sorry you didn't get the PM, probably a Fat Finger error on my part, lol. I just sent a new one... just reply and my team will work with you and honor the sale discount. - Matson

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