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Am I crazy for liking the stock Sport suspension?

TrailSnail

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Serious newbie question! I come from the truck world and in all my years I've never owned a 4x4 that had such a pleasant feeling suspension as my JLU Sport S. I have sunk BIG money in pickups trying to achieve a similar balance of comfort and handling to what the Jeep has bone stock, to no avail. Not to say that I didn't have rigs with very nice and well-dialed suspension setups, but honestly nothing that compares to the cozy happiness my butt feels (don't go there) on the highway and mild to moderate trails at lower speeds than in my new Jeep.

To get to the point, I'm actually hesitant to lift the JL because I'm unsure if I'm going to lose that level of comfort I've quickly grown to love. I am aware that there are "budget boosts" which retain the factory springs and shocks, but I'm really not a fan of spacers in any application so if I decided to lift it, I wouldn't go that route anyways.

I'm actually considering just trying to shoehorn 35s under it with aftermarket wheels and fenders knowing that I'll be handicapping myself in terms of travel and clearance... unless you all can convince me that my fear of losing the soft, balanced ride by lifting it is unfounded. Do higher spring rates and firmer valving inherently stiffen Jeeps up to a more "truck like" feel when lifting them, or do they retain some of that ride quality just by nature of the better weight distribution, lower tow ratings, and so on vs. the trucks I'm used to?
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GATORB8

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Could just test drive a Rubicon and see if your good with the suspension. Cheap easy swap.

Our Jeep replaced my wife’s string of Benzs, obviously they don’t ride as well as that, but she’s had no issues with her spacer lifted rubicon, and didn’t feel a difference after the lift.
 

MEHillwalker80

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I don't think you're crazy. Last winter I picked up Rubicon take off suspension parts for my 2020 2DR JL Sport S. At the time I only had about 3000 miles on it. This Spring, while planning for my attempt to drive to Alaska from Maine in June, I decided not to risk any changes to my stock setup since it drove so well. No wandering, no death wobble, just a pleasure to drive. So I left the Rubicon parts on the shelf and headed west. Long story short, after returning home in July with 7800 miles logged in reliable comfort I have decided to resell my Rubicon suspension parts. I only overland and don't care about badges so I am happy with what I've got.
 

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I love my Sport suspension as well! It does exactly what I need it to as I overland and don't rock crawl. The only thing I'm longing for is a regear once FCA/Stellantis is off the hook for the warranty.
 

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jbannick18

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I've almost pulled the trigger a few times on rubicon take off but haven't for the same reasons. Only thing I've done so far is change out the AT's that came with for 33's for a little boost in clearance. Plus stock tires looked too small :LOL: (245s)
 

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Jeez dont. dont put 35s on a stock sport. Thats gonna change the way it rides and it is going to be severely handicapped anywhere offroad. Get 33s.

Dont lift if you dont need to. I put a rubi suspension on my sport and honestly i like it better, but the stock sport suspension was great.
 

ThirtyOne

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The last post pretty much said it.
Rubicon suspension with 33s is just right with a sport. Feels a little different but not worse.

anything more than 33s on a Sport is a different conversation…
 

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4 door rubicon springs, 3/4” poly spacers and bilstein 5100’s. You’ll love it.
 

BlackGenesis

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The last post pretty much said it.
Rubicon suspension with 33s is just right with a sport. Feels a little different but not worse.

anything more than 33s on a Sport is a different conversation…
Why is that? If he goes with Rubi take offs, then 34" will fit as well, full flex no rubbing, stock fender flares

305/70r17.

Comfort greatly depends on tires as well. Rubi take off tires or other AT C rated tires will stiffen a ride a bit.
 

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ThirtyOne

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Why is that? If he goes with Rubi take offs, then 34" will fit as well, full flex no rubbing, stock fender flares

305/70r17.

Comfort greatly depends on tires as well. Rubi take off tires or other AT C rated tires will stiffen a ride a bit.
I don’t understand your point.
 

Whaler27

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I've almost pulled the trigger a few times on rubicon take off but haven't for the same reasons. Only thing I've done so far is change out the AT's that came with for 33's for a little boost in clearance. Plus stock tires looked too small :LOL: (245s)
I ran 33’s on my TJ sport and blew up the rear end at about 35,000 miLes. My experience wasn’t unique. (The Dana 35 isn’t great…) I took advantage of my miscalculation/misfortune and replaced the TJ’s rear end with a Ford 8.8 and re-geared to 4:56s. That was a great combination for that Jeep, but in retrospect I probably should have kept it stock and bought a Rubicon if I wanted to run bigger tires and more challenging trails.

I think the JL sport is a fantastic vehicle, and a very capable one bone-stock — WAY more capable than my old TJ was when it was new — but the Sport is not my first choice for mods unless you’re really going “whole-hog“. (Many folks buy the sport because they’re going to replace almost everything that adds cost to the Rubicon, like interior, suspension, axels, gearing, etc, etc)
 

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I ran 33’s on my TJ sport and blew up the rear end at about 35,000 miLes. My experience wasn’t unique. (The Dana 35 isn’t great…) I took advantage of my miscalculation/misfortune and replaced the TJ’s rear end with a Ford 8.8 and re-geared to 4:56s. That was a great combination for that Jeep, but in retrospect I probably should have kept it stock and bought a Rubicon if I wanted to run bigger tires and more challenging trails.

I think the JL sport is a fantastic vehicle, and a very capable one bone-stock — WAY more capable than my old TJ was when it was new — but the Sport is not my first choice for mods unless you’re really going “whole-hog“. (Many folks buy the sport because they’re going to replace almost everything that adds cost to the Rubicon, like interior, suspension, axels, gearing, etc, etc)
Dana 44 and Lsd came stock in my sport 2 door 🤷🏼‍♂️
 

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Yep, the 35's are going to affect your ride more than the mild suspension lift. However, if you decide to lift, I highly recomend the Dynatrac 2" lift, it was designed by the same engineer that designed your stock suspension. Rides just as well too
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