What’s the best middle-of-the-road lift kit?

[WesMills7]

Hey everyone. Hope you all had a great 4th of July. I’m new to the JT group and I’m starting to think about mods. I’ve been having a big dilemma on what kind of lift kit I should buy...maybe you guys can help me out.

I plan to put 37” Nittos on with a 3.5” lift. I also plan to do some off-roading/overlanding, but nothing serious. Think of me as just your average Joe when it comes to off-roading. My budget isn’t super high (that may change in the future), but I’m willing to put decent money into something good and reliable. With all of that said, what lift should I look at to be able to do all of those things and be happy with my purchase? Let me hear your thoughts, maybe some pros and cons, and if you are running a particular setup on your JT, feel free to post it so I can have a look at it!!

Thanks everyone!

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[BLK HOLE]

Its not 3.5" but you cam make it 3" with some spacers....but 1200 bucks for a MOPAR lift is a great deal for the ride quality and offroad performance.

 

[bastage]

I would say probably the Mopar, but leave it at 2". You wont have a problem with 37's on the 2" lift.

 

[z0lt3c]

I think alot depends on if you want to lift or lift & level. Given the rear end is already 1.5" higher then the front, if your intention is to level, it doesn't make much sense to use the Mopar 2" kit and bring the rear up even higher. My suggestion is to go with a 2" spring lift in the front, like Synergy and then a Rubicon spring and .75" spacer in the rear. This will bring the rake down to about .25" front to rear.

Also as an FYI, given you have a Sport, note that most manufacturers are quoting lift from the Rubicon, which sits higher to start. So you will get more then 2" of lift with either the Mopar lift or aftermarket springs rated as such. I got almost 3.5" of lift on the front with Synergy 2" coils.

 

[Alabama Mud Machine]

Hey everyone. Hope you all had a great 4th of July. I’m new to the JT group and I’m starting to think about mods. I’ve been having a big dilemma on what kind of lift kit I should buy...maybe you guys can help me out.

I plan to put 37” Nittos on with a 3.5” lift. I also plan to do some off-roading/overlanding, but nothing serious. Think of me as just your average Joe when it comes to off-roading. My budget isn’t super high (that may change in the future), but I’m willing to put decent money into something good and reliable. With all of that said, what lift should I look at to be able to do all of those things and be happy with my purchase? Let me hear your thoughts, maybe some pros and cons, and if you are running a particular setup on your JT, feel free to post it so I can have a look at it!!

Thanks everyone!

Not fyring to pry too heavy, but what is your budget range for just the lift, and what is the absolute MAX $$$ you can/want to spend? Then I can probably help you out with a few good options.

My recommendation would be to get a set of lightly-used take-off Rubicon FOX shocks, and get this lift... Not the cheapest option, but it's a hell of a lift, and worth the money.

https://www.northridge4x4.com/part/...acturing-2-5in-enforcer-lift-kit-stage-2-plus

It's the exact same setup I will be running once I get the time to remove my 2.5" spacer lift.

 

[WesMills7]

Thanks for all of the replies!

Is it true that the Sport trims lift higher than Rubicons??? I’ve done quite a bit of research and have never heard of that, but that could definitely sway my options.

I was looking at the 3.5” JKS lift. Does anyone have any experience with this kit and/or think it would be a good fit for my build? It’s a little bit under my max budget of probably $1500 or so. Again I just want to make sure it’s reliable for what I want to do with it.

 

[Alabama Mud Machine]

Thanks for all of the replies!

Is it true that the Sport trims lift higher than Rubicons??? I’ve done quite a bit of research and have never heard of that, but that could definitely sway my options.

I was looking at the 3.5” JKS lift. Does anyone have any experience with this kit and/or think it would be a good fit for my build? It’s a little bit under my max budget of probably $1500 or so. Again I just want to make sure it’s reliable for what I want to do with it.

While JKS may be owned by Fox racing, and they may make good products, I can tell you this much about JKS... I had a set of 1.5" lift rear springs on order for over 1.5 months, and never even heard back from them as to when they would ship. After leaving several messages and emails asking for any information. I ended up cancelling the order, and ordering another brand of rear springs. I would make sure the place you plan on ordering from has the entire lift in stock before ordering a JKS product. They've been shutdown for over 3 months for the corona crap. Personally, I'd look to other solutions to avoid headaches.

The Evo kit I linked you to will work with your stock shocks, because it has shock extensions, but you could always find a cheap set of Rubicon Fox take-offs later and upgrade them to those for probably $100.

 

[WesMills7]

I think alot depends on if you want to lift or lift & level. Given the rear end is already 1.5" higher then the front, if your intention is to level, it doesn't make much sense to use the Mopar 2" kit and bring the rear up even higher. My suggestion is to go with a 2" spring lift in the front, like Synergy and then a Rubicon spring and .75" spacer in the rear. This will bring the rake down to about .25" front to rear.

Also as an FYI, given you have a Sport, note that most manufacturers are quoting lift from the Rubicon, which sits higher to start. So you will get more then 2" of lift with either the Mopar lift or aftermarket springs rated as such. I got almost 3.5" of lift on the front with Synergy 2" coils.

Do you have any pics or posts anywhere of your build that I could take a look at for reference?

 

[z0lt3c]

Do you have any pics or posts anywhere of your build that I could take a look at for reference?

You can find my suspension thread here and my build thread here. Very happy with the outcome and about half the price of the Mopar lift with more adjust-ability.

 

[bastage]

Thanks for all of the replies!

Is it true that the Sport trims lift higher than Rubicons??? I’ve done quite a bit of research and have never heard of that, but that could definitely sway my options.

I was looking at the 3.5” JKS lift. Does anyone have any experience with this kit and/or think it would be a good fit for my build? It’s a little bit under my max budget of probably $1500 or so. Again I just want to make sure it’s reliable for what I want to do with it.

Yes it’s true that sports get more lift. The rubicon springs provide some lift stock so when you replace the springs you get a bit of extra on a sport. JKS even actually calls this out. Most manufacturers don’t, and calling to ask sometimes you get stupid answers (passed over a brand specifically because there customer service was giving me bull shit answers to this, even though I would of saved several hundred dollars compared to Clayton who didn’t even hesitate with the answer).


Notes:
Rubicon Models net 3" Front/1.5" Rear Lift, Non-Rubicon Models new 3.5" front/2" Rear Lift, final ride height is the same for all models.

https://jksmfg.com/n-12870-j-rated-3-suspension-systems-jeep-gladiatorjt.html

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