This is something I read:

"I was surprised to learn that a friend of mine was running the 3.5" kit on Golden Spike this last week. As I followed him the entire day I inadvertantly witnessed how this kit performed on all of the major obstacles The Spike had to offer and I have to say, it was impressive.

The kit appeared to handle all of the obstacles as easily as the other brands and didn't stand out in a negative way by lifting tires when tires shouldn't be lifted. After a brief discussion with my friend I also came to the conclusion that the kit offered better handling and stability then the kit I was running. Where I was experiencing extreme body roll forcing me to minimize off camber situations my friend, with his 3.5" Nth Degree kit, was taking the off camber lines with plenty of confidence and ease. I'm assuming this is due to the fact that the center of gravity and roll center values are matched appropriately and positioned properly resulting in a much more stable jeep then my kit gave me. (My jeep is in the last photo, Resuce Green with 3.0" lift)

Here are some photos that show the different kits in our group and how they compare when crossing The Golden Crack which is a great obstacle to test crossed up, real world articulation. From these photos it's apparent that the Nth Degree kit offers just as much off road wheel travel as it's competition and should put to rest any doubts that the Nth kit can't flex like the best of them. Add to that the obvious benefits of the on road handling and I think the guys at AEV have hit a home run. Time will tell if the kit can stand up to the rigors of repeated off road use but I think the chances are good that it will.

The great customer support from Jim and Kent have put my mind at ease and secured my purchase. The realization that I was following an Nth kit all day on Golden Spike just put the icing on the cake. I can't wait to get my kit installed in 3 weeks."

 

the only reason the tires and jeeps are sitting differently is because of the way they went across the gap. the aev jeep is going more straight across it, where the other guys are driving more with it and toward the camera. Of course it will have different results. Drive the AEV across the same way the others did and you will get the same result.

They are also on different parts of the rocks. If you look at the Tera kit on the top right, it is closest in position to the AEV jeep. I would like to see a photo of this jeep 3 or 4 inches before it hit that spot. It would have been level as well.

 

And where would we find this info at? Bilstein or just what AEV says? I'm not tryin to start a pissin match. But Bilstein makes a JK specific shock. If u wanna compare requested valving as in the Kings, I would think that the AEV kit would be way more expensive than it is in regards to just the price of a "specialty" shock, as in the case with the Kings. The AEV kit was desighned to be economical. It has cambolts, why would it have a "specialty" shock. Comparing an EVO kit and AEV is like comparing sweet grapes to bland chicken. It's edible, but which tastes better?

 

Your exactly right each vehicle is hitting it at a slightly different angle. I dont think the pictures show one being better than the other, just comparable. There is so much talk about the on road handling characteristics of this lift, so for me it was good to see a write up and some pics of it off-road.

 

Who do you actually think took those pics? It's used as a sales gimmick. I'm in no way saying AEV is a bad kit. But every company out there could produce pics with theirs in a "better light" so to speak against other kits. I wanna see the slalom pics.

 

I ave ridden in a JK with the RElift and the RE 5100 shocks on a RE lift, and another RE lift with the Super Lift 5100 shocks. You can tell a definite difference. Bilstein makes it widely known that their shocks are cusomizable to each lift manufacturer. The rebound and compression damping are the only two things that can be adjusted for each company, but they can be.

Just because the AEV kit may have cam bolts there is no way you can say looking at their products that they cheap out when it comes to R&D they cheap out.

 

The pics were taken by a guy running a Rancho kit, not by a lift company.

 

Did he get slalom pics?

 

on the same page as those photos, there is a slalom pic of the aev. The MTR under it looks like it is about to pop off the rim and the passenger side front is off the ground. It is sitting pretty level considering. No way I would try that with mud tires. It looks like the passenger is crapping his pants in it.

 

Just so you know, those pics have been being used to promote the kit on here in several threads.