nthinuf

If you do decide on a full lift, MetalCloak is not a bad choice. Just note that their coils are some of the ones referred to earlier, taller than you might expect. (with a steel bumper and 9500lb winch with steel cable, I got over 4.5" from their 3.5" coils. Plenty of room for my 37's, even with stock fenders.)

And if you decide to get shocks also, I'll throw in another opinion that 5100's are stiff. Liked the look, didn't care for the harsh ride. I swapped to the OME Long Travel shocks that metalcloak was suggesting for their 2.5/3.5" lifts at that time, and am much happier. (ome 60066L and 60067L). MC now has their own lower priced shocks that I would guess are valved similar to the OME's and would be another option. And, a lot of people are giving favorable reviews for the Rancho XL 9000 adjustable shocks. But, you might want to wait on shocks until you get a better handle on what lift height you want to end up at.

jimonfly

I was going to call them tomorrow to ask some questions. I really don't want more than 2.5", definitely not 4.5". I have a steel bumper and 9500 pound winch, so I'll have to see what they have to offer. I may also just do brackets for now. Too many decisions at the end of the day!

jimonfly

I spoke with MetalCloak today and they expect that I'll get 3-3.25" from their 2.5" springs with my setup. Isn't that on the border of needing to address steering issues? What else would I expect at this height?

TheDirtman

Yes you should be concerned with steering and driveline angles.

Jahamm88

I ran the Metalcloak brackets for about a year. Install was easy(one piece vs 2) and they are fully welded(can't comment on other brands) and did the job just fine and didn't reduce clearance too bad. The tricky part on reinstalling arms is getting the holes to line up. A jack under the pinion to roll the axle makes a big difference, total install time on these is about 2 hrs with a beer

they currently are taking up space in my garage if your seriously considering ordering a set shoot me a pm!

Also , their 2 door 2.5" springs will net you about 2" on a light 4 door. Those are also coming out for a taller spring. I have been EXTREMELY happy with full setup but I've got a bad habit of tinkering and love spinning wrenches so it's on to new stuff
Photo for reference

jimonfly

Kinda pisses me off that when I spoke to their tech staff, he said that I won't have any problems. He did suggest replacing the driveshafts, but only because they are crap to begin with.

jimonfly

Thanks, the brackets are still in the running, but I'm leaning on a full kit at this point. I'll keep that in mind.

resharp001

Every single Jeep is different. There is no hard and fast rule really. It's all based off the actual lift netted. In some sense, they're not totally wrong in that you might not have problems, and in some sense it's a bit murky. The factory DS's are crap. The boot on the front DS will fail at the TC side due to the angles Dirtman alluded to. That's not to say you can't drive with it just fine till it fails, just that it will indeed give up at some point, and that point varies greatly based on wheelin, style, and dumb luck. Also, right there at 3" is where you start getting in to high steer kits and such. Get up around 3.5" and you will probably benefit from a high steer kit, but it's not absolutely required or what not. Just saying.....Metalcloak is reputable. You have to realize none of this is an exact science. I don't think it's something I'd be pissed about......but these are things that you should realize when preparing to lift.....which you are, learning about that is.

nthinuf

Yep, nothing to really be pissed about. That's why you're here doing the research, after all. So you know what problems 'might' come up, and what options you have 'if' you decide to correct them.

On a 4door, the rear driveshaft should be perfectly fine. (still running the stock rear on my 08 that has had 4+ inches of lift since mid 08). It's just the joint at the tcase end of the front shaft that you'll want to watch. When that boot wears through, it will sling a very noticeable ring of grease on the undercarriage above it. From that point, you will still have plenty of time to decide if you want to repair or replace.

And for the draglink flip, there is some personal preference involved on whether you or not you will want to invest. Like caster, it is one of the things that you need to decide for yourself based on lift height and ride characteristics.

BlueBaby

The Rancho brackets at $150(ish) are hard to beat, and should get you by until to figure out your long term plans. I ran them on our '16 for two years and they were great!