First, let me formally introduce myself--I've been lurking around jk-forum and project-jk for sometime now, though never dropped by with an introduction! Names Jake, So-Cal, Bright Silver Metallic '07 JK 2DR LHD, Current mods: 33" BFG AT on stock suspension, Magnaflow cat-back, Gibson headers, a few add-ons such as grill guards, light guards, etc... Military guy as well.

Okay now to the sweet stuff! I'm planning on ordering the AEV / Nth Degree 3.5" Premium Suspension System with Bilstein Shocks from Quadratec.com. Do you have this kit or know anyone who does? Pros, cons? Should I stick with 33's or bump them to 35's? All thoughts are welcomed, thanks!

 

Pros, good ride, good handling. Cons, cam bolts. I have the lift and am happy. Install was pretty straight forward.

I'd go 35's.

 

Yea definitely invest in adjustable control arms. You could get by with 33's but it can look a little goofy, depending on your taste.

Also, you can probably save some money by ordering through Northridge4x4. I dont know if he has them back in stock yet though..

And welcome!

 

I have the lift on my '08 Sahara Unlimited with 35's. I purchased it from Northridge4x4.com in November '09 and installed it myself (with some help). The only issue I had was the JKS disconnects didn't have enough clearance on the bottom link on the passenger's side. I cut a little metal off of the spring seat with a reciprocating saw and it fits fine now.

I like the way the vehicle handles both on and off road and highly recommend the lift. I purchased the Jeep with a 3" budget boost so I am not sure how a "stock" ride feels. The ride is a little stiff, but I'm sure it's partly due to the jeep being very lite (i.e. still have stock bumpers). I don't mind the stiffness.

Once installed the front sat a little higher than the rear. Probably due to the lift's design targeting a front bumper to be installed. In an effort to level it out I added 1" Teraflex rear spacers. Now I really like the way it sits.

The Jeep is my daily driver . I have taken it off road a couple times with the first being a farely difficult trail (Martinez Canyon in AZ). It handled/flexed fine with both rock crawling and high speed dirt roads.

Regarding Cambolts... I debated on this myself and finally decided to trust the engineer's design (as I am one myself). I torqued them to spec on the initial install and marked them with a paint pen. I recheck all bolts periodically and the Cambolts haven't moved. If they get loose, I'll retighten. If they become a pain, then I'll buy lower control arms. Not a big deal...

After all said and done I give this lift . Here are a few pics...

Showin' off...front was maxed out, rear was not...



Lift w/out the 1" rear spacers. The rear now sits a little higher.



Hangin' out in Sedona, AZ with a TJ

 

Amazing lift!
Replace the Cams with CA's if you gonna be doing hard wheeling. Which I should state the lift isn't designed for. It's meant for expedition use and long overland travel.
But don't get me wrong, it kicks ass on trails.

If you gonna spend 90% of your time on the road and not do trails that are too heavy you can leave the Cams as they are

I'd go with 35's.. The 33's are gonna look lost in there. Also get wheels with appropriate back spacing. The AEV Pintlers are perfect!

With the 35's you'll also need to regear.

Drive line mods shouldn't be an issue but you can put in 1310's if you want. I did just for extra security and peace of mind when I'm out in the bush and hundreds of miles from civilisation. Don't want anything going wrong. Which is why my Jeep is overbuilt.

Can't go wrong with anything from AEV

 

x2

The guy that designed the lift is the same guy which designed the JK chassis. Which is one of the best ever!

 

it's a good all around kit. being that it comes with progressive coils, the flex it offers is just okay with stuff being marginal at best but, on pavement, the ride is solid and handles like a sports car. regarding cam bolts, they are nothing more than a cheap solution designed to keep cost down and i would not recommend using them as others here have already mentioned. in order to make them work, you need to notch out your control arm axle mounts making them into slots and reversing this in the future would require welding. the worst part about cam bolts is that if you wheel your jeep, they will come loose over time and that can screw up your alignment and cause other problems. i have recently seen this happen to blazer4949. new adjustable lower control arms is the best solution to setting your caster but they will cost more money.

 

i had the AEV 4.5 and swapped springs down to the 3.5. the lift rides great. i would suggest 37's when u buy new tires. thats what im running and it looks great. also order it from northridge and get teraflex lca's. quadratec sucks and never has anything in stock.

 

The strongest feature of the AEV kit are the outstanding dynamics of the JK courtesy of the tuned progressive rate coils/ shock combo, high steer kit and the CG/RC management.

I am the last person that is going to defend cam bolts, but they are a cheap alernative if you are not going off road or an interim solution while you get adjustable CAs.

IMO, the 35's are a the perfect match for the 3.5 kit, but it's just personal preference. Some like running 37's with no lift just trimming.

 

I've got the 3.5" premium kit and I really like it. The on road handling is much better than stock and with a full load of kids and cargo the ride smooths out too. I initially used the cam bolts but there wasn't sufficient caster adjustment so I switched to adjustable lower control arms and now it handles even better. There are a few threads on here about the AEV kit.