Analysis Paralysis - Lift Options

[Trep]

I am sure there are a million posts on this, but my search fu seems to be lacking right now.

I recently decided to keep my 2020 Overland JT, so I am ready to start slowly putting my rig together in terms of my Overlanding dream.

So far, I have added the Teraflex Puck Leveling Kit and 35" Toyo's just to achieve the base look I wanted. I did this when I first bought it.

Next step for me would be a lift, followed by a regear so I can go up to 37s if I feel inclined though I am currently satisfied with the 35s. I may add lockers when I regear but that's a bit down the road. I want to do the lift first.

My problem is I don't want to be one of those guys that try and cheap out and end up spending more later by replacing a crap kit with a better one. I wanted to do my homework and make the right choice but there are so many options. I know I want a kit that replaces the shocks to improve the on-road performance as it is my daily as well.

I am now stuck between the new MOPAR with Billsteins:

2020-2023 Jeep Gladiator Jeep Performance Parts 2-inch Lift Kit with Bilstein Reservoir Shocks, 3.6L V6 Engine 77072468AF | Mopar Estores

Or the AEV 2.5" with the High-Capacity springs. (HC Springs because it's only $100 more and I do intend to make this an overlander with roof top tent, etc.)

AEV JT 2.5" DualSport RT Suspension | Jeep Gladiator Lift Kit (aev-conversions.com)

The intention is to daily the truck, off road and the local OHV park mildly (they scale 1-5 here so prolly no higher than a 3, maybe a 4 on a daring day but probably not lol), as well as overland in general with my son and Wife.

I like the idea of the MOPAR because it was designed by the Jeep engineers. I feel like if anyone can get the geometry right, it will be the people who built the damn truck. I have heard that this lift isn't any good though. I am thinking the move to Billsteins might make that, plus having a reservoir looks cool... we can all admit it adds a certain "premium" look to the lift whether it's over kill or not.

I have also heard great things about AEV which also uses Billsteins.

Since they are comparable in price, I wanted to get everyone's opinion.

I also looked into Metalcloak but that's too far out of my wallets range since the base is 2400 and you still need to add shocks and a front drive shaft, so I have ruled them out.

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[Not2Late]

I've used the AEV lift kits on three of my JK/JTs. I have always been very happy with them (ok, I have to admit that the rubber boots on the end links of my latest AEV spacer lift on my Mojave cracked way to early).

The dual sports on my JKs definately "tightened" up the handling. I think that is why they call them "dual sport". Supposed to improve on-road handling as well as having a dual rate spring to help off road. According to AEV, they also possess the engineering know-how to design for Jeep products. Some AEV stuff is even rebranded factory options on JKs (the bumbers on my Winter Additiom '17 JK) and you can order new JTs with AEV lift kits already installed. So I imagine there is trust/familiarity there.

That being said, the Mopar kit you linked to looks pretty dang nice! Remote shocks and new lower control arms instead of relocation brackets. I really don't think you could go wrong with either. Someone else can weight in, but I think the Mopar kits are rebranded from other suppliers. You have a tough choice, but at least you have two solid options there.

 

[MrClortho]

I have had many rigs and many brand lifts on them.

By far, my favorite is my current 3.5" Clayton Overland lift and currently with Fox 2.0 dampers. I had to cut a bit of cost on the shocks but they have turned out to be quite good.

 

[High Alextude]

Go with the dual sport - it has specifically tuned bilsteins that work very well with the springs. Don’t bother installing the geometry brackets, get adjustable arms instead. I had that kit on my JK and JL and it was fantastic both on and off-road.

The mopar kit is new, looks nice. I would think that one would be good too. Benefit of Mopar is if you get it installed by a dealer, it should be covered under warranty as well.

 

[Wheelin98TJ]

I don't like how the Mopar kit uses fixed length arms. Having adjustable arms allows you to adjust for your specific setup, whether it has a plastic bumper and no winch or a heavy bumper with a winch.

I think you should throw Clayton in to the mix of contenders. The 2.5" Ride Right kit is in your price range and it's a nice setup for the price.

 

[JT1]

I don't like how the Mopar kit uses fixed length arms. Having adjustable arms allows you to adjust for your specific setup, whether it has a plastic bumper and no winch or a heavy bumper with a winch.

I think you should throw Clayton in to the mix of contenders. The 2.5" Ride Right kit is in your price range and it's a nice setup for the price.

Clayton recommends the 3.5" kit for sport fenders and 37s, if it's not a street truck. But I agree, fantastic mostly complete kit.

 

[Wheelin98TJ]

Clayton recommends the 3.5" kit for sport fenders and 37s, if it's not a street truck. But I agree, fantastic mostly complete kit.

Sometimes I think the 35s with my Clayton 2.5" kit look a little small. I have the low fenders.

 

[JT1]

Sometimes I think the 35s with my Clayton 2.5" kit look a little small. I have the low fenders.

37's on 3.5 here..

 

[ChrisNLA]

I like the idea of the MOPAR because it was designed by the Jeep engineers. I feel like if anyone can get the geometry right, it will be the people who built the damn truck. I have heard that this lift isn't any good though. I am thinking the move to Billsteins might make that, plus having a reservoir looks cool... we can all admit it adds a certain "premium" look to the lift whether it's over kill or not.

I don't have a lot to offer on these two lift kits (I have only used Metalcloak), but one thing I can offer is that there isn't any rocket science behind Jeeps lift kit in regards to geometry. If anything, the fixed lower control arms in the Mopar kit limit your ability to set the truck up correctly as they can't be adjusted at all.

The Mopar kit with the Bilsteins is brand new. Probably won't have a lot of feedback on the new shocks yet.

I have heard good things about the AEV kit. The drop brackets keep the control arms more parallel to the ground. This aids slightly in the handling and ride quality department.

 

[HooliganActual]

@Trep

I’ll be the outlier here…like others have stated, I’ve had many off-road rigs and used many lifts. Currently, my 2016 JKUR has the AEV DualSport XT and my 2018 JKUR is Mopar but I took an entirely different tack with my 2020 JTR. Being that it is a truck, I went to a local shop that specializes in building Trophy/Baja trucks because I figured “all these other companies are building lifts for Jeeps, but I want to know who is doing off road TRUCKS.”

They put me into an Icon lift and I would say it’s probably the best lift I’ve had in recent memory. I have been tempted to replace my 2016’s AEV lift with an Icon lift.

Ultimately, the difference between lifts is the difference between Coke and Pepsi.

 

[Trep]

@Trep

I’ll be the outlier here…like others have stated, I’ve had many off-road rigs and used many lifts. Currently, my 2016 JKUR has the AEV DualSport XT and my 2018 JKUR is Mopar but I took an entirely different tack with my 2020 JTR. Being that it is a truck, I went to a local shop that specializes in building Trophy/Baja trucks because I figured “all these other companies are building lifts for Jeeps, but I want to know who is doing off road TRUCKS.”

They put me into an Icon lift and I would say it’s probably the best lift I’ve had in recent memory. I have been tempted to replace my 2016’s AEV lift with an Icon lift.

Ultimately, the difference between lifts is the difference between Coke and Pepsi.

Oof, theres a big difference between coke and pepsi :D

I don't like how the Mopar kit uses fixed length arms. Having adjustable arms allows you to adjust for your specific setup, whether it has a plastic bumper and no winch or a heavy bumper with a winch.

I think you should throw Clayton in to the mix of contenders. The 2.5" Ride Right kit is in your price range and it's a nice setup for the price.

I see this type of comment on Adjustable LCA's on a lot of kit conversations.

My thought is it's like using A1 with a steak. If the steak is cooked right, you shouldn't need A1 or any sauce for that matter. If the kit is designed right, I shouldn't need adjustable LCAs, but I am very new to lift kits or suspension in general. What am I missing?

 

[HooliganActual]

Oof, theres a big difference between coke and pepsi :D

Hopefully, you know what my point was. When you start talking about major lift kit manufacturers, it quite often gets down to personal preference, ie Coke v Pepsi. But we can all agree with minimal bickering that Coke is not Fanta Orange...

If the kit is designed right, I shouldn't need adjustable LCAs, but I am very new to lift kits or suspension in general. What am I missing?

It depends...I mean a kit can be designed correctly to get you the lift in height but the LCA's might not be included in order to lower the cost of the kit.

If you look at Icon's lift kits, they come in "Stages". You don't get replacement LCA's until Stage 3. But all of the parts in Stage 1 & 2 are also the parts you get in Stage 3 with the addition of the LCA's. So Icon's kit can be "customized" or 'built upon" without it being a FrankenLift with parts from different companies.

 

[smlobx]

I just installed the AEV dualsport lift on my GTR and could not be happier. Even with the full overlanding set up I felt the regular springs they offer is better suited to my rig. I will be upgrading to 35” E rated tires shortly.

 

[Wheelin98TJ]

I see this type of comment on Adjustable LCA's on a lot of kit conversations.

My thought is it's like using A1 with a steak. If the steak is cooked right, you shouldn't need A1 or any sauce for that matter. If the kit is designed right, I shouldn't need adjustable LCAs, but I am very new to lift kits or suspension in general. What am I missing?

The part where I said if you have a plastic bumper and no winch vs having a heavy steel bumper and a winch. All Jeeps aren’t cooked the same. The same length control arms isn’t ideal for both of those situations because the ride height is different.

Another nice thing about adjustable arms is you can swap springs and change ride height and still dial in caster, pinion angles, and wheel well location. You can’t do that with fixed arms.

 

[NotSo Bright White]

I went with the Mopar lift before I went with a Harker Outdoor pop up camper. Now I am contemplating going with the AEV Dual Sport as the Mopar feels like it sways side to side and very squishy. So please learn from my mistake.

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