Lift | Best Options / Height / Brands

[hpwong]

Hi - New member; thanks in advance for all the advice; looking for some thoughts and suggestions as I don't even know where to start - just see y'all have some awesome looking set-ups.

Looking to lift my JLUR, approximately ~2" to put on 35" wheels w/o having to do other major never-ending upgrades. Would like off-road ability, but realize I'll be driving it on-road most of the time (could use my stock 33" wheels for regular driving - my only vehicle.)

Thoughts on best options to lift it? Spring / Shock combos? Affordable to mid-range options?

Thanks again!

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[falcon241073]

I went metalcloak gamechanger 3.5” with 37” tires.

Maybe look at the metalcloak true dual rate 2.5” or gamechanger 2.5”.

 

[Some Random Guy]

If I were doing it all again I’d go Metalcloak 2.5” game changer. Crazy flex to get you through things with stability.
A leveling kit might get you the clearance you need for 35’s though. 1/2” to 3/4” will let you run any 35” off road, and stock flex is great.

 

[hpwong]

I went metalcloak gamechanger 3.5” with 37” tires.

Maybe look at the metalcloak true dual rate 2.5” or gamechanger 2.5”.

Thanks; your upgrade is making me want the higher lift with the bigger wheels, looks great!

 

[hpwong]

If I were doing it all again I’d go Metalcloak 2.5” game changer. Crazy flex to get you through things with stability.
A leveling kit might get you the clearance you need for 35’s though. 1/2” to 3/4” will let you run any 35” off road, and stock flex is great.

Thanks!

 

[GATORB8]

I realize I got a little long winded on this, but hope it helps:

A few considerations from what I've learned on ours over the last couple months. The solid front axle setup is pretty simple to work with, and realistically each piece could be sourced separately.

Springs/Spacers - Establish Ride Height (lift) and ride quality (spring rate). Spacers don't impact spring rate, so a spacer on a stock spring will not impact the ride. You want enough spring extension to not have it fall out at full droop. Spacers will get you the exact advertised change, springs can be hit or miss, and give you more or less.

Bumpstops - Establish tire clearance at full stuff, and the max amount of uptravel. You want the bump stop to hit before your chosen shock "tops" out. Stock, the rubicon has 3.75" of uptravel, I would recommend not going under this, and getting closer to 5" if possible for balanced trail riding (Accutune's Recommendation).

Teraflex Bump Recommendations for Tire Fitment:
• Sport/Sahara Fenders: 35" (w/ 3" front & 2.5" rear bump stops)
• Rubicon Fenders: 35" (w/ 2" front & 2" rear bump stops)
• Rubicon Fenders: 37" (w/ 2.5" front & 3" rear bump stops)

Shocks - The extended length of your shocks establish your max downtravel/droop. Shocks over 29" full extension require aftermarket replacement front driveshaft per Rock Krawler.

Swaybar End Links - With the electronic disconnect in the Rubicon, you don't need aftermarket disconnects. You want the sway bar to be relatively level at ride height, so it's good to extend them by the amount you lift.

Caster Correction - The lift will place the front axle further down in the travel arch, decreasing caster. You'll want to correct the caster one of two ways, extended/adjustable LCAs, a full set of adjustable CAs, or Geometry correction brackets (or some combination)

Axle Location (left/right) - The lift will place the axles further down in the travel arch, moving the axle in one direction. Adjustable track bars or track bar brackets allow you to recenter your axle. Track bar brackets should only be used in the rear because they can cause bump steer if the drag link is a different length than the track bar.

So what should you choose?

The cheaper the kit the less of these pieces it will include. Also, shocks are a huge part of the cost difference you see in kits. But that doesn't mean you can't address all of the above items at a cost less than the high-end kits.

So looking at 2" here's some "value" recommendations:

1. Spring/Spacer - Use a spacer to keep your stock spring rate, make sure you get one that is indexed. The Teraflex 1.5 spacer kit will get you 2" front lift, and 1.5" rear.

2. Bump Stops - 2" extensions front and rear will get you clearance for 35s on a rubicon. Paired with a 2" lift, this will maintain the stock 3.75" of uptravel. Brand doesn't matter. This is different than the Jounce Bumpers which do not necessarily change the stop.

3. Shocks - Apparently the stock rubicon shocks are monotube emulsion style. The Monotube design is better than Twin Tube shocks (sometimes called gas shocks). You can find plenty of cheap twin tubes, the best value I've found for quality Monotubes is the Bilstein 5100 at about $90/corner. Stock front bump stop is 16.25, so you'll want a collapsed length of 18.25" or less with 2" bump stops to make sure you don't top out the shock. If you don't want to replace the driveshaft, you'll want an extended length of less than 29". Another option here is using shock extensions with the stock rubicon shocks, which will get you 17.75" Collapse, 25.63" Extended (front).

4. Sway Bar Endlinks - Match your lift, and watch for designs different than the stock one that may require more backspacing.

5. Caster Correction - The Mopar Lift LCAs are available separately, and are a great value at $60 for the pair. Geo Correction Brackets will be the next step in cost, then adjustable arms.

6. Axle Location - With 2", you can get by without these and have a axle shift of 1/2" or so. Brackets are probably the cheapest, and Rough Country adjustable are a pretty good value at $150/axle.

Hope this helps you while you're shopping.

 

[hpwong]

I realize I got a little long winded on this, but hope it helps:

A few considerations from what I've learned on ours over the last couple months. The solid front axle setup is pretty simple to work with, and realistically each piece could be sourced separately.

Springs/Spacers - Establish Ride Height (lift) and ride quality (spring rate). Spacers don't impact spring rate, so a spacer on a stock spring will not impact the ride. You want enough spring extension to not have it fall out at full droop. Spacers will get you the exact advertised change, springs can be hit or miss, and give you more or less.

Bumpstops - Establish tire clearance at full stuff, and the max amount of uptravel. You want the bump stop to hit before your chosen shock "tops" out. Stock, the rubicon has 3.75" of uptravel, I would recommend not going under this, and getting closer to 5" if possible for balanced trail riding (Accutune's Recommendation).

Teraflex Bump Recommendations for Tire Fitment:
• Sport/Sahara Fenders: 35" (w/ 3" front & 2.5" rear bump stops)
• Rubicon Fenders: 35" (w/ 2" front & 2" rear bump stops)
• Rubicon Fenders: 37" (w/ 2.5" front & 3" rear bump stops)

Shocks - The extended length of your shocks establish your max downtravel/droop. Shocks over 29" full extension require aftermarket replacement front driveshaft per Rock Krawler.

Swaybar End Links - With the electronic disconnect in the Rubicon, you don't need aftermarket disconnects. You want the sway bar to be relatively level at ride height, so it's good to extend them by the amount you lift.

Caster Correction - The lift will place the front axle further down in the travel arch, decreasing caster. You'll want to correct the caster one of two ways, extended/adjustable LCAs, a full set of adjustable CAs, or Geometry correction brackets (or some combination)

Axle Location (left/right) - The lift will place the axles further down in the travel arch, moving the axle in one direction. Adjustable track bars or track bar brackets allow you to recenter your axle.

So what should you choose?

The cheaper the kit the less of these pieces it will include. Also, shocks are a huge part of the cost difference you see in kits. But that doesn't mean you can't address all of the above items at a cost less than the high-end kits.

So looking at 2" here's some "value" recommendations:

1. Spring/Spacer - Use a spacer to keep your stock spring rate, make sure you get one that is indexed. The Teraflex 1.5 spacer kit will get you 2" front lift, and 1.5" rear.

2. Bump Stops - 2" extensions front and rear will get you clearance for 35s on a rubicon. Paired with a 2" lift, this will maintain the stock 3.75" of uptravel. Brand doesn't matter. This is different than the Jounce Bumpers which do not necessarily change the stop.

3. Shocks - Apparently the stock rubicon shocks are monotube emulsion style. The Monotube design is better than Twin Tube shocks (sometimes called gas shocks). You can find plenty of cheap twin tubes, the best value I've found for quality Monotubes is the Bilstein 5100 at about $90/corner. Stock front bump stop is 16.25, so you'll want a collapsed length of 18.25" or less with 2" bump stops to make sure you don't top out the shock. If you don't want to replace the driveshaft, you'll want an extended length of less than 29". Another option here is using shock extensions with the stock rubicon shocks, which will get you 17.75" Collapse, 25.63" Extended (front).

4. Sway Bar Endlinks - Match your lift, and watch for designs different than the stock one that may require more backspacing.

5. Caster Correction - The Mopar Lift LCAs are available separately, and are a great value at $60 for the pair. Geo Correction Brackets will be the next step in cost, then adjustable arms.

6. Axle Location - With 2", you can get by without these and have a axle shift of 1/2" or so. Brackets are probably the cheapest, and Rough Country adjustable are a pretty good value at $150/axle.

Hope this helps you while you're shopping.

Thanks, GatorB8! More detail the better, this was awesome. Really appreciate the help.

 

[Jeepmarkjl]

I have 35s on my Rubi. I added AEV 2.5 lift yesterday. It’s a complete package W/shocks. while you can use factory track bar with no issue the vehicle will be slightly off center by 3/4 to 1 inch. So I added yeti hd adjustable track bar In front From steersmarts. The ride is great. It’s feels a little bit different but not in bad way. Unloaded, I gained 3.5 inches. Loaded it will settle to a net gain of 2.5. I didn’t need rock crawler lift. I didn’t want 37s bc then regearing up to 4.56 would probably needEd. (Not mandatory though). AEV KIT comes with some nice extras. Jack stand lift bc factory stand now too short. Most importantly, it comes with their pro cal device to reprogram the vehicle to recognize bigger tires without having to pay a dealer to charge an arm a leg to do something that takes 5 minute. Procal also lets you change TPMS thresholds if you want to air down.
took the lift shop near me about 4 hrs including lunch/smoke break. They charged me $400. Which was way cheaper than the dealer who quoted $2000 for labor only (insane)

 

[mayoJames]

I just ordered 35s for my 19 rubicon unlimited. Trying spend around 2k for the best overall suspension upgrades for the money(before installation). Ive looked at AEV lift and others. Any thoughts on how i should go about this?

obvi AEV lift andtrack bar would be a good option, but what else

 

[Hucke_250]

I just ordered 35s for my 19 rubicon unlimited. Trying spend around 2k for the best overall suspension upgrades for the money(before installation). Ive looked at AEV lift and others. Any thoughts on how i should go about this?

obvi AEV lift andtrack bar would be a good option, but what else

Are you planning on running steel bumpers and side steps/rockers? The AEV Dualsport 2.5 lift is meant for rigs planning to run a heavy setup (steel bumpers,winch, side steps, extra gear, etc.).
Same question @hpwong are you planning on running a light or heavy rig?

 

[hpwong]

Are you planning on running steel bumpers and side steps/rockers? The AEV Dualsport 2.5 lift is meant for rigs planning to run a heavy setup (steel bumpers,winch, side steps, extra gear, etc.).
Same question @hpwong are you planning on running a light or heavy rig?

I don't plan on running a heavy rig. I was just looking at the 3 options below, found on a TrailRecon YouTube video review. Still trying to learn.

AEV 2.5" Dualsport RT - RT - $1,379
Icon Vehicle Dynamics 2.5" - Icon - $1,222
Dynatrac Endurosport 2" - Fox - $1,199


No plans to upgrade the bumper or side rockers. Thanks in advance @Hucke_250 !

 

[dooms]

I went with the AEV 2.5" + JKS Adjustable trackbar. As others mentioned - its designed for a rig with heavy bumpers, winch, rails, etc... Even with those, it netted more than 2.5" for my setup. I went 35's.

Ride is great though. Install wasn't a walk in the park and I've done 7 or 8 jeep lifts now. Got it done over the weekend in my garage with some help (including bumpers, winch, rails). Moving slow at my age...

About an inch and a half higher than my JK (next to it) that has a Teraflex 2" + 0.75" spacers and 35's as well.

 

[GATORB8]

I don't plan on running a heavy rig. I was just looking at the 3 options below, found on a TrailRecon YouTube video review. Still trying to learn.

AEV 2.5" Dualsport RT - RT - $1,379
Icon Vehicle Dynamics 2.5" - Icon - $1,222
Dynatrac Endurosport 2" - Fox - $1,199


No plans to upgrade the bumper or side rockers. Thanks in advance @Hucke_250 !

Something to remember when comparing value is the difference in shock cost. The AEV comes with Bilstein 5100s which cost about $400 compared to the Dynatrac’s Foxes which are closer to $700.

 

[mayoJames]

Are you planning on running steel bumpers and side steps/rockers? The AEV Dualsport 2.5 lift is meant for rigs planning to run a heavy setup (steel bumpers,winch, side steps, extra gear, etc.).
Same question @hpwong are you planning on running a light or heavy rig?

I have the factory steel bumpers and a warn ZEON-10s winch. I usually wheel with my jeep loaded with camping gear so thats why i was looking at AEV. Just wanted to know if there was any ways to boost it a bit maybe in the steering for an overall more robust setup.

 

[Greg H]

Here is a good lift comparison. After watching this and reading a lot of reviews on the Dynatrac Endurosport 2". I went with it. Glad I did. I running 315/70R17 (35") General Graber A/Tx tires on my stock Rubicon wheels. No spacers need no rubing anywhere. I raised the 3rd brake light up 1 mounting hole and used a 5/16" spacer on the spare tire. No need for a relocation bracket.

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