lift, is this everything?

[starrskream]

SO... after lots and lots of research, videos, forums and the like this is where I'm at.

this meets a lot of my needs, i don't want a big lift, just some lift. I'm likely never going go go rock crawling(i don't even think there's a place near me to do that) I might hit some light or medium trails if i go out with one of the local groups here. AFAIK in my area of NY there's not even any real trails open to the public. Most of them are out near Allegheny forest or in PA.

I may or may not buy it all from Northridge, likely going to piece it our catching sales here and there. Unless a big holiday sale hits.
the items in this list were provided in a VERY comprehensive video i found on youtube.
is this everything i will need?
I have the Mopar steel bumper, I've seen the shock reservoirs mount to the bumper somehow, do i need brackets for that?
Do i need anything more for the rear ?
I want to be able to align the vehicle properly
I DO NOT want crabwalk or misaligned axles vs body
I want a smooth comfortable ride on road and off(off road within reason lol)
I've seen people truss their front axle, what's that about and is it worth it for my goals?

(apologies for the odd images, i use a forced dark mode in my browser. I get migraines a lot and this helps a bit)

thank you for looking and providing any ideas/ tips you may have!

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[Wheelin98TJ]

Are you adding the 3/4" coil spacers front and rear?

Have you thought about a 2-3" kit from one of the aftermarket vendors? I think for the price, you can do better than the Mopar 2" kit.

 

[starrskream]

Are you adding the 3/4" coil spacers front and rear?

Have you thought about a 2-3" kit from one of the aftermarket vendors? I think for the price, you can do better than the Mopar 2" kit.

according to the video i watched (i'd have to look again) he just used the fronts to level it our and help compensate for steel bumper sag. would it be bad if i did add the spacers front and rear?
heres the video (ive posted it before on the forum)
https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=jz02ZX8oG-E&list=TLPQMjAwMzIwMjUISsDcRpTV7Q&index=4
remove the spaces, it wont pop the video in properly.
i havent seen any of the other lifts up close as of yet. I did get a chance to see one on another gladiator at the dealer last summer. It seemed well built and solid. Adding the pieces i selected (again based off the video i linked) it seems darn near bullet proof. I spoke with the guy and he has over 100k on that setup with zero issues.

 

[Greg_L]

For that kind of money you can do better than a hodge-podge piecemeal kit. Not that there's anything wrong with what you've selected, but much of it is unnecessary if you're just looking for basically a leveling kit. A 2" front level doesn't need all that extra stuff.

 

[Wheelin98TJ]

Let's look at just the suspension pieces you are considering. We can leave out the steering parts since it's a wash with whatever suspension setup you decide on.

$98.00 - RK TB relocaiton bracket
$279.00 - Yeti front TB
$62.00 - Coil spacers
$2,095.00 - Mopar 2" kit (w/ Bilstein 5160 shocks)
$313.00 - Teraflex control arm brackets
-------------------------------------
$2,847.00 - Total

The Bilstein 5160 shocks are $275/ea from Northridge or $1,100 for all 4.

Using Northridge pricing, you could do a Clayton 2.5" Ride Right with Bilstein 5160 shocks for $2,494. I like the Clayton kit over the Mopar kit for these reasons:

1. Adjustable rear track bar included. You won't need a rear TB bracket and you have adjustability to perfectly center the axle for practically any height and weight.
2. Adjustable front track bar included.
3. You shouldn't need coil spacers because Clayton kits lift the front about 1" higher than the rear.
4. You get adjustable upper front arms instead of fixed lower arms.

You don't need the Teraflex brackets with the Clayton kit, but if you still wanted to add them, you'd be at the same price as the Mopar kit, but with what I think is a better setup.

 

[ratherbskiing]

Realize I'm in the minority here, but for those just beginning their journey into mods, MOPAR does offer some piece-of-mind, even if more perceived than real. I think your approach is sensible.

I personally went with the rancho geo brackets FWIW.

 

[starrskream]

Let's look at just the suspension pieces you are considering. We can leave out the steering parts since it's a wash with whatever suspension setup you decide on.

$98.00 - RK TB relocaiton bracket
$279.00 - Yeti front TB
$62.00 - Coil spacers
$2,095.00 - Mopar 2" kit (w/ Bilstein 5160 shocks)
$313.00 - Teraflex control arm brackets
-------------------------------------
$2,847.00 - Total

The Bilstein 5160 shocks are $275/ea from Northridge or $1,100 for all 4.

Using Northridge pricing, you could do a Clayton 2.5" Ride Right with Bilstein 5160 shocks for $2,494. I like the Clayton kit over the Mopar kit for these reasons:

1. Adjustable rear track bar included. You won't need a rear TB bracket and you have adjustability to perfectly center the axle for practically any height and weight.
2. Adjustable front track bar included.
3. You shouldn't need coil spacers because Clayton kits lift the front about 1" higher than the rear.
4. You get adjustable upper front arms instead of fixed lower arms.

You don't need the Teraflex brackets with the Clayton kit, but if you still wanted to add them, you'd be at the same price as the Mopar kit, but with what I think is a better setup.

i think the biggest difference is the drag link, the griffon has a "shock" built into it. I do not fully understand how it works, as it was described to me it reduces vibrations. You also did not include the upgraded fox steering stabilizer i had in my cart.
You are correct on the adjustable control arms, which is something i may add after the fact depending on how the alignment turns out. The video i linked above the guy used this same setup and he was dead on, except a factory setting. I spoke with him and even after 100k he's still running strong.
the other difference i noted is the mopar kit uses linear springs. the clayton does not. As i understand it multi stage springs only benefit from at or near full flex situations. with the vehicle sitting one stage is compressed and results in a stiffer ride compared to linear springs. this matters to me because i spent a great deal more time on road than off road. this truck isn't my weekend warrior but my daily driver.
it does balance out as less without the drag link im looking at. but only by the price of that part.

 

[Wheelin98TJ]

i think the biggest difference is the drag link, the griffon has a "shock" built into it. I do not fully understand how it works, as it was described to me it reduces vibrations. You also did not include the upgraded fox steering stabilizer i had in my cart.
You are correct on the adjustable control arms, which is something i may add after the fact depending on how the alignment turns out. The video i linked above the guy used this same setup and he was dead on, except a factory setting. I spoke with him and even after 100k he's still running strong.
the other difference i noted is the mopar kit uses linear springs. the clayton does not. As i understand it multi stage springs only benefit from at or near full flex situations. with the vehicle sitting one stage is compressed and results in a stiffer ride compared to linear springs. this matters to me because i spent a great deal more time on road than off road. this truck isn't my weekend warrior but my daily driver.
it does balance out as less without the drag link im looking at. but only by the price of that part.

I did not include the Fox steering stabilizer or the drag link because it's an added cost for whatever suspension you decide to go with.

What do you mean the guy was dead on with his setup except a factory setting? What factory setting was not good? Maybe caster? Something to note with caster, you do not want the factory 4.5 degree setting when you have bigger tires. You want more caster, somewhere around 6 degrees.

Single rate vs varaible rate coils, at ride height and going down the road they ride the same. You're not into the higher rate of the variable rate coil at ride height. The variable rate gives you more load carrying capacity and it allows the springs to have a longer free length and remain seated better with suspension travel.

I have 55k miles on my Clayton setup and it has been great. It does not get wheeled ever. It rides really good. Friends that ride in my Jeep say it rides good.

 

[UTDieselRubi]

My opinion is that the Mopar kit is the best deal on remote reservoir shocks, plus springs and the what not, however I got mine from BAM wholesale for only 1600 recently, so check there. That said, for what your doing, dont truss your axle or worry about steering parts aside from the stabilizer, those are crawling parts. What I learned from the mopar kit however, is you will need adjustable front lower control arms as the mopar arms dont cut it for a good alignment. I personally prefer adjustables over brackets. Those can be found for decent prices as well. You will need both front and rear adjustable track bars, my axles were way off after the lift, but I already had CORE4x4 track bars ready. Only thing that caught me off gaurd was the control arms but I got those and and now its perfect. Most other lift kits in the price range do not offer remote reservoir, so I stay away. Lastly, the remote reservoir on the bilsteins comw with mounts and mount to the frame before the bumper, they do not interfere with either the plastic or steel mopar bumpers. Hope this helps!

 

[4x4 Shep]

SO... after lots and lots of research, videos, forums and the like this is where I'm at.

this meets a lot of my needs, i don't want a big lift, just some lift. I'm likely never going go go rock crawling(i don't even think there's a place near me to do that) I might hit some light or medium trails if i go out with one of the local groups here. AFAIK in my area of NY there's not even any real trails open to the public. Most of them are out near Allegheny forest or in PA.

I may or may not buy it all from Northridge, likely going to piece it our catching sales here and there. Unless a big holiday sale hits.
the items in this list were provided in a VERY comprehensive video i found on youtube.
is this everything i will need?
I have the Mopar steel bumper, I've seen the shock reservoirs mount to the bumper somehow, do i need brackets for that?
Do i need anything more for the rear ?
I want to be able to align the vehicle properly
I DO NOT want crabwalk or misaligned axles vs body
I want a smooth comfortable ride on road and off(off road within reason lol)
I've seen people truss their front axle, what's that about and is it worth it for my goals?

(apologies for the odd images, i use a forced dark mode in my browser. I get migraines a lot and this helps a bit)

thank you for looking and providing any ideas/ tips you may have!

You may consider adding a 2.50 leveling kit. Mammoth has a complete kit. I installed it on my Rubicon.
Works great and is approved by Jeep.

 

[starrskream]

I did not include the Fox steering stabilizer or the drag link because it's an added cost for whatever suspension you decide to go with.

What do you mean the guy was dead on with his setup except a factory setting? What factory setting was not good? Maybe caster? Something to note with caster, you do not want the factory 4.5 degree setting when you have bigger tires. You want more caster, somewhere around 6 degrees.

Single rate vs varaible rate coils, at ride height and going down the road they ride the same. You're not into the higher rate of the variable rate coil at ride height. The variable rate gives you more load carrying capacity and it allows the springs to have a longer free length and remain seated better with suspension travel.

I have 55k miles on my Clayton setup and it has been great. It does not get wheeled ever. It rides really good. Friends that ride in my Jeep say it rides good.

according to the video i linked everything was green except toe in according to him.

If i tow it will be super rare. Im not looking to overland. if down the road i want stiffer rear springs ill buy them, i just dont see a need for it at this point.
are the variable springs a better on road ride than factory? if so that might be a deciding factor for me. im not planning to off road much, but i dont want to worry if i do. that's more the point of this setup. on road comfort and a lift with some added ability off road.

 

[4x4 Shep]

according to the video i linked everything was green except toe in according to him.

If i tow it will be super rare. Im not looking to overland. if down the road i want stiffer rear springs ill buy them, i just dont see a need for it at this point.
are the variable springs a better on road ride than factory? if so that might be a deciding factor for me. im not planning to off road much, but i dont want to worry if i do. that's more the point of this setup. on road comfort and a lift with some added ability off road.

I installed Clayton variable springs for topper and load. I had to install adjustable track bar because of the rear springs.
I installed adjustable upper control arms on front to get camber right.
The vehicle rides great on and off road.

 

[Wheelin98TJ]

according to the video i linked everything was green except toe in according to him.

If i tow it will be super rare. Im not looking to overland. if down the road i want stiffer rear springs ill buy them, i just dont see a need for it at this point.
are the variable springs a better on road ride than factory? if so that might be a deciding factor for me. im not planning to off road much, but i dont want to worry if i do. that's more the point of this setup. on road comfort and a lift with some added ability off road.

I watched a little of the video. I see his caster is at 6.5. That's good. I thought it would be lower, but I forgot about the control arm brackets being used with the Mopar lift kit arms.

Springs don't really matter when it comes to ride. As long as you're not using a spring for a 1 ton diesel truck. Shocks are much more important.

 

[starrskream]

I watched a little of the video. I see his caster is at 6.5. That's good. I thought it would be lower, but I forgot about the control arm brackets being used with the Mopar lift kit arms.

Springs don't really matter when it comes to ride. As long as you're not using a spring for a 1 ton diesel truck. Shocks are much more important.

one thing i do wonder about is drive shaft angles. will i run into any issues with such a small lift?

 

[Wheelin98TJ]

one thing i do wonder about is drive shaft angles. will i run into any issues with such a small lift?

Good question. No problems with drive shaft angles.

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