Rotti54

I'm getting ready to upgrade my 2dr 2016 Rubicon. I'm kind of torn between the 2.5 Rock Krawler X-Factor lift and the 2.5 Game Changer from Metal Cloak. Which is better and why? It's mainly a street rig, but I will be doing one Jeep Jamboree a year and I plan on going to Moab next summer. I'm going to be running Hutchinson beadlocks, 35" Goodyear MT/R Kevlars. I've heard Rock Krawler is a very tough set up, but what are your thoughts?

karls10jk

Rock krawler has received more hype than it probably deserves.....similar to Teraflex lift kits on here years ago.

Good luck with your build.


Edit: I run RK and dislike it, I'd move to other coils if I could.

TheDirtman

I think they are over hyped as well and have way more issues then Metal Cloak has had with their products.

RhinoHardrock

Take a look at metal cloaks gamechanger website. Read over what it offers and it's design. I went metal cloak 2.5" Arb.

PsychoCupcake

Same comments as the others. I feel RK is overhyped and nothing special. I hear a lot about problems with their control arm joints.

I have a MC 3.5" lift with Rocksport shocks and have wheeled side by side with a RK 3.5" lift with Fox shocks. My friend and I swapped jeeps for a long trail up in PA last year so that we could each feel the difference. I can say mine flexes and rides much better. Both are 2 doors.

Rednroll

I have no personal experience with either. I have read more reports with RK problems which seem mostly related to their joints needing maintenance/repair where I really haven't heard anything negative about MC. That may also be just the law of averages at play in that if there are 10 times more RK lifts sold than MC, then you are 10 times more likely to hear about any associated problems, if those problem are legit or due to user error of installation/use, that is another story.

Anyone who owns a RK lift or a MC lift tend to swear by them in an almost cult like following manner. I know I've been in a few discussions where someone was debating between choosing either a Mopar, RK, and MC lift and I provided my 2 cent input in regards to the Mopar lifts since I have personal experience with one and you would have thought I just called someone's mother ugly because I even dared to put Mopar in the same discussion with the RK and MC lifts, although I was just responding to the OP's original question. So be aware of the hype trains as previously mentioned. A few years ago everyone was riding the TF hype train, where now there's been a shift to the RK and more recently the MC trains and there will be some that will definitely run you over with their hype train in an effort to justify their personal purchase decision.

I prefer to just look at the component contents of a lift and make my purchase decisions that way, in trying to do more of an apples to apples comparison as it relates to the price of the lift. Someone can easily say a particular brand lift is better than another brand because that particular lift includes 8 replacement control arms and the other brand's lift doesn't while down playing the fact the particular lift they're referring to costs $1800 more which is more than enough price difference to purchase 8 replacement control arms separately. So I think it's a better purchasing scenario to spend more time understanding what each of the components does and if one includes components and the other one doesn't, deciding if those additional items are important to you or not, and further spending time understanding the price of buying those additional components separately so you can get closer to an apples to apples comparison rather than focusing on the name printed on the outside of the box.

I saw someone post this exact same scenario when they were deciding between different brands of 3.5"-4" lifts and starting with some of the more common recommended brands. They were pretty surprised of which brand ended up being the best value lift. I can't find that comparison now, but I'll search around and post it, if I do. That pretty much nails it of how I shop and decide between brands. Of course, you need to start with good brand names to which are known to provide quality parts to start the comparison and then go from there. Both RK and MC are well respected brands in the industry.

I've also seen both RK and MC offer different levels of components supplied in each of their lift offerings. How do I know, because some MC fanboy criticized me in a discussion because I was unintentionally referencing the wrong "2.5in game changer kit" he was referencing where the one I was looking at didn't include shocks. I guess, I was supposed to be a mind reader as well. So, you said you're deciding between a "Rock Krawler 2.5 X-Factor lift" and the "MC 2.5 Game Changer lift". The only thing I currently see in common between them is "2.5in" which doesn't tell us much. Both vendors will typically offer various version levels of those lifts which either include shocks, or don't include shocks, or allow you to select specific brand names of shocks, and also have different levels of included and excluded components all under the "2.5 Game Changer lift/2.5 X-Factor" sub brand name packages. So, I guess I would need to know exactly what are the component contents of the lifts you're comparing since both vendors tend to offer multiple versions under the same 2.5in sub brand name.

jadmt

I just installed a 3.5" GC arb edition on my buddy's new rubicon and it was a nice piece of work. I run RK and next time will either run the MC or something different than RK. I have replaced my RK rear coils due to sagging and the new set is already starting to sag. Also my front coils are looking like they are 10 years old not 2 years old as really rusty. I recently installed RK 3.5" coils on my buddies jeep and his is set like mine and probably weigh within a 60 lbs of each other and his back is ~2" taller than mine, mine would be lighter of the two because I don't run a backseat and he does..

Rotti54

Wow, thanks for all the responses. I'd love to also hear from those of you that have those kits. I must say, originally I was leaning towards RK but now I may go metal cloak, we'll see. Both were about the same money depending on shock choice. I'm really after the best combination of articulation, and durability. Living on a road salty area like NJ I want whatever will also hold up to the elements better and I've heard RK joints get really lousy with the corrosive debris they chuck on the roads down here.

PsychoCupcake

Completely agree with the above about avoiding the hype train. I'll also mention that I had an AEV lift with Bilstein shocks prior to the MC lift and the difference is night and day. The ride with the MC lift is much more forgiving and comfortable both on and off road. I really try to give everything a fair assessment and not become a MC fan girl. I'm sure their are people that might say the ride is too soft and prefer something firmer.

But I have come across the same thing. I won't mention the manufacturer but I asked a community a couple days ago to explain to me why a certain lift was superior. Most of the answers I got were "if you see it in person, you will know". Okay that's not a real answer. Tell me about durability, control arm construction, flex of the control arm joints, ride of the shocks and springs, durability of the coatings (especially important when you live in a salty environment), etc. No one could or would answer these things. They just said it's "the best". Not very helpful in my opinion.

TheDirtman

IF you simply look at both of their websites I think you would clearly choose the MC kit. The MC site gives you a lot of detailed information and explains the benefits of its parts. The only real differences between the kits is that RK gives you correction wedges (which I think are stupid) and the metal cloak offers adjustable bump stops so you can dial in you suspension rather then just installing what is in the box. MC also has lower shock brackets to move the lower mount out a bit for more shock clearance.

It should be known that MC joint are always in bind when you are articulating the suspension and RK joints offer bind free articulation, however with a 2.5" lift and typically no longer then 11" of travel on the shocks either kit will "flex" the same if the bump stops and shocks are set up the same. I run 4 different joint on my rig including MC joints and don't have any issues with the joints and I have massive amounts of articulation for a JK. By design of the MC joints you will have a ride that has more cushion and less vibration that is transferred from the axles to the frame.

Both companies have great customer service but I would give the edge to MC as I have seen some running around with RK with several phone calls and a few times I have seen them start with blaming the customer for the fault. When I broke the first design of the MC joint they not only replaced it (I did not ask for a replacement they offered it) but sent me 6 brand new forged ends to replace the 6 I had.

In the end you could simply do a 2" budget boost with some longer travel shocks or run shock extenders for what you are going to do with your jeep. Neither kit you list is going to make your jeep more capable on road or off vs a simple inexpensive budget boost.