jeep lift

[chad]

what is a good brand for a 4 inch lift in the middle price range, and what is the difference between short and long arm? this will be going on a 2011 jeep rubicon unlimited. thanks for the help!

 

[cgalpha08]

As far as i know.... short arm puts more stress on the frame/body and long arm doesnt.
Here are some manufacturers of kits

Rancho
AEV (American expedition vehicles)
Teraflex
BDS suspension
Zone offroad
Skyjacker
Arb (old man emu)
Pro-comp

There are some others that i can't remember

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[06 H3]

go with AEV. Good ride quality and good on the trail if price doesnt matter talk to offroad evolution.

 

[chad]

thanks, its for a friend, i'm gonna lift his jeep and he's gonna buy me toys for the hummer. the shop here wanted $980 for labor, i'm good at putting things on but didnt know much about which ones to get.

 

[amrg]

A friend of mine that builds custom jeeps recommends AEV. He has one on his truck and another on his brothers. He also recommends skyjacker, not sure if they do lifts or just shocks.

 

[backcountryislife]

If it's going to be a daily driver... AEV kills it.

on an unlimited most folks that aren't trying to sell you something will say that a short arm kit is a good way to go. They perform better than a SA on a 2 door, and they help maintain resale, as long arms hugely limit your potential market depending on where you are.


Teraflex, AEV, and rockkrawler are the 3 that I'd be looking at, they're well known, have good customer service, and will do well in resale. the AEV is a BIT less effective off road from the brackets they use

As you can seee they drop the rear of the LCA making it hang up easier... not end of the world, only really important if you're pushing it.

TF & RK are a little less ideal on road, but a bit better off road... just a tradeoff you've got to choose.

I'd go with RK myself, their joints seem to hold up longer, and they're really aggressive about their customer service.


Me personally, I'm a hack, so I've got old man emu springs & stock arms... just don't see a reason to upgrade arms yet.

This is with longer shocks, 2" OME springs, extended brakes & swaybar links on the front & stock in the rear (it started snowing while I was in the middle of the project, and didn't stop for a month, so I held off on the rest of the work.)

You can get a lot from stock arms imo.

 

[Timgco]

Building my 3rd JK now. First one was TeraFlex. Ok lift but did not hold weight well. Aev on my last one and Aev on this one. Handles great, wheels great, daily driver friendly.

 

[Schwarttzy]

I wouldn't go with any of these guys, much better kits exist than what these companies produce. AEV is nice but not for the price, and not nearly as strong as other manufacturer parts are when compared.

 

[cgalpha08]

Some others are

Rough country
Rock krawler
Synergy
Black diamond
RCD suspension
Superlift
Rustys offroad

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[chad]

thanks a lot guys, should help make some decisions. will post pics when its done!

 

[Timgco]

I wouldn't go with any of these guys, much better kits exist than what these companies produce. AEV is nice but not for the price, and not nearly as strong as other manufacturer parts are when compared.

I respectfully disagree with your statement. "stronger" than other manufacts? Not sure what manufact and comparison you are suggesting or where you got that info from. Teraflex and AEV are on the "higher end" kits for a reason. R&D. Teraflex makes one of THE strongest/ reliable Long Arm kits in the market. They have quite a bit of engineering behind their higher end kits. Same goes for AEV. Using their stock components and enhancing roll center, address daily driveability/ reliability. There are others out there for sure. In my personal experience (and daily routine) I can tell you for certain which kits not to get, which kits are the most reliable for a daily drive, hardcore offroad, or somewhere in between. There are MUCH cheaper kits out there: both quality and price.

 

[Timgco]

what is a good brand for a 4 inch lift in the middle price range, and what is the difference between short and long arm? this will be going on a 2011 jeep rubicon unlimited. thanks for the help!

I wanted to add that a Long Arm kit is not really middle price friendly. Quite a bit of components and labor. LA kits aren't really needed until that 6" lift height. 4" you can run 37's or run flat fenders and run 2.5" to 3.5" of lift.

 

[ReconH3]

Listen to what Timco has to say. He's right on the money. JKs don't need a long arm kit till you get passed 4". The older TJs needed it because their control arms were so short. JK factory arms are considerably longer, and much stronger. As mentioned by Tim, the top 3 are definitely RK, TF, and AEV. I do find AEV way overpriced, but you do get one of the best road handling lifts. Both RK and TF have great customer service. AEV tends to be very arrogant depending on who you get, if they even reply to you. Another good addition is Clayton Offroad. Probably one of the strongest and best built. Currie is also a serious contender.

Companies you do want to stay away from are:

Rubicon Express (used to be one of the best)
Pro Comp
Rancho (if you plan to wheel. Ok for poser lift)
Superlift
Fabtech (used to be good)
Skyjacker (I've seen their arms snap in front of me)

All over companies fall pretty much somewhere in between these two groups. Get on the JK Forum and you'll get some real world feedback.


"Ex Umbris Venimus"

 

[4speedfunk]

Kit? What the hell is that?

 

[Silverton34]

Many people bash the "brackets" that AEV sells. These brackets are used in place of adjustable lower control arms on the front and are PURELY OPTIONAL. They also have a function of leveling the LCA but that seems less important than advertised.

A lift that yields a genuine 2 1/2" is optimal to many JK owners. Exhaust interference, driveshaft replacement and a few other issues crop up after this height. I have owned two AEV kits on JKs and could not be more pleased. Timgco and I have both spent quite a few hours offroad in Moab with AEV lifts.

 

[chad]

Definetly glad I posted on here. So from what I'm getting, the 3.5" short arm is all that Is needed for a jeep jk 2011 rubicon to run 35" tires, will be on and offroad user. And using rk, tf, or aev are the best to go with? This project will prob happen in a week or two.

 

[Silverton34]

Definetly glad I posted on here. So from what I'm getting, the 3.5" short arm is all that Is needed for a jeep jk 2011 rubicon to run 35" tires, will be on and offroad user. And using rk, tf, or aev are the best to go with? This project will prob happen in a week or two.

The 3.5" lift will run 38" tires, 2.5" will run the 35" tire. Just remember there is a very large difference between running a 3.5" and a 2.5" since the taller will need adjustable control arms, driveshafts X2 and exhaust modifications to begin with.

I chose the 2.5" as I thought 35" tires would be enough and wanted a lower center of gravity for offroading. Any taller of a tire and you run into axle modifications including gear ratios and reinforcements.

 

[backcountryislife]

The 3.5" lift will run 38" tires, 2.5" will run the 35" tire. Just remember there is a very large difference between running a 3.5" and a 2.5" since the taller will need adjustable control arms, driveshafts X2 and exhaust modifications to begin with.

Some of that depends on year & model, but I know a bunch of guys running 3.5 without exhaust or DS modification.

 

[chad]

The 3.5" lift will run 38" tires, 2.5" will run the 35" tire. Just remember there is a very large difference between running a 3.5" and a 2.5" since the taller will need adjustable control arms, driveshafts X2 and exhaust modifications to begin with.

I chose the 2.5" as I thought 35" tires would be enough and wanted a lower center of gravity for offroading. Any taller of a tire and you run into axle modifications including gear ratios and reinforcements.

Does the 2.5 require new fenders or will the 35's work with stock fenders?do you or someone got a pic of your jk with 2.5 and 35's?

 

[Silverton34]

'13 Rubicon with 35" Toyos and AEV 2.5" lift. No rubbing in CO or Moab.

 

[Silverton34]

'10 with 35" Toyos and 2.5" BDS lift. Please excuse the mud.

 

[Silverton34]

'12 with 2.5" AEV and 35" KM2s.





I offroaded all three of these JKs in Colorado and Moab over the past three years. I really like the 2.5" lift and 35" tire combination.

Some 2.5" lifts are known to yield more height than advertised. AEV yields pretty much the stated height.

The exhaust modifications are only needed on '12 + model years.

 

[chad]

thanks for the pics. helps lots more, so next question, how do you feel about the toyos? jeeps look good by the way!!!

 

[ABNTROOP]

'13 Rubicon with 35" Toyos and AEV 2.5" lift. No rubbing in CO or Moab.

gorgeous!

 

[Silverton34]

The Toyos are probably the heaviest tire available and that's NOT a good thing. If I were driving the vehicle every day and it had the older 3.8 V6 I would not choose them. Toyos also will shorten the life of your wheel bearings and other front end parts. That said they are a great looking tire with excellent wear characteristics, traction and trail toughness. For the '11 model you mentioned I would probably go with the Goodyear Duratracs. These have an aggressive tread, good quality and light weight.