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Aftermarket lift kit cadence

Arrowhead

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Hey what ever floats your boat. So your looking for a 2" lift for aesthetics, not for more ground clearance or bigger tires and want to keep the stock ride.

So it sounds like a spacer lift with shock relocation brackets would do exactly what you want, but for some reason you're searching for other solutions. Well let us know what you finally decide on and how it works out for you.

https://www.quadratec.com/p/pro-comp/2-coil-spring-spacer-lift-kit-jeep-wrangler-jl

(The only thing I might add to this kit is a caster correction by way of lower control arm brackets or adjustable upper or lower arms)

And as a personal side note, if your looking to lift for aesthetics, I think body lifts look like crap. The frame will be more exposed, throws the bumpers off (unless you relocate them too), etc. but you know all that because you've done them before. Sorry, that's my opinion
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Shots

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Yes a spacer kit will likely do what I'm looking for, and Daystar has one that comes with lower control arms to correct caster. Thanks for the link on the ProComp kit though, a lot of people wouldn't have taken the time to help me out with something like that. I appreciate it.

I'm exploring options in case there is a better choice. I'm not opposed to replacing suspension components, I've done that before too. At this point I'm still trying to decide what will be best for me.

And yes, too much body lift can look cheap. I need to look into the JL a bit more before I do something like that, but on the 4th gen Ram, the frame was high enough that a small body lift (1.5" or less) didn't expose the frame. I'm not sure if the Wrangler is similar or not yet. As you noted, if you relocate the bumpers and exhaust pipe you can make everything match up. For example my last truck with a combo of 2" - 2.5" suspension and 1" body lift (see attached). No frame visible, bumpers and exhaust tips are relocated to original alignment with body. If you're not told there's a body lift on it, you can't tell. They can be done right, you just have to put in the effort.
Which leads me to my extra research on suspension lifts for my Jeep. If it's going to be more work than I want to do, if it's going to look cheap, and I can get a good suspension kit that doesn't ride like crap on the road or light trails (because it's tuned for serious off road) I may go that way instead. The problem I seem to find is that most kits are developed for people adding larger tires, winches, gear, steel bumpers, etc all of which add weight. They will subsequently add firmer springs to account for that, Then they add firmer shocks to give it better handling on serious trails. All that translates to a harsh ride when you're taking a stock Sahara down the road or simple trail through the woods, and I don't want a harsh ride. My truck, and several before it, were pretty stiff after lifting them. I'm looking to keep the Jeep closer to a stock feel, so I'm exploring options.

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Shots

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Looking at the JL body lift the install seems pretty straight forward. Not a lot to do on the small kit other than space it up. However, I notice the 1.25" kit doesn't have bumper brackets or anything so they're not moving up with the body unless the stock brackets have room for adjustment (which I doubt).
So even though the body lift doesn't look difficult, it may not look as good as I want either. Not only that, but the simple spacer kit or spring kits don't seem too involved either. I guess since I'd be doing all the effort to install the Rubi take-off, I'm already doing the work of one of the 2" kits. No real sense in doing the body lift too. So I guess it's back to researching the lifts on the list to determine the best fit for me.
 

Shots

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This line was added at after writing the post. As it turns out this post is not only to continue with my updates, but it turns out it also allowed me to "talk it out" to myself and come to a decision.

So, I've spent quite a bit of time reading about various lifts, pros and cons of each, searching reviews and just trying to find the right kit for me. One thing has become apparent though. The Dynatrac kit is out. It has great reviews regarding ride quality, but I'm still not seeing any real justification for the price. Yes it has Fox shocks but so does the Mopar kit, which comes with control arms. The Dynatrac kit is $1,300 plus $200 for new control arms (or $175 for brackets). That's $1,500 for the same thing Jeep offers for $1,250 which is backed by the factory warranty.

I've also ruled out he JKS and Rock Krawler kits.
JKS was just too much of an unknown for my liking, and it's also 1/2" taller than I wanted anyway. I really couldn't find much on it, but what little I found sounded like it was a bit stiffer than I'm looking for too.
Rock Krawler kit sounded okay, but again I couldn't really find much and it too was 1/2" taller than I was looking for. Not a huge deal but a consideration just the same. I didn't like that it doesn't come with shocks, but you can be cheap and add shock extensions for $100 on Quadratec so it could be done for $1050 (or more if you add shocks). Not bad for a complete set-up but seems a little expensive when you're using stock shocks or piecing together a kit.

That led me to the next question. Is the Mopar kit a good choice? I like that it's 2" and comes with shocks, springs and control arms. It's a little expensive, and the reviews range from people who love it to people who think it's okay, but wish they had gotten a different kit. There's enough reviews saying they recommend adding items or wishing it was better that I'm not going that way either.

So it comes down to two. Zone or Daystar, because I have to really be honest with myself about how I use my Jeep. I don't need a full $1200+ kit, because I don't do any serious off-roading. My use is very light, and I like the stock ride. So I decided I should swallow my pride and buy the kit that keeps me closest to stock ride, not the one that is the most capable off road, or the coolest one to talk about having. My Jeep is more capable than I'll ever use, so spending more for adding capability is pointless. Likewise spending more for the kit that is "cooler" is foolish too. I did that with a set of tires once, by getting sucked into the "35's" frenzy. The tires were okay, but they turned out to be loud and heavy, whereas the tires I was originally considering were 34's and having used that tire before I know they were quieter and lighter. The moral of the story is, that I've learned to not purchase based on what's cool to have, but rather based on what's the best for me. Anyway, I digress.
  • Zone Offroad 2" (J30N). A spacers kit that comes with new shocks from a company I've used before and been happy with their product. Add control arms or brackets for right around $500 total.
  • Daystar 2" (KJ09177KV). A spacer kit that comes with control arms, and from everything I've read, rides identical to stock. Add in track bars and it's lifted and corrected for around $550 total.
It's not the "cool" option, but I'm going to be ordering the Daystar kit and a track bar/bracket. Rock Krawler makes a front track bar (RK05194), and a rear bracket (RK06718K) which should put everything back in line. The rear bracket is for 2.5" lift, but it's the closest I can find and I figure 1/2" difference is better than 2" difference. If anyone knows of a rear track bar, or bracket that is designed for 2" lift on a JL, let me know. I'll probably be ordering everything in the next couple days.
 

84jeepjohn

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Shots,

From everything I've heard the MOPAR is netting people more than 2" more like 3-3.5" Another company to look at is teraflex, they have quite a few different options as well. Spacer or spring. Once I order mine (towards summer timeframe) I'm leaning in the teraflex direction. Also you can pony up for the adjustable falcon shocks too.

Also on the BL, I have a 1" on my CJ7 and for CJ's and Wranglers there is no way to move the front bumper up. The frame horns extend out under the grill and there is no way to raise the front. Honestly on my CJ it's not too bad, but I had other reasons on why I did it, and that was not an issue to me.
 

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Shots

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Yeah, after reading the installation instructions for the body lift, it doesn't look like they're moving the bumper on the JL either. One of the reasons I didn't consider it too much. That and it looks like just about as much work as a spacer/suspension lift.
 

Shots

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John, I didn't look at Teraflex because I wasn't hearing good things. When I lifted my wife's Renegade, that was one of the very limited options, and I kept seeing reviews of broken parts. There were enough responses of broken parts that I'd seen multiple people refer to them as Terrorflex. I assume the quality of their parts is the same regardless of what model they're making parts for, so I was afraid to explore that option further. To be completely fair to Teraflex though, I have no personal experience with their products. I was just scared off by people who allegedly have. Unfortunately I'm obviously unable to verify most of the information I find from "owners", so I try to remain as objective as possible.

Have you used Teraflex products before? If so, how do they ride, how's the install, anything you'd like to share about them?
 

84jeepjohn

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John, I didn't look at Teraflex because I wasn't hearing good things. When I lifted my wife's Renegade, that was one of the very limited options, and I kept seeing reviews of broken parts. There were enough responses of broken parts that I'd seen multiple people refer to them as Terrorflex. I assume the quality of their parts is the same regardless of what model they're making parts for, so I was afraid to explore that option further. To be completely fair to Teraflex though, I have no personal experience with their products. I was just scared off by people who allegedly have. Unfortunately I'm obviously unable to verify most of the information I find from "owners", so I try to remain as objective as possible.

Have you used Teraflex products before? If so, how do they ride, how's the install, anything you'd like to share about them?
Unfortunately I have not used Teraflex. I'm still Daily Driving my CJ7 with an 18 year old RE 4.5" leaf spring lift (back when RE was top dog)
I have always heard good things about Teraflex, and was looking at either the 2.5 or 3.5 inch lift when I finally order my JLU.
 

Shots

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The lift has been ordered, and should arrive some time next week. I'll start a new thread when it arrives to post details with any installation tips, measurements, and ultimately a review. While doing my research I came across multiple responses saying that anything less the 2.5" doesn't need track bars. I'm skeptical, but I haven't ordered them yet, because I'm looking for a rear bar designed for 2" kits. The fact that I can't find any does tend to give a little support to those claims though, and I guess I'll get a chance to test it before I order bars. I'm going to measure the track offset before/after the installing the lift to see how much it actually moves. Hopefully not much, so I don't have issues until I order the parts I've already found or find a 2" specific bracket/bar.
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