any good links for info?

[BradWatson8541]

Anyone have any good links or recommendations to websites to read up on lifts and the pros and cons of full kits versus spacer kits and what one should consider when lifting?

My JT will mostly be my daily driver work truck and not doing much trials on it so i dont know if the Mopar would be worth the money for my case and maybe id be better off doing a RC kit or something similar. I know nothing about lifting and just trying to find some good write ups so i can help educate myself on the subject.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Sponsored

 

[BradWatson8541]

 

[steffen707]

I'll bump this, I know nothing about lift kits. Perhaps @Ole Cowboy knows of a site. He's quite knowledgeable on these types of things. (well anything for that matter)

 

[Ole Cowboy]

I'll bump this, I know nothing about lift kits. Perhaps @Ole Cowboy knows of a site. He's quite knowledgeable on these types of things. (well anything for that matter)

Check out the big names, Rancho, AEV, Teraflex, JKS Mfg and others. Look at what components they offer in a kit and pick a price point from there.

That said I am not a kit guy, I think in 6 years+ having my own shop I only installed 2 kits and it was for guy who had ordered them online and had a hard time getting shops to install them at a decent price. I was the ONLY shop that sold all the components at my cost. I did not make money on parts.

I did not build show Jeep, install lifts greater than 3 in. I built for offroad performance and on road safety.

JKS Control arms: https://jksmfg.com/i-24048422-j-flex-front-lower-control-arms.html?ref=category:1205569

The guys at AEV, unless ownership has changed are a group of Jeep Engineers that worked at Jeep, in fact, it is the guys that designed the suspension and tested the Rubicon. Their stuff is good!! The JL DualSport is a great kit: https://www.aev-conversions.com/product-category/jl-wrangler/jl-suspension/

Exhaust: Jeep sells a Borla exhaust that is the one I would by. Going to take a special part for the JT but the Borla stuff WORKS on Jeeps, Borla actually tests and tunes the systems, I ran them on my Jeeps and they made a difference, not just sound!

Shocks: You come to my shop, you get this shock*: http://www.gorancho.com/products/sh.../rancho-rs9000xl-shock-absorber-rs999066.html . It also comes in an extended version for those with lifts. There are only a handful of Shock etc manufacturers in the world. Tennco here in the US IIRC they are the biggest. When you buy a kit with THEIR shocks you are paying a major premium for small runs of spec shocks. Bear that in mind, in a lot of cases you are getting a Rancho with a different decal. Rancho gives a lifetime warranty. Note there are some companies that make their own shocks in house, I THINK? Fox is one of them or was at one time.

I run Rancho on my F 350/450 trucks, Jeep Rancho RS9XXX XL adjustable shocks for 20 years. No Rancho is not a fancy name with cooling bottles on the side of the shock etc. There is no need for that on or off-road. The shock will never get that hot that it needs cooling cans, does it look COOL, take it to the bank, your wallet, your jeep! We have a saying in the Harley world: 'chrome don't get'ya home'

Look for companies that are still around going back to the TJ days.


* I installed and built the best off-road platform that I believed in. It was based upon the components I used on my 2 test mules, '03 Rubicon, '06 LJ Rubicon.

 

[BradWatson8541]

@Ole Cowboy Thank you for this info. so i should plan on replacing shocks if i am lifting 2 in. the main reason i am lifting is to support the bigger tires (35's) for clearance but to be honest 95% will be on road use. This will be my daily driver a trips down the road to the beach at least one or two times a month. occasional trips to the deer lease in Junction. But i can get everywhere i need to in my 2WD Silverado.

 

[BradWatson8541]

Also where in Texas are you located and do you still own the shop?

 

[Malarkey21]

If you are going rubicon you should be able to fit 35 inch tire with no problems as long as you are changing wheel offset too.

Spacer kits will work, but I would recommend getting a full kit. Everything is tuned for a specific spring rate / ride frequency, travel, un-sprung mass, suspension geometry, there is a lot that goes into it. Just a slight change can make it not very comfortable to drive, or cause shake. A full kit buy a good brand like AEV, Teraflex, or Evo for example will have spent the time to tune everything to work together and will have a pretty good ride quality. On the other hand, if you like tweaking stuff and want to tune it yourself get a nice set of adjustable shocks with whatever springs or spacers you decide to go with.

@Ole Cowboy I have to disagree with you about tenneco mainly because they are a competitor of the company I work for lol. Fox, King, And Falcon also make their shocks in house.

 

[Ole Cowboy]

If you are going rubicon you should be able to fit 35 inch tire with no problems as long as you are changing wheel offset too.

Spacer kits will work, but I would recommend getting a full kit. Everything is tuned for a specific spring rate / ride frequency, travel, un-sprung mass, suspension geometry, there is a lot that goes into it. Just a slight change can make it not very comfortable to drive, or cause shake. A full kit buy a good brand like AEV, Teraflex, or Evo for example will have spent the time to tune everything to work together and will have a pretty good ride quality. On the other hand, if you like tweaking stuff and want to tune it yourself get a nice set of adjustable shocks with whatever springs or spacers you decide to go with.

@Ole Cowboy I have to disagree with you about tenneco mainly because they are a competitor of the company I work for lol. Fox, King, And Falcon also make their shocks in house.

Hey Bro, I said Tenneco is one of the largest, and I said this: " Note there are some companies that make their own shocks in house, I THINK? Fox is one of them or was at one time."

Now that Jeep has seen to install a set of Fox under the Jeep there are some wins for the owners. A Jeep stock number and an expected life of AVAILABILITY of that shock for about 10 years. So whether Tenneco or Fox makes it it is now a winner.

Take Away: The Jeep world is FULL of nickel and dime companies that drop some coin on advertising some magical component that will make you king of the off-road world. Little of it works as promoted, most of the companies go out of business to never be heard from again. I will not mention names, only because I have been around a long time and attended the Off-Road Expo every year and I got to know a lot of the folks. Well intended, great idea, but with no money for proper testing they often failed. That said the problem you run into is the 'one man, one company, one product'. It fails on a trip to Moab and where do you get the spare part or a replacement????

 

[Alaska-HWY JK]

I’ve had a TeraFlex lift on my 07 JKU since 08. No unusual issues. I replaced a few of the control arm bushings over the years and need new shocks but it has 175,000km on it.
I’ll be looking at what Savvy/Currie has to offer when Wifey decides I can put something besides floor mats in her Rubi Gladiator.
The TeraFlex kit has worked well rolling on 37’s since 2009

 

[Ole Cowboy]

I’ve had a TeraFlex lift on my 07 JKU since 08. No unusual issues. I replaced a few of the control arm bushings over the years and need new shocks but it has 175,000km on it.
I’ll be looking at what Savvy/Currie has to offer when Wifey decides I can put something besides floor mats in her Rubi Gladiator.
The TeraFlex kit has worked well rolling on 37’s since 2009

Teraflex was the first and only kit I have ever used, nothing wrong with it as are most kits that come from companies that started in the TJ days and are still with us today...meaning their products have stood the test of time. Like most of the majors out there you can find its products in a plethora of dealers, meaning you won't set on the side of a trail for 2 weeks (as I have seen more than once) waiting on some part to be shipped when the owner gets back from vacation.

 

[Ole Cowboy]

Also where in Texas are you located and do you still own the shop?

No, I retired and sold my shop I guess due to burn out and checking a LOT of off-road boxes.

Yes I would change shocks if I went 2in or more. That said there are 'cheats', you can use spacers, but that has its limitation and I generally do not recommend it except in turning the suspension.

Things to consider: As the lift goes up so does the changing of the suspension parameters. <3 in and you get a fairly fast dial-in, go beyond that and things get dicey and it requires a LOT of dial-in time.

Based upon your input I would go with the FCA unit designed by them for the Jeep and for FCA to sell it they would have had to take into consideration all the factors that impact the suspension and mitigate any issues before release.

 

[BradWatson8541]

Thanks @Ole Cowboy I think you're right, better to be safe than sorry and i tend to keep my vehicles a long time. i would rather pay a little more now for the peace of mind than worry I'm causing more damage to other components in the long run.

Sponsored