Clayton or EVO 2.5 Diesel lift-- need help choosing...

[aevgladitorrubi]

2021 Gladiator Rubi diesel-- it's down to these two companies, any feedback to help deciding between the two would be helpful. My JT is a daily driver/weekend warrior, travel out West on occassion and have lived in CO, NV and ID.

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[hjdca]

2021 Gladiator Rubi diesel-- it's down to these two companies, any feedback to help deciding between the two would be helpful. My JT is a daily driver/weekend warrior, travel out West on occassion and have lived in CO, NV and ID.

It's a tough decision, one that many of us already went through. Both offer great kits..., you just have to decide what you want. Here is a summary for the gas kits, not sure about the diesel:

EVO - lighter springs, johnny joints, drop brackets and/or adjustable arms, Kings tuned shocks to the suspension. Round control arms.

Clayton - heavier springs, Giro joints (nice on the street), adjustable control arms - no drop brackets, Shocks - Falcon, Fox, etc... Square control arms.

It would also be good to check availability.... Long wait times may also influence your decision...

 

[aevgladitorrubi]

It's a tough decision, one that many of us already went through. Both offer great kits..., you just have to decide what you want. Here is a summary for the gas kits, not sure about the diesel:

EVO - lighter springs, johnny joints, drop brackets and/or adjustable arms, Kings tuned shocks to the suspension. Round control arms.

Clayton - heavier springs, Giro joints (nice on the street), adjustable control arms - no drop brackets, Shocks - Falcon, Fox, etc... Square control arms.

It would also be good to check availability.... Long wait times may also influence your decision...

Kings are 154 days out on EVO, are lighter or heavier springs better? What are beni's of drop brackets? Either fox shocks for Clayton or Bilstein 5100 for EVO avail. in near future...

 

[hjdca]

Kings are 154 days out on EVO, are lighter or heavier springs better? What are beni's of drop brackets? Either fox shocks for Clayton or Bilstein 5100 for EVO avail. in near future...

I have a winch, steel bumper, RSE rock rails with armor, so, that s a lot of extra weight. I wanted the heavier springs from Clayton. It worked out perfect for me. You can check my build link in my sig.

If you have too much weight on lighter springs, you will lose your lift height and up travel.
So, you need to plan out what your overall weight goal is before you buy your lift.

Drop brackets give you the same geometry as stock, but, you lose a little ground clearance. 8 adjustable control arms with adjustable track arms fix all the geometry, but, your arms are not parallel to the ground anymore... Some say the drop brackets with the parallel arms gives you better street manners. I am used to adjustable arms and adjustable track bars, so, I just stuck with that.

Shocks are a whole other debate - Digressive, progressive, linear, etc... Pick your poison. Best to read up on them. I am very happy with the ones I chose, but, there are many great choices out there.

You have the diesel, so, if you get diesel specific springs up front, they should be stiffer to handle the extra 400 lbs.. Whatever lift kit you buy, ask the vendor what the difference in spring rate is between the gas power lift kits and the diesel power lift kits. If it is something like 30 lbs higher spring rate on the front because of the diesel, you are probably good to go - even if you add a winch and other stuff later. For rear springs, if you are going to carry any load, the best bet is to look for double or triple rate springs.

 

[Clayton Off Road]

We are currently about 3 weeks out on full kits and Fox shocks are all in stock and ready to ship with kits as well!

 

[aevgladitorrubi]

I have a winch, steel bumper, RSE rock rails with armor, so, that s a lot of extra weight. I wanted the heavier springs from Clayton. It worked out perfect for me. You can check my build link in my sig.

If you have too much weight on lighter springs, you will lose your lift height and up travel.
So, you need to plan out what your overall weight goal is before you buy your lift.

Drop brackets give you the same geometry as stock, but, you lose a little ground clearance. 8 adjustable control arms with adjustable track arms fix all the geometry, but, your arms are not parallel to the ground anymore... Some say the drop brackets with the parallel arms gives you better street manners. I am used to adjustable arms and adjustable track bars, so, I just stuck with that.

Shocks are a whole other debate - Digressive, progressive, linear, etc... Pick your poison. Best to read up on them. I am very happy with the ones I chose, but, there are many great choices out there.

You have the diesel, so, if you get diesel specific springs up front, they should be stiffer to handle the extra 400 lbs.. Whatever lift kit you buy, ask the vendor what the difference in spring rate is between the gas power lift kits and the diesel power lift kits. If it is something like 30 lbs higher spring rate on the front because of the diesel, you are probably good to go - even if you add a winch and other stuff later. For rear springs, if you are going to carry any load, the best bet is to look for double or triple rate springs.

So, I'd love to ask one final ?-- fox or falcon (non-piggy-back) on the Clayton 2.5" kit?

 

[aevgladitorrubi]

We are currently about 3 weeks out on full kits and Fox shocks are all in stock and ready to ship with kits as well!

So, I'd love to ask one final ?-- fox or falcon (non-piggy-back) on the Clayton 2.5" Overland plus kit (diesel)? 3.5" springs for the front too, right?

 

[Red-Paint]

So... I have Clayton, A bushing broke. Things happen. I called Clayton and they answered on the first call. I sent some pics, And no problem new ones are on the way. Two day's and they are here. You find out who you are dealing with when there is a problem. Easy choice for me. Clayton,

 

[RodRecket]

A DD and weekend warrior makes me think the giro joints would be a better fit than johnny joints. Rebuildable joints were a no go for me.

 

[hjdca]

A DD and weekend warrior makes me think the giro joints would be a better fit than johnny joints. Rebuildable joints were a no go for me.

yeah, Check out the Johnny joints on his EVO lift from the latest "the story till now" video. Unbelievable how the Canadian weather destroyed them in one year. He probably was not maintaining them at all, but, I was still surprised to see how bad they deteriorated.... but, he has done a ton of 4wheeling in bad weather.

 

[aevgladitorrubi]

yeah, Check out the Johnny joints on his EVO lift from the latest "the story till now" video. Unbelievable how the Canadian weather destroyed them in one year. He probably was not maintaining them at all, but, I was still surprised to see how bad they deteriorated.... but, he has done a ton of 4wheeling in bad weather.

Pulled the trigger today and ordered the Clayton 2.5" Overland Plus lift kit for my 2021 Gladiator Rubicon diesel with Fox shocks, and front diff skid plate... beyond excited!!!

 

[aevgladitorrubi]

We are currently about 3 weeks out on full kits and Fox shocks are all in stock and ready to ship with kits as well!

Ordered the Clayton Off-road JT 2.5" Overland lift kit (diesel) with Fox shocks-- approximate total install time for an experienced shop?

 

[Clayton Off Road]

Ordered the Clayton Off-road JT 2.5" Overland lift kit (diesel) with Fox shocks-- approximate total install time for an experienced shop?

About 6 to 8 hours!

 

[hjdca]

Pulled the trigger today and ordered the Clayton 2.5" Overland Plus lift kit for my 2021 Gladiator Rubicon diesel with Fox shocks, and front diff skid plate... beyond excited!!!

Here are the goods in action.

 

[CerOf]

Pulled the trigger today and ordered the Clayton 2.5" Overland Plus lift kit for my 2021 Gladiator Rubicon diesel with Fox shocks, and front diff skid plate... beyond excited!!!

For the diesel, so you go with the 3.5 springs in front?

Please post up measurements, before and after. I’m curious about Clayton’s on a diesel.

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