Heavy duty suspension
03-06-2017, 01:39 AM
#1
JK Newbie
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Heavy duty suspension
Looking for suggestions to do some research on. I want a heavy duty and reliable suspension for carrying the extra weight of a loaded Jeep Wrangler JK. Looking for something in the 3 inch suspension platform that can take a beating with hardtop, full tank of gas, extra external gas tanks, cargo loaded interior and roof rack loaded. Also pulling an off-road trailer. Heavy duty type of suspension. Bulky.........and yes I know gas is expensive.
03-06-2017, 02:33 AM
#3
JK Newbie
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AEV Dual-sport 3.5 RS. I have that on my 2014 JKU Rubicon. Excellent. My jeep is heavy, with Gobi rack with attachments on it such as high lift jack and other attachments. Jeep drives perfectly and performs perfectly for an expedition type jeep.
03-06-2017, 04:04 AM
#5
AEV. I have the 4.5 Dual-sport SC lift on 37" Nittos, Gobi rack, Crawler Concepts front and rear steel bumpers, full skids, etc., etc... I also tow my 23' pontoon boat too. I've had this setup for 3 years with no sag or lack of performance. I love my rig! 
03-06-2017, 06:37 AM
#6
JK Jedi
Load up the jeep like you think you are going to run it and get it weighed, do front and rear axles as well as the entire jeep. Tongue weight would be helpful too. Once you have the weights you can size the coils to handle your load. You will have to subtract the axle and wheel weight to get your sprung weight.
There are basically 3 ways to do the lift you are looking at.
1. buy coils rated for the weight you want with the height you want. Hard to do since most companies will not give out their coil rates.
con is you will have a rough stiff ride when not loaded.
2. buy a longer softer coil rated for more lift and install them to get the desired amount of lift.
con is you will have a much higher lift when not loaded.
3. install air bags on top of your standard bolt on lift so you can handle the extra load when you need it.
con is extra expense of the air bags on top of the lift.
On top of the lift work to handle lots of weight you also should be looking at your rear axle so it can handle that weight off road. The semi float rear axle is not meant to handle lots of wight and tend to bend the flanges. Of course you need to address gearing to handle weight and towing. Lastly you are likely going to want to address braking to handle the weight and trailer.
There are basically 3 ways to do the lift you are looking at.
1. buy coils rated for the weight you want with the height you want. Hard to do since most companies will not give out their coil rates.
con is you will have a rough stiff ride when not loaded.
2. buy a longer softer coil rated for more lift and install them to get the desired amount of lift.
con is you will have a much higher lift when not loaded.
3. install air bags on top of your standard bolt on lift so you can handle the extra load when you need it.
con is extra expense of the air bags on top of the lift.
On top of the lift work to handle lots of weight you also should be looking at your rear axle so it can handle that weight off road. The semi float rear axle is not meant to handle lots of wight and tend to bend the flanges. Of course you need to address gearing to handle weight and towing. Lastly you are likely going to want to address braking to handle the weight and trailer.
03-07-2017, 06:22 AM
#7
JK Freak
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I love Mr Dirtman, tells you just like it is and gives you some options with the pros and cons; awesome man. Side note, what about doing like a 1" or 2" body lift, would that help him any?
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03-08-2017, 05:54 AM
#9
I have similar needs and went with a MetalCloak 3.5" My jeep is what I would consider moderately heavy with bumpers, winch and an LS engine, I also tow an off-road trailer. The Metalcloak rides great and the rear end holds up the weight of the trailer easily.
03-08-2017, 04:40 PM
#10
JK Freak
I second looking at Metalcloak. I run their 3.5" lift and pull a 3000lb travel trailer and have very little sag in the rear. Much improved over my prior Jeep with Rock Krawler that had a very saggy rear end.