Learning about lift kit questions and comparing

[Yellow1098]

i was hoping you guys could help me learn a bit about lifting our trucks. I’m not sure what some of the difference is in the prices of the kits? I know alot about muscle car suspensions and what does what but not trucks. Is the biggest difference in a 2.5 or 3 inch lift which shocks you buy in how it rides? What about rough country isn’t as good as let’s say Evo? My mind would just say the shocks or is it springs also? Do the higher end kits include things that make a big difference? Do I need track bars? What do they do? Do I need to run new control arms? It looks like essentially the lifts are just taller springs and shocks and everything else just supports that but I’m Sure there is a lot more to it that effects ride quality. I’m sure this info would help a lot on here understand and not be so confused when wanting to lift our trucks, especially when looking at people selling used kits and how much to spend. Thank you!

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[chorky]

The first thing to do is have a true and honest conversation with yourself and identify the PRIMARY purpose for lifting, and the situations your Jeep will realistically see. Otherwise you may find yourself spending entirely too much on unnecessary things, or get a life that is unfit for the terrain you frequent.

 

[KevinC]

You are asking a lot of questions in one paragraph. Any answer you receive is going to be all over the place.

Reputable suspension kit manufacturers put in a lot of time researching and developing their kits. Springs and shocks are tuned together. Spring rates are different and the shock needs to be tuned to that rate. Control arm length is critical to spring height. The higher you go, the more the geometry is affected and you have to have the right components to fix it. Front driveshaft hits exhaust pipe after 3", axle shifts to one side after 2", control arms not parallel after 1/2".

The cheap lifts are just that. Cheap parts.

 

[Chunky White]

The purpose of control arms is to keep your solid front axles in the same location with the same pinion angle as they are at stock height. The trackbar keep the axle centered right to left because the axle shifts side to side when the body moves farther or closer to the axles. The cheaper lifts work great for many people and most likely most people but they are made from cheaper materials that might wear out quicker. I might be optimistic but I would like to think the smaller companies making lifts for specific Jeeps or whatever have taken more time and studied what works better for each vehicle versus the big lift companies that are producing lifts for every truck and suv on the market. I am stuck on whether i want Claytons and Metalcloak. I have wanted Claytons suspension since I had a WJ but Metalcloak looks like a good product also.

If you are mallcrawlin you don't need the most expensive but keeping the correct suspension geometry by getting control arm drop brackets or just a upper or lower arm and trackbars seems like a good idea too me. Upgrading other steering parts seems like a good idea also

 

[MrClortho]

#1: What is your budget? Once you get that figured, then you can choose a kit. Suspension systems are often "you get what you pay for" but that also depends on what you want. If it is a simple spacer kit to get a 2" level, that is a completely different ballgame than a full 3"+ kit.

I've lifted many rigs over the years and to me, it boils down to these two categories:

1. Small leveling kit (1" - 2.5")
Cost effective, allows you to run a little bigger tire, often times rides like stock, not really much improvement overall other than a little more ground clearance and looks. This can be done as cheaply as spacers and shock relocation brackets.

2. Full suspension kit (3" and up)
Costly, but worth it if you can budget it. Big improvement in performance and ride assuming you go with a full, high quality kit. In this case, I suggest the Clayton 3.5" Overland Plus kit, add shocks of your choice (a am running Fox 2.0s for budget but they ride excellent) and you are solid. For 37's and larger, I also suggest the Apex 2.5 ton steering upgrade with booster. You would be looking at $5k-$6k installed but have yourself a fully setup, excellent riding and performing JT with no guesses.

 

[Yellow1098]

I was just asking generally about learning the differences in lift kits as the prices can swing pretty big and then find people selling kits used on marketplace and such. I live in florida so there’s not a lot of hardcore crawling but want a great ride on the street and trails. The questions in the original post were just examples of what I was trying to have a conversation around.

im sure a lot of people just buy the best and will never use all what they spend there money on just because it’s the “best”….I can give examples in the muscle car world like you don’t need a 4 link rear suspension when A good set of aftermarket leaf springs will do the job just fine but you can spend 5 k more just cause it’s the “best“

if that makes sense

 

[Chunky White]

The Clayton ride right kit and some shocks seem like a good starting point because the other control arms could be added if you decided to go more extreme at some point. I am sure any brand would have what it seems like you need but I am not sure how good Rough Country or Skyjacker or whoevers shocks are in the cheaper kits. I would probably get Bilstein 5100's at the least

I have not done anything to my Gladiator yet but my experience with the big brand companies on other vehicles hasn't been all great. Some parts were good but shocks and bushings and one broken weld on a trackbar has me being more cautious on what I buy now.

 

[nickd]

I bought my JTR determined to not let message board posts sway me to unneeded upgrades. I had a mustangs in the past went down this route and ultimately ended up hating the vehicle after spending thousands of dollars on the "best" suspension upgrades.

Like others have said determine how you will be using the vehicle and do suspension upgrades slowly. Doing everything all at once will make it difficult to determine what you hate and what you like.

The way to do this without breaking the bank is to buy stuff used and to do the installation work yourself.

 

[Yellow1098]

I bought my JTR determined to not let message board posts sway me to unneeded upgrades. I had a mustangs in the past went down this route and ultimately ended up hating the vehicle after spending thousands of dollars on the "best" suspension upgrades.

Like others have said determine how you will be using the vehicle and do suspension upgrades slowly. Doing everything all at once will make it difficult to determine what you hate and what you like.

The way to do this without breaking the bank is to buy stuff used and to do the installation work yourself.

that was absolutely my plan! I can do the work myself no problem and intend to

here are the used ones I’m looking at so far what you guys think?for $500 and get my own shocks

what are your guys thoughts?

 

[nickd]

are you planning on running 40" tires?? A lift greater than 3" creates a need for a lot of other upgrades. 40" tires also require other considerations... Drive shaft spacers? Relocation brackets? Ball joint upgrades? Regearing...

Unless you are planning on rock climbing I would recommend staying at 37s and 2-2.5" lift.

 

[Yellow1098]

I am planning on 37’s ..thank you

 

[Chunky White]

I am sure I am overlooking something but all I can think of adding would be a front trackbar and maybe a control arm geometry bracket for the front. AEV and Rancho sale the geometry brackets and I am sure someone else might also. Trackbars you could go with whoever you choose. I am sure you'd be fine without what I mentioned but that would keep your suspension geometry closer to stock

 

[DEEZEL805]

Ive had two gladiators now, both got Evo 2.5" kits with Fox shocks. Had great luck with both kits. But only ran 35's.

 

[Wheelin98TJ]

i was hoping you guys could help me learn a bit about lifting our trucks. I’m not sure what some of the difference is in the prices of the kits? I know alot about muscle car suspensions and what does what but not trucks. Is the biggest difference in a 2.5 or 3 inch lift which shocks you buy in how it rides? What about rough country isn’t as good as let’s say Evo? My mind would just say the shocks or is it springs also? Do the higher end kits include things that make a big difference? Do I need track bars? What do they do? Do I need to run new control arms? It looks like essentially the lifts are just taller springs and shocks and everything else just supports that but I’m Sure there is a lot more to it that effects ride quality. I’m sure this info would help a lot on here understand and not be so confused when wanting to lift our trucks, especially when looking at people selling used kits and how much to spend. Thank you!

My answers are in bold.

I’m not sure what some of the difference is in the prices of the kits? Parts included, quality of parts, and bigger/smaller margins on the parts.
Is the biggest difference in a 2.5 or 3 inch lift which shocks you buy in how it rides? Shocks play a big role in how soft or rough it rides. Coils do too, but typically the coils we use are within a range that does not impact soft/rough ride as much as shocks do.
What about rough country isn’t as good as let’s say Evo? My mind would just say the shocks or is it springs also? Shocks, bushings/rod ends, sometimes the springs. RC has had some decent springs and they've had some that sag prematurely.
Do the higher end kits include things that make a big difference? Usually yes.
Do I need track bars? What do they do? The track bars locate the axle side-to-side. Axles will no longer be centered when you add a lift. Not a big deal with a smaller lift like 1.5-2", but it becomes more noticeable with 2.5"+ of lift.
Do I need to run new control arms? Front uppers or lowers can be used to adjust caster. Caster decreases when you add a lift. Ideally you increase caster to a little greater than the OE spec when you are lifted on bigger tires. This is to keep it tracking straight and not wandering. Adjustable arms also allow you to center the tires in the wheel wells and adjust pinion angles so there isn't vibrations. Smaller lifts (1.5-3" or so) can get away with just a set of front arms. Taller lifts (4"+) ideally need arms all around.

 

[chorky]

that was absolutely my plan! I can do the work myself no problem and intend to

here are the used ones I’m looking at so far what you guys think?for $500 and get my own shocks

what are your guys thoughts?

You really need to think about your end goal first before looking at anything. What is your goal? What is your intended use?

Because if you just go buy something, it might be totally wrong for your specific use case. This is something almost everybody overlooks and it always results in more money spent later.

For this particular option, it would be ok for daily driving, mild off road. But it is not good for hauling a lot of extra weight if you do the whole overloading thing. It would be ok for some towing once in a while, but if you tow a boat often and it is heavy you will sag.

So identifying your intended use and needs first is critical

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