Asinine

Hi All. New JKUR 10AE owner. Looking for advice on how to select a lift that's right for my plan. Spent countless hours researching lifts; if there's guide, please let me know, because I couldn't find it....

Number one priority is reliability and safety, I've got a family. Number two priority is highway driving as the nearest trails are 50+ miles away and I drive 200 miles to Tahoe regularly. Number three priority is off-road capability, being able to run trails at a reasonable speed and run my JK through the Rubicon without destroying it and get home.

The long-term goal is to end up with a 3.5" long-arm lift, flat fenders, and 37" tires -- love the look, LCG, and functionality on and off road. The cost to do it right is well over $12K, which is out of my budget right now. How did I get there? Long-arm lift, shocks, tires, wheels, fenders, gears, driveshaft, exhaust mod, flipped steering, and spare-tire carrier, plus installation.

That said, my short-term plan is to install a 3.5" mid-arm kit and 35" tires on stock rims with spacers. I figure it can be done for ~$5K including installation and good tires. I have the optional 4.10 gears, so I'm good there. I can add the fenders, carrier, and long-arms as money permits, then install 4.88s and 37s when the 35s are done.

There are a ton of vendors that offer kits in the 3.5" range and I've read most, if not all, of the literature. The common theme is that they all have their own approach to lifting -- geometry brackets with OEM control arms; new control arms; relocate the rear axle back 1"; high clearance control arms; new trackbars; new trackbar brackets, bolt-on, weld-on, etc. How do I decipher all this to find what's right for me?

I'll kick it off by saying I like the engineering behind the AEV kit and people love the highway ride, but there's no long-arm upgrade path. Rock Krawler replaces all the control arms, relocates the rear axle for clearing 37s, and has a long-arm upgrade, so it seems like a logical choice. Teraflex is similar to RK, but in a 4" version. Then there's Rusty's, Rancho, Metal Cloak, Superlift, Rough Country, Rubicon Express, et al each with variations on the theme.

Too many choices! What's the best way to select the right one for me?

hooper

I would go with RK or the RE unless you go with the 4" TF lift. Mainly cause I know poeple with those brands that have good comments about them. I actually have a 2.5" TF and the stuff is holding up good.

mpkelley20

You kind of answered your own question. RK seems to fit your needs perfectly. When properly installed and aligned, it rides great and is easily upgradeable. Like you, all my trips for off roading are 100+ miles each way. And I have two kids in car seats so safety is a big concern. I've been running the 3.5" for over a year with zero issues. Does great on and off road.


As for other brands, the only ones I'd consider for full lifts would be TF (you can run 37's on 3" lift and just add control arms and flat flares), Clayton (awesome stuff) and maybe metalcloak (super expensive I think). EVO makes solid lifts from what I read but I don't know anyone using one around my area.

v8zracer260z

I have a buddy running the Rock Krawler 3.5 on his 10a and he loves it. I have a Rusty's 3.25" long arm on mine and it's great. More labor involved on a long arm lift as you have to remove the factory brackets so keep that in mind. You'll hear all different opinion on lifts so it will come down to you of course. Just pick a good quality kit that stands behind their product. Also if you have some friends to help a short or mid arm kit is not hard to install typically 4-5 hours with basic tools and you can save a few hundred bucks and get a better kit. The only thing to have done would be brake lines if you have never done them before typically a couple hundred to have them installed and bled. Not to mention installing yourself will help you understand your Jeep better so when or if something fails you can fix it too.

TheDirtman

Not sure why you would spend the money on a short arm kit if you want a long arm? The RK kit is no more upgradeable then any other kit out there, you just end up spending more to get to the long arm then you would in the beginning. If you want to run 35's right now just trim your fenders and throw some 3/4" pucks up front from synergy. That will cost you a whole $20

If your goal is to run the rubicon, a stock rubicon will do it. It was designed and tested to run the rubicon trail right from the factory. Bigger tires will only make it easier to run, a lift is going to offer you almost no extra performance when off road. The purpose of a lift is to allow you the clearance to run bigger tires. Tires, proper gearing, and lockers will give your rig the capability to run the tough trails, those things and driver experience. You might want to read this thread as well. My thoughts on lifts -A Must Read if your getting one


Good luck with the build, mb I will see you on the trail, I am just 20 miles from Tahoe.

Asinine

Thanks for the link Dirtman -- great write-up. Would love to go run some trails with ya!

I want to run 35s to improve breakover angle and gain clearance for snow. The 3 times I've wheeled already have resulted in one high-center and a lot of scrapes and thumps underneath. And in a normal snow year, getting up the road to my dad's cabin can be a challenge, I've gotten stuck in my lifted 2500 RAM on 35's more than a few times. I've considered 34s on no lift and 35s on 3/4" pucks, however the net gain of 1-2" doesn't seem like enough. Also considered a 2.5" kit, but it doesn't have enough clearance for the various tire/fender combos I want.

I realize I can run the Rubicon in a stock JKUR, but I hear I'll tear my rig up. Tranny is Auto. 35s on 4.10s should be OK. Not going with the long-arm now because of cost, though I will compare short v. long cost before buying. Any leftover cash is going into a winch.

mpkelley, you're correct, the RK kit appears to be the best option based on my criteria and I keep coming back to it. Quality and support appears to be good, and RK is popular enough I can get parts. Yeah, I should install it myself, but that's not going to happen ;-) Especially with the long-arm kit since I don't have cutting tools and welders.

Any other systems or types of systems I should consider? All suggestions and recommendations are great so far!

v8zracer260z

Great info on the link! I must say you did a great job on your set up too that's a nice rig!

BigSteve

I'm not going to tell you what you should or shouldn't do because I don't know all your exact needs. What I can tell you is that I run Rock Krawlers 3.5 Max Travel kit with 37 inch Toyos on my 2013 JKUR with 4.10s and auto and it works just fine. I have driven it from southern CA to Moab once this year and southern CA to the Rubicon once this year with no issues at all. Could it use a regear...sure. But I would hardly say that it is unbearable do drive. It has driven through all trails that I have gone on so far with no issue at all and honestly I can't see myself upgrading to a long arm system unless I get bored or something. I mean as it sits now it goes down the freeway at 75 mph all day long with no issue, drives over every piece of terrain that I've been on without breaking and then drives me home! Safety, reliability, and capability.....what more do I need? Good luck with yours

Don-T

I have a 2012 Rubicon with an automatic transmission. I put flat fenders, 1"spacers on the front and the heaviest factory springs I could get. I also put a full set of skid plates on as well as decent steel bumpers sliders and a winch. I also 35" tires with AEV beadlocks. I have been all over Moab with it and recently did the Rubicon Trail. My damages so far have been limited to knocking the license plate off once and smashing the tail pipe flat twice where it comes out below the rear bumper. I do have a lot of scrapes on skids and plates but that is what they are for. As to the 4.10 gears with the automatic and 35" tires, they are fine at low altitude flat roads, but when I hit the mountains, not so much. I think 4.88 gears would help for on road driving.

If you are new to off road driving, get some experience to figure out what you really need - before you start wasting your hard earned money.

Asinine

BigSteve -- thanks for the feedback on the RK Max Travel kit, that's the one I've been eyeing. I can't see myself "needing" a long-arm kit either, but I'd like the option.

Don-T -- what's the total amount of lift gained with that combo? 2 door or 4 door? The 10AE is already .75" higher than stock, so 1" pucks and flat fenders will make room for 35s, but I'm concerned about retaining proper geometry with that setup. As for off-roading, I'm not new, but not very experienced, either, and I've already learned that the JKUR scrapes more than I think I should on stuff that I think it shouldn't. 3 or 4 additional inches would make a noticeable difference.

If I understand Dirtman's writeup, the geometry brackets don't have as much clearance as replacement control arms, correct? Also, wouldn't longer control arms inherently have more travel capability because they travel over a larger arc?