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2.5" VS 3" Teraflex lift

14K views 26 replies 13 participants last post by  kjeeper10 
#1 ·
Was planning on going with the 3 inch kit from Teraflex, but I've noticed most ppl on here have the 2.5 inch kit than the 3 inch kit. Is it just personal preference in a half of a inch difference? Or will that extra half a inch require more items like the flex arms?
 
#3 ·
Hi TeraFlex! Not to thread jack (ok guess I am but it may be helpful to the OP too)-I plan to do a 2.5 inch coil lift on my Sport to run 35s with flat fenders. If you had one post to convince me to go with TeraFlex rather than some of your competitors - what would you say? I live in Phoenix. My goal is rock crawl (which is sort of all we have lol) moderate level trails not the "big boy sideways trails". Go!
 
#7 ·
If its going to be a mall crawler then don't get the 3". No need for everything else that comes with going above 2.5" I have duratrac 315-70r-17's on my Teraflex 2.5 lift and its great. I can mall crawl or rock crawl just fine and I have no issues with driveshaft angles being wacked or vibrations or geo issues. You can flat fender the thing too and make it look plenty big if you want with a 2.5" lift. Save your money and put it toward visual mods other than a 1/2 " of potential problems. Now you can always change it out later when you get it from her.
 
#8 ·
I just went through the 2.5" vs 3" Teraflex lift decision myself. The way I saw it, the 3" lift was for people that already planned on doing more with their Jeep, and the 2.5" lift was for people that wanted the look, and most of the function of a 3" lift, but didn't want to spend the extra money on other parts. In my case I already had a set of high pinion Dana 60s on order from Dynatrac, and planned on using Tom Wood driveshafts, 8 adjustable control arms, 2 adjustable track bars, and 35" IROCs, so the 3" kit had the additional items I wanted, like extended brake lines, etc, that weren't included with the 2 1/2" lift.

I also liked the little bit of extra suspension travel you get with the 3" lift. I had had a 2 1/2" Teraflex lift before, and a 3 1/2" AEV lift before, and the 3 1/2" lift was noticeably better offroad, with more travel before hitting the bump stops.
 
#11 ·
The 1/2" difference can be significant if you have stock weight Unlimited or 2 Door. Lift kits usually provide more lift than advertised to provide enough lift for heavier JKs. The JK suspension design provides a range of suspension heights that can still maintain proper geometry. The 2.5" lift kits provided the maximum of lift in that range.

If you want to maintain the reliability and keep the loads on the suspension and steering joints close to their design spec. then stick with the 2.5" lift. Your JK will be more reliable in the long run. 2.5" is plenty of lift for 35" tires.

There is nothing wrong with 3-4.5" (5-6" requires major mods) lift kits as long as you realize that it will require more modifications, more maintenance and reduce the longevity of the joints in the driveline, suspension and steering.
 
#12 ·
2.5" is the beginner lift and if you are going to stay with 35's with stock bumpers then the 2.5" rocks. If you even think for a little bit that you want more, go for the 3". We have had then both. The 2.5 is a trainer lift.....in a good way. You can always sell it when you are ready to get the 3".
 
#17 ·
What is all included in the 3 inch TF that is not in the 2.5 inch TF kits ?
 
#18 ·
Well, that is a loaded question. You can get the 3" lift with pretty much the coils and things that the 2.5" come with. The real deal though is what you NEED with the 3". I would recommend stepping up to the 3" with the Flex Arms. I would do uppers and lowers if at all possible. This will allow you to fix important issue the None Flex Arm kit does not have. You would be able to correct the front and rear pinion angle along with the castor. This will help save wear on your drive line and the castor will give you a much better handling on road.

If you have any questions, we would be more than happy to help! We enjoy talking lifts. Feel free to PM, email, or call us at anytime!

-Jason
 
#19 ·
I'm dying to put 35's on and to do so i need a minimum of 2.5 inches of lift. It's my daily driver so the wheels are more for cosmetics (and all we have around here is mud anyways) so I'm totally going with the Budget Boost. In addition, the budget boost seems 'doable' with my level of mechanical ability (limited ability that is).
 
#21 ·
My turn..
First off, I'm very new to this forum since I bought my 2014 2dr sport this weekend. Downfall is it has 3.21 rear end. But is a manual. I'm deadset on BDS suspension and think I've decided on a 3" lift with the fox shocks upgrade. $1,110 total. And 35s. Will this setup suck with my crappy gears or will I be ok? Maybe do gears down the road but that'll be a while. It was the last 2dr 2014 they could find that had my opions that's why I got it.. or just 2.5" lift amd 33s more instore for me? :/
 
#22 ·
My turn.. First off, I'm very new to this forum since I bought my 2014 2dr sport this weekend. Downfall is it has 3.21 rear end. But is a manual. I'm deadset on BDS suspension and think I've decided on a 3" lift with the fox shocks upgrade. $1,110 total. And 35s. Will this setup suck with my crappy gears or will I be ok? Maybe do gears down the road but that'll be a while. It was the last 2dr 2014 they could find that had my opions that's why I got it.. or just 2.5" lift amd 33s more instore for me? :/
35's will be a little rough on road, and decrease in crawl ratio off road.
2.5/3.5 or even 4.5. It all depends on components included. Some if the less expensive kits lack key components.
 
#23 ·
Mostly just a mall crawler, and snow runs when we get some. Will I able to go down the highway with 35s without having to be in 5th? Would the 3" be too big for 33s and look funny? I also plan on getting front and back bumpers etc so I'm not sure if that'll weigh too much for a 2.5" lift? Thanks!!
 
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