moving from Mopar Lift to Clayton...Thoughts?

[Stacked JT]

So, im thinking about moving on from my Mopar lift to the Clayton 2.5. I know the ride hight wont really change but im looking for a better driving vehicle. WIth that said, looking for opinions.

Is it worth upgrading in the first place?
How would it pair with my Mopar FOX shocks already installed?
Is it pointless to keep my Mopar fox shocks installed when the reason im looking to swap is ride quality/getting rid of the wonder/subtle bump steer?

any input is appreciated

Sponsored

 

[BryantJT]

You've made it taller which makes your track bar and drag link angle steeper. Suspension motion is going to be felt in the steering wheel. My TJ on a Currie 4" lift has very "active" steering. It drives straight but there's lots of steering wheel wiggle on bumpy roads.

You also need to consider what parts you're changing and why you think they will improve your ride quality.

 

[Jay Gatsby]

Can't answer if it's worth the upgrade. Only you can decide if it's worth your $. Can't really compare Clayton to Mopar, two very different lifts. Clayton manufactures a great lift. Many, many folks have installed the Mopar lift with very good results, included myself. Mine drives great. Just a couple thoughts... What psi are you running in your tires; have you checked that all lift components are within torque specs and installed correctly, have you checked your wheel toe-in?

*Edit...I see in a previous post of yours Mopar techs told you your front springs were installed wrong. Did you fix that?

 

[LostWoods]

You will definitely see a ride height change with Clayton... they have stated they want to make sure you're getting the advertised lift even weighted down a little bit so their 2.5 seems to be closer to the 3.5 from other brands.

Sounds to me like you don't have enough caster. Might want to get an alignment done and see where you land and if under, you can fix it with some adjustable upper arms.

 

[kelkolb]

My understanding is the Clayton 2.5 lift is actually closer to 3.5" because they factor in 2.5" with the vehicle loaded. Regardless, it will be a little taller than the Mopar lift.

One thing I've learned is that our Mopar lift shocks are actually shorter than the aftermarket Fox shocks that Clayton would supply to you for their lift.

Mopar Front - 8.375" of travel
Mopar Rear - 9" of travel
Fox Front - 9.5" travel
Fox Rear - 11.19" travel

Personally, I'm going to start ordering Clayton track bars and arms as I'm able and then at the end I'll order their springs and shocks to complete the package.

 

[NGNERD]

I would follow kelkob's approach. I would buy Clayton adjustable track bar, install it, see how it rides, then do their upper control arms and dial in your caster, keeping in mind their recommended lengths are for their springs so ask around here for advice in what caster to go for, install them, get an alignment unless you are good at caster yourself and see where your caster is, then I would think about Clayton lowers, and perhaps brackets for them, then think about springs, that's how I would do it anyway based on what I have learned so far

 

[j.o.y.ride]

I would follow kelkob's approach. I would buy Clayton adjustable track bar, install it, see how it rides, then do their upper control arms and dial in your caster, keeping in mind their recommended lengths are for their springs so ask around here for advice in what caster to go for, install them, get an alignment unless you are good at caster yourself and see where your caster is, then I would think about Clayton lowers, and perhaps brackets for them, then think about springs, that's how I would do it anyway based on what I have learned so far

Wow that's a lot of tinkering and mixing of parts hoping to finally land on something halfway.

What I have learned is to just do it right the first time and don't mess around..

 

[kelkolb]

Wow that's a lot of tinkering and mixing of parts hoping to finally land on something halfway.

What I have learned is to just do it right the first time and don't mess around..

That's fine if you can drop $3k on a full kit. I got my Mopar lift when the only other option besides spacer lifts was RK. Now that Clayton is out and I know that's what I want, I can't justify another $3k after spending the $1500 1.5 years ago. There's nothing wrong with a slow build.

 

[RodRecket]

@Stacked JT, is it the bump steer you don't like or the entire suspension feel? If its dampening and spring rate you might as well go a whole new kit. If you like the ride but want to dial in the suspension you have other options

I don't think Kelbob is too far out of line. The MOPAR kit is pretty basic. Adj track bars will center the axles and you adding adj control arms will allow OP to dial in angles. Another option is keeping the stock control arms and adding geometry correction brackets to get caster back in line.

I went with MOPAR 2", adj track bars front/rear, AEV geo control brackets, carrier bearing spacer, and a fox steering stab. The ride is great and the angles are all where they should be.

Clayton is a great kit and I've heard nothing but quality from reviews. Determine what you want and what your budget is, there are definitely a lot of options out there.

 

[Clayton Off Road]

You will definitely see a ride height change with Clayton... they have stated they want to make sure you're getting the advertised lift even weighted down a little bit so their 2.5 seems to be closer to the 3.5 from other brands.

Sounds to me like you don't have enough caster. Might want to get an alignment done and see where you land and if under, you can fix it with some adjustable upper arms.

Just to clarify a little bit, on a 2.5" kit you should see about 3" of lift when measuring from the rear and about 3.25" up front since we are removing some of the factory rake, obviously different tire sizes will increase this measurement slightly but the kit is really just designed to give you about 1/2" over-advertised height

 

[Stacked JT]

Thanks all for the replies. I actually do have the steersmarts front trackbar. Tires are inflated to 35psi all around. I have had one dealer deny my steering gearbox tsb because my springs may be installed on the wrong sides, but then I brought it to a second dealer, who did do the TSB, and looked at my springs and told me they were fine. I could throw it on a lift and just swap them to see if it handles better. I made a rookie mistake and cut the labels off the springs after the install.

 

[RodRecket]

Thanks all for the replies. I actually do have the steersmarts front trackbar. Tires are inflated to 35psi all around. I have had one dealer deny my steering gearbox tsb because my springs may be installed on the wrong sides, but then I brought it to a second dealer, who did do the TSB, and looked at my springs and told me they were fine. I could throw it on a lift and just swap them to see if it handles better. I made a rookie mistake and cut the labels off the springs after the install.

Having the springs seated properly into the perches and on the right side has the potential to make a big difference in ride quality. I can't say I know what it feels like to have them reversed but they must be engineered per side for a reason.

 

[LostWoods]

Just to clarify a little bit, on a 2.5" kit you should see about 3" of lift when measuring from the rear and about 3.25" up front since we are removing some of the factory rake, obviously different tire sizes will increase this measurement slightly but the kit is really just designed to give you about 1/2" over-advertised height

Yeah I meant it in the context that most over-promise, you over-deliver so the lift height ends up being somewhere between the two haha.

 

[kooltoys]

Thanks all for the replies. I actually do have the steersmarts front trackbar. Tires are inflated to 35psi all around. I have had one dealer deny my steering gearbox tsb because my springs may be installed on the wrong sides, but then I brought it to a second dealer, who did do the TSB, and looked at my springs and told me they were fine. I could throw it on a lift and just swap them to see if it handles better. I made a rookie mistake and cut the labels off the springs after the install.

Do you have geo bracket installed? I personally can say I drove without them and hated my truck.. geo bracket and the right shocks, It will be a completely different experience

 

[Stacked JT]

Do you have geo bracket installed? I personally can say I drove without them and hated my truck.. geo bracket and the right shocks, It will be a completely different experience

I do not. Those are a substitute for adjustable control arms corect? I was thinking the clayton arms just because I may upgrade to 3.5 in the future

Sponsored