I'm torn between 2 lifts. I'm swapping out my old 2" AEV spacer lift, which has served me well, for a 2.5" lift. I've narrowed it down to AEV and Quadratec.

My cousin just put the AEV on his 2018 JKU and it performs very well. We took it to Moab last week and I was very impressed. It rides slightly stiff for my liking, but handles really well on and off road. I like the stance, but with my winch, it might have a little rake, whereas I'd like it to stay level. (Anyone with this lift and a winch please share how it looks). I like that AEV appears to have put a great deal of thought into the rear suspension, too, with a new track bar and bracket.

The Quadratec is about $170 less and has Fox shocks. I LOVE the Fox shocks on my Mopar lift, so I'd be a bit partial to these. I'm also told that this lift rides a little softer and that there is no rake with a winch on the front. (Stays level). It uses the stock rear track bar with a realignment bracket, which is where I'm a little unsure. Does this setup work as well as AEV's in terms of handling, articulation, etc?

I'd love to hear some feedback from owners of both lifts. I'm likely to stick with 33's on the JK but could possibly go to a lightweight C load rated 35" tire, eventually.

 

I'd be curious which fox shocks the Mopar lift comes with and which ones come with the Qtec lift. I just bought a set and man are they stiff on the road. It's a double edged sword- firm for corners but all of the bumps on the highway bump you back.

As far as coil quality goes, I'd be concerned on the longevity of the Qtec coils. They've been selling parts a long time, but that doesn't quantify into being able to make parts IMO.

 

Yeah, I've heard some Fox shocks are pretty stiff. The one's on my JL (Mopar) are super soft. It rides like a Tahoe. Love it. I know I won't get any lift that rides like that, but I'd like it to be just a little smoother than the AEV. But it isn't a deal breaker. The other road manners on the AEV are great.

 

I checked with Quadratec and they have a limited lifetime warranty, so that takes care of the worry about the coils.

 

I might be in the minority here, but I really like Quadratec stuff. They make (in my experience) good quality stuff, they'll stand behind it and their customer service has always been pleasant to deal with.
My JKUR has OME HD springs and Falcon shocks and I think my springs are too stiff for the weight that I run daily. My friend has the AEV lift and I thought mine road miles better than his. My brother in law has the Rough Country and it actually rides really really smooth, but I don't know how it is off-road.

 

I actually like their stuff, too, and you are right about how they back their products. The wheels on my JK are Quadratec and they are every bit as good as OEM in terms of fit/finish and quality.

After great thought and deliberation, and reading from Quadratec reviews that thought it was a bit harsh, too, I went with the AEV, but with geometry correction brackets which many say helps tame the ride a bit. I also drove my cousin's Jeep again (no geo correction brackets) and it felt pretty good. I added 1/2" Teraflex spacers for the front to compensate for the winch weight.

I'll report back when I get it all put together. All suggestions were appreciated very much!

 

I have put 80k on my AEV 2.5” lift, and like it well. It handles better on the street than stock and works great off road. It is a little stiffer than stock - which I prefer. I have the drop brackets for the control arms to correct the geometry. This resulted in much less brake drive.

 

We installed the lift today! It went pretty smoothly, thanks to my nephew's company's lift. I feel like it rides better than before and certainly handles better. I couldn't be happier. It is now ready for an off-road test.

Next up are the AEV geometry correction brackets, then an adjustable track bar. After that, the old JK's spruce up will conclude with a Rugged Ridge Arcus front bumper to get the winch down and stop blocking the radiator.



My cousin and friend helped out!

 

She's looking sharp, I like to see folks keeping these early ones on the road.

 

Thanks! She's built like a tank! Still looks good in and out. I've really paid attention to the frame and underbody, washing after every off road trip, washing road salt from under it frequently, hand washes or touchless car washes, and Turtle Wax Ice products over the years, with the latest being Seal N Shine. I also every October hit any sign of surface rust underneath with Rustoleum Rust Reformer and then the inside of the frame rails with Fluid Film. I did replace the rock rails with newer ones off Craigslist. I had the new ones sealed and sprayed with Line-X, since the originals rusted out. But until I bought the JL, this one was off-road frequently and has been all over the place, inclucing Moab and everyplace east of there.

I was very fortunate that my wife loves that old Jeep and let me keep it. Now it gets new life as my kids will get to drive it on our future off-road trips. She runs like new, too, other than using oil as many 3.8's do. Weird thing is that every now and then it stops using oil. The last 1800 miles it hasn't used a drop. But it'll go back to 3/4 quart ever 1k miles. Always does. But still runs like a clock.

It's been fun to see how long we can keep it looking and running well. I'm pretty confident there are many years left in it.