jedg

Yep. Not enough of a lift to make it worth it.

lonestarvtx

Sub for future reference...great info

golfsday

Thank you all!! I think this thread may have saved me money, time, and frustrations. I have a 2015 JKU Sport. (Automatic 3.73) I have already upgraded to the 4.5 backspaced wheels and stopped there due to this thread.

I want a solid, stable and capable rig that will be about 90% on road and the rest will be trails and fire roads. (Don't know if I have the courage for rocks yet!) I understand the idea for the LCG benefits. I am planning 315s to help save weight and wear and tear. (Trying to decide to cut stock, bushwacker flats or metal flats) A few clarifying questions.


Dirtman has stated pucks or coils are both ok, but in the ST Louis area salt and winter grime, would the coils be better long term in conjunction with new shocks compared to the rubber pucks? (Considering the TF 2" front and 1" rear coil boost or the RK 1.5 kit. Rancho 9000s)


Staying under 2.5 it seems there is no NEED for LCA/drop brackets, adjustable front track bar or rear track bar bracket... Is there a benefit to adding these to retain closer to stock steering geometry and drive train angles? Or is it a waste of money?


Thanks for any input or advice. Planning on stocking up this winter and installing over spring break.

WHT_JKUR

Currently have AEV 2.5 dual sport with Bilstiens and 315/70/17s. Drives great onroad and I do mostly overland off-road, no crazy rock crawling, and it handles well off road. Had it for a year and no issues.

Considering new bumpers (front and rear and a winch). Since I am adding weight, I know that I will lose some lift (have been told ½inch). Local shop recommended adding a ½ to I inch coil spacer to compensate.

Any thoughts on this solution. I get that it will work, but will it have any effect on handling, performance, or most importantly reliability (I don't want driveshaft issues, or other unforeseen consequences).

Thanks in advance for the feedback.

nthinuf

If you lose 1/2" from weight, then add a 1/2" spacer, there will be no actual change in height. The coils will be a bit more compressed than before, but steering/handling/whatever else should not change. If you choose taller spacers and end up higher than you started, then yes, caster and driveshaft angles start changing.

nthinuf

There is a bunch of personal opinion and preference, regardless of height. As lift height increases, more people start agreeing that they are wanted components, but you can certainly go without. (as long as you check to see that there are no negative affects that 'you' want to correct. Like maybe a tire rubbing because of an offcenter axle, center the axle and the issue goes away.)

For caster correction, drive it an see what you think. You can always decide to add arms or brackets later. Axle centering, same thing. Driveshaft angles, the pinions tilt up with the lift height, so it could be argued that not correcting the angles would make the rubber boot on the tcase joint last longer.

WHT_JKUR

Thanks for the info!

Matthewd5

A 3" lift would be a nice height for a daily driver with the 315's

Stay away from Bushwacker flat fenders...

A bunch of folks on here told me not to get them, but I did, and one fell off the first time I took it on a real trail ride!

More problems from the on, I had to use dry wall screws to keep them on until my Poison Spyder flat fenders arrived

Just trim your factory fenders until you goto 35's etc.

matthew

dmwil

Just an update....I put a 2" AEV spacer lift with shock extensions on my JKU Rubi 40,000 miles ago, along with 33" BFG KM2's, 255/80/17, and it has performed exactly as I'd hoped.

That small change made a huge difference in real-world off-roading, especially with the break-over angle. I went from constantly rubbing the skid plates to rarely rubbing them. Suspension travel is the same and it drives just like it did before, with no top heaviness or handling issues. Power feels about the same and fuel economy dropped a little, but not dramatically. I'd say maybe 1mpg average, at most.

I took it to Moab last year and everything worked exceedingly well. It was comfortable on the highway and great off road. It never makes any unusual noises, even at full articulation. It works and feels exactly as AEV told me it would, on the road, in Midwest mud, Utah rocks, Colorado mountains, and even in sand dunes. (Yes, the narrow tires do shockingly well in loose sand!)

While at Moab, I swapped out the factory shocks (which were still fine) for new Rancho RX5000's, ditching the shock extensions, as well. They tightened things up a bit and were great on the trails. The best part is that Rancho generously installed them for free and then gave them to me for a handshake! I'm still liking them very much, and they work very well with this setup on and off the road.

The JKU has just passed 100,000 miles, and it runs and drives exactly as I'd hoped. I'll be replacing the BFG's at some point in the next year or so, and might look at the new KO2 in the 33x10.5 size, but the KM2's have been phenomenal in every way except noise and on icy roads. I'll probably stick with another set of KM2's, as icy roads are a pain, but never really stop the Jeep.

I'll be checking out the new Wrangler and will probably pick one up around 2019 or so, but I'm keeping this one and will run it until it falls apart. That should be awhile, as everything is in excellent shape and the structure still feels tight. Even that confounding oil burning engine still runs great. I went with this setup to get as much improvement off road as possible without compromising on-road feel. I also wanted to keep it as light as possible, especially with tires, so as not to shorten the lifespan of drive line components or increase risk of breakage on the trail. So far, so good.

Number8

I'm considering this. I have the AEV 2.5 and lost quite a bit of height when I did full steel bumpers, winch, and tire carrier. Some rubbing now. I want to throw on a small spacer kit or leveling kit to see if restores me to the original stance and compensates for the new weight.