Recommend a good lift kit?

[JRCJ7]

We just purchased a new Rubicon Unlimited and are already looking at changing it Nothing crazy, but not sure where to turn or what to purchase. Can anyone recommend a decent lift kit so we could get 35-37's AND still be streetable? Can we run the stock gearing with the 35's? 37's?

JJ

[EMF]

It all depends on what your budget it.  Fabtech has some nice components in their kits.  a 3" lift from them would run you around $800 from us and you could run 35's.  For the same amount of lift, JKS Manufacturing makes a lift that runs around $1600 but it doesn't come with shocks.  Then there are bigger lifts, which would mean you need extended driveshafts, extended brake lines, steering upgrades & new gears etc etc.  The bigger you go, the more you have to customize.

I can get anything from Fabtech, Superlift, Skyjacker, Rubicon Express, BDS, Readylift, Procomp & Rancho.  If you find something you like give me a shout and I will shoot you some prices.  Good luck!

Erin  [email protected]

[JRCJ7]

Thanks! I'm assuming that most kits that I would be looking at would essentially just be springs and shocks? Are the short and long arm kits just for more serious off-roading?
And will these basic kits work fine with the stock wheels until we decided to upgrade?

[w squared]

You have two options right now.

#1. The spend, hope, learn, spend plan. With this plan, you spend money on parts that people want to sell you, then hope that they are suitable for your needs, then learn that they are not suitable, then spend more money on parts that will do what you need and will last.

#2. The learn, hope, spend plan. With this plan you learn from the experience of others, then you hope that you've learned enough, and then you spend some money once and probably end up with what you need.

If you're intertested in plan #2, maybe start here:

http://www.jk-forum.com/modified-jk-tech-2/modified-tech-faq-answers-questions-every-newbie-has-18617/

or maybe try a search here:

http://www.jkowners.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?s=802ef31b1e99f34f812e5dca862137eb&f=4

And then come back to CJA to read some of our past discussions:

http://forum.calgaryjeep.com/index.php?topic=19822.0

http://forum.calgaryjeep.com/index.php?topic=26313.0

http://forum.calgaryjeep.com/index.php?topic=25874.0

Essentially what I'll suggest is this:

#1. If you're lucky, you'll get what you pay for. Buy good stuff, and hopefully you'll just buy it once.

#2. You don't need fancy to run 35's on a JK. The 4.10's in your Rubicon may be fine with 35's, or may not. It all depends on how patient you are.

#3. A good suspension lift for a JK should use adjustable track bars front and rear to center your axles, and either control arm brackets or a set of adjustable control arms up front to keep your caster at about 5 degrees. Avoid cam bolts.

[Jrama]

There was a time when I argued about the use of trac brackets and drilling, however after having by rear trac bar bracket cause me no end of headaches I Agree with above statement. A bolt on bracket is pretty damn useless. Buy a good name brand and be happy.

[hps4evr]

Best part about the new wranglers is there are many options available, and they have all been tried by others. Do some research andfigure out what you want to do with your jeep. Doesn't take much to get 35's on a jk. 35's are a good compromise between size, weight, power and clearance.
2-3" lift with a good quality shock will work great. Clayton off road, currie, old man emu, teraflex, AEV,are some of the better companies that have well engineered products.
But, you don't have to do anything at all, just go wheeling and you'll have fun:)

[JRCJ7]

Thanks everyone for all the advice! Definitely gets us going in the right direction. I like what I've read so far on AEV, and now ORV(Rugged Ridge?). Anyone using either of these?
Couple more questions that I hope someone can help with... AEV's 2.5 " kit accommodates up to 35 inch tire and Rugged Ridge 4" lift only accommodates a 35" tire?  Price wise they're around the same, and seem to have all the same components??
Also noticed that although these kits are recommending no larger than 35" tires, the rim size's go between 16-18 inches... Will the rim size itself actually have an effect on the lift kit? I understand that there is more sidewall with a smaller wheel.
Anyway, thanks for all the great info so far!!

[w squared]

A 35" tire on a 15" wheel will work well in the same space as a 35" tire on a 20" wheel...there will be no real difference in terms of what will fit on your rig with a given lift/set of fenders/etc. You will see a difference in ground clearance and tire performance - but that's as much dependent on rim width, wheel type, and how much you air down as it is on rim size.

17" is what most JK guys seem to run with their 35's. Anything from 16" to 18" wheels will probably work fine, but running 17's means that you'll probably have an easier time finding tires. Some people that have tried to run 15" wheels on a JK have run into problems, but it worked just fine for other people. It's a little bit hit or miss.

I'd guess that Rugged Ridge says their 4" lift will only fit 35's is that you would need to do some fender trimming (or pinch seam trimming) to fit 37's (the next step up in common tire sizes)

Many people here will agree that for technical wheeling in Alberta, what you want is the least amount of lift that is needed to run the size of tires you are going to run. Lift does not get you ground clearance - tire size does. Lift gets you two things: room to run bigger tires (good!) and a higher center of gravity (bad!)

I run a frankenlift cobbled together from different manufacturers....but I am very pleased with it. OME shocks and coils, JKS track bars, Currie control arms and coil retainer clips, JKS bumpstop extensions, and Crown brake lines. Other club members have had good luck with the same lift, and also with the AEV lift. The AEV will probably give you better on-road manners, but not quite as much off-road performance.

To be honest, what you want your Jeep to do for you is far more important than the experience that I or anyone else has had with our super-cool lift. What works well for me may be awful for you...as an example, my girlfriend loved driving my Jeep before I lifted it, now she hates driving it.

Your stock Rubicon will already go a LOT of places. Get out and enjoy, go on open runs, and talk to people to learn what's worked for them. That way you get to actually see what works on the trail instead of listening to web wheelers like me that only get our lives together enough to wheel a half-dozen days a year. 

[AstraX]

Your stock Rubicon will already go a LOT of places. Get out and enjoy, go on open runs, and talk to people to learn what's worked for them.

^this.  Open run this Saturday.  Hobo Stew and burgers.

[w squared]

^this.  Open run this Saturday.  Hobo Stew and burgers.

You're pretty much guaranteed to be "in" for anything involving Hobos, aren't you?

[AstraX]

You're pretty much guaranteed to be "in" for anything involving Hobos, aren't you?

Aye..them hobo's make good stew.