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looking for 2.5lift for 4door options or opinions

4K views 51 replies 25 participants last post by  Greg__Berger 
#1 ·
I am trying to find best bang for my bucks and not a lot of post install issues. AEV and teraflex keep popping up as the best but are they really? Can I depend on one of these lifts to not give any problems after install or do I need to buy drop brackets, extended brakelines, bumpstops, steering stabilizers, sway bars, track bar before I even start the lift? I want to make sure I have everything at the start of my lift project, though it is a small lift it is pretty big investment for me. I am hoping not have tons of problems down the road and want to start off with least likely lift to cause issues.

I am hoping not to spend more than 1500 because i will need to invest in tire soon after. Should i get a shop to install? How will this effect my suspension component warranties also?

Thanks for the help.
 
#45 ·
Jax,

Well, here a couple things I concluded myself after doing both a little research and my initial lift.

1.) Unless you are getting into custom fabrication, none of the suspension components on the Jeep are particularly hard to work with. My lift was the first I installed and I did it with hand tools in my overly tiny garage with bad light.

1.a.) More people should use high grade flanged nuts/bolts. Replacing a stock flanged bolt/nut with a non-flanged after market model is...frustrating. If it were easy to get a wrench on the darn thing, it wouldn't be flanged in the first place.

1.b.) Measure before hand to generate some reference data. This will make it easier to not just ID how much lift you netted, but also to center your axle with an adjustable track bar, etc.

2.) Linear springs are fine for a lift, but it can be difficult to match linear springs and shocks once you go over about two inches of lift. Take a look at your suspension and you realize that your springs and shocks mount in different locations and have very different extended and compressed length. Adding 2.5-3.5 inches of free length to your coils (as a linear rate, 2.5 or 3.5 inch lift does) will not account for the added droop of long travel shocks in some cases. The other side of the equation is that the shocks sold for 0-2.5 inch lifts are often too short to take advantage of the additional free length of the coil. It's worth some added consideration - do you want more up travel or down travel from your static ride height?

2.a.) Most lifts use a higher spring rate to account for accessories like winches, bumpers and armor that will be added by many off road enthusiasts - which means that your coils will compress less AND they start with a longer free length. That's how folks end up with substantially more than the advertised lift height. The people making the coil don't know your Jeep - they just know they don't want someone buying their 2.5 inch lift and only getting 2 inches. Know the rate AND free length of the springs you want to use before you buy and you can determine how much actual lift you'll realize versus your stock setup. To use myself as an example again, my 3" lift is advertised as a 2" lift. However, I knew this would be the case because the coils I purchased were 2.5 in. longer than stock AND higher rate - the folks at Northridge 4x4 and I discussed the different coil options and specifically selected those coils for that height.

3.) Don't forget the details if you want to really wheel it (and you will at some point!). Sway bar links and/or quick disconnects are something that I see folks ignore with a fair amount of frequency - not a great idea. Also, bear in mind you might need new wheels and/or wheel spacers to address clearance issues after you lift. Depending on how much longer your shock's extended length is, an exhaust spacer or a new drive shaft may be in order. The fine people at TeraFlex measured it out at around 2 1/4 inches of additional down travel before the drive shaft made contact with the exhaust cross over. If you relocate or modify the exhaust cross over, consider how that will affect your skid plate/armor options if you are considering additional protection. Don't forget to either pull your brake lines out of the stock brackets or move the bracket if you stick with the stock lines. On the 2012 a later model JK, the stock brake lines are actually longer than some of the after market "extended" lines sold for 2007-2011 models. No need to go with new lines for many lifts, but you do need to remove or modify the stock bracket to ensure you have the slack/travel where you need it.
 
#46 ·
Suspension for dummies

...to center your axle with an adjustable track bar...
This comment is a perfect illustration of why I am looking for a "suspension for dummies" primer. Center the axle how? Horizontally or vertically? Center it to what, the drive shaft, the xfer case, the body? Makes sense that you would want a centered alignment, but again what am I centering to? Ignorance, my friend, is definitely NOT bliss! :nonono:

...added droop of long travel shocks in some cases...
What's drooping, and when? The axle? Drooping from what?

...do you want more up travel or down travel from your static ride height? ...
I'm being redundant to illustrate the need for my education, but how do I know which I want? What are the pros/cons and other considerations?

Most lifts use a higher spring rate to account for accessories like winches, bumpers and armor ... Know the rate AND free length of the springs you want to use ...
I need to learn what spring rates are, how they are measured, an how to determine what I want from a spring rate and what length.

the folks at Northridge 4x4 and I discussed the different coil options and specifically selected those coils for that height.
It's become readily apparent that a good partner on the vendor side is one of the keys to success.

... Sway bar links and/or quick disconnects ...
... you might need new wheels and/or wheel spacers ...
... but you do need to remove or modify the stock bracket to ensure you have the slack/travel where you need it.
Still learning what sway bars links do, how do you determine why, when and how much you need spacers, and how to measure slack/travel needs for brake lines.

So, DJ, all really good info and lots of snippets for me to google and learn.

But really what I wanted to illustrate (and maybe a hint to some of the vendors here) is that while disjointed searches and bits of info are great, how awesome would it be to have a few "validated" start to finish "Things to consider before lifting your Jeep" and "Suspension parts, what they do and how they interact" articles or stickies with pictures or videos on this forum? The one posted earlier from Teraflex is an excellent example. And, I'm finding more and more TF videos that show a lot of info!

Here are a few I have found so far, from off the forums. They seem reasonable, but I am not yet smart enough (nor do I expect to become experienced enough) to separate real world performance from marketing hype. :) Also, many are generic without the level of detail one requires to learn the basics.

I guess the expectation is that if you buy a Jeep, you should already know most of this stuff.

--------------------------------------

12 Things to Know About "Lifted" Suspension Engineering

Lift Kits, Truck Lift Kits, & Suspension Lift Kits from 4 Wheel Parts

Suspension Lift Kits, Body Lifts, Leveling Kit, 4x4, Jeep, Chevy, Dodge, Ford, Off-road Truck - great Jeep suspension pics on the home page, would be useful if they were explained in detail what each component does!


This may be taking this thread off topic, so maybe I need to move this post and start a new one.

-Paul
 
#48 ·
I am running the AEV 2.5" Dual sport lift with Bilstein 5100's and geometry correction brackets, 315 BFG All Terrains on AEV Pintler wheels with AEV rear tire carrier and love it. Much improved over stock and AEV gets me through anywhere I want to take it. Highway ride is amazing for a lifted Jeep and off road it flexes well and absorbs ruts like a champ. Great company to deal with too. This is the best lift for a daily driver in my opinion although beware of the height you will gain. 4" in the front and 3" in the back with stock bumpers and no winch.
 
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