Upgrading Overland (Rubicon Takeoffs or MOPAR 2”)

[Danroy]

Thinking to lift my Overland a bit and will eventually be running 35’s and I’m unsure on the pros/cons of either of these setups. Also I would like the front and rear to be somewhat level and would like to know if I’d need a leveling kit with either of these setups. Thanks in advance!

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[narcoteca]

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[Cdemarac]

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Thinking to lift my Overland a bit and will eventually be running 35’s and I’m unsure on the pros/cons of either of these setups. Also I would like the front and rear to be somewhat level and would like to know if I’d need a leveling kit with either of these setups. Thanks in advance!

this might be stupid advice coming from someone who’s actively trying to sell a rubicon stock suspension., But I’d just go for the two inch lift kit., Its the same amount of work. I get your saving a grand but it sounds like it would fit your needs better.

 

[z0lt3c]

Your not gonna be any more level with the 2" kit or the Rubicon take-off then you are now. I also wanted to do a lift and level on my Sport, I went with Synergy 2" coil springs in front and .75" Terraflex spacers + Rubicon Springs in the rear. This brought the front to rear rake differential down from 1.5" to .25". I would suggest a setup similar, you can mix and match brands and additional parts as you see fit.

 

[LoJac963]

You are talking about two different things, lifting and leveling. I just installed the Mopar 2" on mine and absolutely love the look but it definitely still has the rake. Matter of fact, after doing my bumper and winch I think the lift amplified the rake with that weight pulling it down. I will eventually do front spacers to level it some more but will need adjustable control arms at that point but considering I just dropped the money on the lift that won't be for a little while.

 

[Danroy]

this might be stupid advice coming from someone who’s actively trying to sell a rubicon stock suspension., But I’d just go for the two inch lift kit., Its the same amount of work. I get your saving a grand but it sounds like it would fit your needs better.

I’d just like to be able to run 35’s honestly.

Your not gonna be any more level with the 2" kit or the Rubicon take-off then you are now. I also wanted to do a lift and level on my Sport, I went with Synergy 2" coil springs in front and .75" Terraflex spacers + Rubicon Springs in the rear. This brought the front to rear rake differential down from 1.5" to .25". I would suggest a setup similar, you can mix and match brands and additional parts as you see fit.

I understand that the lift won’t level it. I guess I kind of had two questions in there. If I went with the rubicon takeoffs what leveling kit would I need to get it more level.

You are talking about two different things, lifting and leveling. I just installed the Mopar 2" on mine and absolutely love the look but it definitely still has the rake. Matter of fact, after doing my bumper and winch I think the lift amplified the rake with that weight pulling it down. I will eventually do front spacers to level it some more but will need adjustable control arms at that point but considering I just dropped the money on the lift that won't be for a little while.

You’re right, I need to look into what leveling kit I’d need for Rubicon suspension.

 

[Scruf]

So I'm in the same boat. I have an Overland and want to run 35"s. My Overland has 1.75" of rake. Since I plan to pull a trailer occasionally, I would like to keep roughly 1" of rake.

From what I've read, the Mopar lift keeps the factory rake. You could add a spacer to the front to level it a bit. However, in my opinion, I think this is the point where adj front lower control arms are needed to give you some caster back (beyond what the fixed length LCA in the Mopar kit gives you). And I think an adj track bar is a good idea to recenter the front axle under the vehicle.

You've also got to decide how much total lift you want. It seems that on non-Rubicons, the Mopar kit nets 2.5-3" of lift. Then if you add a spacer on top of that, you've got a fairly substantial lift... which to me would look better with 37"s. But 37"s are pushing it with the 3.73 gears.

The other option is to use Rubicon springs (generally worth 0.75" of lift) and then add a 1.5" spacer in the front and a 0.75" spacer in the rear.

Here's how I'm calculating costs...

$1200 - Mopar lift
$210 - Rubicon Express adj track bar
= $1410
$40 - 0.75 front spacer
$230 - Adj front control arms (price varies by brand)
= $1680


$300 - used Rubicon springs and shocks (price varies)
$100 - Teraflex 1.5" spacer with front bump stops
$40 - 0.75" rear spacer
$78 - rear bump stops from Mopar lift (68316588AA)
$93 - end links from Mopar lift (68306981AA and 68436812AA)
$61 - lower control arms from Mopar lift (68322798AA)
$118 - shock extensions from Rusty's offroad (Front - $59, Rear $59)
$210 - Rubicon Express adj track bar
= $1000

So the Mopar kit is roughly $400-700 more, but you get more lift from it and you get the Fox 2.0 shocks instead of the factory Rubicon Fox shocks.


Of course if all you want to do is fit 35"s and are ok with the factory Overland springs and shocks, then you could just do a bare bones spacer lift.

$90 - 1.5" Daystar spacer with front shock extensions
$40 - 0.75" rear spacer
= $130

 

[z0lt3c]

I understand that the lift won’t level it. I guess I kind of had two questions in there. If I went with the rubicon takeoffs what leveling kit would I need to get it more level.

My front was 1.5" higher then my rear, so if you are the same you would only want a 1.5" front spacer (with shock extensions) to level-off a rubicon spring swap.

However, I really don't see any reason to use Rubicon front springs. You can find superior aftermarket options for under $200. All you really want from the Rubicon is the rear springs and all 4 shocks.

 

[NC_Overland]

I’d personally throw a spacer on the front and Some rubicon take offs. Then down the road, put 35s on it. You can do it on an overland with a spacer up front. Other have.

That way it would look good for now and you could get your tires later. You could lift it later too if you wanted. A front spacer is super cheap and easy too.

 

[Scruf]

I also wanted to do a lift and level on my Sport, I went with Synergy 2" coil springs in front and .75" Terraflex spacers + Rubicon Springs in the rear. This brought the front to rear rake differential down from 1.5" to .25". I would suggest a setup similar, you can mix and match brands and additional parts as you see fit.

I think you mentioned it previously but I can't find the thread right now, how much lift did you get from the Synergy 2" springs?

The Mopar kit includes extended end links, extended bump stops, and lower control arms. Did you add any of these with your setup?

 

[z0lt3c]

I think you mentioned it previously but I can't find the thread right now, how much lift did you get from the Synergy 2" springs? The Mopar kit includes extended end links, extended bump stops, and lower control arms. Did you add any of these with your setup?

On the front, I got 3.4" of lift from the Synergy 2" coils and isolators. I also did use 2" Zone Offroad bump stops and the longer OEM end-links and LCA's from the Mopar 2" kit.

On the rear, I got 2.15" of lift from the Rubicon springs + .75" spacers

 

[Scruf]

On the front, I got 3.4" of lift from the Synergy 2" coils and isolators. I also did use 2" Zone Offroad bump stops and the longer OEM end-links and LCA's from the Mopar 2" kit.

On the rear, I got 2.15" of lift from the Rubicon springs + .75" spacers

For the Zone off-road bump stops, did you use the universal 2" ones? I didn't see any listed specific for the JT. Did you do any in the rear?

Did you do shock extensions with the Rubicon shocks?

Any idea what your caster is at after the lift?

 

[z0lt3c]

For the Zone off-road bump stops, did you use the universal 2" ones? I didn't see any listed specific for the JT. Did you do any in the rear? Did you do shock extensions with the Rubicon shocks? Any idea what your caster is at after the lift?

I used the Zone bump stop extenders J5201, front only, and Rubicon Express Shock Extensions, also front only. Nothing other then Rubicon springs and spacers in the rear.. My lift details are in this thread - but after the lift and with the longer LCAs my caster was 5.5 (L) and 5.3 (R). I replaced the Sport shocks w/ the Rubicon shocks later, because I found the Sport shocks had way to much rebound for my liking. Same shocks as overland TMK.

 

[Scruf]

I used the Zone bump stop extenders J5201, front only, and Rubicon Express Shock Extensions, also front only. Nothing other then Rubicon springs and spacers in the rear.. My lift details are in this thread - but after the lift and with the longer LCAs my caster was 5.5 (L) and 5.3 (R). I replaced the Sport shocks w/ the Rubicon shocks later, because I found the Sport shocks had way to much rebound for my liking. Same shocks as overland TMK.

Thanks for the link. I knew I had seen it but for the life of me I couldn't find it just now.

 

[watarski]

So I'm in the same boat. I have an Overland and want to run 35"s. My Overland has 1.75" of rake. Since I plan to pull a trailer occasionally, I would like to keep roughly 1" of rake.

From what I've read, the Mopar lift keeps the factory rake. You could add a spacer to the front to level it a bit. However, in my opinion, I think this is the point where adj front lower control arms are needed to give you some caster back (beyond what the fixed length LCA in the Mopar kit gives you). And I think an adj track bar is a good idea to recenter the front axle under the vehicle.

You've also got to decide how much total lift you want. It seems that on non-Rubicons, the Mopar kit nets 2.5-3" of lift. Then if you add a spacer on top of that, you've got a fairly substantial lift... which to me would look better with 37"s. But 37"s are pushing it with the 3.73 gears.

The other option is to use Rubicon springs (generally worth 0.75" of lift) and then add a 1.5" spacer in the front and a 0.75" spacer in the rear.

Here's how I'm calculating costs...

$1200 - Mopar lift
$210 - Rubicon Express adj track bar
= $1410
$40 - 0.75 front spacer
$230 - Adj front control arms (price varies by brand)
= $1680


$300 - used Rubicon springs and shocks (price varies)
$100 - Teraflex 1.5" spacer with front bump stops
$40 - 0.75" rear spacer
$78 - rear bump stops from Mopar lift (68316588AA)
$93 - end links from Mopar lift (68306981AA and 68436812AA)
$61 - lower control arms from Mopar lift (68322798AA)
$118 - shock extensions from Rusty's offroad (Front - $59, Rear $59)
$210 - Rubicon Express adj track bar
= $1000

So the Mopar kit is roughly $400-700 more, but you get more lift from it and you get the Fox 2.0 shocks instead of the factory Rubicon Fox shocks.


Of course if all you want to do is fit 35"s and are ok with the factory Overland springs and shocks, then you could just do a bare bones spacer lift.

$90 - 1.5" Daystar spacer with front shock extensions
$40 - 0.75" rear spacer
= $130

I'm planning on doing the Rubi + Teraflex front + Daystar rear before I put 35's on. Do you really need to do the below steps? I've never read anywhere on this site that it was a requirement to do this combo for the lift (not saying it's wrong, I'd like to understand why they're needed):

$78 - rear bump stops from Mopar lift (68316588AA)
$93 - end links from Mopar lift (68306981AA and 68436812AA)
$61 - lower control arms from Mopar lift (68322798AA)
$118 - shock extensions from Rusty's offroad (Front - $59, Rear $59)

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