Weekend Warrior lift kit advice requested

[KleetusVanDamme]

Good evening all. I got wifey a 2023 JLU Freedom edition. It’s her daily driver and our “family vehicle “.
I think we went bassakwards in getting MT 35’s before getting a lift, but I know she’s going to NEED a lift.

Here’s the gist: We live in the piedmont of NC, and I expect she will be doing some of the beginner trails in her quest to get experience and earn badges.

Sooooo, what would be a good lift to buy to allow for her to get going on the trails without breaking my bank account?

Also, are kits the complete solution, ore do you need additional parts that accompany/ are necessary for the installation.

thanks in advance

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[Sobchak Security]

If I were you, I'd look at a complete lift from Metalcloak or Clayton Offroad. You could also do a frankenlift, but you'd need to do a lot of research on what you need to get what you want out of a lift.

Do a few searches. There are plenty of posts on lifts.

 

[Mabe855]

If you look up trailrecon on YouTube he has a video on reviewing multiple lifts. It will guide you in the right direction

 

[Mx5red]

The first question is always, what is your goal, followed closely by what is your budget.
People wheel the shit out of spacer lifts, you definitely don’t “need” an expensive big setup… there are compromises to going cheaper and trying to fix those compromises costs more$$$ and sometimes introduces other compromises.

Are you going to be trying difficult rock crawling? Trying to fit 40s? Or more fire roads, 35s.. bigger than that you might need fenders as well (see above comment $$)
We took some mildly modified 2-3.5” lifted Jeeps on 35s and 37s down some pretty difficult BOH trails. We all needed skid plates and HD rock sliders.
So, a 2”spacer lift and some bigger tires and skids made it… just saying
Aftermarket control arms give you more flex and let you dial in axle placement and pinion given your lift height, but that introduces another thing to adjust (pay shop to adjust).
I’ve stuck with stock control arms for now and can’t say I’ve “missed” extra flex I’d be getting.

to answer your question I’ve been happy with the AEV spacer lift, then got springs for added weight capacity, then better shocks to control said weight.

Knowing what I know now I’d probably piece together a lift instead - buy spacers or springs (not that much more), some longer sway links (icon, mopar lift, metalcloak, etc), and $60 mopar lift lower control arms to fix caster… (or use $200 geometry brackets). Probably adj track bar to center your axle if you’re over 2”.
Could ride like that with shock extensions, or from the get-go put on longer shocks that will ride better and be able to use more flex/travel than stock shocks with extensions. Even bilstein 5100s or whatever are an improvement over OEM.

boom you’re done.

 

[lashlee]

Without a boatload of time and research, I agree with someone else that mentioned of sticking with a reputable brand of lift that includes everything you need. Piecing together a kit can be thrifty in terms of spending but may end up with issues (like death wobble) that may make your wife unhappy with her ride (which typically means unhappy with you). My wife drives a JLUR and we put a MC GC3.5, with 37's and she wheels it at our local offroad park, and we drove out to Moab in March of this year. She drives it daily, putting 35k miles on it since I finished the lift last May.

 

[Jeepeto]

Dynatrac Endurosport 2”

Fantastic lift at a fantastic price, fits 35s comes with Fox shocks, engineered by former jeep engineers, rides like factory, and can be installed by you in your driveway with minimal skills and tools. It got me everywhere I wanted to go with Jeepeto II.

 

[KleetusVanDamme]

Dynatrac Endurosport 2”

Fantastic lift at a fantastic price, fits 35s comes with Fox shocks, engineered by former jeep engineers, rides like factory, and can be installed by you in your driveway with minimal skills and tools. It got me everywhere I wanted to go with Jeepeto II.

Very nice. Do you recommend any vendors?

part number?

 

[KleetusVanDamme]

Also, with a 2” lift, will I need a steering stabilizer, any driveshaft modifications?

 

[rcadden]

Unpopular opinion, but this is the kind of thing that spacer lifts were made for. I've got a 1.5" Teraflex spacer lift on my Sahara with 33" KO2s and have done a half dozen badge trails, following Rubicons on 37s with no issues.

Yes, a proper lift kit is going to give you better articulation, flex, etc. That's not in question. What's in question is, *do you need that additional articulation/flex?*

Based on what you've told us, no, you don't. Invest $500 and a Saturday afternoon in a spacer lift and call it a day. Let her drive that for a year or so and see if she needs more. My bet is that she won't and you'll have saved at least $1,500.

 

[Remorseless]

Being in central NC as well, Uwharrie is our closest legal wheeling. Honestly, you don't need a lift to run the majority of trails at Uwharrie. Dickey Bell (Uwharrie's only BoH trail) can be done in a completely stock Jeep (and I have done so many times). The only trail at Uwharrie that would be troublesome for a stock Jeep is Daniel. So, my first suggestion would be to consider skids in lieu of a lift and try the Jeep out stock on some of the easier trails (Wolf's Den, Falls Dam, etc) and see if you like it before you invest in a suspension.

If you're set on a budget friendly lift, however, I'd recommend something like the Teraflex ST2 lift. Budget friendly, has new front lower control arms to adjust caster a bit up front, swaybar disconnects, dual rate springs, it's the right height for 35s on your Jeep (Freedom edition is based on the Sport S trim), and has trackbar brackets to allow you to recenter your axle using the stock trackbar. TeraFlex JL 4dr 2.5" Sport ST2 Suspension System - No Shocks

It's a really complete package for a decent price.

Only thing you would need to source on your own is shocks appropriate for a 2.5" lift. With 2.5" of lift and under you don't really need new driveshafts unless you're running really long shocks. Pretty plug and play type of lift, just bolt it on.

 

[ROK HEMI]

You might also consider a jeep xtreme recon takeoff lift. They will fit 35 inch tires easily and have great springs and shocks. Many people want to go with a taller tire and remove them to install a 3 1/2 inch or taller lift. I see these on craigslist and Facebook marketplace all the time. I had the xtreme recon set up and sold mine already but there seem to be a good market for people wanting them.

 

[yokramer]

You dont need a lift in reality.

LCA and Shock skids to start and go wheel the thing. Find out what it can do and go from there.

 

[C.Sco]

I would vote for inexpensive 1-2" spacer lift, based on your scenario of wanting to save money and not really doing any crazy hard wheeling.

While I love the all-inclusive offerings like MetalCloak Gamechanger (which is what I have), it's quite overkill for this particular case. You don't really need crazy articulation, or control arms that can take a beating, or fancy shocks. You just need a little more tire clearance and that's pretty much it.

Shouldn't really need to buy anything extra beyond just the spacer kit.

 

[Jeepeto]

Very nice. Do you recommend any vendors?

part number?

Northridge 4x4 is my go-to vendor. They’re a forum sponsor and they’ve been good to me. Use code “JLWRANGLERFORUM” if the item isn’t on sale it’s usually good for a bit off.

just search for “dynatrac endurosport 2” lift JL”

Also, with a 2” lift, will I need a steering stabilizer, any driveshaft modifications?

No further mods needed

 

[vaJLUR]

Clayton Ride Right does a fantastic job and can be as little as 1.5” (2” net on a gasser). I call it Stock++
I have this, paired with fox shocks on 35” MT BBATs, and have zero complaints.
We’ll be upgrading and going higher here shortly but we had zero issues at Windrock that made me regret the purchase.

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