I have a Rubicon Express 7130 lift which has 2.5 inches of lift on the front. Rides a lot stiffer on bumps then I thought it would. I would like to DIY install the AEV drop brackets to correct this... but need to know if I would need alignment job when finished. Knowledgable advise would be appreciated.

 

No you shouldn't need an alignment. Mine didn't.

 

You wont need an alignment.

I love mine. They made a noticeable improvement. I think Rancho sells a version that is a few bucks cheaper.

 

I had that lift and ran 35's. Wasn't stiff at all. Needed no castor correction for handling. It handled fine. What type of tires are you running and at what psi?

 

The brackets will improve the front end geometry whether you can feel anything wrong or not.

They make little or no difference to the ride.

The steering alignment won't change with the brackets, except the castor will change back a little closer to stock, which is a good thing.

 

At the moment stock tires with stock recommendations for pressure. Saving for wheels and tires. Had it aligned when lifted so it sounds like caster adjustment will be needed when brackets are installed.

Was the bracket install easy? Time?

 

Fairly easy install...make sure you loosen all your control arms up and retorque everything to specs with the weight of the vehicle on the ground. Shouldn't affect alignment at all.

 

The alignment shop can't change the castor on a JK with stock control arms. So, your castor is probably off a little from the lift but close enough to drive OK. With brackets the castor will move back closer to stock. No more alignment should be needed.

Brackets aren't hard to install, but it takes some long-handled wrenches. They say to install the brackets with the wheels on the floor, so it would be good job for a pit. They also say do both arms on one side and then do the other. Well, there's a point on the first side when you know one arm on the other side will need to come loose before the axle will move into place for both arms on the first side. Block the tires with chunks of 2x4 so they only move when you want them to. Seems like I spent 3-4 hours. A second pair of hands would have been great.

 

Thanks everyone!

 

Will I need to jack up my jeep for this install?