AEV really that good?
JK Super Freak
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 1,331
Likes: 0
From: Dallas, TX
ARB uses a zinc coating on their bull bars prior to the the powder coating I believe. Not sure if this is the same as "e-coating" or not.
So, after reading through all the threads I've pretty much boiled it down to this:
If hard core or more than moderate trails: Get some adjustable control arms for strength purposes
For best highway, get AEV
AEV flexes very well off road
Old Man Emu is competitive in quality and function, but is less expensive, but doesn't have as good handling on-road.
Again, on the cam bolts, I flopped my ZJ on the side (just to give an idea of things I took it through, etc) I also bent a KevinF rock rail (at one time considered the strongest in the market)
I never had a problem with the cam bolts.
the AEV lift appears to be designed to "one and done."
If you want to go higher later on, yes, control arms would be necessary. Otherwise, AEV lift is designed to only require adjustment with in the specs of the lift. If you go beyond, then you will have to add/subtract things.
KISS Keep It Simple Stupid
Fixed trackbar is fine for me. It's designed for the correct height of the lift. If I go bigger one day, then I can get adjustable at that point.
Oh well, kinda the whole argument of which is better: 4 door JK or 2 door jk for off-road. All depends on the situation and individual preferences.
Gotta love freedom to be different!
Shiny side up, rubber down! have a good week all!
So, after reading through all the threads I've pretty much boiled it down to this:
If hard core or more than moderate trails: Get some adjustable control arms for strength purposes
For best highway, get AEV
AEV flexes very well off road
Old Man Emu is competitive in quality and function, but is less expensive, but doesn't have as good handling on-road.
Again, on the cam bolts, I flopped my ZJ on the side (just to give an idea of things I took it through, etc) I also bent a KevinF rock rail (at one time considered the strongest in the market)
I never had a problem with the cam bolts.
the AEV lift appears to be designed to "one and done."
If you want to go higher later on, yes, control arms would be necessary. Otherwise, AEV lift is designed to only require adjustment with in the specs of the lift. If you go beyond, then you will have to add/subtract things.
KISS Keep It Simple Stupid
Fixed trackbar is fine for me. It's designed for the correct height of the lift. If I go bigger one day, then I can get adjustable at that point.
Oh well, kinda the whole argument of which is better: 4 door JK or 2 door jk for off-road. All depends on the situation and individual preferences.
Gotta love freedom to be different!
Shiny side up, rubber down! have a good week all!
JK Enthusiast
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 364
Likes: 0
From: Gauteng, South Africa
Well the AEV philosophy seems to be stay as close to factory as possible; leverage the factory investment in testing and engineering to the fullest. I for one agree with this philosophy. Remember the guy who engineered the JK chassis; the chassis of what many would say is the most capable factory off road vehicle ever produced; works at AEV and collaborated on the design of their lift. If you know of someone more qualified to design a lift for the JK point him out; I’d like to meet them. Try to remember that no one makes a lift that meets every need for every type of terrain and every type of driving. By definition engineering is a compromise; the AEV lift meets the design criteria they set for it. IT is meant for expedition use, not to tackle the most difficult trail you can find or to jump boulder in a single bound. In my opinion there are two major types of 4 wheel drive use. There are those who use 4WD to get out of trouble and those who use 4WD to get into trouble. In my opinion the AEV lifts are meant to get you out of trouble not go looking for it. If you are the type of driver that wants to take your jeep to the far reaches; some ghost town or Myan temple than the AEV lift will probably do exactly what you need it to. If on the other hand your idea of 4 wheeling is trailering your rig down to the nearest off road park and navigating some manmade trail or “rock garden” then maybe you want a purpose built lift that is designed for that purpose. Nothing wrong with either endeavor they just call for different tools, that’s all.
JK Enthusiast
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 231
Likes: 0
From: Phoenix, AZ
Well the AEV philosophy seems to be stay as close to factory as possible; leverage the factory investment in testing and engineering to the fullest. I for one agree with this philosophy. Remember the guy who engineered the JK chassis; the chassis of what many would say is the most capable factory off road vehicle ever produced; works at AEV and collaborated on the design of their lift. If you know of someone more qualified to design a lift for the JK point him out; I’d like to meet them. Try to remember that no one makes a lift that meets every need for every type of terrain and every type of driving. By definition engineering is a compromise; the AEV lift meets the design criteria they set for it. IT is meant for expedition use, not to tackle the most difficult trail you can find or to jump boulder in a single bound. In my opinion there are two major types of 4 wheel drive use. There are those who use 4WD to get out of trouble and those who use 4WD to get into trouble. In my opinion the AEV lifts are meant to get you out of trouble not go looking for it. If you are the type of driver that wants to take your jeep to the far reaches; some ghost town or Myan temple than the AEV lift will probably do exactly what you need it to. If on the other hand your idea of 4 wheeling is trailering your rig down to the nearest off road park and navigating some manmade trail or “rock garden” then maybe you want a purpose built lift that is designed for that purpose. Nothing wrong with either endeavor they just call for different tools, that’s all.
JK-Forum Founder
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 36,534
Likes: 16
From: Laguna Niguel, CA
Well the AEV philosophy seems to be stay as close to factory as possible; leverage the factory investment in testing and engineering to the fullest. I for one agree with this philosophy. Remember the guy who engineered the JK chassis; the chassis of what many would say is the most capable factory off road vehicle ever produced; works at AEV and collaborated on the design of their lift. If you know of someone more qualified to design a lift for the JK point him out; I’d like to meet them. Try to remember that no one makes a lift that meets every need for every type of terrain and every type of driving. By definition engineering is a compromise; the AEV lift meets the design criteria they set for it. IT is meant for expedition use, not to tackle the most difficult trail you can find or to jump boulder in a single bound. In my opinion there are two major types of 4 wheel drive use. There are those who use 4WD to get out of trouble and those who use 4WD to get into trouble. In my opinion the AEV lifts are meant to get you out of trouble not go looking for it. If you are the type of driver that wants to take your jeep to the far reaches; some ghost town or Myan temple than the AEV lift will probably do exactly what you need it to. If on the other hand your idea of 4 wheeling is trailering your rig down to the nearest off road park and navigating some manmade trail or “rock garden” then maybe you want a purpose built lift that is designed for that purpose. Nothing wrong with either endeavor they just call for different tools, that’s all.
is that how it's supposed to work? had i known i was supposed to trailer my jeep around and only to the nearest off road park to navigate some man made trail or "rock garden", i wouldn't have 70,000 miles on the odometer and thousands of photos of us exploring the peaks of the sierra nevada mountains, or the depths of mine shafts located in the owens valley or the endless deserts of the mojave. i may not have visited any myan temple recently but i have explored my fair share of remote ghost towns and pondered the meaning of petroglyphs left here in america by ancient peoples and ones that can only be found through off road exploration. but hey, you can keep believing whatever it is you want. 
me, i'd rather not "compromise" or have a jeep than CAN'T race smoothly across the desert at 65-70 mph, tackle obscenely large rocks AND offer superior ride comfort and handling on pavement and all in the same vehicle. for that, you'll need something a little more than a kit designed by a former jeep engineer. 
Last edited by wayoflife; Feb 19, 2010 at 07:27 AM.
JK-Forum Founder
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 36,534
Likes: 16
From: Laguna Niguel, CA
i've been giving this some real thought and there's one more thing i'd like to add to all this - if jeep engineers were so great, why didn't they design their trackbar mounts out of thicker steel and welded on better so that they wouldn't tear off the axle? if jeep engineers were so great, why is there a lean to the passenger side on all JK? if jeep engineers were so great, why did they put their steering stablizer right in the path of big rocks? if jeep engineers were so great, why did they located the stupid evap canister right were it could get ripped off? if jeep engineers were so great, why would they purposefully use non-servicable ball joints that fail after 7,500 miles? if jeep engineers were so great, there wouldn't be aftermarket companies like AEV to develop products to replace all the components that are already on the JK. i could go on and on but clearly, people will believe whatever the they want to believe.
for the record, i have talked to the guys at aev and they have even been so kind to give me a personal demonstration of how nice a JK with their kit rides with a hemi in it. from experience, i can tell you that it really is a solid lift and performs well just like most of the lift kits out on the market today. unlike most of you, i have had the opportunity to personally installed and test out most of these kits and can tell you that they're all pretty good and all have their pluses and minuses. if you want the best, you can have it but it does come at a cost.
for the record, i have talked to the guys at aev and they have even been so kind to give me a personal demonstration of how nice a JK with their kit rides with a hemi in it. from experience, i can tell you that it really is a solid lift and performs well just like most of the lift kits out on the market today. unlike most of you, i have had the opportunity to personally installed and test out most of these kits and can tell you that they're all pretty good and all have their pluses and minuses. if you want the best, you can have it but it does come at a cost.
JK Junkie
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 3,306
Likes: 1
From: Long Island, NY
for me, If I had a lot of $. I'd tap the experience and knowledge of Mel from ORE to install a nice coilover suspension system in my JK.. he basically threw out everything Jeep supplies as far as suspension goes, and installs a SWEET awesome riding/flexing setup... But, I dont have the $ to spend on my JK which is a bad investment to begin with..
I chose to go another route to economically "repair" the poor geometry of a lifted JK with AEV's solution, which does the job.. just like other manufacturers do (Teraflex, Rock Krawler).
I love the fit and finish of all of AEV's products... to me they look the closest to OEM you can get.
I chose to go another route to economically "repair" the poor geometry of a lifted JK with AEV's solution, which does the job.. just like other manufacturers do (Teraflex, Rock Krawler).
I love the fit and finish of all of AEV's products... to me they look the closest to OEM you can get.