This is the delicate conundrum I face with mine. The Gladiator is a pickup truck. I want it lifted and able to do some burly Jeep things, but I also need to use the bed and if it's lifted too much that obviously is a problem for loading and unloading. The 3.5" F/2.5" R lift on mine gives it a cool stance, preserves a hint of rake, and it's not too tall to drunkenly throw my amps and cabinets and drums into the back of it.
We have five ‘21 Gladiator Sport Max Tows converted to Jeep Tour service here and in Moab running this lift with the Fox shocks. The kits have performed perfectly. We now have four tour seasons in the books using this kit. The only issues we had were related to install mistakes on the part of the dealer, easily repaired. Were I to ever put a mild lift on my ‘23 Willys this is the one.
Yeah, when we had the rear diff go out, the junior service manager tried to blame it on the lift and tires. When I told her that we purchased the truck that way, from them, with about 20 miles on it, she changed the subject.MOPAR used to mean good quality, perfect fit, OEM warranty; all for a reasonable price. But like everything else under FCA and now STLA, Mopar has become just another money grab.
In 2020 I got the dealer to install a Mopar lift on my 2018 JL Sahara. Mopar was offering a special on parts and labor for $2,000, so I took the plunge.
The "2-inch" Mopar kit gave my non-Rubicon Jeep a lift of 3.5 inches, which is a LOT --see below. The kit includes longer control arms but no adjustable track bars, so my axles came back 1-inch off center. The lift kit also reuses the OE (i.e., weak) stabilizer.
Right away, the steering started wandering all over the road, and developed a strong pull to the right.
Brought the Jeep back to the dealer, who said they could "...not do anything because the vehicle has been modified." Then added that I needed to "bring the Jeep back to factory spec" if they were to look at it. I gave them a piece of my mind and stormed out.
My Jeep before and after the Mopar lift install
I got a YETI adjustable track bar installed by an independent shop, and a wheel alignment, for an additional $1,100. It didn't help.
Ordered a beefier Fox 2.0 stabilizer from Amazon ($175) and installed it myself. It helped a little.
Next thing was to get the steering box TSB done. The dealer came back with the same response: "we cannot do anything until the Jeep is back to factory spec." Again, I shared what I thought of them.
Got another dealer, 30 miles away, to do the TSB: it helped a LOT. The stiffer steering box and its recalibration restored much of the steering feel, and eliminated most of the pull.
Then one day I experienced a sudden, unexpected and severe case of Death Wobble crossing a set of diagonal train tracks. The steering wheel started pulling violently side to side. Thankfully I was doing only 40 MPH, so I was able to bring the vehicle to a complete stop without incident.
Never again did I experience DW in the following two years I kept the Jeep. But the trust was gone.
In summary: the Mopar lift is a complete waste of time and money in my experience. The longer control arms included in the kit are insufficient to correct for the lift's dramatic change in geometry. For the $3,300 I ended spending, I could have gotten a much higher quality lift, like, say Metalcloak, which is much better engineered, made of better grade materials, and includes everything you need.
With regards to getting a Mopar lift for the OE warranty: Mopar warranty has become a complete joke. Because Stellantis makes dealers' life so miserable, Jeep dealers do not want to do any warranty work. Period. Mopar or no Mopar; it doesn't matter.
Something to think about if you are considering a Mopar lift.
