Teraflex 1.5 inch spacer kit with a Sahara?

[wchevron]

I'm interested to see where I'll end up with just the leveling kit without the Rubicon springs. Plan to tackle it this weekend.

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[JLUandCJ-7]

@JLUandCJ-7 and Will_Jeep,

Remind us of the tire size on the Jeep(s) when you measured. Great (informative) posts, BTW.

285/70/17s (32.6 x 11.4)

 

[JLUandCJ-7]

@JLUandCJ-7 you made me feel bad, so I cleaned up my table!

I am measuring to the bottom of the fender, as below:

It seems like you got way more lift out of your springs than I got

My Rubicon spring number was higher in front plus the half inch spacer so that part makes sense, but the back blows my mind a bit since I went from a stock spring higher to the same (as you) number Rubicon springs. I wonder if MOPAR changed something. My take off springs were from a 2019. The front springs were brand new.

 

[Will_Jeep]

@rickinAZ I am running BFG KO2s 285/70/17, nominally 33s.

@JLUandCJ-7 I too am surprised at the lift that you got (compared to what I got), a little jealous actually! Mine were off a 2019 with about 10,000 miles on them. I do hope that yours stay strong

@wchevron you may want to take a look at this thread for installing the leveling kit https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/rubicon-suspension-on-2-door-sport.40700/ @blnewt has some great info/tips!

 

[JLUandCJ-7]

@JLUandCJ-7 I too am surprised at the lift that you got (compared to what I got), a little jealous actually! Mine were off a 2019 with about 10,000 miles on them. I do hope that your stay strong

I hope so too! No one wants a saggy butt.

 

[rickinAZ]

For some contrast, my Jeep has Rubicon shocks/springs and the Teraflex leveling kit (front = 2.0" rear = 1.5"), but I'm on 35s. If I subtract one inch to get to apples-to-apples to your 33s, I measure:

Front = 40.75" (actual height 41.75")
Rear = 40.50" (actual height 41.50")

They say the the diesel's stance is higher than the regular Rubicon by an inch or so. My measurements would indicate that the diesel height advantage is closer to 1.5".

This is the progression of my Jeep:

1st picture is dead stock
2nd picture is stock height with 35s
3rd picture is 35s + leveling kit

 

[JLUandCJ-7]

@JLUandCJ-7 what exactly did you end up swapping out/in from the Rubi and spacers?

I have a 2" Teraflex spacer lift with shock extensions, and right now I am NOT loving it, I was! I did add Mopar LCAs, they definitely helped. I was happy with everything (for over 6 months), then my wife started to drive it and started complaining about the steering, and I can't figure out if things have gotten worse, or if I am now looking for a fix that isn't there?

Also, how is the drive now that you are done? Did you get an alignment?

Thanks

@Will_Jeep I certainly needed an alignment. Toe was impacted greatly. I had a significant pull to the right.

Caster is out of range for the Sahara, but we know why with the longer control arms.

Camber was in spec, which is expected due to being solid axle.

Before and after measurements in photos.

 

[rickinAZ]

Tim,
When you say that caster is out of range, do you mean too high? Because 6.4° seems perfect (but is higher than stock).

 

[DadJokes]

19 Sahara with HT, no tow package, eTorque 2.0, loaded otherwise. I had 58/59 and 88/89 springs. Went to 61/62 & 90/91 out back.
1” lift up front. .750” in the rear rounded to the nearest 1/16”. Sharing just for info’s sake.

 

[JLUandCJ-7]

Tim,
When you say that caster is out of range, do you mean too high? Because 6.4° seems perfect (but is higher than stock).

It's exactly what I wanted by putting on the longer LCAs.

I'm going by memory here, but I think the Sahara specs in the upper 5° range.

 

[wchevron]

Installed the Teraflex 1.5" spacer kit today. Forgot to take pictures. Like the look with a bit more clearance around the tires. Running KO2 285's on Rubicon wheels. Measured 40 1/4" from ground to top of rubber lip on the fenders.
Do notice it's higher getting in.

Install took 3.5 hrs. Think I could have gotten in done in 3 but ran into some trouble on the front end.

In case anyone's planning this in the future, a couple of issues I had.

Used 2-15" floor jacks and 1-set of jack stands. The jack stand go to 17" but that's at the very top. Was hesitant to raise it all the way so had it set to the 2nd highest setting. First time ever using jack stands so wanted to be a bit cautious.

The jacks seemed a bit precarious with 2x4 pieces on top of the jacks, to get more height, so I used 3-12x8x4 concrete blocks with a piece of 1/2" plywood on top. Set the jacks on them and raised the Jeep.
Everything was going smooth until I started to lower the axle. Had the jacks down all the way and the axle wasn't low enough to get the springs out. Had to jack everything back up and re-block some things, move the jacks. Eventually got the axle low enough. The passenger side brake caliper was almost on the ground. Spacer went in easy enough and got everything tightened up.

On the rear, put a 2x10 under the jack stands to raise them up a bit more. Used the same floor jack setup as the front, with the concrete blocks and no issues.
Adding the 2x10 under the jack stands gave enough height so the axle dropped low enough to get the springs out when the jacks were lowered.

Rear install was straightforward enough.

I'd recommend 2 floor jacks if you have them. I'm assuming if you only have one you do one side at a time? With 2 I was able to do the whole front end at the same time. I'd go with 20" jack if you can, or taller. If not, go with taller jackstands and you shouldn't have a problem. Figured out if you can get the Jeep up higher on the stands, you don't have to lower the jacks so much.

With my 15" jacks, which seem like a standard height, I'd recommend a base under the jack, like I used. The jack seemed much more stable than stacking wood on the top to gain additional height. You just need to get the jack stand up high enough so you don't have contact issues when you lower the axle, like it did. A taller jack would eliminate this problem.

Soon I was done, my daughter left with the Jeep. With my phone on the fender (i was listening to music). Found the phone down the road, after 3 hours in the rain and someone drove over it. Just picked up a new iphone. So the lift cost me $450 more than planned.

Just took it out now on the highway. Seems to drive exactly like before except you can tell you're up higher.

 

[JLUandCJ-7]

Installed the Teraflex 1.5" spacer kit today. Forgot to take pictures. Like the look with a bit more clearance around the tires. Running KO2 285's on Rubicon wheels. Measured 40 1/4" from ground to top of rubber lip on the fenders.
Do notice it's higher getting in.

Install took 3.5 hrs. Think I could have gotten in done in 3 but ran into some trouble on the front end.

In case anyone's planning this in the future, a couple of issues I had.

Used 2-15" floor jacks and 1-set of jack stands. The jack stand go to 17" but that's at the very top. Was hesitant to raise it all the way so had it set to the 2nd highest setting. First time ever using jack stands so wanted to be a bit cautious.

The jacks seemed a bit precarious with 2x4 pieces on top of the jacks, to get more height, so I used 3-12x8x4 concrete blocks with a piece of 1/2" plywood on top. Set the jacks on them and raised the Jeep.
Everything was going smooth until I started to lower the axle. Had the jacks down all the way and the axle wasn't low enough to get the springs out. Had to jack everything back up and re-block some things, move the jacks. Eventually got the axle low enough. The passenger side brake caliper was almost on the ground. Spacer went in easy enough and got everything tightened up.

On the rear, put a 2x10 under the jack stands to raise them up a bit more. Used the same floor jack setup as the front, with the concrete blocks and no issues.
Adding the 2x10 under the jack stands gave enough height so the axle dropped low enough to get the springs out when the jacks were lowered.

Rear install was straightforward enough.

I'd recommend 2 floor jacks if you have them. I'm assuming if you only have one you do one side at a time? With 2 I was able to do the whole front end at the same time. I'd go with 20" jack if you can, or taller. If not, go with taller jackstands and you shouldn't have a problem. Figured out if you can get the Jeep up higher on the stands, you don't have to lower the jacks so much.

With my 15" jacks, which seem like a standard height, I'd recommend a base under the jack, like I used. The jack seemed much more stable than stacking wood on the top to gain additional height. You just need to get the jack stand up high enough so you don't have contact issues when you lower the axle, like it did. A taller jack would eliminate this problem.

Soon I was done, my daughter left with the Jeep. With my phone on the fender (i was listening to music). Found the phone down the road, after 3 hours in the rain and someone drove over it. Just picked up a new iphone. So the lift cost me $450 more than planned.

Just took it out now on the highway. Seems to drive exactly like before except you can tell you're up higher.

I broke a phone once replacing an intake manifold on a modular Ford 4.6. Not a great feeling.

Had many near misses with my CJ too.

 

[rickinAZ]

Soon I was done, my daughter left with the Jeep. With my phone on the fender (i was listening to music). Found the phone down the road, after 3 hours in the rain and someone drove over it. Just picked up a new iphone. So the lift cost me $450 more than planned.

Bright side is, it took until "down the road" to fall off the fender. Your daughter must be a good driver. My kids would have shaken it off before they were off the driveway.

 

[JLUandCJ-7]

Installed the Teraflex 1.5" spacer kit today. Forgot to take pictures. Like the look with a bit more clearance around the tires. Running KO2 285's on Rubicon wheels. Measured 40 1/4" from ground to top of rubber lip on the fenders.
Do notice it's higher getting in.

Install took 3.5 hrs. Think I could have gotten in done in 3 but ran into some trouble on the front end.

In case anyone's planning this in the future, a couple of issues I had.

Used 2-15" floor jacks and 1-set of jack stands. The jack stand go to 17" but that's at the very top. Was hesitant to raise it all the way so had it set to the 2nd highest setting. First time ever using jack stands so wanted to be a bit cautious.

The jacks seemed a bit precarious with 2x4 pieces on top of the jacks, to get more height, so I used 3-12x8x4 concrete blocks with a piece of 1/2" plywood on top. Set the jacks on them and raised the Jeep.
Everything was going smooth until I started to lower the axle. Had the jacks down all the way and the axle wasn't low enough to get the springs out. Had to jack everything back up and re-block some things, move the jacks. Eventually got the axle low enough. The passenger side brake caliper was almost on the ground. Spacer went in easy enough and got everything tightened up.

On the rear, put a 2x10 under the jack stands to raise them up a bit more. Used the same floor jack setup as the front, with the concrete blocks and no issues.
Adding the 2x10 under the jack stands gave enough height so the axle dropped low enough to get the springs out when the jacks were lowered.

Rear install was straightforward enough.

I'd recommend 2 floor jacks if you have them. I'm assuming if you only have one you do one side at a time? With 2 I was able to do the whole front end at the same time. I'd go with 20" jack if you can, or taller. If not, go with taller jackstands and you shouldn't have a problem. Figured out if you can get the Jeep up higher on the stands, you don't have to lower the jacks so much.

With my 15" jacks, which seem like a standard height, I'd recommend a base under the jack, like I used. The jack seemed much more stable than stacking wood on the top to gain additional height. You just need to get the jack stand up high enough so you don't have contact issues when you lower the axle, like it did. A taller jack would eliminate this problem.

Soon I was done, my daughter left with the Jeep. With my phone on the fender (i was listening to music). Found the phone down the road, after 3 hours in the rain and someone drove over it. Just picked up a new iphone. So the lift cost me $450 more than planned.

Just took it out now on the highway. Seems to drive exactly like before except you can tell you're up higher.

For some reason my old jack and jack stands that worked well enough on my CJ were woefully inadequate for the JL. I've got these on the way now. The jack is 24 inches and the stands 26 I believe.

I have a 3.6 eTorque/hardtop and measured to the lip of the wheel well. Were your measurements to the bottom of the wheel well? I took your table and added my details with a little formatting changes.

I may remeasure to see if there has been more settling. I waited a day to do the measurements.

	Stock Springs	Stock Height	Rubicon Springs	Spacer	Final Height
Front DS	59	36.75	61	.5 Inch	38.75
Front PS	60	36.75	62	.5 Inch	38.75
Rear DS	88	37.25	91	None	39.25
Rear PS	89	37.25	92	None	39.25

I've lost about a quarter inch all around due to settling I'd imagine.

38.5 front, 39 back (to the fender lip)

 

[YYCSahara]

Teraflex 2/1.5
Pro Comp 17x9 7069s, 285/70/17 KO2s.
Sahara 2.0T. First pic is stock. Sorry for the crappy lighting.

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