Lift vs spacer on rubicon.

[Martial Fartist]

Still doing my research. The plan is to add 35’s to the rubicon. I was looking at the aev 2.5 lift but see they have a 2” spacer kit which is cheaper.
I’m not planning on rock climbing any time soon because I’m in Florida. Are there any advantages or disadvantages to the spacers vs going the full lift?

thanks.

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[aldo98229]

A full lift will give you greater articulation and a smoother ride. But since you are in Florida, none of that might really matter.

 

[Pinion]

Just run the 35s without a lift.

 

[rcadden]

TBH if you're not concerned about flex, a spacer lift will be just fine.

People here love to hate on spacer lifts, and I see why, but for some folks, they're legit the best balance of function/price.

I have the 2" Teraflex spacers on my Sahara Altitude with 33" Rubi take-offs and have had no issues wheeling the local parks. I'm also not attempting Moab or the Rubicon Trail.

 

[cmcclintock]

I have a 2” spacer lift with 37s. I off road it on trails, sand dunes, snow with no issues at all. Lots of fun. The thing goes anywhere. Also it drives great. I have also had it on the Rubicon trail and was very impressed. I will say if I did stuff like the Rubicon all the time I would put a high quality lift on it as it does lack the flex for the extreme trails. Just not there yet or a priority at this time.

 

[Stuckinthesand]

2.5” spacer lift on 35”s on my JLU sport.

 

[AlexJeepVB]

The spacer lift will be more than enough for 35’s on your Rubicon. Maybe get a nice set of shocks to go with it. Spacer lift will ride the best since it reuses factory springs with factory spring rates. I just recently put the Teraflex Falcon mono tube 1.1 shocks on my Rubicon and they ride great.

 

[txj2go]

Still doing my research. The plan is to add 35’s to the rubicon.

Doesn't the Rubicon sit higher than the Sport/Sahara? And comes with fenders with more clearance? I put Rubicon takeoff springs on my Sport and gained 1.5" front and 2" rear. I put on 33" Rubicon takeoff tires and have plenty of clearance for articulating on trails. I've had one wheel off the ground with nothing rubbing anywhere. I would think you would be fine with the stock Rubicon. It comes with 33" tires so 35s will only project 1" farther towards the fender. If you are set on the new tires then put them on and see how it works. If you add any lift to the stock suspension, maybe even if you don't, it is advisable to add adjustable lower control arms or the longer Mopar lower control arms to get your caster setting back in line.

 

[MrTimberwolf]

2018 stock Rubicon, plan on doing lift but right now with prices I'm waiting. Anyways sitting on 35x12.50 R17 with -12mm offset and fits fine. Sorry phone cam is broke so pics look like crap.

 

[Tom73]

I’m running 35’s with a simple 3/4” spacer lift. Any more lift and I would have changed shocks too

 

[jhackathorne]

If you’re not wheeling HARD a spacer lift is perfectly fine. Save your money and use it towards other Jeep mods. Anyone saying to get a lift are likely the same people who don’t even use their Jeep and are still running MetalCloak and Rigid ditch lights etc. more about saying “I have this or that…” and showing off than needing what they have.

 

[Zandcwhite]

The misconception that a spacer lift won’t flex or can’t wheel hard is both rampant on this forum and absurd. Obviously it won’t flex like a rock krawler kit (control arms will bind eventuall), but the idea that new springs will increase articulation is just dumb. The limiting factor of the stock suspension is shocks period. They also make the biggest difference in ride quality. Even at stock height, every Jeep will benefit from a shock upgrade and longer lower control arms. How you achieve the ride height is minor when it boils down to it. We wheeled all over Moab on spacers with shock extensions. Ran Holcomb creek and John Bull with the same set up. The spacers are not the limiting factor until you get well beyond the limit of the stock driveshaft, 29”+ shocks, and huge flex.

 

[txj2go]

The misconception that a spacer lift won’t flex or can’t wheel hard is both rampant on this forum and absurd. Obviously it won’t flex like a rock krawler kit (control arms will bind eventuall), but the idea that new springs will increase articulation is just dumb. The limiting factor of the stock suspension is shocks period. They also make the biggest difference in ride quality. Even at stock height, every Jeep will benefit from a shock upgrade and longer lower control arms. How you achieve the ride height is minor when it boils down to it. We wheeled all over Moab on spacers with shock extensions. Ran Holcomb creek and John Bull with the same set up. The spacers are not the limiting factor until you get well beyond the limit of the stock driveshaft, 29”+ shocks, and huge flex.

My understanding is "with shock extensions" is the key. If you add longer springs or add spacers, you use up part of the shock travel and you can reach the limit of shock extension quicker. If you add shock extensions at the same time then you should be able to flex just as much as the original unmodified components.
Nobody mentioned it before and I didn't want to either because I'm not that knowledgeable in this regard but I think disconnecting the sway bar will help with flex if a person thinks they are flex challenged.

 

[word302]

It’s not that spacers won’t get it done, it’s that you need to still invest in additional parts to make your Jeep drive properly ON THE STREET. All the people saying if you’re not gonna wheel it hard spacers are all you need don’t really understand suspension geometry. Caster is the number 1 most important factor to keep in check when lifting a JL. The rubicons come with too low of caster from the factory, add some spacers and the caster gets woefully low. The only real issue with spacers over springs is the possibility of unseating your springs at full droop. When you add longer shocks you’ll be able to droop far enough for the springs to be loose. My issue with spacer lifts is that by the time you add lower control arms, sway bar links/disconnects, bump stop extensions, shocks, and track bars you likely could have bought yourself a decent complete lift that includes all of those things. Springs are cheap, it’s everything else that adds up quickly.

 

[Steemax]

It’s not that spacers won’t get it done, it’s that you need to still invest in additional parts to make your Jeep drive properly ON THE STREET. All the people saying if you’re not gonna wheel it hard spacers are all you need don’t really understand suspension geometry. Caster is the number 1 most important factor to keep in check when lifting a JL. The rubicons come with too low of caster from the factory, add some spacers and the caster gets woefully low. The only real issue with spacers over springs is the possibility of unseating your springs at full droop. When you add longer shocks you’ll be able to droop far enough for the springs to be loose. My issue with spacer lifts is that by the time you add lower control arms, sway bar links/disconnects, bump stop extensions, shocks, and track bars you likely could have bought yourself a decent complete lift that includes all of those things. Springs are cheap, it’s everything else that adds up quickly.

I still think you're far off in price.

I'm eyeing the 2" AEV lift myself with the addition of the Mopar LCA's. I trust the engineers at AEV that this would be enough for the mild trails I plan on and to handle near factory level on the road.

This setup would cost $450, far less than any full lift and comes with the shock extensions, extended sway bar end links, and bump stop extensions. Throw in the Mopar LCA's and what more else would I need? A trackbar if I want to get fancy, but that's still far less.

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