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New Clayton 2.5" Kit!

j.o.y.ride

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Like many I see on here, I was going through the hemming and hawing over which lift kit to do. How much, which components, adjustable or not, shocks or extensions etc etc.

I spent a lot of time discussing it with members and vendors and mechanics. I looked at the Stage 2 2.5" EVO Enforcer kit For $1160 but it lacks any track bars. In speaking with the mechanic who will be dong this he strongly urged me to get the proper track bar. This guy is the mechanic and co-driver on a 4400 King Of The Hammers truck currently tied for 6th place in the Ultra 4 points class. If he tells me to get the proper track bar, I am going to get the proper track bar. So the EVO kit was out.

The MOPAR kit was a big contender because it is all proper length, but not knowing exactly what I would end up doing I wanted more downstream flexibility. Do it right the first time and not have to swap everything over. So I knew I wanted adjustable and enough shock travel to accommodate without extensions. With an adjustable kit and the proper shocks, if I want to go to 3.5" it's a matter of just springs and adjustments not a whole new kit.

I began speaking to @Clayton Off Road and explaining what I was looking for. Their kits are fantastic but they were a bit more than I was looking to spend for what I planned to do. Like many people these days we have a big interest in Overlanding, even as a day trip, and being able to confidently access remote lakes and creeks to distance and explore.

I was originally looking at the 2.5" Overland Plus kit but asked if they had a more 'stage' type of kit where I could get started today and add on the other parts I need later if I decided I need them for what I am doing. As it turned out, yes they were planning to release one soon and I could get an advance build of it.

So here it is. It's basically the Overland 2.5" kit with fewer control arms. So long as we have one set up front we can dial in the alignment my mechanic tells me. So If I want extra tweaks based on how I use it I can add those on as needed. If this does everything I need then fantastic.

Jeep Gladiator New Clayton 2.5" Kit! IMG_20200721_114023 (1)


Weights are: springs 21.2# and 12.2#. Front track bar 11.6#, rear 11.4#. Arms about 6.5#. Shocks 5# and 4.5#. Add in the sway bar links and you're at 125lbs or so on the Bak Revolver X4... barely any sag.

I added in the Fox shocks because the stock ones are garbage. I do a lot of highway driving and the back end can get hella sketchy on certain sections of highway that are undulating. It can get into a rhythm of building rebound, I even had it hit the bump stops once on the way to Yosemite with the bed loaded pretty well.

I also added the JKS disconnects because not Rubicon.

It is heading to the shop today and I will pick it up probably Thursday, just based on my wife's work schedule to be able to drive me back. I plan to run the stock tires for a few days to see how much the kit and shocks itself contribute to the drive vs also introducing tires and rims. Yeah it'll look a bit goofy for a bit but no worries.

I will grab some stock measurements for height before I head out.

Jeep Gladiator New Clayton 2.5" Kit! IMG_20200721_113826
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This has me really anxious. I am dropping my truck off tomorrow at American Vintage 4x4 in Meridian Idaho to have the Clayton Overland 2.5" installed with the same shocks & JKS Quicker Disconencts. Also doing the Synergy Sector Shaft brace at the same time. Then throwing my not yet installed Motobilt Skid Plates on to give me more flex, height & protection all at the same time.
 

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Interesting that they're providing front upper arms instead of lowers for a package like this. I'm not doubting them because I know they know what they're doing. Just interesting. I bet that's going to be a great setup!
 

Seanrobsar

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I was looking at Clayton too. Let me know how your setup feels when loaded. My back end gets bouncy too. Thanks
 
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j.o.y.ride

j.o.y.ride

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I was looking at Clayton too. Let me know how your setup feels when loaded. My back end gets bouncy too. Thanks
I was really interested in the Falcon adjustable but we know the Fox work well with the kit, and if I do go Falcon later I can do a compare.
 

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Seanrobsar

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I was really interested in the Falcon adjustable but we know the Fox work well with the kit, and if I do go Falcon later I can do a compare.
The spring rates for Clayton coils are supposed to be stiffer. I'm really interested if you get a stiffer ride.
 
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j.o.y.ride

j.o.y.ride

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The spring rates for Clayton coils are supposed to be stiffer. I'm really interested if you get a stiffer ride.
Oakland huh? Im across the bay. The worst spot I have had for bounce is Caldecott Tunnel west bound. It's bad on 92 in San Mateo too but Caldecott is nasty.
 

Seanrobsar

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Oakland huh? Im across the bay. The worst spot I have had for bounce is Caldecott Tunnel west bound. It's bad on 92 in San Mateo too but Caldecott is nasty.
I hear ya. I work in Redwood City.
 

DeezJT

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Nice. I'm pulling the trigger next month on my lift but i'm still 50/50 on whether to go with a spacer kit on my current max tow suspension. This is a direct contender to the MC setup i have in mind.

How long did it take to receive the kit?
 

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j.o.y.ride

j.o.y.ride

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Nice. I'm pulling the trigger next month on my lift but i'm still 50/50 on whether to go with a spacer kit on my current max tow suspension. This is a direct contender to the MC setup i have in mind.

How long did it take to receive the kit?
Delivered07/17/2020 5:03 P.M.PALO ALTO, CA, US
Past EventOut for Delivery07/17/2020 8:41 A.M.Menlo Park, CA, United States
Past EventShipped07/10/2020 7:25 P.M.Orange, CT, United States
 

DeezJT

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thanks @j.o.y.ride ... my previous lift kits took over a month before even being shipped, and MC has about a 2 month wait per another forum member.

Did u wait several weeks before it even shipped?
 
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j.o.y.ride

j.o.y.ride

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thanks @j.o.y.ride ... my previous lift kits took over a month before even being shipped, and MC has about a 2 month wait per another forum member.

Did u wait several weeks before it even shipped?
Will PM you, but the answer is no, super fast turnaround
 
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I'm glad you got the lift you wanted, but I just want to make sure people are aware that EVO does offer kits that include the front, or both front & rear track bars in them... The Enforcer 2.5" Stage 2 Plus (the kit i have) includes both F&R track bars and is ~$1,600 price range. It does not, however, include any shocks.

I just want to make sure other people reading this thread in the future are aware of this information.
 
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j.o.y.ride

j.o.y.ride

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Dropped the truck off. The first thing he asked when he saw the springs was how big a lift it is, because they were seriously beefy to him. He was also super happy to see them as progressive rate, which he has been looking for for other customers.

He walked us around his KOTH truck, built from scratch. Turned it on for my son, something like 500hp I think he said. He has a new IFS truck with 800hp that he got 5th at KOTH this year before the season cancelled. He was saying the IFS is brutal in the rocks because you can't crawl or the angles get too steep and it will break, they have to just plow through them. His solid axle truck will articulate the wheel all the way to the roll bar, something like 28" of articulation I think he said. Took the old KOTH truck to Rubicon and forgot to air down, ran right through on 35psi and didn't even notice. It's way too easy on that rig.

If you're in the area and need work done, go talk to Cliff.
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