So come spring im lifting my 2017 JKU OM. Regarding kit companies, I know there are tons and I know everyone kinda has an opinion on what they like, what's good and what's bad. I ended up going with a BDS 3" kit. I upgraded to the Fox 2.0 performance Shocks, BDS NX2 dual steering stabilizer, JKS adjustable track bar, JKS drag link flip kit (w/o the bumps stops) and got the 3" Zone Offroad bump stops just because they were a lot cheaper than the JKS version. My friend gave me used, but in very good condition Rancho geometry correction brackets which i'm gonna install as well. I haven't installed the lift yet, prolly will in the next month or so.

I like the look of my 18" rims so I got some spidertrax 1.5" wheel spacers and am going to keep the rims. From everything I read, the 44.45mm offset on the rims will get me the 4.5" backspacing I need when I add the 1.5" spacers.

Basically this Jeep is gonna be a 90/10 on to off road, and when its off road, no real crazy trails. My wife will drive it alot in the summer with the kids in it so Im looking for the best on road performance while still being relatively capable off road. WIth that said I wanted to put the Nitto Terra Grappler G2 295/70R18 on it but get the SL version of them to keep the tire weight down. The Nitto's are the only tire I can find in that size that comes in any other load range besides "E". Like I said, gonna be on the road most of the time.

With all that said, my actual question here is, am I missing anything? Does this sound like a decent setup?

Bear this in mind, literally have had a Jeep for 8 months so everything I know is everything I've painstaking researched myself. I'm not a guru or a expert, and am definitely not claiming to be. Lust looking for some advice and opinions from the experience of others.

Thanks


Current status

 

I wouldn’t bother with the dual steering stabilizer setup. It’s over the top and not necessary, not to mention it’s just going to cover up any gremlin in the steering system when one arises (you don’t want to cover that stuff up, you want to identify it and fix the issue asap). The cheapest thing for that application is fine (factory SS is fine).

If you don’t have an aftermarket front driveshaft keep an eye out for CV joint failure at the TC side (look for grease slung up under the tub directly above that joint).

You might budget for a tie rod and decent ball joints down the line. Ball joints are a common headache on that axle with larger tires.

The control arm brackets should help you get caster back to an acceptable level after the lift. You might consider is new brake lines, but if you’re not offroading anything more than light trails you’re fine.

 

Thanks for the advice. I will keep a lookout for those issues down the road and definitely look into a tie rod and ball joints. Any recommended brands on those? Aside from the dual stabilizer being overkill, you think the setup is decent overall for what I'm looking for? I really want it to drive well for the wife and kids.

 

Tried to not get into preference on brand necessarily. Springs/shocks all going to be subjective as far as ride. Caster is the big thing to make sure gets back in spec, and hopefully the brackets will be enough to do that. You're on the cusp of a high steer kit, but I suspect you're going to get more than 3" actual lift out of the kit so you should be in the clear to do that high steer, and that will help as well. I did notice that BDS uses a relocation drop bracket for the rear TB. We'll all tell you it's better to raise the axle side bracket than it is to lower the frame side bracket. Doing so will help with roll center/handling.

 

Would an adjustable rear TB be a good investment?

 

OscarMike,
Thanks for the input. I will def look into Adj CA down the road.

 

An axle side raised bracket is going to help account for some of the axle shift during a lift. If you wanted the axle dead nuts center under the jeep, yes you'd need an adjustable rear TB; however, it's not going to be off by much, and not noticeable to the naked eye really. I'd tell you that even with an adjustable rear TB, I have to intentionally cheat my rear axle about 1/2" to the driver's side just so I have clearance between my DS and gas skid under full flex. It's not a big deal.

The frame side drop bracket in the kit is trying to do the same thing as a raised axle side bracket by keeping the TB at a flatter angle, but again, not as good of a "fix" if you will.

 

resharp001,

Thanks, I think JKS makes an axle side raised bracket. I might look into picking that up instead of using the BDS one.

 

I've been running stock control arms, OME HD coils and shocks, Synergy Tie Rod, Ball Joints and Drag Link, and JKS disconnects. Very happy with on road and off road performance. That setup has now been tested for about 185k personally by me. Never switched companies or anything like that. I do feel however this is the bare minimum for making an 2008 tolerable to drive so much

 

I think I might have to upgrade the tie rod as well