Why did you/didn’t you lift your JT?

[ShadowsPapa]

Why dont you trust spacer lifts? Bad experience or what?

Agreed - up to a point there's no real difference compared to what is under the front springs from the factory. And many spacers come with a guarantee of sorts. I'd not go HIGH, but a small lift should be fine AND you keep the stock RIDE and feel since it's stock springs.

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[SloW8]

Are the Fox shocks on the Mopar lift the same in the Rubicon? What’s different about the shocks in the Mojave? (Starts googling)

The Mojave has 2.5" remote res shocks compared to the monotube(?) shocks on the Mopar lift and Rubicon. It also has hydraulic bump stops and some taller springs with unique spring rates.

I don't generally love OEM suspensions because they are a compromise but I am seriously digging the Mojave setup. I feel that some backroom geeks at FCA that knew what they were doing put together a well thought out and engineered package that works really well as a whole. Messing with any part of it is going to upset the balance that this package has. And until one of the better known suspension companies comes out with a similar complete package that includes a slight lift, I don't want to mess with it.

 

[eternus]

Don't have the JT yet, but no plans to lift it. I am either going to have 285/70/17 or 285/75/17 on it and that will fit fine on a Sport as it is.

That being said, I plan to put better shocks to improve the over all feel. Honestly, the Max Tow can perform just as well as the Mojave if you put the right shocks and springs without lifting. (Sure, the high speed locker is nice, but I'd get along fine without it by just tuning. I'll wait a year of driving before I consider what the suspension should feel like.

 

[CG07SUT]

I did lift my JTR. To me it is part form and part function. Like others have said, in my opioion, the form needs to be at the right scale and the Mopar 2” lift with 37’s met that desire. From the function side, I do some off-roading where this has helped, but the visual improvement when driving (and being able to see traffic over or through other vehicles) was improved by adding the lift and tires.

 

[SloW8]

Why dont you trust spacer lifts? Bad experience or what?

Its a personal thing. Mostly from looking at block lift kits in the 80s.

But a spacer kit does have compromises. You are getting the lift, and the associated clearance for tires while keeping the stock ride etc... but you will miss out on added articulation and benefits of a taller spring.

You are also going to create some shock length issues that can limit travel and/or damage your shocks.

I know tons of people that benefit from spacers. It works fine. But, it isn't the best way to lift a vehicle. For me I'd rather take the time and $ and do it the "right' way.

 

[Godfadr]

After adding the 35" it just didn't seem that important to me

 

[noside85]

stock jtr with aftermarket front bumper and 12k winch so there is seems to be more of a rake, or i notice it more. i bought the teraflex 1.5", will put it in the front sometime soonish. then i think 35s when the stock 33s wear out. hopefully that will be good enough for light off-roading

like someone said, i scraped a lot at uwharrie too

 

[SoCalGlad]

I did not lift, but did switch out the 33s for 35s immediately. To me, the JTR sits perfect on 35s without a lift. There have been several articles discussing 35s on Rubicons and that a lift isn't necessary even at full articulation with the sway bar disconnected.

I hear you, I haven't upgraded to 35s yet but will when I actually need new tires. This thing can already do more then I at the moment could ever dream of and have a lot to learn so baby steps for me , maybe when I feel more comfortable I'll go crazy with it lift etc.. They do look awesome when tricked out.
I did get a Badland winch for it and just waiting for the Rock Hard winch plate to get here. With my luck the first time I go out I'll get stuck!

 

[Alabama Mud Machine]

Its a personal thing. Mostly from looking at block lift kits in the 80s.

But a spacer kit does have compromises. You are getting the lift, and the associated clearance for tires while keeping the stock ride etc... but you will miss out on added articulation and benefits of a taller spring.

You are also going to create some shock length issues that can limit travel and/or damage your shocks.

I know tons of people that benefit from spacers. It works fine. But, it isn't the best way to lift a vehicle. For me I'd rather take the time and $ and do it the "right' way.

Yeah, you're right... You can't get anywhere near 3-feet of vertical articulation with a spacer lift... And those spacers just fall right on out when flexed too far...

I'm just busting your balls a little bit...

These new spacer lifts are lightyears ahead of the ones from even 10 years ago. A GOOD spacer lift will have bolts, nylock nuts and lock-washers to hold the spacer to the spring cups to keep them from falling out, and then you reuse your stock rubber spring pad afterwards, and you get to keep your factory ride, but get enough lift to clear 37's with no problem, and still get plenty of flex. I was skeptical at first, too, but after installing it, and flex-testing, and offroading it in some pretty flexy situations, I have a new-found respect for the modern spacer lifts for these Jeeps.

At the flat top, this is a 36" tall concrete ramp. I'm about 3" shy of making it with my current 2.5" Skyjacker spacer lift...

 

[MoparToYou]

I've been Jeeping for 46 years now, and I have spent several decades driving lifted and highly modified Jeeps. I gradually came around to thinking that less mods left you with a better Jeep that was more reliable and better driving. But it still needs to have enough clearance to perform well off road. Along came the Mojave, with its factory lift. I bought one, and added 35" tires on the stock wheels and stock suspension, and it works perfectly for me. All I still need to do is install the Warn winch that showed up yesterday on UPS, into the Arcus front bumper that is arriving Monday, and install some JKS quick disconnects that I just ordered, and I'm done. No more mods needed.

Jeep has come a long long way in the last several decades. I remember when 30" tires rubbed on a stock YJ. And those cheap c-clip Dana 35 rear axles? Yikes.

 

[red/green hawk]

Have a Sport S. Put a 1.5" leveling kit on the front and got 33s MTs because they were too cheap to turn down. Would I like to have put 35s on? Sure, but my budget and the deal on the tires, I couldn't pass it up. Plus I couldn't afford new wheels so I think the 35x 12.5 tires would be to big for my 7.5" rims. It will be my forever truck so will have plenty of time to "upgrade." But still it sure looks better than those goofy street tires it came with. Right now it's my daily commuter and I am rarely getting out to go wheeling so I'm happy with how it turned out.

 

[kelkolb]

Are the Fox shocks on the Mopar lift the same in the Rubicon?

No, the fox shocks in the Mopar kit are completely different. They’re longer and larger diameter.

 

[BAT]

Don't have the JT yet, but no plans to lift it. I am either going to have 285/70/17 or 285/75/17 on it and that will fit fine on a Sport as it is.

That being said, I plan to put better shocks to improve the over all feel. Honestly, the Max Tow can perform just as well as the Mojave if you put the right shocks and springs without lifting. (Sure, the high speed locker is nice, but I'd get along fine without it by just tuning. I'll wait a year of driving before I consider what the suspension should feel like.

I got ahold of a set of Rubicon take off shocks for $150 and put them on my Max Tow. That along with the 33" Rubicon take off tires its riding very nicely. Seemed to have taken a bit of hit on MPG but I am good to go until these tires burn up. My wife thinks I have already lifted it just from putting on the Rubi take off tires (LOL).

 

[Phljeeper]

As others have said, a spacer lift is perfectly fine and likely the better path of you are just looking for height to allow for larger tires. On the road and light off road you will be fine and likely won’t notice much difference as long as you install a complete spacer lift that addresses shocks, swaybar, control arm length, etc based on the height. However if you rock crawl or fully articulate the suspension you will see a huge difference. A complete coil lift will significantly improve off-road articulation and a spacer lift will more likely pull a tire up in the air when going over tough obstacles. However since many Jeeps don’t actually see off road trails, a spacer lift is my recommendation for many as it’s more economical to serve the same purpose. For my lift I went with the EVO 2.5” (resulted in over 3.5” in lift) and 37” tires. I take my truck on rock trails and needed the improved articulation. I also noticed that the EVO coils ride nicer than stock and sag less when towing my travel trailer.

 

[Alabama Mud Machine]

As others have said, a spacer lift is perfectly fine and likely the better path of you are just looking for height to allow for larger tires. On the road and light off road you will be fine and likely won’t notice much difference as long as you install a complete spacer lift that addresses shocks, swaybar, control arm length, etc based on the height. However if you rock crawl or fully articulate the suspension you will see a huge difference. A complete coil lift will significantly improve off-road articulation and a spacer lift will more likely pull a tire up in the air when going over tough obstacles. However since many Jeeps don’t actually see off road trails, a spacer lift is my recommendation for many as it’s more economical to serve the same purpose. For my lift I went with the EVO 2.5” (resulted in over 3.5” in lift) and 37” tires. I take my truck on rock trails and needed the improved articulation. I also noticed that the EVO coils ride nicer than stock and sag less when towing my travel trailer.

Yeah, I've got the same lift as you (2.5" EVO Enforcer Stage 2 Plus) sitting in boxes in storage, as I haven't had time to swap out the spacer lift for a real coil lift. Can't wait to get it on there.

I went spacer at first because of a really constrained budget, and wanted to get it in the air on 37's as quickly as possible, and it served that purpose well. I was impressed with the offroad capabilities of a complete spacer lift kit (sway bar links, bump stop extensions, front shock brackets, etc...). And it rides great (nearly factory, just taller). The offroad flex is great, as you can see in the pics above. But I still felt I wanted to go with a full coil lift with fully-adjustable control arms and tracks bars for adjustability and future upgradability.

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