1st time jeep owner noob suspension inquiry

[Goblin42]

I have a JL Sport that I've started to build.
I'm in the market for a 3.5" lift kit.
The market is flooded w/ various manufacturers and I've done all I can to research to sort out quality products from non quality.

I could use some direction or even better yet opinions from people whom have direct experience w/ their recommendations on
off-road ride quality as well as daily driven. I commute appx an hour each way so i do have to have similar or better to stock quality DD.

budget wise, i do not have metalcloak gamechanger kinda money. I can at present afford only about 1500$ unless i postpone this upgrade.

Thank you in advance for useful information.

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[obwahn]

I have a JL Sport that I've started to build.
I'm in the market for a 3.5" lift kit.
The market is flooded w/ various manufacturers and I've done all I can to research to sort out quality products from non quality.

I could use some direction or even better yet opinions from people whom have direct experience w/ their recommendations on
off-road ride quality as well as daily driven. I commute appx an hour each way so i do have to have similar or better to stock quality DD.

budget wise, i do not have metalcloak gamechanger kinda money. I can at present afford only about 1500$ unless i postpone this upgrade.

Thank you in advance for useful information.

FWIW the Mopar 2” lift yields about 3” of lift on a sport. Less than $1500 if you search the web.

 

[Goblin42]

FWIW the Mopar 2” lift yields about 3” of lift on a sport. Less than $1500 if you search the web.

what's the right quality like in the Mopart 2"?

 

[TTEChris]

what's the right quality like in the Mopart 2"?

Mopar ride quality is similar to stock. It does however need components to make the kit more "complete" IMO. A front trackbar and some adjustable lower control arms would be something I plan for in the future with that kit.

 

[obwahn]

Mopar ride quality is similar to stock. It does however need components to make the kit more "complete" IMO. A front trackbar and some adjustable lower control arms would be something I plan for in the future with that kit.

You probably know way more than I do, Chris, but all I added was a Fox damper. I found her to be quite stable at speed on the mountain corners on the road too. I didn't feel like I was gonna tip or anything nasty like that. I'm very happy with the way mine turned out. Doing it all myself was icing on the cake.

 

[TTEChris]

You probably know way more than I do, Chris, but all I added was a Fox damper. I found her to be quite stable at speed on the mountain corners on the road too. I didn't feel like I was gonna tip or anything nasty like that. I'm very happy with the way mine turned out. Doing it all myself was icing on the cake.

Some people are more sensitive than others when it comes to the way the Jeep handles/drives. I personally had 4" of lift with no form of caster correction when the JL's first came out and found that it was livable(But not like stock).
Every Mopar kit I've installed drove/handled fine to me, but I have had one customer complain about a slight wandering feeling which was taken care of with adjustable arms and getting closer to -6 degrees of caster. The trackbar is just to center the axle.... Again, most customers would never even notice the front axle was shifted to the driver side unless I pointed it out or measured it for them. I'm just a little anal when it comes to things like that lol

 

[Goblin42]

great info, i'll look at some more info on the mopar kits. some other options local shops have offered are the Rancho, Rubicon Express and JKS. anyone have any unbiased opinions on those 3 ?

 

[TTEChris]

great info, i'll look at some more info on the mopar kits. some other options local shops have offered are the Rancho, Rubicon Express and JKS. anyone have any unbiased opinions on those 3 ?

We had the Rancho kit on my wife's Sport, and it was nice(Not quite as soft as the Mopar kit IMO). Just like the Mopar kit I would add some form of caster correction and an adjustable front trackbar to make it more "complete".

The JKS kits I've only installed on JK's, but the quality/ride on those is really nice. They include the front trackbar and cam locks, but I would get their optional control arms or drop brackets(If you don't plan on getting too crazy offroad).

 

[RubiRob]

Maybe this would be a decent option to check out? Should have everything you want other than shocks at your price range.

https://www.rustysoffroad.com/jeep-...ubicon/rustys-jl-wrangler-3-advanced-kit.html

Or even this and then you can grab a good set of shocks

https://www.rustysoffroad.com/jeep-...con/rustys-jl-wrangler-3-performance-kit.html

 

[RanchoShocks]

I have a bias towards Rancho
We offer corner specific coils, and we have DRS technology in our shocks too.
Our coils are a progressive style coil too, not linear like some will offer.
What is DRS technology you ask?
Here you go!!!
DRS Technology is a unique internal system that includes a precisely tuned metal spring and fortified interior construction to provide additional control, reduce body roll and prevent rod overextension inside the shock.


Also as others have mentioned, get either lower control arms or geometry correction brackets up front. The JL really likes these a lot.

Also an image from another thread, our 3.5" system and 35" tires

great info, i'll look at some more info on the mopar kits. some other options local shops have offered are the Rancho, Rubicon Express and JKS. anyone have any unbiased opinions on those 3 ?

 

[Goblin42]

I have a bias towards Rancho
We offer corner specific coils, and we have DRS technology in our shocks too.
Our coils are a progressive style coil too, not linear like some will offer.
What is DRS technology you ask?
Here you go!!!
DRS Technology is a unique internal system that includes a precisely tuned metal spring and fortified interior construction to provide additional control, reduce body roll and prevent rod overextension inside the shock.


Also as others have mentioned, get either lower control arms or geometry correction brackets up front. The JL really likes these a lot.

Also an image from another thread, our 3.5" system and 35" tires

okay, I'll bite.
how do these directly compare to the competitions systems. RExpress, JKS, and Mopar?

 

[Goblin42]

Maybe this would be a decent option to check out? Should have everything you want other than shocks at your price range.

https://www.rustysoffroad.com/jeep-...ubicon/rustys-jl-wrangler-3-advanced-kit.html

Or even this and then you can grab a good set of shocks

https://www.rustysoffroad.com/jeep-...con/rustys-jl-wrangler-3-performance-kit.html

I haven't heard of them but i'll read up on them tonight . thanks for the suggestion and taking the time to supply the links !

 

[Roky]

I have a JL Sport that I've started to build.
I'm in the market for a 3.5" lift kit.
The market is flooded w/ various manufacturers and I've done all I can to research to sort out quality products from non quality.

I could use some direction or even better yet opinions from people whom have direct experience w/ their recommendations on
off-road ride quality as well as daily driven. I commute appx an hour each way so i do have to have similar or better to stock quality DD.

budget wise, i do not have metalcloak gamechanger kinda money. I can at present afford only about 1500$ unless i postpone this upgrade.

Thank you in advance for useful information.

I’ve been on Mopar lift since October, it rides really nice on and off road. Imho, it really depends on your degree off-roading. If it’s mild to moderate then you’ll have no problem with the Mopar.

If you’re going to be doing more technical wheeling where you need more shock travel then I’d look to rock krawler, metal cloak, etc.... I’m upgrading my lift since I plan on wheeling in different places.

If you want to go with Mopar you can get kit on eBay for 1000.00. And as Rob and Cris have stated, you’ll need an adjustable track bar in the front, front adjustable lower control arms, a rear track bar relocation bracket, and I would get rock krawler or rancho coil spring isolators or perches.

You can pick those items up for around 500- 600.00. Here’s some pics of the Mopar lift on the trail, and my buddies sport s which will show you why you need the track bar. You can see the axle shifted......

 

[Goblin42]

I’ve been on Mopar lift since October, it rides really nice on and off road. Imho, it really depends on your degree off-roading. If it’s mild to moderate then you’ll have no problem with the Mopar.

If you’re going to be doing more technical wheeling where you need more shock travel then I’d look to rock krawler, metal cloak, etc.... I’m upgrading my lift since I plan on wheeling in different places.

If you want to go with Mopar you can get kit on eBay for 1000.00. And as Rob and Cris have stated, you’ll need an adjustable track bar in the front, front adjustable lower control arms, a rear track bar relocation bracket, and I would get rock krawler or rancho coil spring isolators or perches.

You can pick those items up for around 500- 600.00. Here’s some pics of the Mopar lift on the trail, and my buddies sport s which will show you why you need the track bar. You can see the axle shifted......

WOW, that really puts a visual to it. yet more parts I had not yet considered. Thank you !

 

[Goblin42]

Thank you all for all the excellent direction supplied so far. really is helping me out. I come from the Go Fast part of the auto world. and I dare say it's less complicated to select go fast parts than suspension. it's so much more intricate than I had anticipated.

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