2-Door JL Rocklander / Overland Project Build

[Westymike]

I lowered the Jeep this week! Why? Well, a myriad of reasons as well as a slight experiment. Swapping coils is pretty easy, so I figured why not run it a little lower for a bit to see what I notice. 2-doors are obviously smaller, so 1" can make a big different in ride quality, center of gravity, overall road manners body roll, etc. I also was hoping that with a 2.5" lift, I might be able to get it into my garage with the ARS rack installed as it currently does not (verdict still out until I put the rack back on, but it will be close).

At any rate... my findings this far:
-WAY better with regards to take-off and stopping (less fore/aft body roll motion)
-WAY better cornering and it feels sportier
-When I come to stop, it settles quicker instead of having a little back and forth rocking motion from movement
-Easier to get in and out of
-Seems to handle potholes and such better, most likely because the control arms aren't at such a steep angle. It's a small change, but it all adds up.

I also removed the DB3 brackets since they aren't needed at a 2.5" height. I AM still running a beefier spring in the rear to hand the added weight that I run (fridge slide, cargo drawer, 38" spare and Interior cargo tray.

Offroad:
We will have to see, but I'm guessing that I'll use my skids just a little more, but the off-cambers and steeps won't have me feeling as unstable.

It's a daily driver, so I'm super happy with the current set-up for that and for off-road, it will still certainly check all my boxes, even on more technical trails.

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[dragoneggs]

Stance looks great. I am super happy with my 2dr on 1.5in Clayton Overland lift that netted me 2in all around after swapping their 1.5in rear springs for their 2.5in rear springs. Was sagging a bit prior. I think 2-2.5in is the sweet spot for 2drs when it comes to handling for onroad, overlanding, and crawling.

 

[Westymike]

Stance looks great. I am super happy with my 2dr on 1.5in Clayton Overland lift that netted me 2in all around after swapping their 1.5in rear springs for their 2.5in rear springs. Was sagging a bit prior. I think 2-2.5in is the sweet spot for 2drs when it comes to handling for onroad, overlanding, and crawling.

Agreed! The stance seems more natural and proportional. I’m digging in!

 

[Westymike]

Here’s a more in-depth discussion about why I changed the lift height from 3.5” to 2.5”

 

[UncleArt]

Here’s a more in-depth discussion about why I changed the lift height from 3.5” to 2.5”

2.5” is a great lift height for our 2 door wranglers on 37/38s. We get all the necessary clearances without adding extra complications. Things stay pretty simple. I also daily drive mine & my setup is very friendly to me for this.

 

[Westymike]

We headed out after work last Friday for a weekend rocklander trip into the Stanislaus Nat'l Forest. 5 Rigs, 8 people, 2 dogs and lots of fun. Here's a recap:

 

[Westymike]

I created a new version of my Death Valley trip video (shorter with a little better editing) in case anyone is interested in checking it out.

 

[Westymike]

I don't have any big overnight trips planned for the next few months, so I "un-outfitted" my Jeep, lightening it up by over 300 lbs. for a bit of daily driving and day trips.
Removed:
-Rack System 150lbs
-Interior Cargo Tray 60lbs
-Overland Cargo Drawer -60lbs
-Fridge Slide -45lbs
-Tool Bag - 30lbs
-Various offroad gear -25lbs

 

[dragoneggs]

I don't have any big overnight trips planned for the next few months, so I "un-outfitted" my Jeep, lightening it up by over 300 lbs. for a bit of daily driving and day trips.
Removed:
-Rack System 150lbs
-Interior Cargo Tray 60lbs
-Overland Cargo Drawer -60lbs
-Fridge Slide -45lbs
-Tool Bag - 30lbs
-Various offroad gear -25lbs

I have thought about that as well for the winter but then I need a place to store the stuff. Decided to leave it in and just be heavy but prepared.

 

[Aonarch]

I've always had the mindset of doing the smallest amount of lift for your chosen tire size and run full skids.

I'm glad you are enjoying the 2.5" lift, with the rack/ RTT/ short wheel base, less lift is better for COG.

 

[AmericanPatriot100]

How am I just now seeing this!? I love this Jeep! I never forget to mention to anyone who asks what my plans are “have you seen Metalcloak mikes JL? That’s the end goal!” And when you went from the 3.5 to 2.5 and seeing your review I was even more settled with the idea of the 2.5 and being that mine is a sport I’ll probably net a little more lift. I’ve also been contemplating a set of the Metalcloak 2.5” springs that I’ve seen for sale in my area. I’m just not sure if those will work without doing control arms and different shocks than the mopar Fox shocks I currently have. Your jeep is so sick @Westymike! It would be sick to do this exact build with your decals and all, just as like a “negative” of yours since my jeep is black!

 

[Westymike]

How am I just now seeing this!? I love this Jeep! I never forget to mention to anyone who asks what my plans are “have you seen Metalcloak mikes JL? That’s the end goal!” And when you went from the 3.5 to 2.5 and seeing your review I was even more settled with the idea of the 2.5 and being that mine is a sport I’ll probably net a little more lift. I’ve also been contemplating a set of the Metalcloak 2.5” springs that I’ve seen for sale in my area. I’m just not sure if those will work without doing control arms and different shocks than the mopar Fox shocks I currently have. Your jeep is so sick @Westymike! It would be sick to do this exact build with your decals and all, just as like a “negative” of yours since my jeep is black!

Thanks man! Let me know if you have questions about the build. It’s been a fun project to build and use!

 

[Westymike]

I've always had the mindset of doing the smallest amount of lift for your chosen tire size and run full skids.

I'm glad you are enjoying the 2.5" lift, with the rack/ RTT/ short wheel base, less lift is better for COG.

Totally agree.. Fun to drive too!

 

[Westymike]

Mudflaps! Why? Because I like them. These are the Rokblokz XL's and yes I paid full retail.

 

[Westymike]

When I originally built my Jeep a few years ago, the intention was to go to "farther" away places like Mexico, Canada, Moab, Etc... so I chose non-beadlock wheels. Mostly because tire shops typically don't like to work on beadlocks and I didn't want that hassle on longer road trips if I were to have issues. NOW, 2+ years later and over 35k of road trips to offroad related events, I'm re-organizing the Jeep for more local wheeling and finally picked up a set of Raceline beadlocks in black. Anyhow, I'm looking forward to running lower pressures up on the Rubicon this season.

In addition to that, I've removed a lot of the overland gear and lightened the rig up by over 250 lbs.

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