2" spacer lift and AirLift 1000 springs...

[AEsco48]

2011 Wangler Unlimited Sport

3 part question.

-With just the AEV 2" lift kit how much and how will the Jeep handle different on the road and off road?


-Most of my off road driving is in the desert and most of the times I get stuck is while on level ground when I slow down (like when coming over a dune and I slow down or drive parallel to it to see whats on the other side). I am assuming the besides sinking into the sand the 1st thing that really gets me stuck is the axles going into the sand. Right? Will help some in that when i get stuck there will be more clearance of the whole body resting on the sand and no weight on the wheels.... Right??


-Then for a long 12+ day trip i am planning I need to install a 150gal tank inside the jeep where the rear seats are. I was thinking I could get the AirLift 1000 kit to help get back the ground clearance from the load.


Are the two compatible? What do you guys think?

Thx

 

[jeepdreamer]

Buy a winch and a sand anchor (like the pull pall) if your doing a lot of solo desert adventures. I can't answer the first since all my jeeps are old.. But the same rules apply when off road in sand. Your correct, its usually the axles (differential) that starts to plow first unless you "nose in" and the bumper drags. Sand running is very hard on vehicles much like snow is. Lots of resistance caused by the sand so your choices are either stay on top or dig down to something more solid for traction. It all depends on the type of sand your going to encounter. I imagine Egypt has less dense "fluffy" sand? I know the sand in Iraq/Kuwait/Saudi tends to be more compact and rocky... So you may want to try and stay on top.

 

[AEsco48]

Dont really go out by myself exploring new areas or risk getting in a major stuck when I am alone... So far I think I should be ok with sand mats, a shovel and the Jeeps floor jack... Worst case i drop the tires down to 7PSI and that helps a lot!
Dont think its worth the very large expense of getting a new bumper, winch and ground anchor (cost of getting it here in Egypt is like 66% extra... Plus a PITA actually getting it here. When not alone we can pull each other out....

Yea the sand can get very very soft... like powdered sugar!

 

[jboss]

The 2" spacer lift won't change the way it handles on or off-road from stock. It only razes the stock coils and shocks 2" to clear a bigger tire. If you need to change the way jeep handles and want to carry more weight then you need to change the springs and shocks.

I recommend the AEV 3.5" kit. Or find the OME spring that works for you. They offer different spring rates.

 

[AEsco48]

Higher CG is what I was after...

 

[AEsco48]

You're going to carry over 900 pounds of fuel in a Wrangler? Plus the weight of the tank and the hardware to mount it.

What's the cargo capacity of one of those?

More than 900lb... Think of it this way... 5 adults weighing 200lb each = 1,000lb

 

[JPK]

The 2" spacer lift won't change the way it handles on or off-road from stock. It only razes the stock coils and shocks 2" to clear a bigger tire. If you need to change the way jeep handles and want to carry more weight then you need to change the springs and shocks.

I recommend the AEV 3.5" kit. Or find the OME spring that works for you. They offer different spring rates.

The AEV 3.5" or 4.5" spring suspension is the way to go. Their suspensions handle a lot more weight than the oem suspension while actually improving both loaded and unloaded ride quality and handling - remarkable really. The forthcoming 2.5" spring suspension handles more weight too, but not as much as their 3.5" or 4.5" suspensions. (And the AEV suspensions ride and handle better for daily driving than oem too.)

Also, if you change from thinner tires to 12.5" tires you will have a lot less trouble in the sand. The BFG A/T's in 12.5"x35" in Load Range C air down very well and are excellent in sand

FWIW, I have the AEV 4.5" suspension and carrying a full load with four passengers and luggage and gear for a week's camping and fishing is no challenge. That's with an extra ~200lbs of front and rear bumpers, 50lbs of roof rack, 40lbs of additional spare tire weight, 175lbs of auxilliary tank and fuel, 70lbs of aluminum skid plates, 70lbs of winch and maybe 75lbs of receiver mounted cargo racks front and rear.

Also, I have no issues on the beach, even in the softest sand, with the 12.5" wide BFG A/T's (I have 37's.) I'm fine with a medium load and the tires fully inflated, but if I were to carry a heavy full load or go longer distances for longer times in sand I would air down to maybe 15psi. 35" and 37" BFG A/T's have a nice, wide profile at 15psi and yet you aren't exposing too much sidewall to damage.

It seems to me that you are trying to do your desert trip on the cheap, without sufficient vehicle preparation. I would suggest that making some modifications that improve your Jeep for every use are wise investments not only for your journey but also for the long haul. And AEV 3.5" or 4.5" spring suspension so improves a JKU, even for daily driving, that it ought to be done. Or maybe AEV's forthcoming 2.5" srping suspension at a minimum.

JPK

 

[AEsco48]

The reality is I dont want to spend more than I have to.... Especially when a large chunk of the cost of getting something large here goes more toward shipping and customs then to the cost of the item.

In terms of springs I dont need the lift for clearance to get over things, its purely to compensate the extra load.

If just the air springs will handle the load... I would be happy with that. This load is only going to be on the Jeep for 12 days of easy driving... The guides know the route well and dont risk us getting stuck or pushing the cars to prevent any break downs.

Coming from a sporty car this high CG is killing me, so a 2.5"+ kit is out of the question... I dont drive during the week, but just driving on the weekends for 6hr road trips is enough for me not wanting to lift it any more.

Did i mention the factory wheel here in Egypt is 245/75/17... not the 255 used in the US...

Tire selection is non existent in Egypt. Everything other than the factory tire has to be imported personally (at a large cost like I have mentioned)... The factory tires are 3,000 EGP... $500 USD... How much are the factory tires in the USA?

The real lift I would be interested in is from the extra clearance from tires... and like I mentiond its a PITA getting larger tires here.

No long haul for this Jeep... in 2.5 years when I leave Egypt it stays here... I could probably take it with me but I paid $45,000 for it (It has less features/options then the std sport JKU in the USA. We dont get options here, just paint and interior color!)... Can sell it here for depreciation off the $45k... I could buy a brand new Jeep in the USA with all the options for the cost of the used Jeep here.

So no point in putting millions of cool things on the Jeep at a huge shipping and tax premium b\c when I sell it I am going to lose all that $.

 

[JPK]

Hmmm, I see your reluctance to spend $'s on the Jeep. And your preference for a puck lift - small and cheap with cheap shipping.

The concept of air helper springs is sound, that's what they're designed to do, improve suspension performance under heavy load. Air springs have their own issues of course, reliability being a big one. Maybe a better option would be hollow rubber helper springs if you can get them. See this link: http://www.timbren.com/axle-less1.htm

Some Jeeps here come with the smaller tires, iirc. OEM Rubicon BFG M/T's tires here are ridiculously pricey since they are different than other BFG M/T offerrings, and are unique to the Wrangler. Even then $100/tire would be scalping, maybe $50-$60/tire for the street tires that come on the base Jeeps.

Street tires aired down should be ok in the sand, but definitely aired down and not at street inflation.

As far as Jeep handling, they're not sports cars. But refer to Scott Brady's thread here on track testing an AEV equipped Jeep JKU, they'll do a lot more than you think, including power over steer/four wheel drifts around corners. Here's a direct link to the video: http://vimeo.com/27641607

JPK

 

[AEsco48]

I prefer not to lift it... Independent of price...

The one here has Goodyear Wrangler M+S
Wow $50-60 a tire!!!

The factory JK cant do what the AEV does in that video b\c the springs are to soft... I power slide mine on sandy roads all the time... Just picked up a switch to disable the gyroscope so i can 100% turn off the stability/roll over control and power slide like crazy on the dunes!

 

[JPK]

BTW, thought I'd mention that the AEV guys told me that for almost any off road use the auto transmission Jeeps are best kept in 4 LO to help prevent auto transmission overheating - even with a trans cooler.

Their thinking: the trans pump turns faster when the Jeep is in 4 Lo and so cycles the trans fluid faster to help prevent heat build up and fluid burn. For a fun aspect to this, acceleration is vastly improved! (Up to maybe 40mph, when it tops out the rpms.)

JPK