Learning about lift kit questions and comparing

[Yellow1098]

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

what more would I need to make it really good for daily driving instead of ok? Besides great shocks? Would getting all that without shocks be good for $400?

I can also get an Evo 2.5 enforcer with track bars and bilsteins for for about $1,200

currently weighing those options

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[chorky]

what more would I need to make it really good for daily driving instead of ok? Besides great shocks? Would getting all that without shocks be good for $400?

I can also get an Evo 2.5 enforcer with track bars and bilsteins for for about $1,200

currently weighing those options

If your main concern is simply daily driving with occasional camping/hauling from the hardware store, you could probably get by just fine with a spacer lift even. Maybe throw in geo-correction brackets and adjustable track bars if you wanted to. I am unsure of the valving difference between the AEV branded bilsteins, and the standard bilsteins and that is one area that AEV would not give me insider info on. But I had standard 5100's on my old F350 and I was plenty pleased with them.

So here is an idea - just an idea to think outside the box:
https://www.northridge4x4.com/part/0-2in-lifts/n0921000ac-aev-2in-spacer-lift-kit
https://www.northridge4x4.com/part/...n-front-and-rear-b8-5100-shock-kit-2-3in-lift
https://www.northridge4x4.com/part/...n-front-and-rear-b8-5100-shock-kit-2-3in-lift

Now the MOPAR springs for $400 sounds like a good deal possibly. However I don't know how those springs feel. With a spacer lift you retain the current feel of your stock springs. So that is a personal choice - do you like the current springs, or do you want/need stiffer ones? But that route is cheaper. If this is a daily vehicle, I would still recommend geo-correction brackets - or at least the longer MOPAR control arms. There is a lot of debate on this because ride quality is super subjective. And a lot of people will flat out ignore YOUR use case and still argue "arms, because brackets hang up on rocks" even though that appears to not be your use case. But the fact is geo correction brackets are the only way to truly account and adjust geometry for lift. Adjustable arms do NOT account for all aspects of geometry. But the main debate here is, are brackets truly a benefit, or is the amount of geometry change from longer arms not enough to make a harsher ride. According to MOPAR the answer is no since they offer a longer control arm with their lift. Personally, for me I wanted geo correction brackets to reduce the angle of the control arms. It also depends on how OCD you are or how much you pay attention to details and NVH concerns.

As for the Evo lift - I really don't know anything about them. But I would ask myself what type of bushings they use if you are considering control arms from them. Bushings make, or can make, a big difference in ride quality and NVH. Most places will say "we use dual durometer bushings for a quiet ride" but that doesn't say jack squat. You need to know the very specifics of WHAT the durometers (a measurement of stiffness of sorts) is, in order to understand the positive or negative implications. And even more, if this really is a daily driver, I would argue that you want to stay as close to the factory style clevite bushings as possible - meaning, the MOPAR arms or geo brackets would be preferred over anything else.

At the end of the day, if your rig is simply a DD and not a frequent crazy off road rig - KISS. That will be easiest, and cheapest, and least likely to cause negative effects. And of course all this is my personal opinion - to which many people here will argue against - but that is because every case, need, desire, budget, abilities are different. So take it with a grain of salt.

 

[SoK66]

Lots of good advice here so I'll try not to be redundant. From experience both with my own Jeeps and watching fellow Jeepers & club members I will add this: You Get What You Pay For. Cheap lifts are cheap for a lot of reasons, but the most common factors are incomplete parts content (missing components) and cheap quality parts. When a famous bottom feeder company (rhymes with a cola sold in the south) tosses out a $900 2.5" kit, but a company known for quality and performance puts out same 2.5" kit for two to three times that amount it's time to smell the coffee. There is no free lunch where suspensions are concerned.

Then there's this question: Why would you put a cheap suspension on an expensive, quality vehicle like a JK, JL or Gladiator? Every time I've driven a Jeep someone has put one of these cheap kits on the ride & handling will have taken a step backwards.

So, as we say, buy quality and "Bleed once, cry once."

 

[RK Racing]

Bottom line is if you five and dime a suspension together that’s what it’s gonna ride like. If you want to steer straight, you better have control arms and adjustable track bars.

 

[Reddout99]

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?

Do you know how many miles are on these components? If you are looking to buy that setup, I would suggest a set of Fox shocks to accompany the lift. Also, you may consider extended rear sway bar links. On my JK I had I was able to get extended ones for the front & I moved the front ones to the rear. Not sure if that is an option on the JTs. Perhaps geometry brackets for the front lower control arms as well, if staying with the current control arms. For me, as a Daily Driver JT, the Mopar 2" lift is perfect. I'm running 37s on it too with zero rubbing issues.
I have a adjustable rear track bar and will be purchasing the same for the front soon. Like others have said lifting will shift the axles under or trucks some. Having the adjustable track bars help dial everything back in.
Good luck in whatever you decide on.

 

[Yellow1098]

Thank you guys so much for all the information I learned a lot from this thread……he was saying the parts had 3500 miles on them and was offering to sell me these fox shocks that came off of it for $900 total for everything

or I was going to buy this Evo kit which I have the opportunity to get for $1350 with the bilsteins and also has track bars that has 5,000 miles on it

which one would you go with?

 

[Wheelin98TJ]

Is $1,700ish above your budget? That is about what you'd spend on a Clayton 2.5" Ride Right with Bilstein 5100 shocks.

I think you'd be better off with new parts, but if you're looking to spend less, I can understand.

 

[Yellow1098]

Is $1,700ish above your budget? That is about what you'd spend on a Clayton 2.5" Ride Right with Bilstein 5100 shocks.

I think you'd be better off with new parts, but if you're looking to spend less, I can understand.

My budget was a bit below that but I 100% see your point. Do you have a link to that kit? I looked on the website and can’t find it. Is that much better quality than that EVO 2.5 I sent over?

 

[Wheelin98TJ]

My budget was a bit below that but I 100% see your point. Do you have a link to that kit? I looked on the website and can’t find it. Is that much better quality than that EVO 2.5 I sent over?

Sure, here is the Clayton 2.5" Ride Right:

https://www.claytonoffroad.com/product/jeep-gladiator-25-ride-right-lift-kit-2020-jt-1

You can get a discount on the price listed on their website. I ordered mine through Kolak Performance and the owner, Nick, gave me a nice discount.

Clayton vs EVO, I don't have experience with EVO. The people that use EVO stuff seem to like it. The one thing I don't care for with the $1,800 EVO kit is you do not get a set of front control arms a that price. You have to add them and pay more.

I chose Clayton for mine because I thought it was the best value for the money. Their Ride Right kits include front arms. Clayton has been in the business for over 20 years with a focus on Jeeps.

 

[Yellow1098]

Thank you so much

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