I have a 2013 JKU Rubicon with 125K miles and one of my shocks is leaking so I am thinking of getting a full lift kit with all new hard parts. My biggest concern is on road feel with off road capability 2nd since it is a DD. At this point in time, I am only looking to run 35's maybe 37's sometime down the road. I have been looking at BDS, Clayton Offroad, Metalcloak, and Rock Krawler. I know Clayton Offroad, Metalcloak, and Rock Krawler have a 2.5"/3.5" lift kit and are great for off roading, but I don't know how they are on the road. I haven't heard a lot about BDS, but everything I have heard has all been good and they have a 3" lift kit. When it comes to a warranty BDS has the best with a no questions asked lifetime warranty on all of the non-wearable hard parts. Rock Krawler has the 2nd best warranty with Clayton Offroad coming in third and Metalcloak with virtually no warranty. Should I take the warranty into consideration? What experience does anyone have with any of these lifts and which one would be best for a DD?

 

When I read something like this, various thoughts come to mind. First one is in relation to warranties.....and I think of them as a sales tactic in the sense that if someone has throw a free part at you that failed later down the road, they'd gladly do that to make the sale now. What does that say about their parts? I just don't put any stock in the warranty game. I am almost positive that if you had some odd failure in something that was of no fault of your own, Matson at MC would stand behind his products. I would not be scared one bit to buy any MC product even if there is no stated warranty, cuz that is the best brand going for our rigs these days. Their quality and design are top notch. The one drawback to MC for you might be that their lifts are made for fully armored rigs and will often net more height than the stated value. A 2.5" lift for a JKU likely gets over 3".

What you should really scrutinize is what these various manufacturers are using for joints, and how they are going to relate to road comfort. Metal joints are going to be more of a rough ride than something like a bushing. Living in MD, you need to consider the winter weather and rust issues. RK is notorious for crap powdercoating on their products....but also think what that is going to be like for various kinds of joints.

In regard to the "good for offroading" aspect, keep in mind that you can make an offroad rig with little concerns about comfort or steering cuz you're not zooming 80mph along your way. All of the effort when lifting is keeping decent road manners. My opinion would be to get a 2.5" MC lift with their rocksport shocks, pair with 35s and it's going to take you most everywhere you want to go.

 

AEV has one of the best DD riding lift kits out there. Dual rate springs and Custom tuned Bilstein gas shocks. It still works well off road. Rock Krawler warranty is pathetic at best. I have 4 of their shocks that lost the charge after 1 year and was told they are designed to be rebuilt yearly and they would not warranty them. If warranty is a real concern for your purchase, then BDS is the only choice. Unfortunately, there are very few people in the Jeep world who run their kits. They also own JKS and it seem even less people use that brand.