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Not happy with my pieced together lift any suggestions?

Rubi VT

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I would have done that if I had known about it sooner or even the Enduro lift. The first time I saw the enduro lift was the wayolife Eddie on YouTube showing it off, and then I didn't take it seriously because I know he gets paid to make those videos so I always take what I see with a grain of salt not to mention he is friends with the owner of dynatrac. He changes lift kits and suspension set up all the time so its hard to keep up.

So you know, it's all subjective. Everyone will say the one they got is the best because they've invested their time and money and rightly so. So they want to justify their investment and feel good about it, I get that.

But I'm in NY and I haven't seen a Jeep specific shop that was friendly and willing to help explain everything. The last shop I went to they were wrench monkey knuckleheads that tried to sell me some left over kit that another guy abandoned and tell me it was good and I had enough after that and tried to go my own way.


Rock Krawler is right near TROY NY. Super friendly on the phone and awesome products... The tech invited me to come visit. They do installs but there is a waiting list. Give them a call. Honestly any of the manufactures i have called have been incredibly friendly and knowledgeable.

As i was putting my lift together i spoke to Rock Krawler, Synergy (several times), Rough Country (several times - crazy nice people), Teraflex, Eibach, King, Clayton, ACCUTUNE, ARB AND RUSTYS (3 TIMES - also crazy helpful) . There is plenty of expert help out there.

Dont take the word of your local tuner shop - know exactly what you want going in. Just use those guys for install if you don't wanna do it yourself. And to get it aligned when ur done.

Honestly doing it yourself is very satisfying. All you need is a 3 ton jack, some jack stands, a very good 1/2 inch ratchet set (both deep and shallow), a breaker bar and A LOT OF FREE TIME. An impact wrench helps too! The first time I swapped all my springs out it took me almost 2.5 hours per corner! 10 hour job. I have since invested in some very good spring compressors (BE VERY CAREFUL) and now i can do a spring in about an hour if i need to.

Dont be frustrated. This is supposed to be fun. Make some calls and talk to people!!! you can even PM me - im happy to help if i can.

Good luck....
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junglemaster

junglemaster

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Just like anyone who's being paid to promote a product, I can't fault Eddie for doing what he's paid to do. Frankly, I admire anyone who can turn a hobby into a job. I find his installation videos informative.

I have a 2020 JLUR that I bought in February. I want to lift my Jeep, but I don't want to go larger than 35" tires because of the need for regearing, a heavier spare tire carrier, and a possible driveshaft that seems to go with 2.5" or higher lifts. Also, I don't think 35" tires look good on lift kits that are 2.5" or higher. With that in mind, I spent an enormous amount of time reading and watching videos about lift kits, wheels and tires to help be decide what to do. I just ordered a Dynatrac lift kit, a Steer Smart adjustable track bar, Core 4x4 front upper and lower control arms (I'll add the rear control arms and track bar later), and Method Race NV Wheels. I haven't committed to any tire yet, but I'm leaning towards the Goodyear Duratrac. I chose the Dynatrac because of the reviews. (including on this forum) and it had tuned Fox shocks. As an avid mountain bike with some history with track cars, I think shocks make all the difference in the world. The recommendation for Core 4x4 came from a long time Jeep mechanic on this forum who seemed to be admired by many of the people on this site. The rest of my choices were frankly a mix of taste, reputation and reviews.

I found during this journey that the more videos I watched and reviews that I read, the more I began to question my initial plan. That's when I stopped taking advice from individuals with no experience with the products they were commenting on and I starting emailing and calling the experts.

My only advice is (1) listen to yourself; (2) don't second guess yourself based on another Jeep hobbyist; (3) talk to every installer that you can (preferably those with a wide range of experience with different lift kits); and don't cut corners...you will always pay for it in the end.
Thanks for the honest feedback darylgordon. I also find his videos very helpful, clear, and informative. And I don't hate on him at all, I think he must be a really nice guy in person and gets a bad rap. Look it, if any of us was getting stuff to install and making videos, we would be happy to be able to do so in all honesty wouldn't we? Personally I wouldn't be able to do all that work for free and still have time to hold down a business or a job... Just sayin... So I don't want to go bashing on him, his videos have helped me out on more than one occasion. After all the dogpiling going on this post I wish I didn't even bring him up! Lets leave it alone.

Moving on.... So I was told by teraflex if I remove the rear spacer, I would be happy with my stance. So that means I am back to zero lift at all with a 2" spacer in the front that just leveled out my jeep? Did steel bumpers and a winch drop it that much? How much of a difference would it make if I put in springs in the front from a Rubi that came with steel bumpers? I had a member (Headbarcode) graciously offer his Rubi springs up to me, and wondering if I will benefit from those spring rates.
 
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junglemaster

junglemaster

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Rock Krawler is right near TROY NY. Super friendly on the phone and awesome products... The tech invited me to come visit. They do installs but there is a waiting list. Give them a call. Honestly any of the manufactures i have called have been incredibly friendly and knowledgeable.

As i was putting my lift together i spoke to Rock Krawler, Synergy (several times), Rough Country (several times - crazy nice people), Teraflex, Eibach, King, Clayton, ACCUTUNE, ARB AND RUSTYS (3 TIMES - also crazy helpful) . There is plenty of expert help out there.

Dont take the word of your local tuner shop - know exactly what you want going in. Just use those guys for install if you don't wanna do it yourself. And to get it aligned when ur done.

Honestly doing it yourself is very satisfying. All you need is a 3 ton jack, some jack stands, a very good 1/2 inch ratchet set (both deep and shallow), a breaker bar and A LOT OF FREE TIME. An impact wrench helps too! The first time I swapped all my springs out it took me almost 2.5 hours per corner! 10 hour job. I have since invested in some very good spring compressors (BE VERY CAREFUL) and now i can do a spring in about an hour if i need to.

Dont be frustrated. This is supposed to be fun. Make some calls and talk to people!!! you can even PM me - im happy to help if i can.

Good luck....
PIC just BECAUSE

20200321_092752.jpg
Thanks Rubi VT, I think I will take your advice and try to do it myself and take my time. Gonna have to start early in the morning, to have enough daylight LOLOL... It IS supposed to be fun. I thought I was the only one who would take more than a few hours to do it. wish I had a lift or access to one but I do have jack stands and a jack. Do you have any videos that are clear that you recommend? I think I'm gonna pass on the spring compressors I heard some bad stories about those.. You have the enduro lift? How do you like it?
 

Soli

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I have been very happy with my Teraflex 3.5” st3 lift. Super easy to install. I also have jks front and rear lcas along with a few other parts. Amazing ride quality.

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Rubi VT

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Thanks Rubi VT, I think I will take your advice and try to do it myself and take my time. Gonna have to start early in the morning, to have enough daylight LOLOL... It IS supposed to be fun. I thought I was the only one who would take more than a few hours to do it. wish I had a lift or access to one but I do have jack stands and a jack. Do you have any videos that are clear that you recommend? I think I'm gonna pass on the spring compressors I heard some bad stories about those.. You have the enduro lift? How do you like it?
No - i didnt go with the enduro. I really wanted just a 1.5 or 2 inch lift. I started a thread here about it for Rubicons. I ended up with a Rough Country 2.5 inch lift with springs and the VERTEX 8 way adjustable shocks. I got the lift mostly because i wanted the VERTEX ressi adjustable shocks and I really like them. It was that or the Kings but the Kings where twice the money. Anyway. I ran the full RC lift (shocks, springs, bumps, sway bar links and adjustable track bar) i also added Rustys front and rear adjustable control arms. I ran this for about 500 miles until i swapped all four springs out for the EIBACH 2 inch Rubicon springs. This is my current setup and very pleased with it. Will put 1000 miles on, do some trail riding and see where I go from here. I also yesterday added the Falcon 2.2 adjustable steering stabilizer - Really nice - firms up the steering nicely.

and just a side note - I only swapped out the RC springs because I wanted the 2 inch spring instead of the 2.5. It would hard to tell the difference. Both have similar spring rates. AND FOR THE RECORD - Rough Country is making quality stuff. Yes they may have some "entry" level items that dont perform as well as others but I would not hesitate to recommend their lifts to anyone especially with the upgraded shocks. THERE - I SAID IT!! :0
 

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scrape

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I told him the front felt heavy with the steel bumper and winch. He says its the shocks. Fox shocks are amazing off road shocks but on the highway its gonna be a little soft and around the corners, etc... then tried to sell me on teraflex shocks. I asked him if I put taller springs for a 2" lift then would that be beneficial? Would it ride better and stop the nose dive? He tells me nope the nose dive is because of the Fox Shocks and people just deal with it as the fox are great off road.
lmao. Imagine being one of the largest jeep suspension companies and not knowing how suspension works.

Body roll is corrected with raised track bar brackets and stiffer anti-roll bars. Nose diving is corrected by increasing your anti-dive. You can increase your anti-dive by lowering the point at which your front upper control arms mount to the frame, relative to the front lower control arms. The AEV brackets do that, others may as well.

Anyway OP. There's not a damn thing wrong with your stuff besides it being uneven. Just add/remove spacers where needed to get the desired results and call it a day.
 

Rubi VT

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As far as videos go - I really the Extreme Terrain videos. Honestly just pick any spring / shock lift kit that they do a video on and watch a couple different ones just to give you a flavor for it.

Go Slow and be sure your jack points are sturdy and stable. Also it never hurts to have another set of hands. you will be at for a while so wait for a nice warm lear day if you are doing this in the driveway. And there is always a chance it takes more than 1 day so plan ahead if you are going to need the jeep.
 

Shots

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.... Dont be frustrated. This is supposed to be fun. ...
Agreed. Part of the fun of modding any vehicle should be finding the right parts for you. If you're like me another part is actually putting the stuff on, but I understand that's not for everyone.

..... So I was told by teraflex if I remove the rear spacer, I would be happy with my stance. So that means I am back to zero lift at all with a 2" spacer in the front that just leveled out my jeep? Did steel bumpers and a winch drop it that much?....
I think the idea is that a 2" spacer on the front only will level your Jeep because you have 1" stock rake. That would then imply the winch and bumpers made the front sag 1". So a 2" spacer fixes the 1" sag, and 1" rake, giving you the level stance you were after if the rear is at stock.
Is it the right way to do it, is it the ideal set up, are there better options? All debatable questions, but I think they were telling you how you can resolve your concern with what you've already got.

... I think I'm gonna pass on the spring compressors I heard some bad stories about those.. ..
I've used them on trucks that have coil packs which require them for disassembly. Done right it can be done safely, but they are under a lot of tension so it's stressful. That said, you shouldn't need them on a JL. I put my lift on and the spring is separate from everything else. You should be able to lower the axle enough to set it in. You'll need to disconnect the sway bars and/or track bar, but you shouldn't need to compress the springs unless the new set are ridiculously long.
 
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junglemaster

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No - i didnt go with the enduro. I really wanted just a 1.5 or 2 inch lift. I started a thread here about it for Rubicons. I ended up with a Rough Country 2.5 inch lift with springs and the VERTEX 8 way adjustable shocks. I got the lift mostly because i wanted the VERTEX ressi adjustable shocks and I really like them. It was that or the Kings but the Kings where twice the money. Anyway. I ran the full RC lift (shocks, springs, bumps, sway bar links and adjustable track bar) i also added Rustys front and rear adjustable control arms. I ran this for about 500 miles until i swapped all four springs out for the EIBACH 2 inch Rubicon springs. This is my current setup and very pleased with it. Will put 1000 miles on, do some trail riding and see where I go from here. I also yesterday added the Falcon 2.2 adjustable steering stabilizer - Really nice - firms up the steering nicely.

and just a side note - I only swapped out the RC springs because I wanted the 2 inch spring instead of the 2.5. It would hard to tell the difference. Both have similar spring rates. AND FOR THE RECORD - Rough Country is making quality stuff. Yes they may have some "entry" level items that dont perform as well as others but I would not hesitate to recommend their lifts to anyone especially with the upgraded shocks. THERE - I SAID IT!! :0
I am a fan of rough country, the stuff I got from them recently for my build was great and quality has held up perfectly. I have their tire relocation bracket, their thimble for my winch, neoprene seat covers, and now recently bought their inner fender liners going to put those on soon waiting for a warm sunny day to work on them. Priced right, quality is right for me, I don't pay for the name I don't care for the name or hype, I want value and for my hard earned money.
 
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junglemaster

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Anybody recommend coil spring base pads or isolators aftermarket? The stock spring base pads look like total shit. Might as well change them while I open it all up. I read somewhere that RK makes good ones but don't know which ones I should get for stock Rubi springs?
 

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Anybody recommend coil spring base pads or isolators aftermarket? The stock spring base pads look like total shit. Might as well change them while I open it all up. I read somewhere that RK makes good ones but don't know which ones I should get for stock Rubi springs?
RK isolators will work with Rubi springs. I used them on Mopar lift springs which are the same design as rubi springs.
 
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junglemaster

junglemaster

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RK isolators will work with Rubi springs. I used them on Mopar lift springs which are the same design as rubi springs.
I think there are 2 different models of coil spring isolators? Which one is the one you used?

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SouthCo

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I think it looks great as it sits! If you end up adding bigger tires, the spare will add some weight to the back and bring it down a little. But it looks great now. Better to have a little rake instead of the cali lean where the rear is lower. Now the cali lean looks horrible...
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