JL Rubicon on 38.5 with 3.5" lift

[Draptec]

Hello Forum, I want to introduce myself and contribute by sharing my build - maybe it will help someone like me as I was reading a lot of threads here to help decide what parts I want for my JEEP.

The car is a 2023 2.0 Rubicon - European model (narrow axles) - I'm from Serbia

I decided I want to go with 38.5x12.5-16 tires as it is a very common and available size around here and the variety of aggressive mud patterns are made in that dimension so I went with:

-38.5x12-16 Journey Claw (copy of Maxxis mud trep just softer imo) on 16x8 ET-30 steel beadlocks - added 250g of Magnum+ balance beads per tyre and have no vibration at highway speeds up to 150km/h

-MetalCloak game changer "mid" arms back and front with dropbrackets in the front. Drag link*, tire rod* and track bar in the front and track bar with relocation bracket in the back. I decided to go with MC because I don't want to bother with cleaning and greasing the joints on regular basis as we drive through deep mud and water all the time.

-Metalcloak 3.5" dual rate coils **
-SDI E-clik Pro extended length shocks with E links
-Fox hydro bumpstops front and back
-Fox race series steering stabilizer
-RockJock high steer knuckles on MC baller joints
-One piece RCVs
-Steer Smart sector shaft brace
-Artec trusses front and rear (I fabricated FAD tie in bracket plate)
-4.88 Spicer gears ****
-ARB diff covers
-Grimm extended brake lines
-Mopar high clearance fenders
-AFE snorkel
-Rugged Ridge venator front bumper *** with WARN EVO12S winch

* MC tie rod had to be machined 30mm per side shorter to get in the adjustment range of EU spec axle, drag link 20mm on the knuckle side

** 3.5" MC coils gave me more like 4.5-5" lift and are very stiff. I need to change them for softer ones because it rides harsh and I think SDI shocks cant show the full potential. My rig is relatively light and I want to keep it that way. I've done 2000 km with this so far and I don't see them sagging at all.

*** Had to modify side sections of Venator bumper to get the clearance in full articulation. A bit more testing and I'll have it made in carbon fiber
as this steel is not thick and strong enough and I need it to protect the fenders and grille when I have to go over a tree in the forest.

****The black coating on Spicer gears wears off after brake in and gives you extra 0.04mm of backlash. So I'd recommend adjusting it a bit tighter initially ( 0.06-0.08 )Factory front diff preload was just above 8Nm - way out of spec and bearings had significant heat marks with only 19000km

I was building this for 8 days straight during my vacation, about 10h per day alone. I had a friend help me with gear adjustments.

On 7th day it started snowing and I rushed to finish the build and drive so I haven't made much photos and when I'm offloading I keep my phone on silent deep in my backpack so I'm sharing what I have at the moment:

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[Cips]

That's great you did a lot of work yourself!

 

[ExpeditionBuilds]

Welcome to the forum Drasko Love seeing your build and details of how its working.

Keep the posts coming!


-Steven

 

[Bocephus]

Good stuff @Draptec !

I ran 3.5 MC coils (392 w 38’s) and I also thought they were stiff.

I added some weight over time and moved to 4.5 MC coils. First front, and then rears a year or two later. Somehow the 4.5 MC coils feel so much better. Same Fox reservoir shocks for the two different coils.

I also run the Fox hydro bumps. Have had to replace both of them (warranty) bc they’ve leaked.

 

[Blues Fan 30]

Great looking build!

 

[aeonixx1001]

Great looking build!

Great Build, I'm nearly there. Welcome!

 

[Flip]

Great build! Good to see you out there enjoying it too.

 

[Terrymo]

Nice!

 

[Draptec]

I would appreciate if someone with simmilar rig can give me some real experience feedback. Basically I was opting between SDI and FOX3.0, actually wanted to go with Bilstein 8100 bypass initially (but those are not produced anymore) also considered ADS Bypass. I even wanted to go for coilovers, preferably some of the doublethrowdown oprions but decided to keep it simple as this is my first wrangler. Before I had a few WK's which I ran on Bilstein shocks and they were really comfortable, I ride HardEnduro so I'm used to good suspension which is very "comfortable" bombing over things. That is what I wanted to have with my build but I'm just not 100% there. My simple test example is just going over a speed bump - in my WK I barely feel the bump, my bikes dont notice it at all and even my RS6 soaks it softer than wrangler. With pressure down to 0.5 bar it's fine, but I know for a fact that ist is possible with any tyre and any pressure at any speed with good suspension setup / shock-spring combination.

I read that MC springs are stiff and would look to get something more "plush" if it makes sense?

 

[Bocephus]

Evo springs are known to be super plush, and I can attest to that. I ran 3.5” coils for 37s with king reservoirs, in a previous JLUR 3.6.

Edited to add the following.

I have heard some say that Rock Krawler coils ride softer, and others say exactly the opposite. I have no personal experience. I’m puzzled by the conflicting reports.

fwiw, solid front axle probably contributes to what you’re feeling, especially as compared to the wk you referenced which I believe is IFS. The mc “mid” arms keep all the OEM mount points…so it’s the same as what most manufactures typically call a short arm lift. I think MC’s “mid” reference emerged in view that the JL’s had arms that were longer than the preceding JKs. So…short arms on 38.5’s is gonna be a choppier (for lack of better term) ride compared to say 33s. I realize I’m probably saying things that are already obvious to you. But, also your drop bracket should be doing lots to keep your arm angles flat and closer to OEM.

 

[azwjowner]

Your Jeep looks awesome. I am a huge fan of running smaller wheels and larger tires, so it's great to see those monster tires on a 16" wheel. Not many people run 16" wheels anymore.

 

[Draptec]

Your Jeep looks awesome. I am a huge fan of running smaller wheels and larger tires, so it's great to see those monster tires on a 16" wheel. Not many people run 16" wheels anymore.

Around here 16" is very popular. And I'm really curious why is Mud Trepador made only in that one size (38.5x12.5x16)

I also have a set of 17" Dirty Life road kill beadlocks with 37x13.5 STT PROs for a summer set, but most of the time here we will go for muddy forest roads with very deep ruts or just make our way trough anything to get to desired location. Therefore I prefer to have a lot of tire with little air and aggressive pattern.

 

[Draptec]

Evo springs are known to be super plush, and I can attest to that. I ran 3.5” coils for 37s with king reservoirs, in a previous JLUR 3.6.

Edited to add the following.

I have heard some say that Rock Krawler coils ride softer, and others say exactly the opposite. I have no personal experience. I’m puzzled by the conflicting reports.

fwiw, solid front axle probably contributes to what you’re feeling, especially as compared to the wk you referenced which I believe is IFS. The mc “mid” arms keep all the OEM mount points…so it’s the same as what most manufactures typically call a short arm lift. I think MC’s “mid” reference emerged in view that the JL’s had arms that were longer than the preceding JKs. So…short arms on 38.5’s is gonna be a choppier (for lack of better term) ride compared to say 33s. I realize I’m probably saying things that are already obvious to you. But, also your drop bracket should be doing lots to keep your arm angles flat and closer to OEM.

Thank you for your reply, yes WK is IFS in front on 33"

I have a very good knowledge regarding suspension, just zero experience on wrangler. It would be much easier if all these coils simply had rates shown so I know what I'm putting on the car

With relocation bracket my short arms are completely flat and with high steer knuckles my track bar and drag link are also spot on. I went without drop brackets in the rear because I wanted to have more anti squat. And it handles really nice - but I would sacrifice a bit of that for some more comfort when I'm driving relatively slow on harsh train/road. I don't want to feel that speed bump or pothole...

 

[Buddy Lee]

I have a very similar set up to you. Metal cloak 3.5" game changer with front geometry brackets running 38" tires. I do have one ton axles and run the 6-Pack shocks but they are very close. I do not feel like the springs are stiff. I can say that switching from the factory sway bars to the Currie anti-rock sway bars significantly softened my ride. It does have more sway but the overall ride on and off-road is much more comfortable. The shocks also play a role especially on how they are dampened so that will definitely affect your outcome depending on how you pick. I can say I really like my 6-packs though. Like you I have installed everything myself. It's nice having the knowledge in case you have a problem on the trail.

 

[Draptec]

I have a very similar set up to you. Metal cloak 3.5" game changer with front geometry brackets running 38" tires. I do have one ton axles and run the 6-Pack shocks but they are very close. I do not feel like the springs are stiff. I can say that switching from the factory sway bars to the Currie anti-rock sway bars significantly softened my ride. It does have more sway but the overall ride on and off-road is much more comfortable. The shocks also play a role especially on how they are dampened so that will definitely affect your outcome depending on how you pick. I can say I really like my 6-packs though. Like you I have installed everything myself. It's nice having the knowledge in case you have a problem on the trail.

Sway bars are not affecting the stiffness I refer to - and with E links I can completely disconnect at any speed. I agree it is much better on trail without sway bar, but hitting a speed bump straight on makes no difference. Since I'm not seeing much difference between ride modes I assume coils are too stiff. Does anyone else here have SDI E clicks?

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