Full kit vs Mopar, what’s the advantage?

[Beancooker]

So we are looking at lifting the JLUR in the nearish future. I am looking at a few different lifts like the RK 2.5“ X-Factor, the Metal Cloak Game Changer 2.5” and the Teraflex 2.5” Alpine CT2.
My wife asked what the advantage over the Mopar 2” lift these systems have. I didn’t have a really good answer other than more sturdy/rugged parts, and adjustability.

What is the advantage to the full kits vs the Mopar kit?

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[Chrisdupe]

The full kits include everything that should be installed with the longer springs/shocks to lift your Jeep. The Mopar kit pretty much requires that you grab that stuff separately. I am no pro but speaking from experience. I went Mopar and if given the chance to do over i would have gone a different route. I've added rear trackball relocation bracket, front adjustable trackball, Falcon steering stabilizer, tie rod and drag link, adj front lower control arms. After the add-ons i can say that my Jeep handles well.

The Mopar kit isn't "bad". It does what it is intended to do fairly well. It's just very incomplete.

There are plenty of discussions on this kit and many others on here so i recommend you do lots of research before jumping in.

 

[Sheepjeep]

The mopar kit is a decent mid level kit, you have nice springs and good shocks but falls short on linkages. Its biggest win is that if the dealer installs it is covered by factory warranty.

The issue with the mopar links is they are fixed, so if you need to fine tune caster or pinion or changes spring heights down the road you cannot with the mopar links, the other issue is with the bushings, they are great for on road maintenance free use, but if you plan on going offroad they can limit your flex. For the after market brands they like to go with adjustable links which you can fine tune the lengths on and come with spectrum of bushing from the stock solid rubber bushing to heim joint which is just steel on steel, with the trade offs being worse on road feeling/noise, more maintenance, short life of joint, but for improved off road flexibility.

Also the mopar lift does nothing for the track bars so you axle will be a little off center which some people have had issues with steering afterwards with.

That all being said if you go the mopar route, you can always buy the control arms that you need in pieces and typically it would be the same as buying the full kit at once, so it is common to see people with mopar springs and shocks, rk control arms and clayton track bars

 

[Clayton Off Road]

Hey Noah! The main advantage a complete suspension system has over something like the Mopar kit is the ability to correct all of your angles and suspension geometry that are thrown off from lifting the vehicle. The Mopar kit does correct some important pieces of the puzzle, however, in our opinion, there are some very important pieces that are also left out. Front and rear adjustable track bars for example are not included inside this kit and will be necessary for you to properly center your front and rear axle underneath the vehicle so you aren't getting any sort of pulling to one side or the other, and will also help with tire life and traction. We also feel that for a vehicle that is going to be seeing mostly on-road driving, that front upper adjustable control arms are much more critical than front lowers as they allow you to more easily adjust your caster angle which will result in much better steering and handling.

We actually sell an entry-level kit designed with all of this in mind for somebody that is looking to properly lift the vehicle in order to fit a larger set of wheels and tires and for the most part plans on keeping the vehicle on the road, it's called our Ride Right Plus kit and comes with everything I just mentioned plus a new set of sway bar end links, and of course new coil springs. If off-roading is something you are looking to get into, we always recommend our complete suspension system at that point which is our Overland Plus suspension system that comes with all 8 adjustable control arms featuring our maintenance-free, dual durometer Giiro bushings. The Ride Right kit is also fully upgradeable to the Overland Plus kit as well! I'll leave a link if you'd like to check it out a little bit further.

https://www.claytonoffroad.com/product/jeep-wrangler-25-ride-right-lift-kit-4dr-2018-jl

 

[BamaJeep]

Hey Noah! The main advantage a complete suspension system has over something like the Mopar kit is the ability to correct all of your angles and suspension geometry that are thrown off from lifting the vehicle. The Mopar kit does correct some important pieces of the puzzle, however, in our opinion, there are some very important pieces that are also left out. Front and rear adjustable track bars for example are not included inside this kit and will be necessary for you to properly center your front and rear axle underneath the vehicle so you aren't getting any sort of pulling to one side or the other, and will also help with tire life and traction. We also feel that for a vehicle that is going to be seeing mostly on-road driving, that front upper adjustable control arms are much more critical than front lowers as they allow you to more easily adjust your caster angle which will result in much better steering and handling.

We actually sell an entry-level kit designed with all of this in mind for somebody that is looking to properly lift the vehicle in order to fit a larger set of wheels and tires and for the most part plans on keeping the vehicle on the road, it's called our Ride Right Plus kit and comes with everything I just mentioned plus a new set of sway bar end links, and of course new coil springs. If off-roading is something you are looking to get into, we always recommend our complete suspension system at that point which is our Overland Plus suspension system that comes with all 8 adjustable control arms featuring our maintenance-free, dual durometer Giiro bushings. The Ride Right kit is also fully upgradeable to the Overland Plus kit as well! I'll leave a link if you'd like to check it out a little bit further.

https://www.claytonoffroad.com/product/jeep-wrangler-25-ride-right-lift-kit-4dr-2018-jl

what shocks do you recommend pairing with this kit since it may be geared primarily for on road use with a bit of off-roading here and there ?

 

[Pig-Pen]

do your research before you buy. id strongly recommend reviewing whats involved with installation of any kit you are considering and any potential maintenance afterwards.

 

[Bloody Marty]

My Jeep is new & I went with the dealer installed MOPAR for warranty purposes plus I won't be off roading in a radical manner.
Road, firetrails & some dunes.
In fact I just got it back from the dealer today.
Very happy!!

 

[Suspect]

My Jeep is new & I went with the dealer installed MOPAR for warranty purposes plus I won't be off roading in a radical manner.
Road, firetrails & some dunes.
In fact I just got it back from the dealer today.
Very happy!!

35s or 37s?

 

[Bloody Marty]

35x12.5x17 Mickeys Baja Boss MT's

 

[ML7]

I would look at getting just the Mopar Springs and shocks and then adding better control arms and track bars etc from different vendors. I started with the basic Mopar lift and 37' tires and after 2k miles the steering was not tight, luckily I got a front axle warranty so added Claytons top of the line adjustable control arms upper and lower and a Steersmarts track bar and reinforcement bracket and Wow what a difference - now I can drive with one hand at 70 mph on the rough section of I-70 near me - got the rears and having them installed already have the rear steersmarts track bar

 

[Headbarcode]

It's not only the adjustability and improved bushings of the aftermarket arms and linkages, but also the strength of the bars themselves. The factory, and Mopar lift, arms and linkages are constructed of a thin-walled material. When adding lift and larger tires, the forces are increased between the ground and the frame/body. Stronger connection points will better stand up to those forces, while also providing a more solid and planted drive ability, both on and off road. Pretty much, the more that gets replaced and upgraded, the more fortified the tires and lift will be.

 

[davered00ss]

My Jeep is new & I went with the dealer installed MOPAR for warranty purposes plus I won't be off roading in a radical manner.
Road, firetrails & some dunes.
In fact I just got it back from the dealer today.
Very happy!!

I'm looking at doing the same lift, can you post up a side pic?

Thanks,
Dave

 

[Beancooker]

Sorry for the late reply. It has been two record sales days at work in a row. Quite busy, which is great!

Thank you to all who answered with an explanation to my question. Being that this is a daily driver and sees a whopping 30 miles a week as a DD, and as a weekend off roster it sees over 100 miles a week off road, just to get to the fun, then a few hours of obstacles and serious off roading and or rock crawling, your answers have made it an easy choice.

Definitely going with a full lift kit.

As far as installation, this is something I won’t be doing. It’s too much for my garage, and I’m not getting any younger. I hurt for a few days after installing skid plates. Fortunately I live in Arizona, so there are plenty of competent shops available.

Thank you all for the answers. It is very much appreciated.

 

[Bloody Marty]

I'm looking at doing the same lift, can you post up a side pic?

Thanks,
Dave

For what I'll be doing with this Jeep it's perfect for me (for now.... )
Waiting for my spare relocation piece(s) to arrive.

 

[Notorious]

Thanks,
Dave

Photo is courtesy of @jeepoch so please say thank you to him.

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