AEV 2.5"

[MT1]

I can't say for sure that it came from the factory that way, all I can say that was the measurements before I added the lift (pictures to prove it). Are the fender heights in front and rear the same on a stock rubicon? I've had the jeep for about a year and a half, had it off road several times, but the only thing I've done that would have affected ride height to this point was when I went up to 315s. Hell, the jeep even had more weight in the front from stock as it has a Zeon 10s winch. So you got me on why it was taller in the front.

On an unrelated note, after my first drive I was afraid I made a mistake with the lift. But the more I drive it and play with the PSI, the more I like it. I'm pretty happy with it at this point.

Only asked because a wrangler usually has a little bit of a rake.
I’m glad the ride seems to be settling in for you.
Just got notification that my rubicon just came in.
I have a living room full of parts waiting to go on it.
Not sure with 35’s, but with 37’s, the average consensus seems to be 32 psi for a good ride.
I’ll post some pics in 2-3 weeks when she’s all put together.

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[Vermillion]

Can you elaborate on your last comment, I am debating on this lift or the 2 inch Dynatrac EnduroSport. I was all in on AEV due to their reputation and 2.5 seemed about the right height for me. But after hearing mixed reviews, lighter jeeps seeing 3.5 inches of lift, etc, I am not so sure. I have a stock 4 door Sahara and added a rubicon steel front bumper, winch soon, and looking for a different rear steel bumper. Will want to run 35's and a roof rack if one comes out for the Sky one touch top. Plan on loading it down over time. Not a wheeler, but extensive hiking, camping and backpacking and afraid the 2 inch may fall over time.

Thanks again for your review. First time poster, long time creeper.

So after the lift/track bar install and alignment I drove it home. I liked what felt like reduced side roll in turns at speed, less dive in stopping, and less slop in the steering. It did feel somewhat "sportier". But I swore I felt every bump in the road and the ride seemed a lot stiffer than I expected. The road was in pretty poor shape, but I still sat there the whole ride home going "do I hate my jeep (daily driver) now?". When I got home I went around trying to verify everything was installed correctly because I thought that there was no way could this be normal.

Well, come to find out when they did the alignment, for whatever reason, they aired the tires up to 41 PSI! Stock is 37 PSI and pre-lift install I was at 31-32 PSI on my 315 C rated BFG KO2. Oh and for reference AEV recommends 28-30 PSI for this lift. Low and behold, it really was as simple as airing back down to 30-31 to totally change the ride experience. I feel I am back to what I expected to be a slightly stiffer ride, but still have all the other benefits I mentioned above. I'm much happier now and all my angst is gone.

I can't speak to how much lift you will end up with for a Sahara. I expect to setting about 1/4 to 1/2 an inch over time, especially once I add some armor (weight).

P.S. Good job getting a different rear bumper. The stock Rubi steel bumper is garbage (I have lots of black marks on my jeep where the thing flexed into the body on obstacles) and its on my list of things to be replaced.

 

[Gorillabaseball]

So after the lift/track bar install and alignment I drove it home. I liked what felt like reduced side roll in turns at speed, less dive in stopping, and less slop in the steering. It did feel somewhat "sportier". But I swore I felt every bump in the road and the ride seemed a lot stiffer than I expected. The road was in pretty poor shape, but I still sat there the whole ride home going "do I hate my jeep (daily driver) now?". When I got home I went around trying to verify everything was installed correctly because I thought that there was no way could this be normal.

Well, come to find out when they did the alignment, for whatever reason, they aired the tires up to 41 PSI! Stock is 37 PSI and pre-lift install I was at 31-32 PSI on my 315 C rated BFG KO2. Oh and for reference AEV recommends 28-30 PSI for this lift. Low and behold, it really was as simple as airing back down to 30-31 to totally change the ride experience. I feel I am back to what I expected to be a slightly stiffer ride, but still have all the other benefits I mentioned above. I'm much happier now and all my angst is gone.

I can't speak to how much lift you will end up with for a Sahara. I expect to setting about 1/4 to 1/2 an inch over time, especially once I add some armor (weight).

P.S. Good job getting a different rear bumper. The stock Rubi steel bumper is garbage (I have lots of black marks on my jeep where the thing flexed into the body on obstacles) and its on my list of things to be replaced.

I really appreciate you taking the time to reply. After reading your reply and the Scout Trooper 2 door build post, I believe the AEV lift is right for me.

 

[AROD21]

I looked around for awhile before finally deciding on this lift kit for my 2019 JL Rubicon.
The reasonable reviews, decent price and interesting options included were compelling,
but I think it was the Bilstein shocks that did it.
I always wanted to try Bilstein shocks on my dirt bike as a kid but I never got to...

*Installation*

With a bit of help from my 11 yr old son and much unsolicited help from my 3 yr old daughter, I took a weekend in the insane Las Vegas heat, and installed everything.
It went OK.
Most of the(wasted)time was spent tool juggling with the stock metric and the provided SAE hardware, and of course my little helper. (She loves the creeper).
The provided front sway bar end links were not going to fit. I had to use the longer stock rear end links, and even those were straining.
There is no included track bar or relocation system for the front, and this kit lifted my Jeep 3.5 inches exactly, measured from the ground to the frame.

*Result*

The 3.5" lift gave me a front axle offset of 1 full inch. I clearly needed an adjustable front track bar. The rear relocation bracket did not center my rear axle either, and it still has a 3\8" driver side bias.
The control arm relocation brackets seem to correct caster, but you lose most of the increased ground clearance right behind the front wheels. The rear bump stops are made out of plastic, and the instructions caution against over torquing.
That's fine except that the rear sway bar spacer blocks are made out of the same plastic, and it deforms at the recommended 50 ft. lbs. of torque. I used some blue loctite and was very careful, but I can't imagine they will hold up. I hope I'm wrong.

I called AEV tech support to see if I had missed something, especially with the axle shift.
I talked to someone named Patric. He said that they are installing these kits without upgrading stock track bars and I should send him some photos, which I promptly did. No response at all. It's been about 3 weeks...

So I ordered a Steersmarts track bar, waited a week for it to get here, installed it, centered my axle, and replaced the end links with the provided ones.

*Testing*

I aligned my front end, centered my steering and drove on the road for a few days.
It's driving well, it has less wander than stock, probably due to the caster and heavy duty track bar (not included).
I re-torqued everything (190 ft.lbs. is no joke, especially from your back, and I'm 6'4" 210 lbs, and very fit..)
and then headed out to the rocks.

It's OK.
The articulation seems reasonable even with the large front bump stops.
The rear is very harsh. An uneven fire-road results in bucking even at 10 mph. I expected (and wanted) stiffer suspension, but the rebound damping seems off.
This may be why AEV says this kit is for loaded vehicles (I have after-market steel front and rear bumpers, a winch, a 35" spare, tools and recovery gear, and usually 4 people so...) and they recommend 28 psi in the tires.
Maybe it will settle in...

I also installed 35" Cooper Discoverer STT Pros, so I was happy to have the ProCal SNAP! to reprogram the tire size.
The installation was a bit fussy, They recommend a dental pick to pop up the tabs on the OBDII connector, and you will need to use one, and possible destroy it, but it wired up fine. I plugged in the proCal SNAP! and nothing, no blinking light, nothing. I proceeded to undue, re-due, and continuity test for about an hour, no luck.
Called tech support. Don't remember who I talked to. He asked me to look at the ProCal SNAP! through the transparent back housing. He asked me if it was all white, I said yep. He put me on hold for a while. He came back and said no one is in the sales dept and they could send me a new one or he could tell me how to fix the one I have. He was doing a lot of sighing and seemed strangely embarrassed. I said OK lets fix it. He tells me to pop the plastic front cover off the transparent back and take the small circuit board and flip it front to back. I sat silently for a few seconds and said "really, wow".
He said "yeah". He mumbled something about a bad batch and I said "so we're good" He said "that should do it", I said OK thanks and went out to try it. It worked as expected. Funley enough, you can't alter the tire pressure warning that you'll get if you go to the recommended 28 psi, but I changed the tire size, and the speedo is accurate.

Recommended?

Even though I don't think that the performance is bad, I have to say no.
They have to know that this is a 3.5" lift.
This, along with the zero response tech support, plastic spacers, having to buy extra parts, and the ProCal SNAP! fiasco, I'm not really a satisfied customer.
I guess the plastic jack base is OK.

I know Rock Krawler has a strong presence here, but the crazy number of options threw me. I think I should have researched more...

Should I correct the rear axle? About 3\8" off. It seems to drive OK. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks for reading,

Erik

If you could buy again what would you have bought?

 

[Erik]

If you could buy again what would you have bought?

Maybe something from Rock Krawler or Metalcloak, or even Rancho. I thought I was saving some money but it didn't really turn out that way. It's not that bad, I just wasn't prepared to need track bars. I think adjustable control arms may be better in the long run as well.

 

[dna44]

I'm looking at either this AEV kit or the JKS 2.5" HD kit. I like the idea of a heavy spring rate so I never have to worry about issues with carrying a load and I am willing to sacrifice for a rough ride when unloaded.

...I actually enjoy a rough ride. (That's what she said?)

 

[Iaacosta86]

I have no complaints with this lift, I did notice it took some time for the lift to settle but once it did it looks amazing. Paired with jk borah beadlocks the offroad comfort and performance is great. Way better than stock in my opinion

 

[chris4prez]

Stt Cooper pro 35” 315s, AEV Savegre wheels, AEV 2.5 lift. Drives great, soaks up bumps better than stock. I was worried about AEV’s description that the lift is made for extra weight. I am light for the time being with plastic rear and steel front bumper. It feels planted, I drive aggressive and I can still drive that way without any worry lol. The 35” tires were first upgrade I did 6mos ago. 37s might be coming soon....

How are the Shocks holding up from corrosion? I’m itching to pull the trigger on them but highly concerned they will not hold up compared to some others. I did hear they have a new coating on them vs the JK ones which corroded like crazy.

 

[word302]

Only asked because a wrangler usually has a little bit of a rake.
I’m glad the ride seems to be settling in for you.
Just got notification that my rubicon just came in.
I have a living room full of parts waiting to go on it.
Not sure with 35’s, but with 37’s, the average consensus seems to be 32 psi for a good ride.
I’ll post some pics in 2-3 weeks when she’s all put together.

Rubicon fenders are quite a bit higher in the front.

 

[Gorillabaseball]

Wanted to comment about this lift. Had it installed on my Sahara last week and so far, absolutely love it. The only additional items I went with, adjustable Rancho track bars front and rear. The installer said the rear was probably not needed with this lift. Still debating on what wheels to go with, eying the Quadratec `41.

 

[Hayseed_JLUR]

How are the Shocks holding up from corrosion? I’m itching to pull the trigger on them but highly concerned they will not hold up compared to some others. I did hear they have a new coating on them vs the JK ones which corroded like crazy.

Over 70k miles and 3 heavy salt winters and no corrosion to speak of on my JK.

 

[jperk2980]

I just recently installed the AEV 2.5” and I’m noticing some steering issues with steering wheel centering and drifting to the right. Is adjusting the drag link the only fix or does anyone have recommendations on what to look for? It’s not to bad just more of an annoyance. Other then that the lift kit is awesome.

 

[MT1]

Funny. Out of the dealer, the steering wheel was not centered and had a hard pull to the right. Didn’t bother bringing it back because it wasn’t staying stock for more than a few days. Installed the AEV lift, Steer Smarts track bar, tie rod, and draglink with a Fox ATS. Set the toe to zero. Psi of 28 on 37’s. Now tracks very straight. Hit bumps at high speeds with no problems. One thing I have noticed, a little too much play in the steering for me. However, this is my first Jeep, so my expectations might be out of wack.

 

[jperk2980]

Funny. Out of the dealer, the steering wheel was not centered and had a hard pull to the right. Didn’t bother bringing it back because it wasn’t staying stock for more than a few days. Installed the AEV lift, Steer Smarts track bar, tie rod, and draglink with a Fox ATS. Set the toe to zero. Psi of 28 on 37’s. Now tracks very straight. Hit bumps at high speeds with no problems. One thing I have noticed, a little too much play in the steering for me. However, this is my first Jeep, so my expectations might be out of wack.

 

[jperk2980]

Interesting....I was told if I’m running 35s I shouldn’t need track bar, tie rod, and draglink and it’s designed to be used with factory track bar. My shop did tell me though it’s a lot of trial and error when it comes to centering the steering wheel. The JK aev procal has a centering wheel option which helped but this new procal snap kinda sucks, doesn’t even have TPMS adjustments.

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