photos at the bottom


my previous set-up. OME 618 front coils, Teraflex shock extenders all around, rear 2.5" Teraflex spacers, Teraflex S/T front swaybar. stock trackbars, no brackets

Liked the height gained from this setup. also I liked the way it drove for a while... then I hated the way it drove, bump steer all over the place, flighty, and I had terrible axle steer (when I hit bumps the rear of the jeep tossed itself around).

I did a bunch of research on lifts and how they performed on the street. I do wheel my Jeep. maybe 10x per year, so off road performance mattered, but it was not my top priority.

I decided on the AEV Premium 3.5" lift (includes a high steer kit), I did not want to use the included cam bolts and decided on upgrading the lift with Currie Lower control arms.

The control arms arrived 3 days earlier than the lift and I was itching so I installed them, I adjust them 3/8" longer than the stock lowers (23") I didnt use an angle finder or any of that jazz and I took the Jeep for a 2 day test drive.. made a good difference and it definetly corrected the flightiness of the steering, BUT I also noticed the Johnny Joints in the arms transferred more of the bumps into the cabin of the Jeep, it wasnt a lot, but it was noticable.


FedEx shows up at my door with 6 boxes.. the Lift has arrived. at first glance, the parts look awesome, they package everything real well. nothing was damaged (which I pretty much expect some damage to be the norm with heavy Jeep parts)

The install begins, first problem, you need 3 drill bits.. the first page of the directions only talks about one. I didnt have the other 2 and had to take one of our big box trucks to the store to buy the other as my Jeep was torn apart.

OK after that, the install did go smoothly.. took me 14 hours start to finish over the course of 2 days (did rear wednesday, nothing thursday, then finished it friday)
SIDE NOTE: I have a Tom Woods 1310 front shaft, and I was not able to reinstall the transmission skid with this lift. I had the frame on jack stand and front end at full droop, and the driveshaft wouldnt allow the skid to come within 1.5" of touching the frame to bolt it up. I cut it a bit, but it still isnt usable (going to end up using a combination of washers and the cut to make it work) AEV says not to reinstall it, but I want it on there.. It has made some serious contact with rocks in the past.



after having the rear done, I took the Jeep for a drive, I already noticed an improvement over what I had, the rear of the Jeep felt planted. Loved it.


Then after having the entire lift done, took it for a 40 mile trip... WOW is all I can say. Bump steer gone, all wandering gone (prob due to control arms), axle steer gone.. It doesnt feel firmer than the setup I had but I believe it is because when im going real slow, I can feel the lugs on my tires more than I used to be able to. At high speeds on the highway its a pleasure to drive. I set my cruise control at 75 and felt really safe and in control.

I am continuing to run the Teraflex S/T sawybar with this setup and it seems to work really well with this lift.

the Jeep sits a lot higher than it did.. I will take measurements and pictures later today. I will also poser flex it on my forklift and make sure there are no clearance issues. Ill post pictures of that also.

Anyone thinking of installing this lift, I say go for it.

sorry about the photo quality, quick cell phone shots.
passenger rear tire is parked on top of a sewer cover, making it appear the Jeep's front end sits higher than the back end.. I think its exactly level on level ground..






EDIT: 11/9/09 flexed the JK on my forklift, the rear coils become unseated at full droop. I ordered 1/2" Teraflex spacers for the ear to take up the slack and offer a "guide" to keep the coil where it needs to be.

EDIT: 12/5/09 I wheeled the Jeep on black Friday, It ran very well, no issues, and it flexes well..
Some notes compared to stock/last setup. the rear is definitely stiffer than before, when the front of the JK tracks over an obstacle the axles flexes as intended and you barely feel the obstacle, however, when the rear clears the same obstacle, the JK's body follows the obstacle a lot more than the front. The rear bump stop as far as I can tell did not make contact once the entire trip or even since then, there is still mud on it from a few water crossings (the front has hit, mud cleaned off).
I dont know if this is good or bad it may be a bit stiff for some, but I can easily tell it is designed to carry a heavy load over uneven terrain or at high speeds. (the trip I was on was a day trip, not the typical overnighter so I was only running with tools and fluids, not the usual gear/cooler/extra people.)

forklift flex shots.. (it could have went higher, the rear tire never left the ground)

 

How does it look with the 35s and stock flares? I do want a little more clearance, but with chopped flares, it might look like I'm running on donuts with so much lift.

 

Thanks for the review! This is one of the setups I am considering.

 

not really sure if its the new or old version. its 2 months old, and its the s/t not dual rate. Its pretty solid on the road and I like it like that. the jeep stays completely flat on the street... turn that knob, and it flexes like whoaaa

 

looks good!!!!

 

just do the AEV lift first.. and the gussets should go on no problem. I did the gussets first.. had to cut and weld the brackets. first time I welded in my life, they didnt come out looking too pretty but some grinding to smooth out the welds and some black spray paint and it looks fine...

Also, I was flexing the lift on my forklift (will post pics tomorrow) and the rear coils become un-seated at full droop. I ordered some 1/2" Teraflex spacers for the rear to take up the slack.. And I figure if the coil still becomes unseated the "guide" on the spacer should keep the coil where it needs to be... not sure if its even a concern that I need to address, but I dont want to find out the hard way out on the trail

 

nice write up and review.

 

oh sweet man.

thank you for the thorough review. extremely informative & more helpful then just writing it rides better then stock.

it looks good and glad to hear that the ride improved.

 

When you first install it it does sit high like many others. However, after about 1000 miles road/offroad (longer than other kits I have owned) mine settled down almost an inch.

Remember this kit was specifically designed for a JK with HD front and rear bumpers, winches, large spare, etc. (150-200 extra front and rear).
Without this extra weight it will sit a bit higher than expected (like racer831s) and the ride will be slightly oversprung.

One thing I just noticed on mine while driving it at a "homemade" skidpad, was that my JK has less understeer than stock due to the changes the ratio of front to back spring/roll rates.
The front end does not wash out as readily as it did stock.
I am not sure if this the result of the lack of extra weight or by design, but I love the more neutral handling.

 

I hope mine settles slightly up front... Im happy where the rear sits. (I have a LoD sig shorty rear)