AEV vs RK Lift
09-30-2015, 07:35 PM
#11
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If you are going to use your Jeep hard off road and load it down with heavy bumpers and armor go with the RK product line. AEV products are good and ride nice on road, but RK at least out west in our deserts and rocky terrain holds up to the abuse of being banged around a lot better.
I run a JKU with a 2.5" (3" actual height) RK system with 35" Mickey Thompson ATZ P3 tires, heavy ARB front and rear bumpers, Warn Zeon winch and a bunch of underside armor. The RK springs with their heavy rates have not sagged even after 39K miles of hard use.
Your choice of the ATZ P3 is excellent. They are built on the well proven nearly bomb proof carcass of the MTZ M/T tire. There are other hybrid AT/MT type tires out there like it but none have the lineage of the ATZ P3. Mine have proven crazy strong with grip like those found on the proverbial Mach 5 running it's grip tires. All that said it may be to much tire for your needs and wheeling terrain. I would point you to also look at BFG KO2 tires. They are not as aggressive off road as the ATZ P3 but ride super smooth and handle the foul weather of the Atlantic costal US superbly.
I run a JKU with a 2.5" (3" actual height) RK system with 35" Mickey Thompson ATZ P3 tires, heavy ARB front and rear bumpers, Warn Zeon winch and a bunch of underside armor. The RK springs with their heavy rates have not sagged even after 39K miles of hard use.
Your choice of the ATZ P3 is excellent. They are built on the well proven nearly bomb proof carcass of the MTZ M/T tire. There are other hybrid AT/MT type tires out there like it but none have the lineage of the ATZ P3. Mine have proven crazy strong with grip like those found on the proverbial Mach 5 running it's grip tires. All that said it may be to much tire for your needs and wheeling terrain. I would point you to also look at BFG KO2 tires. They are not as aggressive off road as the ATZ P3 but ride super smooth and handle the foul weather of the Atlantic costal US superbly.
Last edited by Bkeeper; 10-01-2015 at 08:19 AM.
09-30-2015, 07:44 PM
#12
JK Jedi
This same question between these two lifts comes up every so often and I still can't see after research someone would narrow their choices down to these two lifts. One is built for ride quality, uses factory arms, and corrects geometry. The other one is built to be bashed on the rocks and offers joints that have massive amounts of misalignment that you will never use.
09-30-2015, 07:50 PM
#13
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I have a RK 2.5" on my 2014 rubicon 4 door and a buddy has 2.5" aev on his 2014 rubicon 4 door. he has Km2 35's I have Toyo at2 35's. We just completed the rubicon trail. he had about a 2000 mile drive to get there and I had a 1000 mile drive. He said he was happy with his ride on the highway and I have put 36000 miles on mine and very happy with the ride. I believe mine did a bit better on the trail and was a bit taller than his. I run a bit lighter as he has aev front bumper winch etc and I have stock bumper with winch. my rear bumper is a bit heavier as I run a Shrock works at about 95 lbs and his is an AEV at about 65lbs. both had the same lod sliders and roughcountry skids underneath.
My front end sits about an 1.5" taller and my back about an inch taller. I think between the two they are pretty much splitting hairs. Both handle 80mph highway drives no problem.
My front end sits about an 1.5" taller and my back about an inch taller. I think between the two they are pretty much splitting hairs. Both handle 80mph highway drives no problem.
10-01-2015, 02:35 AM
#14
JK Jedi
I don't think I could of asked for any better of a reply, thank you so much! Just a few follow up questions, which RK 2.5 kit are you using and which shocks do you recommend? The only negative feedback I saw about the RK's onroad performance was someone said he needed to keep the shocks lubricated often or else they would squeek, but he figured it was from chemicals to dry the snow on the road from his area.
In the last 8 months I have been to Moab 2x, Colorado and the Rubicon trail. When going to Moab it is about 750 miles and we do it in one shot. speed limits most of the way are 80mph. My jeep has one finger steering at 80mph. on straight stretches you can drive hands off the steering for very long stretches and it does not wander. It is a relatively inexpensive lift compared to most but it has done very well for me. I am not doing the really hard core trails like many most of my stuff is on the easier end of the specter like Rubicon Trail, Poison Spider, Hells Revenge, Rose Garden Hill, Kane Creek, Pough Keepsie Gulch style stuff. I need a blend of great road manners with the ability to go off road on those kind of trails. I know those trails I mentioned could be all done in a stock vehicle with the exception of Rose Garden hill, but I know I was much more comfortable with my set up.
The more I read Dirtman's post the more I realize he flat gets it. Listen to what he says and you will save money and have a capable rig.
10-01-2015, 06:02 AM
#15
JK Super Freak
First, thanks for CHOOSING to serve. Our son is am AM @ Eglin with VF101.
I have an RK X-Factor lift, BUT, it doesn't sound like it would be the best choice for you. It boils down to this:
RK - Better for rocks and off road
AEV - Better for overland and on road
My JK is my daily driver and it handles great on road. Adjustable control arms help a lot. But, AEV's brackets step that up a notch. BUT, those brackets hang low and can get caught on rocks, etc.
Best of luck!
P.S. The drive to Rausch is WORTH EVERY MILE!
I have an RK X-Factor lift, BUT, it doesn't sound like it would be the best choice for you. It boils down to this:
RK - Better for rocks and off road
AEV - Better for overland and on road
My JK is my daily driver and it handles great on road. Adjustable control arms help a lot. But, AEV's brackets step that up a notch. BUT, those brackets hang low and can get caught on rocks, etc.
Best of luck!
P.S. The drive to Rausch is WORTH EVERY MILE!
10-01-2015, 06:30 AM
#16
Super Moderator
This same question between these two lifts comes up every so often and I still can't see after research someone would narrow their choices down to these two lifts. One is built for ride quality, uses factory arms, and corrects geometry. The other one is built to be bashed on the rocks and offers joints that have massive amounts of misalignment that you will never use.
None of the vendor marketing information will ever boil it down to those basic differences, which likely answers the reasons behind you see this question come up.
You read through a bunch of AEV or RK information and you hear the same things. "Oh yeah, our lift performs great offroad and onroad, flexes like a champ when you need it, gives max clearance, it will hold up to most any abuse you can throw at it when offroad, drives and handles like a Cadillac when driving on road."
I don't know all the differences in lifts and what each and every component does or why they're needed, but being an engineer I've at least been able to draw a conclusion that as off-road performance goes up, then on-road performance typically goes down and vice-versa. To get both, there are likely trade-offs that are made because if there wasn't then everyone would buy it and if that "complete" kit did exist, it would likely cost too much that hardly anyone would be able to afford it, and there wouldn't be a need for each vendor to offer up to 10 different kits. Although, I'm looking for a lift that will come close to maintaining on-road performance, while improving off-road performance, I feel pretty confident that others who are looking more for a kit that has better off-road performance wouldn't mind if it maintained or increased on-road performance as well.
10-01-2015, 06:59 AM
#17
JK Jedi
Exactly what I needed to know.
None of the vendor marketing information will ever boil it down to those basic differences, which likely answers the reasons behind you see this question come up.
You read through a bunch of AEV or RK information and you hear the same things. "Oh yeah, our lift performs great offroad and onroad, flexes like a champ when you need it, gives max clearance, it will hold up to most any abuse you can throw at it when offroad, drives and handles like a Cadillac when driving on road."
I don't know all the differences in lifts and what each and every component does or why they're needed, but being an engineer I've at least been able to draw a conclusion that as off-road performance goes up, then on-road performance typically goes down and vice-versa. To get both, there are likely trade-offs that are made because if there wasn't then everyone would buy it and if that "complete" kit did exist, it would likely cost too much that hardly anyone would be able to afford it, and there wouldn't be a need for each vendor to offer up to 10 different kits. Although, I'm looking for a lift that will come close to maintaining on-road performance, while improving off-road performance, I feel pretty confident that others who are looking more for a kit that has better off-road performance wouldn't mind if it maintained or increased on-road performance as well.
None of the vendor marketing information will ever boil it down to those basic differences, which likely answers the reasons behind you see this question come up.
You read through a bunch of AEV or RK information and you hear the same things. "Oh yeah, our lift performs great offroad and onroad, flexes like a champ when you need it, gives max clearance, it will hold up to most any abuse you can throw at it when offroad, drives and handles like a Cadillac when driving on road."
I don't know all the differences in lifts and what each and every component does or why they're needed, but being an engineer I've at least been able to draw a conclusion that as off-road performance goes up, then on-road performance typically goes down and vice-versa. To get both, there are likely trade-offs that are made because if there wasn't then everyone would buy it and if that "complete" kit did exist, it would likely cost too much that hardly anyone would be able to afford it, and there wouldn't be a need for each vendor to offer up to 10 different kits. Although, I'm looking for a lift that will come close to maintaining on-road performance, while improving off-road performance, I feel pretty confident that others who are looking more for a kit that has better off-road performance wouldn't mind if it maintained or increased on-road performance as well.
AEV has a cool one and so does Metal cloak and OME, rock krawlers is kinda boring tho . also things can change a bit with the taller lifts but at 2.5" you should be getting better on and off road with any quality lift.
10-01-2015, 11:21 AM
#18
Super Moderator
I can say with 100% certainty that either RK or AEV or Metal Cload or OME will do exactly what you want. All will do better on road and offroad then your stock suspension. Basically it boils down to what company's decal you like better AEV has a cool one and so does Metal cloak and OME, rock krawlers is kinda boring tho . also things can change a bit with the taller lifts but at 2.5" you should be getting better on and off road with any quality lift.
AEV has a cool one and so does Metal cloak and OME, rock krawlers is kinda boring tho . also things can change a bit with the taller lifts but at 2.5" you should be getting better on and off road with any quality lift.By adding lift it is almost impossible to get a better ride then OEM without changing control arm and other components mounts. People that say they have a better ride then stock is due more to larger tires that are placed wider on the jeep. This increases the stability and ride quality of the jeep due to the wider track. Coil ride and shocks are subjective and you will see one person saying how one rides stiff while another says they ride soft. The main reason AEV gets good marks in ride quality is due to the fact they move the lower arm mounts which retains stock like geometry but sacrifices ground clearance. JKS, Ranchero, Rough Country all make relocation brackets for stock arms just like AEV. Teraflex, RK, MC and many others do not move bracket locations until you go long arm so when you are comparing those companies you must realize the geometry is suspect and your choice is basically coming down to completeness of the kit and the joints they use on their arms and links.
If you want the best ride you can get keep the lift as low as you can to run the tire size you want to run and run a rod end that uses an OEM type bushing or one like MC or synergy uses at least on the frame end to offer resistance from vibration transfer fro the suspension to the frame. These type of rod ends will also give you a bit more cushion to the feel of the suspension.
If you want the best ride you can get keep the lift as low as you can to run the tire size you want to run and run a rod end that uses an OEM type bushing or one like MC or synergy uses at least on the frame end to offer resistance from vibration transfer fro the suspension to the frame. These type of rod ends will also give you a bit more cushion to the feel of the suspension.
For example, I'm willing to bet that with all the unlimited spending that went into this lift, suspension and tires, that it will outperform the stock JKU suspension and tires 99% of time for off-road situations. However, for on-road ride, steering, stopping and required maintenance, I'm willing to bet the stock JKU suspension, tires, etc will outperform it 99% of the time for on-road situations. There's physics at work and physics tells me, the higher you go with the center of gravity, the less control you have of the go, stop, and turning maneuverability, as well as ride dampening factors.
It's like I tell my best friend who owns an Audi sports car. I'll race your Audi with my Wrangler and beat it any day of the week. Only stipulation is that I get to pick the course we'll be racing on.
Last edited by Rednroll; 10-01-2015 at 12:00 PM.
10-01-2015, 11:31 AM
#19
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Hey Darth, First off; THANK YOU for your service. As mentioned here, you really can't go wrong with either. I've beat on and ran an RK kit for 3ish years now and I've been really happy with it. The things I've had trouble with have been handled with some excellent customer service recently. I've never been a fan of the control arm drop brackets that AEV uses, but that may be fine for a mostly on-road, few rocks application like you describe. You can do a Rock Krawler 2.5 Flex system + Rancho RS9000Xl adjustable shocks for under $1400 and it's a nice riding system. The AEV is a bit less but utilizes bracketry in lieu of adjustable control arms/track bar, etc. You didn't talk about wider tires but if you go wider/larger, you'll need spacers (I'm not a fan) or wheels with 4.5" backspace.
10-01-2015, 02:58 PM
#20
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This same question between these two lifts comes up every so often and I still can't see after research someone would narrow their choices down to these two lifts. One is built for ride quality, uses factory arms, and corrects geometry. The other one is built to be bashed on the rocks and offers joints that have massive amounts of misalignment that you will never use.
