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Rubicon Express

4K views 63 replies 15 participants last post by  rda616 
#1 ·
Anyone suggest a good place to buy a Rubicon Express lift? I bought one over the weekend and I am dangerously close to not picking it up, getting my money back and going with a different supplier.
 
#4 ·
Pro comp is a good one and I upgraded shocks
 
#5 ·
4" lift is a rather open statement

most would benefit from a combo lift such as the zone 4.25" it saves thousands as you dont have to make major modifications to your drive line

if you are set on 4" SL, you will also need adj control arms, SYE, new driveshaft, track bars, etc, etc

what size tire are you planning?
what is your rear axle?
what terrain do you want to wheel in?
What is your gear ratio?

RE was ok a few years back, then they fell behind the times and went out of business. the new RE is just a name slapped on another companies product and hasnt gotten very good reviews
 
#6 ·
hen they fell behind the times and went out of business. the new RE is just a name slapped on another companies product and hasnt gotten very good reviews - did not know this.

2003 Rubicon
No SYE needed.
what size tire are you planning? - 35's
what is your rear axle? - D44's
what terrain do you want to wheel in? Mountains/rough trail.
What is your gear ratio? will be 4:88's

I do want adjustable control arms.
 
#9 ·
with 35's, you'll need upgraded brakes and steering, gears should be 5.13 or lower

the zone combo gets you started for $600, add another $400 for brakes and steering, another $200 for front track bar, and $1200 for a regear
that puts you at $2400.
control arms will run an extra $1k and new driveshaft will run around $300

you are looking at $4k in parts to do step by step

upgraded shafts front and rear would be a good idea as well, now its getting close to $5k plus tires

that may raise an eyebrow, 4" lifts and 35's arent cheap

you could grab a savvy kit for around $3k with shocks and steering, then all you'll need is drive shaft (300), brakes (200), gears (1200), axle shafts (800), and tires
 
#12 ·
Rubicon Express is now owned by 4 Wheel Parts Wholesalers. You can buy their stuff at any 4 Wheel Parts stores or on-line. Same exact kits and components they used to sell when they were just RE.
That said, I'd look at MetalCloak, Savvy or Currie as their track bars and control arm bushings are much better.
 
#18 ·
I wouldnt buy Rubicon Express again after having their lift on my Jeep. If you wheel any bit you will go through bushings and joints in 3-6 months and the job to replace it costs anywhere from $400-700. I would go with something along the Currie or Savvy route. After having my Savvy CAs with Currie Johnny Joints I would not go back to a cheap lift kit.
 
#21 ·
There is always going to be something wrong with someone's kit, if it's not the control arms, it's the track bars, and if it's not that it's the shocks or if it's not that, it's the springs so there you go. I guess it's trial by error. I run a pro comp on my platinum tundra crewmax and it's a 6" with icon full coilovers and it rides and wheels like a dream in deep creeks at the ranch...

If it's mechanical, it's going to wear out regardless. Something is always going to fail one day or another.
 
#23 ·
x2

I have custom control arms, JKS rear track bar, I'm getting 3" Savvy progressive springs (made by Currie), probably a Metal Cloke front track bar, still researching shocks and a few other things. All thru my build to 35's I've researched everything and selected what I wanted and time a time again I've been told what I already know - that I'm doing it right. Don't take the fast and cheap way out just to impress others.
 
#26 ·
There is nothing I would consider good about RE. Track bar has a cheap heim that wears out to quickly. Also doesn't bend away from the diff, so leaves you with lousy clearance. Their dreaded hourglass control arm bushings fail far to often. The spring rates are on high end any you wind up with far more than advertised lift if you aren't as heavy as an oil tanker. I can't really say anything good about the money I wasted on my old RE lift.

Either save for a Currie 4" kit or piece one together. Truth is if you aren't doing anything extreme you would be fine with 33" tires and a zone 4.25" combination lift.
 
#28 ·
We do a lot of snow Wheeling around here. 44's are preferred, but I will be sticking with 35's, that will get me by. That and I wouldn't want 44's on my jeep. That being said I will need a 4" lift of some sort.

Now you that you tore apart RE kit, what is so good about the Currie 4" ?
Not trying to be an ass, just want to know so I am informed.
 
#27 ·
"all" bushings wear out regardless of what kit you buy. It is just a wear item when you have moving parts. That's just the norm. It wears out just replace.

I'm with you Flienlow, according to all the reviews, RE is not bad at all and I did discuss with several local suspension shops here in Texas.
 
#29 ·
A Johnny joint will last a very long time and is rebuildable. A RE hourglass bushing doesn't hold a candle. I have a set old junk RE arms with those bushings setting in my garage right now. Sure, all parts wear with time, but the time span should not be as short as with the crap RE arms. I have seen them fail after six months of use. I never even needed to touch my jks track bar with a JJ. The JJ is the industry standard for very good reason they are reliable and just plain last.
Also a JJ is not a bushing, but rather a cartridge joint that allows for misalignment and doesn't bind like a bushing.
 
#30 ·
Best thing is the true Johnny Joints in their control arms. Not a combo of cheapo flex joints and rubber bushings.

I went cheap on control arms and am paying the price. I have replaced the joints and they are all blown out again. I have axle wrap like a leaf sprung Jeep. Lol.

FYI, even though you have a fixed output on your Rubi 241 transfer case, you will still need to upgrade your rear drive line to a double cardon shaft at that height.
 
#31 ·
Yep Johnny joints are great^^

The track bar is a better design with more diff clearance. There are several spring options, so you can get the correct spring for the weight of your rig. The Currie antirock is one of the best thing I ever added allowing more stability off road while not hindering suspension travel. No more stupid disconnects to deal with. Rear track bar has the best clearance for fuel tank skid. The lower control arms will actually adjust shorter than stock to correct the rear pinion angle and not push the diff into the gas tank. They actually pay attention to the details.

I would suggest you check out Savvy Offroad for the configurable kit. You can than add what you feel you will need. If you have questions give Gerald a call. Also on top of a 4" suspension lift a 1.25" body lift is very much recommend for 35" tires.
 
#35 ·
After doing some some searching, I think that Rubicon express lift is not going to be picked up and will be returned. I am not convinced that it isnt a total pile of Shit now. Jesus Christ, you would think RE and RC would be on a Full contact campaign to alter their reputations, I had no idea. - Whatever.

So now I am back to Square one.

Zone?
Savvy?
metalcloak?
or pick parts?


I am building this Jeep for the trail, but that doesn't mean I have endless resources to build it. It will not be rock crawler either. I mean we do some, but I am not going to hammer on it just to hammer on it. That is why I picked the Lift that I did. It seem to come with a fair amount of parts for a fair price that would give my jeep the lift that it needs to do what I want.

BUT... If I need to fix the bushings on that thing every 6 months???? Not gonna happen.
 
#47 ·
So now I am back to Square one.

Zone?
Savvy?
metalcloak?
or pick parts?

Springs? Look at OME
Shocks? Look at Bilstien 5100, OME, Rancho9000
Control Arms? Currie, Metalcloak, Savvy
Trackbar? Currie, Metalcloak


I would never buy a "kit" again. MOST of the time you're getting 1 good part with a bunch of other crap that kinda works with it. Pick the best of the best with each component. You'd be surprised that you won't be spending much more $$ vs a kit.


Another option....instead of spending all your budget on suspension right now, buy some high clearance or highlined fenders for your jeep (metalcloak, poison spyder, genright). Figure out your suspension after. Just an idea.
With a small or no lift, you will not need adjustable arms, and an sye. You could focus your budget more on clearance for trails and maybe some armor and skids.
 
#39 ·
I agree with this, however when it seems that most are experiencing issues I am not sure I want to join them. ALL of this stuff is a lot money and it keeps adding and adding up. I want to make sure that the money I spend is well spent. Talk is cheap, buying parts are not. I would rather learn now, then when its too late. Will this lift serve my purposes without issue? Maybe, but if there is a sure thing for just a little more, I need to seek that out and weigh the options.

My budget is/was around $1500. This was for a lift not a completed build. so there is drive lines ect and additional expense that will need to be delt with.

The trick here is to buy what I need. I don't want to over buy. This isnt about ego for me, its about function.
 
#42 ·
Okay, you still have to regear, buy the tires, the lift. You are NOT putting 35's on your jeep for $1500. At least not correctly and safely. As nicely as I can put it, I strongly suggest you do find the time and energy to do your research and do as much of the work that you can instead of a shop. Things break on the trail and you should be prepared to fix any issues. If you are not planning on doing trails that are that difficult then I would suggest putting around on 33's.
 
#43 ·
Rear gear is beyond the scope of this topic, Tires are already ordered as well as the wheels. This post is about the lift alone. Yes I will put it on. Yes we have changed shit in the middle of the trail (busted transfer case 20 miles up the trail was the last go around.)
 
#44 ·
I run the 4.5" RE lift (05 Rubicon) with shocks without any issues, but it is the older kit. I can't say how the new kit is since mine is a few years old. I love the lift, the quality and the off road/highway driving with it. I have great flex wheeling and can't complain about the highway use. My previous TJ had a pro comp 4" lift w/D44 rear and 30 front. I regeared to 4.56's with 33's and it was awesome. No issues whatsoever. I would recommend both lifts but everyone has their own opinion. Let me know if you have any questions, id be glad to help.
 
#46 ·
^^^^^^ Dang I really like OME and I would buy the kit above over the RE kit. That price is great and the quality is awesome on and off road :)
 
#48 ·
Ok guys, now that I am looking at this, I ordered my RE kit but now I see what you all are making a stink about. The JJ are built much better and even though the RE kit would last a while, I figure for another 5-6 hundred I can get the top of the line currie 4" kit. I guess I will just keep the fox shocks with it.
 
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