Steelnadz

When I bought my 2012 two door Rubicon I had my mind set on the Rock Krawler 2.5 max flex. I very quickly discovered that here in Northern Indiana my off roading options are limited. Most of my time off road is spent up in Michigan around the National forests or a trip here and there down to the Badlands offroad park. Now I do enjoy what I do but the truth is I have yet to do anything that my stock Rubi cannot do. My friends that I spend my time with have pretty much stock TJs so I don't get to many places that they can't go anyway.
That brings me to my question. I really like the Rock Krawler and what it is capable of doing but it is probably overkill for my jeeping experience so I was looking at the AEV dual sport 3.5. I see a lot of good and bad comments on their lifts but I'm not so sure if it might be just what I need. What do you guys think?
I can get pretty much get the complete kit for about $1700 with shocks and I'm thinking Trail Grapplers for tires. I would like to know if this will help me be a bit more capable off road and still have a nice looking and driving JK. I have not ordered anything yet but it looks like I'm heading down this road.
Also would like to know how much flex if any I will gain with this kit I know what the Rock Krawler will do but can't really find anything on the AEV. I do take a few trips every year down to the cabin in the Smokey Mountain National Park so I get quit a bit of highway driving with this too.


Thanks guys

jacksjk

i know that most people will endorse the lift lift that they have on their jeep, so with that being said .... it sounds like both you and i have the same expectations when it comes to off-roading . after much research i went with the aev 3.5 dualsport , mainly because they boast about keeping the street manners of the factory ride . i found this to be true . i am very pleased with the ride . i installed the kit myself and found the components in the kit to go together with no difficulty . my only complaint was the steering dampener , my kit came with the bilstein ( very high quality ) but it is a pressurized cylinder , and probably would work great with a heavier front bumper and winch ( which i don't have ) so it always wanted to push the wheels to the driver-side ( as the cylinder wants to "extend" outward ) so i always had a "drift" to the center lane . after i replaced the dampener with a non pressurized one ( old man emu ) it performs perfectly on the street . i am not sure , but i think you can get the kit with either one . i guess this would depend on what other things you are going to add to the front end weightwise . i hope this helps with your decision , i will try to post a pic so you can see what 3.5 in of lift looks like with 35 in tires

Steelnadz

Thanks for the fast reply. Yes I am planning on a LoD front bumper and a Warn power plant on that. I was really concerned about that much weight out front as well. That is another reason I was considering this lift because it appears to be built to handle lots of weight.

jacksjk

it would probably work out well for you then ! the bumper i have is heavier than the factory bumper for sure , but still not considered a heavy bumper by no means . good luck !

wayoflife

nothing wrong with the aev kit per se but, just to put things into perspective, that a whopping $1700 for a set of coils and a handfull of relocation brackets. if you're really set in going this route, may i recommend that you give the rancho sport kit a look instead. it is similar in design, built much better/stronger and costs a fraction of the price. just trying to save you some money.

Steelnadz

I looked at the Rancho sport and now that I look at them I think maybe the trail system would be a better bet but really not 100% sure. I would like to know how the Rancho will hold up with the weight of that bumper and winch I'm going to install. Anyone with one of these kits have some feedback on how they handle the weight? I started leaning to AEV more for this reason than anything. I am new to all this so if I'm going the wrong direction in thinking that the progressive springs are more up to the task of holding all that weight please let me know. I know that Rock Krawler does have similar springs but again I think it would be a waste of money for what I do with my JK.


Thanks again

wayoflife

fanboys will disagree with me here and proclaim how awesome their aev coils perform but, a spring that can support a heavy load will also be a spring that will provide a harsher ride unloaded and will also be one that doesn't offer as much flex. unless you're running coil overs, you simply cannot have your cake and eat it too. if it were me, i would recommend you install coils that are comfortable and if needed, add coil spacers to make up any lost height you might see due to the addtion of heavy bumpers, etc. from experience, i can tell you that most coils will only sag about 1/2" to 3/4" at max, even in the heaviest of jeeps. of course, if you're dead set in getting dual rate coils, with the amount of money you save getting something like a rancho kit, you could still afford to get a pair made by RK or currie and still be ahead. but hey, that's just me.

river2c

What size tires are you planning on running? I think you can get the RK or OME lifts for less money and be happier in the long run. Stay with the smallest lift that will fit your tires.

Steelnadz

I would like to run 35s. the only problem I have now is that I put the AEV Savegre rims. I'm worried about the back spacing on these which I believe is 4.7 so I thought the Trail Grapplers would work good. The Nitto web site states that the 285/75/R17 are 34.09 inches tall and 11.57 inches wide which sounds about perfect for my needs.

Willis19

IMO I would stick with the Rock Krawler kit it has a life time warranty and is bullet proof ! An by the looks of it 2.5 " is just fine for what your doing