Jeep Wrangler Forum banner

RK 3.5 X Factor vs AEV Dual Sport RS 3.5

4K views 23 replies 10 participants last post by  kjeeper10 
#1 ·
So I am looking at these two lifts. Taking price and shocks out of the equation....are there any pros and cons of one verses the other. I wheel in Michigan and the surrounding states. Mostly woods....mountains (east coast PA, NY, VT, ME)...rocks....not much mud. I push my Jeep (Blue and Black trails) even though it is currently a daily driver. I have a 2" Mopar kit on there now and drag my belly way to often. I have 315's also and looking to go to 37's down the road. I have the drivetrain taken care of...just want to discuss these suspension systems. I am also running flat fenders.

So the table is open for comments and suggestions please. I am also planning on doing a front drive shaft. This should eliminate the need for an exhaust spacer one either system...correct?
 
#4 ·
I would go that direction. Good aftermarket control arms are an upgrade over stock and get your geometry in line. If you haven't checked out Metal Cloak you may want to look there also. I have no experience with RK or AEV, both are high quality lifts, but I do have a MC on mine and I will say it is a very good lift also. Either way, I would go with a complete suspension at that height.
 
#5 ·
AEV put in a lot of effort to create a lift with emphasis on daily driver performance. So it is a very nice drive, but maybe not at the level off road of an RK or MC lift. That's not saying it's bad, because it's not...

I would cross shop the RK to the MetalCloak Game Changer lift, that is a better comparison if you like to wheel your rig. Both have top of the line springs, arm and brackets...
 
#6 ·
I have owned the RK 2.5 (more like 4" on my 2012 JKR) and the AEV setup as a hybrid (AEV brackets and Synergy springs). The hybrid setup (with stock control arms) drove a lot better that the RK setup (with RK shocks) with far less brake dive and does not give up anything off road. In fact, it rides better off road too- with less jarring and jostling on washboard and dirt roads.

So when it was time to outfit my 2014 JKUR, I went the same way since I find AEV springs a bit too stiff for a lighter JK. That is my experience. I did also use Johnny Joint CAs after my RK (original) CAs but the AEV brackets made the biggest difference in ride quality. Since I don't consider myself a hard-core offroader, my setup works. I try to max out at 7-rated trails but have done almost everything in the Ouray area and some in Moab and Colorado. I avoid trails where there is a likelihood of body damage and flipping (8+ generally). For my type of trails and driving, my setup works extremely well.

If you want to be a real rock crawler, I'd go with the aftermarket CAs and skip the AEV drop brackets since you will be scraping a lot.

For the front DS- it depends on the shock. If you choose a taller shock like I did, you will hit the exhaust anyway. I did so also used a spacer. If you choose a shorter shock, you will be fine. Not sure if using limiting straps will add some security or not but I just added the spacer. At max, I have under an inch space now so I'm safe.
 
#7 ·
RK's made changes, all recently.

Triple rate coils
Pro Krawler joints
Brand new pro Flex joints (which are awesome)

I did not look, but if you have a 2 door I would lean with RK. AEV does not address rear pinion angle/wheel base.

Ready to mount :thumb:
 

Attachments

#10 ·
I ran into trouble with my AEV bumper when the wheelbase was extended. I had other contact issues too. I ended up paying to have the arms cut down to bring back (or try) to stock length and it was better but not stock length. The pinion angle at the back- is it such a problem? My JKR drove fine both ways. I just don't know about the negative effects on 2 doors and 4 doors. Personally, I am neutral on RK stuff but definitely find out about over arms vs. stock length arms. I went into it without knowing as much as I do now. That bit me hard. I also selected the highest end 2.5 setup (X-Facttor?) which apparently is designed around 37s, from what I was told at the time. I like my current setup to where I would not make any changes unless I moved to 37s. Then it is open range again. :)
 
#11 ·
My new rear RK arms are custom cut to stock + 1" :)

Pinion angle is a factor on 2 doors. The prob with the off the Shelf X-factor, the axle is moved back 1". Then the uppers are extended longer for pinion angle. I knew about and wanted to avoid those headaches.
RK Is now offering shorter lowers to work along with the max travel lowers.
I like that RK now gives you options.
 
#12 ·
That would have been incredibly useful back then. I almost gave up Jeeping because of all these issues. I do things really carefully now.
 
#14 ·
Both lift kits are excellent but the design point is different for each. If you like to crawl and over rocks and other obstacles and poke over very technical terrain the RK is one of the best lifts around with great articulation.

However, if you spend most of your time on the road and drive off road at speeds above 10-15 MPH the AEV has better dynamic suspension tuning so ride quality and handling better.
 
#15 ·
I researched this to an extreme,, almost to a ridiculous point..
just as most of us do.. lol

anyway I went with the AEV because I read that it does have the better more stable ride.
I am one that really likes adjustability but if the ride is this good I will take a touch less off road agility (this I do not know about since I have yet installed the AEV much less taken it off road yet) as a trade off.

I will just have to wait and see and run the crap out of my Jeep this summer to make sure
 
#16 ·
Just for clarification purposes. IMO, the AEV does have better road manners and handling but the margin of difference is noticeable but not huge. The RK lift is still one of the best off road and very good on the road just not quite as refined as the AEV at higher speeds. This does not mean the RK kit makes the JK "unstable" by any means.

Enjoy your new lift kit! :thumb:
 
#20 ·
I have been reviewing lift kits and it sounds like AEV is my best option considering by DD requirements. In my research I noticed that this AEV lift is what the Jeep rental company's use on the Rubicon trail, so all their jeeps have this type of lift so I assume that is good enough for me. I will without a doubt take better care of my jeep than someone renting and these folks are doing the Rubicon with it.
 
#22 ·
My neighbor bought the RK 3.5 X-factor for his JKU a few months ago. I was still in the shopping around phase, looking mostly at currie and mc. When his lift came in I was incredibly impressed with the quality and stoutness of the lift. The flex joints and rock joints were very impressive on the CA's. So I ordered the same kit (but for a TJ). We
Got his kit installed and ... Wow. What a difference. The on road manners were tight and deliberate and off road the jeep moved with much more fluidity over obstacles. I drove it before and after the lift so that was my impression. His was much more enthusiastic.
As this is a JK thread I don't need to speak of my RK lift on the TJ other than saying their customer support and quality are top notch
 
#24 ·
My neighbor bought the RK 3.5 X-factor for his JKU a few months ago. I was still in the shopping around phase, looking mostly at currie and mc. When his lift came in I was incredibly impressed with the quality and stoutness of the lift. The flex joints and rock joints were very impressive on the CA's. So I ordered the same kit (but for a TJ). We Got his kit installed and ... Wow. What a difference. The on road manners were tight and deliberate and off road the jeep moved with much more fluidity over obstacles. I drove it before and after the lift so that was my impression. His was much more enthusiastic. As this is a JK thread I don't need to speak of my RK lift on the TJ other than saying their customer support and quality are top notch
:thumb:
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top