Hi guys,

I have 2011 JK-Sahara 2-doors with automatic transmission and I'm looking for a suspention system that rides very good specially for daily driving on roads (10% off-road on sand dunes and rocks) and can fit 35 tires, i have read about AEV, Teraflex, RK but i am confused; this is my first Jeep and all i want is to make it looks nice and handles very well on road and offroad but the problem is i don't understand anything about modifications or requirements putting in the consideration that money isn't an issue.

The confusion i have is in what i need to make the suspension system perfect; lift kits vary and not complete 100% and cases you may face problems and fixing them require additional parts and modifcations. The system i want should be durable and doesn't require lot of attension (less headache).

Now to make it easy let's say i chose for an example AEV 2.5 DualSport XT Suspension System with Bilstein Shocks and AEV ProCal Module (i don't want more than 2.5 lift for sand dunes) will i need the following parts:

1. AEV Geometry Correction Front Control Arm Brackets
2. AEV Front Steer Kit
3. Suspension Ball Joint Set
4. Exhaust Spacer Kit
5. Front & Rear 1310 Drive Shaft
6. I read that that with 35 tires i need to regear to 5.13 (what is recommended with automatic gear)
7. Should i consider 3.5 lift if im palnning to add front & rear Bumpers and winch..etc
8. What additional modifications i should consider other than the above ????

Looking for your advice and sorry for my english (middle east jeep fans)

Thank you

 

I asked people here what suspension system they would run other than the one the are currently. Old Man Emu is what I would do for your/my application.

 

I'm in the same boat. I want a lift for looks and comfort mainly because my travel is 98% highway. I'm looking to add 35s at some point because I know If I go 33s ill regret it later. Any further advise would be highly appreciated. Old man Emu I had on my 2001 Cherokee sport and loved the ride. I don't wanna be misled by the guys at some of the 4x4 shops where I live because sometimes I feel they just want your money and will try to sell me a long arm kit for the highways.

 

I went with the AEV 2.5" Dualsport XT and I couldn't be happier. The on-road ride is fantastic and offroad is looking to be good as well. I haven't been out a whole lot yet since I had it installed just last month.

The kit includes everything you need EXCEPT for the front control arm geometry brackets. IMO those are a requirement as they return the castor angle back to its optimal value and also makes it ride better because the control arms will be parallel with the ground again.

So...get the Dualsport kit, the geometry brackets, and you're good to go. No exhaust spacers, no pitman arms, no driveshaft replacements, nothing. 2.5" on a suspension lift is a magical number for a JK. After that, you start reaching the limitations of the stock suspension and have to replace a lot of other parts and adding spacers here and there.

Then, pick out tires/wheels. The Dualsport lift is good for 35" tires (35x12.5 or 315/70/17 metric). If you want to re-use your factory wheels with your new tires you'll need a set of spacers, like Spidertrax has available. They bolt right on.

Overall with a 33" tire and the Dualsport 2.5" kit I gained about 4.25" of total lift over the stock 2-door Sport ride-height. I'm 6'4" and I have to hop just a tiny bit to get in now.

 

Thanks for your explanation, at least I have an idea now and this is what I'm looking for; something that will not make me replace many things.
What about to re gear is it required with 35" tires ?

 

I heard about OME but the only thing I hate is their yellow color shocks but at the end I will consider them if I get a good deal

 

Well, it depends on what your goals are and what your current gear ratio is. Point is, you don't HAVE to re-gear. You've probably got a 3.73 or a 3.23 if your Jeep isn't a Rubicon (those are available with a 4.10).

If you've got 3.23 gears, you'll probably want to re-gear to something like 4.88 with an aftermarket setup if you plan to do much offroading. If this is a trail-only Jeep, then maybe 5.88 or something would be better for you. You can get away with stock gears if you've got the 3.6L engine, but if you've got the 3.8L engine, you'll probably want to regear if you have the 3.23 ratio just for the sake of having enough power on-road.

If you've got 3.73 gears, you may or may not want to regear depending on your offroad needs and which engine you have.


I don't remember if you said you had a manual or automatic transmission. Either way, with 35" tires you'll definitely want to use something like an AEV Procal unit to calibrate your speedometer and ESP module. If you've got an automatic transmission, an AEV Procal will adjust the shift points to compensate for larger tires with stock gearing, or whichever gears you decide to go with.

 

I have the 3.8L automatic transmission but I have no idea if the gear 2.23 or 3.73? Will i be able to find it in the car manual?
I have considered the AEV Procal but should i consider getting the steering stabilizer kit too ?
Sorry for asking a lot of questions, this is my first time doing this and I'm trying to learn about it so i can do it correctly from the beginning.
The problem that I have to order the parts from out the country and I want to make sure I don't miss any part or get the wrong one.

 

Good thing about shocks, they are unseen when driving.

 

Guys

In the upcoming months we will be releasing our Dual Sport Systems with tuned Remote Ressy RRD Racing Shocks for the following applications;

2.5" Mid Arm System
3.5" Mid Arm System
3.5" Long Arm System (includes 2 5/8 RR Shocks)

They will sting a bit on price, but they will be built to perform! We will be doing our last tuning sessions in Moab and shortly after we will be releasing them!

RK