Mojave Lift Options

[Rubi-Zero]

That's a great question. I didn't measure anything before I installed the MetalCloak 3.5" GameChanger lift. What I do have is a sequence of before and after photos, plus some clearance measurements after everything was installed. Most of that's in my build thread.

I would like to find someone with an unmodified JT Mojave who could provide all the stock measurements. Otherwise I'll have to go visit a Jeep dealership with a tape measure to do that myself.

When new in its stock configuration... a sea of black

After installing 37x12.5x17 Nitto Trail Grappler tires on Hutchinson Rock Monster, 17x8.5x5x5 wheels in Anthracite. Not lifted yet here...

After installing the MetalCloak 3.5" GameChanger lift in addition to a few other goodies up front. It sits level, though it looks taller in the front from this angle.

if no one provides measurements by the time I get home from Colorado and Moab on July 3rd I’ll give you stock measurements.
I have been in between metal cloak and Clayton. I may end up using parts from both companies when it’s all finished.

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[PeterGriffin]

I had an AEV 2.5-inch lift (and their geo correction brackets) with Method Wheels/35 KO2s on my '17 Rubi that I traded in to buy my Mojave last week...

While I'm typically NOT a fan of spacer kits, in the case of the Mojave it's exactly what I'm looking for. The Mojave's suspension was the main reason why I bought it, as the Gladiator wasn't even on my radar until it came out. I live desert-front in SW AZ and while my Rubi got me around just fine, with the the type of terrain and driving I was doing it did it so REALLY slowly...the wash road that's less than 50m from my back yard has whoops that are a foot-plus and anything faster than 20 MPH and the Rubi would be pogo-sticking and bucking like nobody's business, which, is completely what I would suspect to begin with; that's not what it was built for.

The trails I ride are NOT conducive to owning a Raptor/TRX either as their typically Jeep sized and while some of the riding I do is wide open it wasn't worth the trade off for me to not being able to ride on the tighter/narrow trails anymore.

With just a few days of ownership and nearly 300 miles of high speed desert riding under my belt, the Mojave absolutely lives up to my expectations and exceeds some of them. Where my Rubi had previously motored through at 20-25 MPH the Mojave does so at 35-40, sometimes 45 MPH. It's not just the speed either; the dampening is SO much better and dare I say, "plush", a word I LOATHE to use to begin with, never mind to describe the suspension of any off-road vehicle.

I can't imagine wanting to change the shocks/springs which are giving me the ride I'm thoroughly enjoying which is why the AEV spacer kit with their geo brackets suit me perfectly. If I need an adjustable track bar and/or lower control arms to keep the alignment where it needs to be to ride as it does now, that's fine with me. Add Apex sway-bar links I'll and a set of wheels/35 KO2s and that'll do it for me, YMMV...

 

[SloW8]

I had an AEV 2.5-inch lift (and their geo correction brackets) with Method Wheels/35 KO2s on my '17 Rubi that I traded in to buy my Mojave last week...

While I'm typically NOT a fan of spacer kits, in the case of the Mojave it's exactly what I'm looking for. The Mojave's suspension was the main reason why I bought it, as the Gladiator wasn't even on my radar until it came out. I live desert-front in SW AZ and while my Rubi got me around just fine, with the the type of terrain and driving I was doing it did it so REALLY slowly...the wash road that's less than 50m from my back yard has whoops that are a foot-plus and anything faster than 20 MPH and the Rubi would be pogo-sticking and bucking like nobody's business, which, is completely what I would suspect to begin with; that's not what it was built for.

The trails I ride are NOT conducive to owning a Raptor/TRX either as their typically Jeep sized and while some of the riding I do is wide open it wasn't worth the trade off for me to not being able to ride on the tighter/narrow trails anymore.

With just a few days of ownership and nearly 300 miles of high speed desert riding under my belt, the Mojave absolutely lives up to my expectations and exceeds some of them. Where my Rubi had previously motored through at 20-25 MPH the Mojave does so at 35-40, sometimes 45 MPH. It's not just the speed either; the dampening is SO much better and dare I say, "plush", a word I LOATHE to use to begin with, never mind to describe the suspension of any off-road vehicle.

I can't imagine wanting to change the shocks/springs which are giving me the ride I'm thoroughly enjoying which is why the AEV spacer kit with their geo brackets suit me perfectly. If I need an adjustable track bar and/or lower control arms to keep the alignment where it needs to be to ride as it does now, that's fine with me. Add Apex sway-bar links I'll and a set of wheels/35 KO2s and that'll do it for me, YMMV...

Sounds like the Mojave is perfect for you. The weekend after I got the Mojave, my wife and I were blasting over some desert two track and she was like, "This is WAY faster over this stuff than the JK was." Yep. Even with really nice Fox remote res shocks on the JK, it was not even close to the ride and the way the Mojave handles it.

I hope that the weight of 37" tires doesn't totally destroy that... Anyway, I am still waiting on my AEV spacer. I have the track bars and geometry brackets in hand. Just waiting on the actual lift. Ordered May 27th or so.

 

[Wags4]

Hi- new to the forum and just purchased a 21’ mojave in sting gray. Just purchased Black Rhino Carbine wheels w/ 37x12.50 Patagonia MT. Wanted nitto trail grappler but hard to get right now. We will see about the Patagonia’s and how they perform.

After talking with my shop here in Atlanta we decided to go with the Rusty’s 2” gladiator basic lift with their Mojave shock extensions. The kit comes with dual rate springs front and back, front lower control arms, front and rear track bars, track bar frame mount brace, front and rear extended sway bar end links, and lower front coil spring isolators. I have never used their products before but my shop seems to really like them and the owner uses them on his personal Jeep’s. Lift and re-gear to 4.88 get installed in two weeks I will update with photos and impressions.

if anyone has any experience with the Rusty’s lifts I would be interested to hear.
Thanks!

 

[yoda13]

Hi- new to the forum and just purchased a 21’ mojave in sting gray. Just purchased Black Rhino Carbine wheels w/ 37x12.50 Patagonia MT. Wanted nitto trail grappler but hard to get right now. We will see about the Patagonia’s and how they perform.

After talking with my shop here in Atlanta we decided to go with the Rusty’s 2” gladiator basic lift with their Mojave shock extensions. The kit comes with dual rate springs front and back, front lower control arms, front and rear track bars, track bar frame mount brace, front and rear extended sway bar end links, and lower front coil spring isolators. I have never used their products before but my shop seems to really like them and the owner uses them on his personal Jeep’s. Lift and re-gear to 4.88 get installed in two weeks I will update with photos and impressions.

if anyone has any experience with the Rusty’s lifts I would be interested to hear.
Thanks!

That was the first lift I had on my JK before I switched it out to OME. The shocks that came with it were not good, but that won’t be a problem for you. It rode pretty stiff, but no complaints about the quality of the springs, other than they were stiff. Now, the Rusty’s track bars came apart on me on the trails in Colorado, and I had to replace them while on my trip. YMMV.

 

[piroman683]

Hi- new to the forum and just purchased a 21’ mojave in sting gray. Just purchased Black Rhino Carbine wheels w/ 37x12.50 Patagonia MT. Wanted nitto trail grappler but hard to get right now. We will see about the Patagonia’s and how they perform.

After talking with my shop here in Atlanta we decided to go with the Rusty’s 2” gladiator basic lift with their Mojave shock extensions. The kit comes with dual rate springs front and back, front lower control arms, front and rear track bars, track bar frame mount brace, front and rear extended sway bar end links, and lower front coil spring isolators. I have never used their products before but my shop seems to really like them and the owner uses them on his personal Jeep’s. Lift and re-gear to 4.88 get installed in two weeks I will update with photos and impressions.

if anyone has any experience with the Rusty’s lifts I would be interested to hear.
Thanks!

I doubt their duel rate springs are as stiff or stiffer than the Mojave. I do have their upper control arms and front adjustable track bar and those have 20k miles on them with no issue.

 

[rharr]

I had an AEV 2.5-inch lift (and their geo correction brackets) with Method Wheels/35 KO2s on my '17 Rubi that I traded in to buy my Mojave last week...

While I'm typically NOT a fan of spacer kits, in the case of the Mojave it's exactly what I'm looking for. The Mojave's suspension was the main reason why I bought it, as the Gladiator wasn't even on my radar until it came out. I live desert-front in SW AZ and while my Rubi got me around just fine, with the the type of terrain and driving I was doing it did it so REALLY slowly...the wash road that's less than 50m from my back yard has whoops that are a foot-plus and anything faster than 20 MPH and the Rubi would be pogo-sticking and bucking like nobody's business, which, is completely what I would suspect to begin with; that's not what it was built for.

The trails I ride are NOT conducive to owning a Raptor/TRX either as their typically Jeep sized and while some of the riding I do is wide open it wasn't worth the trade off for me to not being able to ride on the tighter/narrow trails anymore.

With just a few days of ownership and nearly 300 miles of high speed desert riding under my belt, the Mojave absolutely lives up to my expectations and exceeds some of them. Where my Rubi had previously motored through at 20-25 MPH the Mojave does so at 35-40, sometimes 45 MPH. It's not just the speed either; the dampening is SO much better and dare I say, "plush", a word I LOATHE to use to begin with, never mind to describe the suspension of any off-road vehicle.

I can't imagine wanting to change the shocks/springs which are giving me the ride I'm thoroughly enjoying which is why the AEV spacer kit with their geo brackets suit me perfectly. If I need an adjustable track bar and/or lower control arms to keep the alignment where it needs to be to ride as it does now, that's fine with me. Add Apex sway-bar links I'll and a set of wheels/35 KO2s and that'll do it for me, YMMV...

Cool, glad to hear it works great. I suspect a good part of that better feel is the hydro bump stops that come stock on the Mojave. Almost all the guys i know that like to go fast out here no matter what rig have hydro bump stops. They are on my list of add on's for sure.

 

[PeterGriffin]

Cool, glad to hear it works great. I suspect a good part of that better feel is the hydro bump stops that come stock on the Mojave. Almost all the guys i know that like to go fast out here no matter what rig have hydro bump stops. They are on my list of add on's for sure.

I never thought I'd see, never mind own, a purpose built off road vehicle built by a major manufacturer that had hydraulic bump stops as standard equipment...yet here we are! There's no doubt they're a HUGE part of the overall Mojave suspension package that make it truly "desert rated" and the main reason why I'm not going to mess with success and be happy with a spacer kit and move on to other mods!

 

[Wags4]

I doubt their duel rate springs are as stiff or stiffer than the Mojave. I do have their upper control arms and front adjustable track bar and those have 20k miles on them with no issue.

That thought has crossed my mind not to mention what the actual lift height will be since the Mojave already sits higher. I may end up using the other parts and stock springs with spacers. Glad to hear you have had a good experience with their control arms and track bar, I have found mixed reviews on their product, but it seems like most quality issues were in the past and they have worked it out.

I’m starting to think I should just put a metal cloak game changer on there and be done.

 

[Deleted member 39162]

The Mojave was designed with a specific purpose in mind, and comes equipped with some expensive Fox shocks. The group it is being marketed to are not supposed to be interested in lifting it. Any lift will likely require changing those shocks. Replacing them with equivalent Fox shocks won't be cheap. I don't see very many buying a Mojave actually being interested in lifting it.

I hear what you are saying. I am very much want to lift my mojave, I know that I will replace the fox shocks with fox shocks, and yes I am full aware of the cost. I am doing research to find the best lift for the jeep and think I have found what lift I want to buy

 

[Deleted member 39162]

Mostly agree with what you said. It would be nice if someone would throw 37s on a Mojave and flex it out, then come up with a bump stop/spacer kit that would allow for full flex on 37s and minimal lift.

So basically, utilize the awesome factory suspension to its fullest with decent sized tires. Without doing a 2" budget lift that will compromise what is there.

I have seen on youtube if you want to search it the title of the video is monster mojave. its from a dealer down in tampa "force" he puit 40s on it. I like the stance and thats what I would like to get my mojave to look like.

 

[DirtGadgets]

That thought has crossed my mind not to mention what the actual lift height will be since the Mojave already sits higher. I may end up using the other parts and stock springs with spacers. Glad to hear you have had a good experience with their control arms and track bar, I have found mixed reviews on their product, but it seems like most quality issues were in the past and they have worked it out.

I’m starting to think I should just put a metal cloak game changer on there and be done.

You won't be disappointed in MetalCloak's GameChanger lift. It's what I installed on my Mojave. After a thorough analysis of available options from various manufacturers I determined the MetalCloak lift was far and away the best value for the money. The amount of hardware you get and the quality are absolutely top shelf! Plus, the handling characteristics improve. All this while retaining the stock Fox shocks and getting the additional height you need for bigger tires.

 

[DirtGadgets]

I hear what you are saying. I am very much want to lift my mojave, I know that I will replace the fox shocks with fox shocks, and yes I am full aware of the cost. I am doing research to find the best lift for the jeep and think I have found what lift I want to buy

You can retain the stock Fox shocks with the MetalCloak 3.5" GameChanger lift for the Mojave. I think that kit is as good as it gets if you're going with 37" or 38" tires. If the aim is to go bigger than that there are stock drivetrain mechanical limitations to consider.

Going bigger means bigger than 37" - 38" tires. The factory Dana 44, M210 and M220 axles on the Gladiator can handle 37" - 38" tires with only minor modifications. However, upgrades become necessary to deal with the additional stresses on the drivetrain if you go with tires larger than that. Those upgrades are extensive and involve replacing everything between the frame and the ground... wheels, tires, axles, shocks, springs, control arms, track bars, sway bars, sway bar links, drive shafts, gearing, brake lines, brakes, drag link, tie rod, tie rod ends, etc...

Your drivetrain should be built to handle the mechanical stresses you're going to put on it. That's building for reliability, not just looks. If you're a mall crawler you can probably get away with upgrading a lot less and that's perfectly fine too. Just plan your build for your reality.

 

[Deleted member 39162]

You can retain the stock Fox shocks with the MetalCloak 3.5" GameChanger lift for the Mojave. I think that kit is as good as it gets if you're going with 37" or 38" tires. If the aim is to go bigger than that there are stock drivetrain mechanical limitations to consider.

Going bigger means bigger than 37" - 38" tires. The factory Dana 44, M210 and M220 axles on the Gladiator can handle 37" - 38" tires with only minor modifications. However, upgrades become necessary to deal with the additional stresses on the drivetrain if you go with tires larger than that. Those upgrades are extensive and involve replacing everything between the frame and the ground... wheels, tires, axles, shocks, springs, control arms, track bars, sway bars, sway bar links, drive shafts, gearing, brake lines, brakes, drag link, tie rod, tie rod ends, etc...

Your drivetrain should be built to handle the mechanical stresses you're going to put on it. That's building for reliability, not just looks. If you're a mall crawler you can probably get away with upgrading a lot less and that's perfectly fine too. Just plan your build for your reality.

I agree. It will be purposely built, thats why I am doing the research first before buying. I hunt and love going offroad, so hence this is no mall crawler or show truck, its meant for getting it muddy and dirty.

 

[itsdapk]

Aftermarket fenders before lift with that factory suspension. I feel like you would get more extra tire clearance for your money spent.

Fenders 37''s no lift.

I am adding the RK 3" lift setup with Iron Rock Offroad 2" shock spacers after speaking with Jeremy at RK at length about my setup.
It's all being powdercoated right now and will be installed next week. It will clear 40s with my fenders.

https://rockkrawler.com/jt-3-0-inch-adventure-pro-system/

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