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Rubicon vs sport suspension height?

Pdiehm

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Yeah, just might have an issue at full articulation
you have 32.8 x 11.2 on there now.
The 305 is 33.4 x 11.6 (or something).

I would want the height of the diesel but have concerns over the stiffness of the ride. How does it ride compared to the stock?
 

rts4714

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you have 32.8 x 11.2 on there now.
The 305 is 33.4 x 11.6 (or something).

I would want the height of the diesel but have concerns over the stiffness of the ride. How does it ride compared to the stock?
Yeah. I mean, just depends on which 305s you go with. I didnt read through the whole thread.
Ride quality is definitely stiffer than the sport but nothing drastic in my opinion.
 

rts4714

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you have 32.8 x 11.2 on there now.
The 305 is 33.4 x 11.6 (or something).

I would want the height of the diesel but have concerns over the stiffness of the ride. How does it ride compared to the stock?
Obviously the lower profile tire you get will be a rougher ride quality as well
 

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I hate you guys. I was sorta content with the look from my
jeep with gasser springs but now I’m considering the diesel springs up front, and then spacers in the rear. I might be able to squeeze slightly longer shocks without unseating the springs that way… and the rabbit hole continues.

Is the general consensus for a sport, or non diesel that the nose will sit higher than the rear? I still want some rake for when I load the jeep up with stuff. It took 5 35in tires to bring the rear down about an inch so the rake kinda helped not blind everyone last night.
 

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rts4714

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hows the drive with the diesel take off over the sport suspension?
Rides a little firmer but feels more grounded in my opinion. Nothing drastically different. Still a jeep. If you want better ride quality + lift, go for the mopar 2in lift
 

will1111

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Question and please don't make fun lol so I bought Rubicon take offs for my sport s JL back in late 2018 (steel bumpers and all) and never installed them. Work got super busy and no joke, I've been working 68-72 hours a week since then. I finally have time off on the weekends and just got back here. Would the rubi take off still be good to use? I'll either use them if they're good or just recycle if possible. I'm mostly a mall crawler but do take my jeep through medium trails at least 5 times a year when I go camping. So far only once the clearance was needed but the look is always wanted lol
 

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Question and please don't make fun lol so I bought Rubicon take offs for my sport s JL back in late 2018 (steel bumpers and all) and never installed them. Work got super busy and no joke, I've been working 68-72 hours a week since then. I finally have time off on the weekends and just got back here. Would the rubi take off still be good to use? I'll either use them if they're good or just recycle if possible. I'm mostly a mall crawler but do take my jeep through medium trails at least 5 times a year when I go camping. So far only once the clearance was needed but the look is always wanted lol
I'd use them, should work out well!
 

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I was thinking about buying and installing Rubicon pullouts in my Sahara. I found 4xe suspension for sale.

4xe part numbers:
springs:
Rears are 68253667AD
Fronts are 68413674AA
shocks:
68509431AB
68509435AB

Based on the part numbers the rears would be taller and stiffer than any Rubicon spring. The fronts don't follow the normal part number scheme so I have no idea.

I'm thinking that these springs are probably too stiff for a Sahara. If anyone has any insight it would be appreciated.

Thanks.
 

MarkM

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Well, I bit the bullet and did the upgrade yesterday. I had picked up a MY20 Rubicon suspension take-off with 4k miles and finally got it on my MY19 Sahara.

Overall, the process went well. The hardest part was breaking loose all of the control arm bolts to set the preload. Those were a b#tch, no doubt. They are only torqued to 74 foot pounds, but there is no room under there to easily get a wrench on some of the bolts. You will have to improvise and adapt. A 14 inch adjustable end wrench really helped on the passenger side arm next to the differential.

The track bar and stabilizer bar ends are easy to get to. They also need to be loosened. The drag link is mounted with ball joints, as are the upper stabilizer links.

You don't want to just change control arm/bushing angles without freeing up the bushings first. Then, you put weight on the suspension to settle it where it will usually be, and torque the bolts.

Not doing so will put extra stress on the bushings and wear them out prematurely. You will notice as you work on the control arms that they are pretty stiff as is. Then again, I did have one end of the axle on the ground while the other was crunched up into the fender. Talk about flex!

I also took measurements along the way to compare the movement in the suspension. I did so from a few points on the suspension.



There are a lot of questions about the process and the actual lift. Here is my take.

First off, be safe! I set the parking brake, chocked the tires and had an extra set of jack stands under the frame, just in case. You will really be tugging on some things, don't risk your safety or damaging your baby.

This is a several hour process. I ordered a sub sandwich and the delivery guy, in a JK, was surprised what it entailed! I think he might hire me to help when he does his lift. Turns out, he has a Rubi suspension at home as well!

You really have to get the axles down to the ground to get the springs out, especially the fronts. Then again, once the shocks are off, the axles really move! Use a piece of 2x4 to keep the rotor/dust shield off the concrete.

I think I need a larger breaker bar!! Even the 24 inch one I have was some work to break the 21 and 24mm bolts Damn!

I had a set of Rough Country spacers I added to the front, to compensate for the steel bumper and winch weight. If you need to do so, they are only $35/set and super easy to install over the front spring damper pads.

Clean as you go. I had mud everywhere and on the "new" parts, I cleaned spring cups and pads as I went along. They really collected the dirt.

Make notes and photos as you go for reference on reassembly. When a bolt comes out, put it back in the hole to keep it safe and so you know how it goes back in. Confirm that springs are correctly seated and spun in the right position.

Take a break and rest your eyes. I found myself cleaning an old spring, about to reinstall it. Oops!

Double check your work. Set torque, then do it again. Notice that the torque specs are along the lines of "74 lbs + 50 degrees". You torque it then give it another 50 degrees of turn. Before you move on, recheck everything. you don't want to miss a bolt.

You are going to scratch things as you do this. I had a can of paint handy to touch up bare metal to help keep it from rusting.

I sprayed silicon on the bushings while I was in there. I have done so for years to help them live longer. You can if you want, but it also helped things move.

You do NOT have to remove the control arms or take the bolts out. Just loosen them a couple turns to allow for movement. I did take one end of the track bar off, which helped lower the axle. The guy I got it from gave me the arms as well. All of the part numbers are the same and I even spot measured a few things, they are the same length, so that is a lot less work.

You will likely need to adjust the steering wheel afterwards. When you lower the axle, you change the geometry of the drag link. As such, the steering can be off a few degrees. It is held tight by a 15mm nut and once loosened, the adjustment can be done by hand.

Here is the highlight reel and some more observations/measurements.

How I measured the suspension:

Rear Spring Seat Measurements:
Before: Driver 6 1/2, Passenger 6 3/8. After: Driver 7 3/8 and Passenger 7 1/2.
Jeep Wrangler JL Rubicon vs sport suspension height? 20210905_123741



Meet your enemy! The control arms bolts are snug and a few are hard to get at!
Jeep Wrangler JL Rubicon vs sport suspension height? 20210905_180756



There are blind nuts. These are a Godsend as you only need to get to one side of a CA bolt. The "handle" is used to place the bolt at the factory and hold it to the frame while tightening.
Jeep Wrangler JL Rubicon vs sport suspension height? 20210905_182316



Supporting the vehicle by the axle to set preload. At this point, all parts are in, just not torqued.
Jeep Wrangler JL Rubicon vs sport suspension height? 20210905_180545



Front Spring seat measurements:
Driver 8 1/8 Before, 10 1/4 After. Passenger 7 5/8 Before, 10 1/2 After.
Jeep Wrangler JL Rubicon vs sport suspension height? 20210905_180355



The rear is done, the front is next and it already has a different stance!
Jeep Wrangler JL Rubicon vs sport suspension height? 20210905_172237


One thing I noticed. I always felt the vehicle was a little lower on the passenger side. But, I never actually measured it. The before and after measurements now have a little more lift on the passenger side. I am going to play with it a little today and see how it feels. I am not sure what this is caused by.

You really do need to lower the axles to make it work!
Jeep Wrangler JL Rubicon vs sport suspension height? 20210905_190820


Be mindful of alignment holes and pins, especially on spring seats.
Jeep Wrangler JL Rubicon vs sport suspension height? 20210905_140106

Jeep Wrangler JL Rubicon vs sport suspension height? 20210905_140101


The rear end installed and tightened up. Usually, my service label isn't visible.
Jeep Wrangler JL Rubicon vs sport suspension height? 20210905_135548


So, this is a bit vague overall, but you get the idea. I wanted to point out observations and things to be mindful of.

The process isn't overly hard, but there will be a few WTF moments. In the end, its worth it.

M-
 
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uralist

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Great information in this thread! Thanks to all who have contributed. My question:

I have a 21 Sport S 2 door that came with hardtop but currently using soft top. I found a good deal locally on rubicon takeoffs with spring numbers 58/59 and 88/89. Is this worth doing? These numbers seem on the low side. The seller said they're coming from a 4 door rubi with a soft top. I'm not looking for a crazy lift, just something to make 285/70/17s look right.
 

Knel6

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Great information in this thread! Thanks to all who have contributed. My question:

I have a 21 Sport S 2 door that came with hardtop but currently using soft top. I found a good deal locally on rubicon takeoffs with spring numbers 58/59 and 88/89. Is this worth doing? These numbers seem on the low side. The seller said they're coming from a 4 door rubi with a soft top. I'm not looking for a crazy lift, just something to make 285/70/17s look right.
From my experience each number higher from your stock springs will be approximately 1/2 inch lift. But I was dealing with a 4 door. For what it’s worth my stock Willys had 58/59 front and 87/88 rears and went to 60/61 91/92 and saw 1 3/4 in front and about 2 inches in rear before settling (haven’t measured since). Hope this is helpful, I would shoot for at least 2 part numbers higher than stock.
 

MarkM

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I hate you guys. I was sorta content with the look from my
jeep with gasser springs but now I’m considering the diesel springs up front, and then spacers in the rear. I might be able to squeeze slightly longer shocks without unseating the springs that way… and the rabbit hole continues.

Is the general consensus for a sport, or non diesel that the nose will sit higher than the rear? I still want some rake for when I load the jeep up with stuff. It took 5 35in tires to bring the rear down about an inch so the rake kinda helped not blind everyone last night.
This is a good question. I am not sure it will sit higher since the front is lower to begin with. Is your top currently on or off?
How much rake do you want? I have the steel bumper and a winch, which adds about 170 lbs to the front axle. Even going to the Rubi springs and with a 1/2 front spring spacer, the front is still about an inch lower than the rear, it is higher than before the upgrade, but the vehicle doesn't sit level.. I was hoping the spacer would make it more even. I am glad I left the rear spacers out.

Are you adding weight to the front end? I noticed more droop when I added the extra weight and was thinking the spring and spacer would help. Then I realized I don't have the weight of the top on the rear.

Argh!

Your rabbit hole might involve some trial and error. The plus side is that adding or subtracting a spacer is only a couple of hours should you want to play with settings.

It's all in how much tinkering you are up to doing. I think it will sit more level with the hard top back on next weekend.

Hope this helps somehow.
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