Clayton Off Road: JL Overland Plus Lift Kits

[Themistocles]

I just had a 2.5" Clayton Overland + Diesel put in my JLURD. It is still at the installer doing some final tweaks, should have it back this week.

As dropped in I was not phenomenally happy, primarily because I only had a little over 2 inches of up-travel at ride height before hitting my bump stops (added 3" of Clayton bump stop as part of the kit). So we skinned the fenders and put on MetalCloak inner fenders. After ramping this we gained over three inches of clearance and were able to take the bump stop height from 3 inches to 1 inch (left in not to clear fenders but sway bars). I now have about 4.5 inches of up travel at ride height and am very happy with that. I also have about 14" of travel at the shock...with the ability to get more if I add in some retention hardware for my spring.

However, we are now (even with the 1" of bump stop) still not quite clearing the sway bars on the ramp...so we are shortening the sway bar links a little and trying to get things to clear at full compression / extension. Final tweaks to do...but overall after doing the tuning I am very happy with up travel, down travel, and look. Hopefully will get it out on the trail this weekend to see about actual performance.

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[Tdkrum5]

I just had a 2.5" Clayton Overland + Diesel put in my JLURD. It is still at the installer doing some final tweaks, should have it back this week.

As dropped in I was not phenomenally happy, primarily because I only had a little over 2 inches of up-travel at ride height before hitting my bump stops (added 3" of Clayton bump stop as part of the kit). So we skinned the fenders and put on MetalCloak inner fenders. After ramping this we gained over three inches of clearance and were able to take the bump stop height from 3 inches to 1 inch (left in not to clear fenders but sway bars). I now have about 4.5 inches of up travel at ride height and am very happy with that. I also have about 14" of travel at the shock...with the ability to get more if I add in some retention hardware for my spring.

However, we are now (even with the 1" of bump stop) still not quite clearing the sway bars on the ramp...so we are shortening the sway bar links a little and trying to get things to clear at full compression / extension. Final tweaks to do...but overall after doing the tuning I am very happy with up travel, down travel, and look. Hopefully will get it out on the trail this weekend to see about actual performance.

Looks great. Like the fender liners. I have the Falcon 3.3 shocks so don't think they would work. Are you still running the stock shocks?

 

[Themistocles]

Looks great. Like the fender liners. I have the Falcon 3.3 shocks so don't think they would work. Are you still running the stock shocks?

Thanks. No, I have a temporary set of MC Rocksports on. Long story...bottom line we were unsure of what our final compressed and extended numbers would be. So we went with a set of Rocksports just to get me moving. Once we have everything dialed in right we will take final measurements and then have Radflo make the shocks to fit. However that will likely be a 6 - 10 week process...so in the meantime I use the rocksports...which actually are turning out to have about the right dimensions, 17 inches compressed and 31 inches extended.

 

[Greyhound]

Finally got my 2.5 Overland installed over the weekend. Took longer than I expected, but came together pretty nicely. I followed the instructions available on the website and it was a pretty straight-forward process. With the lift and new wheels/ tires (35's), I gained a little over 4" height from my previous set up (33's and Rubi take-offs). Already looking into new rock sliders to help get in and out of the jeep, bigger brakes and eventually re-gearing (with lockers).

The biggest adjustment so far that I'm struggling with is getting used to the tires, and what pressures to run. I've already ran the chalk test, and found 27 psi to be ok, but thinking of going lower to around 25. Didn't expect it to drive like a luxury car, but didn't expect such a glaring difference from what I previous had. Also....part of that is going from Hybrid tires (Nitto Ridge Grapplers) to a true mud tire (Mickey Thompson Baja MTZ).

Now for the final issue......the lovely steering box replacement. I've been on a "waiting list" for nine months, with no repair date in sight. I had got used to the play with my previous setup, but it's just plain God-Awful now. So, time to start raising a little hell and see if I can get moved up "the list".

Update - called the dealership to inquire about my overdue steering box only to be told it's been there for a while waiting on me. Just irritated that nobody ever called me to let me know it was in!!! Getting it installed next week.....I'll update afterwards.

 

[brewski]

Finally got my 2.5 Overland installed over the weekend. Took longer than I expected, but came together pretty nicely. I followed the instructions available on the website and it was a pretty straight-forward process. With the lift and new wheels/ tires (35's), I gained a little over 4" height from my previous set up (33's and Rubi take-offs). Already looking into new rock sliders to help get in and out of the jeep, bigger brakes and eventually re-gearing (with lockers).

The biggest adjustment so far that I'm struggling with is getting used to the tires, and what pressures to run. I've already ran the chalk test, and found 27 psi to be ok, but thinking of going lower to around 25. Didn't expect it to drive like a luxury car, but didn't expect such a glaring difference from what I previous had. Also....part of that is going from Hybrid tires (Nitto Ridge Grapplers) to a true mud tire (Mickey Thompson Baja MTZ).

Now for the final issue......the lovely steering box replacement. I've been on a "waiting list" for nine months, with no repair date in sight. I had got used to the play with my previous setup, but it's just plain God-Awful now. So, time to start raising a little hell and see if I can get moved up "the list".

35s are typically around 30psi. Some tires aren't a flat tread which makes the chalk test a hard thing to do.

Also lets see some pics

 

[Greyhound]

35s are typically around 30psi. Some tires aren't a flat tread which makes the chalk test a hard thing to do.

Also lets see some pics

Here's all I've got so far. Also.....gonna edit my post, but I called the dealership and told them I had been waiting for almost 9 months on the steering box and they said that it's been there for a while just waiting on me!!!!! Needless to say I'm irritated that nobody called to tell me it was in.

 

[Tdkrum5]

Here's all I've got so far. Also.....gonna edit my post, but I called the dealership and told them I had been waiting for almost 9 months on the steering box and they said that it's been there for a while just waiting on me!!!!! Needless to say I'm irritated that nobody called to tell me it was in.

Looks good. I asked Jeep cares to help with mine. Like the wheels I am getting the black ones next week.

 

[Greyhound]

Update -

Got the new steering box installed, and it helped quite a bit in tightening the steering up. I spent about an hour yesterday messing with tire pressures, and went up from 28 to 32 psi and it improved it a bit more. Still had a bit of a "jerkiness" to it and the steering wheel would have a slight shake at higher speeds, but I attributed it to the mud tires. I took a break for a little bit, then went on another test drive......went over some railroad tracks and BAM......we now have death wobble!!! Never experienced that before, and I already have had the recalled damper installed. Driving my 10 mile commute to work this morning, I experienced another 11 episodes of DW. Even driving over a manhole cover was enough to start violet shaking. If you have never experienced it.....lemme tell ya....it sucks!!!! So, back to the dealership we (very slowly) go!!!!!

 

[Clayton Off Road]

Update -

Got the new steering box installed, and it helped quite a bit in tightening the steering up. I spent about an hour yesterday messing with tire pressures, and went up from 28 to 32 psi and it improved it a bit more. Still had a bit of a "jerkiness" to it and the steering wheel would have a slight shake at higher speeds, but I attributed it to the mud tires. I took a break for a little bit, then went on another test drive......went over some railroad tracks and BAM......we now have death wobble!!! Never experienced that before, and I already have had the recalled damper installed. Driving my 10 mile commute to work this morning, I experienced another 11 episodes of DW. Even driving over a manhole cover was enough to start violet shaking. If you have never experienced it.....lemme tell ya....it sucks!!!! So, back to the dealership we (very slowly) go!!!!!

Sorry you aren't getting to fully experience your new Jeep! While it's not very common for a lift kit itself to cause death wobble, sometimes it's worth getting underneath and making sure all jam nuts and bolts are as tight as possible, as loose components can actually contribute to death wobble issues. The other thing I would say is to have the dealership make sure the tires are perfectly balanced and aligned, as this is another major cause of death wobble, especially right after new larger tires have been put on the vehicle. Hopefully you're able to get this issue resolved soon, if you ever have any questions or would like us to take a look at something feel free to reach out by phone or PM and we can see if we can help out at all!

 

[Pistol527]

If you've been searching for the ultimate after market suspension system to meet both your demanding off-road AND on-road needs, Clayton Off Road Overland Plus Series Lift Kits are exactly what you've been looking for.

Why Choose Clayton?
We get asked a lot what makes our control arms and track bars stand out from the rest of the crowd. For 20 years now our goal has remained exactly the same; to design and fabricate the toughest Jeep Suspension Systems available with absolutely zero compromises to on-or-off-road performance. From our 5/16" thick lower control arm housings - to our 2x2 1/4" thick wall square tubing, every little detail we put into our designs goes into making that goal very much a reality. Our suspensions are built to excel on any terrain and outlast the competition for years to come. Not to mention, are 100% made-in-the-USA and come with our Lifetime Warranty against bending or breaking.

So, what is this "Overland Plus" lift kit?
Available in both 2.5" & 3.5" lift variants, all 8 of the adjustable control arms included in our Overland Plus kits feature our dual durometer Giiro Joint bushings on both ends. These are our free pivoting, self-lubricating, self-centering, silent in operation and maintenance free bushings that make our kits ride like butter no matter what's underneath your vehicle. If that all sounds like it's too good to be true, that's because it should be. But the structured anatomy of our Giiro bushings matched with their superior material formulation allows two distant worlds to meet as one, providing you the desirable comfort of a daily driver and then easily transitioning to meet the extreme limits of rugged off-road terrain.

The Giiro Joint is also used at one end of our adjustable track bars (front and rear). The other end features a Johnny Joint with a 5” long 1” shank for superior flex and maximum adjust-ability.

What size lift should I run with my specific model and tire size?
We find that our 2.5" springs fit perfectly on a Sport/Sahara with 35" tires, and on a Rubicon with 37's. For our 3.5" springs, a Sport/Sahara model JL can fit up to and looks best with 37" tires, and for Rubicon models all the way up to 38" and 39" tires. For those of you curious about setting proper control arm and track bar lengths for optimized pinion and drive-line angles, we actually created this chart (tried, tested and proven) that you can refer to.

Will your rear springs hold up to carrying all of my camping/overlanding equipment?
Yes, 100%. Our rear springs found in all of our Overland Plus series kits feature a dual-rate coil design specially designed with all of you overlanding enthusiasts in mind. We even went as far as to creating side specific rear springs just to compensate for the weight of the gas tank. Whatever you want to carry in or on your Jeep be it a tent, a fridge, a grill, or a couple of your big dogs, our springs can handle it all.

Product at a glance:

• Bolt In Design
• 8 Fully Adjustable Control Arms
• Maintenance FREE Giiro Joints
• Dual Durometer, Self Centering Joints
• Premium Adjustable Front Track Bar
• Premium Adjustable Rear Track Bar
• Front Adjustable Sway Bar Links
• Rear Adjustable Sway Bar Links
• Front & Rear Bumpstops
• Lifetime Warranty*
• MADE IN THE USA

Check it out for yourself here.
Let us know if there's anything we can do to help, and PM us if you want a discount code!

I have the Overland 2.5" lift installed with 35" tires and I absolutely love it. I have used it both off road (no rock climbing yet) and as my daily driver.

 

[Themistocles]

Sorry you aren't getting to fully experience your new Jeep! While it's not very common for a lift kit itself to cause death wobble, sometimes it's worth getting underneath and making sure all jam nuts and bolts are as tight as possible, as loose components can actually contribute to death wobble issues. The other thing I would say is to have the dealership make sure the tires are perfectly balanced and aligned, as this is another major cause of death wobble, especially right after new larger tires have been put on the vehicle. Hopefully you're able to get this issue resolved soon, if you ever have any questions or would like us to take a look at something feel free to reach out by phone or PM and we can see if we can help out at all!

Fully agree with this point. I picked up my jeep from the installer (put in 2.5 Clayton Overland + diesel) Friday night and had it out on the trail up in the Shenandoah Saturday morning. We checked all the jam nuts and bolts Friday night. By the time I got home (15 min drive) one of the jam nuts had substantially loosened. I tightened it. After the 2-hours drive out to Harrisonburg, 3 more jam nuts were loose...tightened them. We stopped after about 2.5 hours at the mid-point on the trail. 3 more jam nuts loose and the bolt holding the upper control arm halfway backed out and missing a nut. Fixed all that. Checked again at the end of the trail, 1 more jam nut loose. Checked again when I got home and 1 other jam nut loose. Bottom line, if I hadn't checked and rechecked and tightened again and again...I would have almost certainly experienced death wobble on the way home 24 hours after install.

Overall love the suspension, incredible capability and wonderful ride. But post-install it does require substantial oversight and maintenance.

 

[PacNWJLGecko]

Fully agree with this point. I picked up my jeep from the installer (put in 2.5 Clayton Overland + diesel) Friday night and had it out on the trail up in the Shenandoah Saturday morning. We checked all the jam nuts and bolts Friday night. By the time I got home (15 min drive) one of the jam nuts had substantially loosened. I tightened it. After the 2-hours drive out to Harrisonburg, 3 more jam nuts were loose...tightened them. We stopped after about 2.5 hours at the mid-point on the trail. 3 more jam nuts loose and the bolt holding the upper control arm halfway backed out and missing a nut. Fixed all that. Checked again at the end of the trail, 1 more jam nut loose. Checked again when I got home and 1 other jam nut loose. Bottom line, if I hadn't checked and rechecked and tightened again and again...I would have almost certainly experienced death wobble on the way home 24 hours after install.

Overall love the suspension, incredible capability and wonderful ride. But post-install it does require substantial oversight and maintenance.

Have you thought about trying to lock tite anything that frequently comes loose?

 

[Themistocles]

Have you thought about trying to lock tite anything that frequently comes loose?

I have...we are still doing some final adjustments. Everything is going to get Lock tited as soon as that is done. However, unless the shop Lock tited the suspension at install, if @Greyhound hasn't checked everything he likely has lots of loose nuts.

 

[Clayton Off Road]

I have...we are still doing some final adjustments. Everything is going to get Lock tited as soon as that is done. However, unless the shop Lock tited the suspension at install, if @Greyhound hasn't checked everything he likely has lots of loose nuts.

Lock tite will definitely work, another option is to simply crank them down as much as possible. What we do with our vehicles here is actually throw the appropriate size wrench inside a long steel pipe, and tighten the jam nuts up as much as we possibly are able to. If you're able to do this you should never have them loosen up on you again!

 

[sam0329]

Update -

Got the new steering box installed, and it helped quite a bit in tightening the steering up. I spent about an hour yesterday messing with tire pressures, and went up from 28 to 32 psi and it improved it a bit more. Still had a bit of a "jerkiness" to it and the steering wheel would have a slight shake at higher speeds, but I attributed it to the mud tires. I took a break for a little bit, then went on another test drive......went over some railroad tracks and BAM......we now have death wobble!!! Never experienced that before, and I already have had the recalled damper installed. Driving my 10 mile commute to work this morning, I experienced another 11 episodes of DW. Even driving over a manhole cover was enough to start violet shaking. If you have never experienced it.....lemme tell ya....it sucks!!!! So, back to the dealership we (very slowly) go!!!!!

Since you mentioned you got the new steeling box. Might want to check that 42mm big nut is torque to spec! Mine was lose and I can turn it by hand! After I torqued it back to spec the steeling feel is night and day!

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