One of the reasons I didn't go with the Currie lift originally was because of the progressive rate springs. Shops that I talked to that had installed them said that they gave a good ride but were a bit soft feeling and didn't handle the weight as well as a standard spring. I'd seen enough non airbag Range Rovers and Discos with their soft springs behave in ways that I didn't like (grossly excessive body lean and movement) that I knew I didn't want to go there. As to "stuff"; I'm 90 miles from Moab and if you're going to play in the rocks being able to stuff and droop is where it's at.

In their defense AEV did not say that this usage was their market and that they were instead aiming for the expedition market. However I do question that because when we load up our JK for a week long off road trek it gets a might heavy. Gas and water are heavy and the demands of being off road that long means you carry more spares, tools and recovery gear. RE springs have a reputation for handling wt very well. Even still I had to order a set of rear springs from the 4.5" LA kit from RE to bring my 3.5 SF kit level. So I even question the AEV springs for their stated use.

Were I starting from scratch on a JK I put my own lift together using Currie or Clayton arms, either RE springs or go AiRock, Radflow shocks, quality adj trackbars and brake cables. I wouldn't hesitate to weld things where needed and I'd re-weld and brace every bracket on the axle.

You mentioned how well the Currie arms articulate. Have you noticed a difference between Currie and Clayton arms?

I love threads like this where things actually get hashed out.

 

OK...AEV has designed a lift kit that breaks front shock mounts. Tell that to Jim at AEV and see what he says.

 

i have installed a clayton kit and have seen it perform on the trail and can tell you that it is very nice. however, unlike the clayton kit which uses bonded rubber bushings at the frame mounts, currie uses lower control arms that have johnny joints on both the frame end and the axle end. because of this, their arms provide the greatest amount of bind free articulation that i have seen in any short arm available for the jk. of course, in the past, having a hard joint on both ends of a control arm would have meant more road noise for the occupants but, i have since found that the body mounts on the jk are surprisingly absorbant, way more than the tj and this is no longer an issue. but, i am a still a fan of bonded rubber bushings at the frame mounts as well and find that even though they do bind a bit, it really isn't too bad and they do offer a nice comfortable squeak free ride.

 

LOL!! oh come on, nobody said anything about their kit "breaking shock mounts", just that "there would be an increase in stress to the factory mount by using this setup" and, "there is a potential risk of causing the factory mount to break." these are things that the OP had asked about and i have given honest answers regarding them based on experience. as far as this company goes, please remember that they are also a company that would purposefully sell their kit with cam bolts as opposed to using adjustable control arms. now, cam bolts will work and will keep your price down but let's be honest here, they are a far cry from being a good solution to caster adjustment on a vehicle that will see abuse on the trail.

 

They are no different than any other company making a lift they are shooting for a price point to sell their kit for. To hit this price point they had to make some concessions such as the cam bolts instead of arms, and the brake lines. If you buy your own you are at a similar price point as any other 4" lift (around $2500 once you figure in a programmer for the speedo that AEV sends with the kit). I am sure that the shock mounts can be braced for those who are concerned about them. This is not the first kit I have seen to relocate the shock brackets. I think I would be more concerned about hitting the shock and damaging it or the mount with it more outboard and nothing protecting it than about it ripping the braket off durring articualtion. I know if I do get this kit I would probably have something like Evo's shock relocation for their kit used instead os just hanging it out there and hoping for the best.

 

exactly! and, i completely understand their reasons for doing what they have done. when you're shooting for a price point, some concessions will have to be made. of course, that doesn't mean you have to stick with what you got or that upgrades can't be made

 

OK, OK, OK...maybe I was exaggerating a little. Let's be fair and let the AEV engineers defend their kit as it relates to the the front shock relo. As for the cam bolts, I agree that adj CAs are much better by far and yes this can be upgraded if you have the moooneeyyy.

 

i don't understand, what's there to defend?

 

How do the johnny joints hold up for the likes of us out east where we have lots of snow which means lots of salt on the roads. Does this even effect them?

 

the johnny joints shouldn't have any problems with snow/salt. the joint is essentially a cartridge with two inner plastic like halfs and a corrosion resistant steel ball like joint sandwiched in between. just keep them greased and you should be just fine.