[jlagross]

hey all. Im about to lift my wrangler ( gotta love tax season)
Ive done all my research and documented it. I would love any advice .
Heres the info (sorry for the length)

Lifts


http://www.aev-conversions.com/shop/shop-by-category/suspension/jk-dualsport-sc-suspension.html

This kit is supposedly one of the best on road rides, they say it performs better than stock. only complaint is it uses brackets and the stock control arms, which actually lower the arms down compared to just replacing with stronger ones. comes with bilstein 5100 shocks that are supposedly engineered specifically for this kit.


http://www.rockkrawler.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=RKJK35MT

this kit is alittle more money, in all the forums they reference rock krawler as being far superior to the aev. But thats usually people who actually dont have the aev..
All parts included in this kit come with a lifetime warranty also. Only two things you need to buy separate are the bumpstops and shocks. They have cheaper versions of this kit but this is the most complete and from what ive seen people end up putting on everythgin included in this kit eventually anyways. This kit is all bolt on but they recommend welding the brackets at a few points. Also comes with brake line extentions compared to aev just using the stock brakelines with a bracket.

I was looking also at RANCHO and Rough Country but people say their springs sag or they have issues with control arms or other parts. People say they like them but eventually replace them for something stronger.
http://www.jk-forum.com/modified-jk-tech-2/honest-rough-country-reviews-155080/
http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f96/new-rough-country-3-5-jk-lift-1088352/

Driveshafts :

For driveshafts the three major ones are
tom woods
http://www.quadratec.com/products/52301_98X0_PG.htm
coast
http://www.coastdriveline.com/DriveShafts.htm
and j.e. real
http://reeldriveline.com/catalog/fr...s-p-37.html?osCsid=gcg44b3o6cv31gncn1v7b2lqh4

all three are about the same price.


So to summarize, I am definitely going to go with one of the kits. Im honestly thinking spend the extra few hundred for the RK kit. I do 90% on-road right now for work, with off road almost bi-weekly for a few hours. If i get the aev, i know when my daily driver becomes my toy though i will probably upgrade anyway. Spend the money once and save the hassle.
first hand experience on road for the rock krawler would be nice. Ive read the handful of aev vs rock krawler threads but with no definite answer as to on road quality of the RK.

so the big questions :
what driveshaft company would you use and what lift would you pick in my situation.

Thanks all in advance,
Jason

 

[jlagross]

thanks everyone for the posts so far. Sorry for the delay in response, the dam thing called work got in the way..

I realized after i posted i didnt give any info about my rig. Its a 2012 2 door wrangler sahara.

Right now its majority daily driver, but i do go wheeling , and when i have it lifted and capable of handling alittle more abuse im sure ill be taking her out more. But my ultimate goal over the next few years is to make this my toy and aquire another wrangler as my daily driver, and the let the cycle continue. At that point im going to be taking this out even more, so id rather lift it and have it done right and full, and save the money down the line. (with the understanding that no matter how much i dump in now i may need to add more , change something, or upgrade something down the line)

Some comments from your guy's posts

I actually remember seeing something about the adams driveshafts. Let me look into them more!

SNOWBILT
Looking at the teraflex it ended up being around the same money wise and for the quality the RK kit looked more worth it.

TERRAHAWK
As for the budget boost; id rather just wait until i decide and do it right. no point waisting any money for a temporary solution. Do it right the first time.


ASSFROW
The rancho kit definitely did look good, but as you say in your post you've already replaced parts such as upper and lower arms, I want to replace these from the get go, looking at your parts list, youve pretty much spent the amount for the whole RK kit anyways. I may be off by alittle but just an observation. Please correct me if im wrong!

To everyone so far - :marcy:

 

[jlagross]

Wow its funny how fast everybody responds on here! I post during a break at work and as soon as i get home theres more post than i can handle! i appreciate all the input from everyone!

Rancho guys - no disrespect meant. Im sure your parts are of good quality. I may be wrong with my research and i apologize for any negative impressions.

Rock krawler guys - I plan on running 33's / 33.5's immediately , then regearing and going to 35's. Down the line i would like to eventually bump to 37's. Im looking at steal flat fenders similar to poison spyders or river raiders. Leaning towards river raiders, i love the look.

My logic behind going 4 instead of 2.5 is with a 4 inch lift im expecting about 5.5. inches of lift in the front and around 4 in the back, leveling my jeep which i desire and allowing me to potentially do more down the road if i decide to. I have read 2.5 with flat flares are enough for 35's and looks kick a$$ but ive seen some 4 inch lifts with 33's and though "wow that looks good and his approach angle is impressive". I guess i desire that for my jeep.

as for the comment about running the stock drive shaft, its a 2012 so the front will need to be replaced or ill need exhaust work done. The angle of the driveshaft will eventually cause the stock to fail, fix it from the beginning is how i see it. From my understanding the spacers are more of a temporary fix i would like to do it right. ideally ill have the exhaust lowered like river city offroad suggested also. For the added protection. That can wait alittle while tho.

and lastly about the post about the welding for the RK kit, my understanding is it is all bolt on to begin with and their recommendation is weld before offroad use. If thats true ill be able to do this no problem. I have a family friend who's going to help me install the lift , who happens to work at a hobby shop on the local air force base. He welds daily and im sure will see this as a small task from what ive read in the instruction.
Can anyone verify this?

Thank you everyone! Im leaning towards the RK at this point. Keep the thread going PLEASE!

 

[jlagross]

river city - i actually heard that about alot of kits. its roughly 1.5x what they advertise if not more. Just going all out to be honest. This is why i started this thread though, i want experienced opinions not just " lift the thing as much as you can"

as for gears, i unfortunately got a really good deal on my sahara, my father knew the sales manager, 9 miles on it ... saved a good chunk of change. point of this little ramble is i only have 3.23 's . Which according to every chart ive looked at, my stock 32's are to big for that gearing in respect to sweet spot for milage.

Im not against keeping the stock shafts, but from my understanding at some point they will need to be replaced. I planned on using my tax return for everything , i was very lucky this year , and i was able to fit front and back into the available budget.

i actually just messaged a rock krawler guy on another forum i follow about the actual height gained from their lifts. if anyone has any insight please let me know! it could help me to decide here. were talking a thousand dollar difference in price between the 2.5 and the 3.5

Thanks all!
Jason

 

[jlagross]

Im still tossing between the 2.5 and the 3.5 . the 2.5 does look like enough of a lift. river city i just browsed through your site and think im going to be contacting you shortly.

Thanks
Jason

 

[jlagross]

Thank you all for the posts! I'm going to be calling river city within the next few weeks. I've decided to do the 2.5 RK. Any suggestion on what kit? I was thinking max travel.

Thank you all again!!!!!

Jason

 

[jlagross]

follow up

Just a follow up for all those who chimed in on this thread -
I ordered my 2.5 max travel with marcus' help. By far BEST customer service with every part of the order. already made a second purchase through him for spring retaining clips. I got the shocks within the same week, and i got the lift approximately 16 days from day of order.

I also ordered front and rear adams driveshafts for a 3 inch lift (i told them 2.5 inch kit but was told i would get more , they said they understood and would take care of it)

All will be going in on sunday. Im excited ! THANKS EVERYONE!

 

[jlagross]

Lift went in . Took a long time but it was done right. Thanks everyone again!