JKUR 3.5" Suspension

[JFarris]

I am looking for some advice on suspension for my Jeep. I have been wanting to get AEV's Nth Degree kit, but after reading quite a bit about suspension I'm wondering if there's a cheaper alternative by mixing components from different manufacturers. Anyone have some suggestions?

I'll be doing a lot of expo'ing, with just a little light rocks mixed in every once in a while.

One thing, every once in a while I like to see how fast I can get to point B from point A out in the desert...lol

 

[V00D0013]

If I had done it all over...
Check gear ratio, the correlation between tire size and differential gears. That moves mph and mpg higher or lower. As far as the lift, any long arm kit is beneficial. An added bonus is the handling at high speeds or negotiating obstacles is awesome! I have 37" tires and a 6.5" long arm BDS lift ( best no bull warrantee!) I will re gear it to get better mileage and for towing though but it isn't a must if I did moderate driving.

My .02 cents!

 

[Revyjku08]

I am looking for some advice on suspension for my Jeep. I have been wanting to get AEV's Nth Degree kit, but after reading quite a bit about suspension I'm wondering if there's a cheaper alternative by mixing components from different manufacturers. Anyone have some suggestions?

I'll be doing a lot of expo'ing, with just a little light rocks mixed in every once in a while.

One thing, every once in a while I like to see how fast I can get to point B from point A out in the desert...lol

Some other coil lift kits to look at: OME HD LT kit, Rock Krawler 2.5 & 3.5" kits, TeraFlex 2.5 & 3" kits.

Mine is basically a heinz 57 kit....I went with an OME HD coilspring kit and got TeraFlex front adj Lower Control Arm's (front caster), JKS adj F/R track bars (hate relocate brackets), Adj rear swaybar links, OME LT shocks, Rubicon express 2" bumpstops, JKS quick disco's. The lift has given me 3" of actual lift with bumpers and winch on. Without the added weight you can see over 4" of lift. It has worked very well and with my added weight of bumpers, winch and expedition gear in the back and family it does not sag and it rides very nice. To be honest 3" is plenty of lift almost wish I went only 2" of lift with my Bushwacker flats & 35's for a lower center of gravity for those off-camber situations.

 

[toymaster]

I don't know about cheaper but you can get a more capable lift elsewhere. The AEV just adds vic height by adding brackets to the control arms and larger springs. I can give you a run-down of what you need to properly lift your vic and add articulation.

I suggest 4 new coil springs for the height you want. Spacers are fine for fine tuning but not for the actual lift.

All eight control arms adjustable with a swivel on at least one end. This is key for added articulation, proper axle placement, and pinion adjustment.


An adjustable front track bar with a new or reinforcement bracket on the axle end. You need the adjustable trackbar to exactly center your front axle. I suggest a bracket that has a stock position and a higher 3” position for when you do a drag link flip. (Your drag link and track bar should be on the same plane to prevent bump steer.) The rear can be taken care of with the right size axle side bracket.

Longer shocks of your choice. I also raised my lower rear shock mounting positions by 2” which gives more ground clearance and I also gained 2” more drop with no loss of axle up travel. Of course, this is optional.

Longer sway bar links on front and back.

Since you have the four door you may not have to have new drive shafts at only 3” of lift. The main problem is the factory style CV joints do not allow for enough movement once you let your axles articulate more. If you do not often use your new found articulation then the stock shafts may last for years. Once you have your JKU lifted you can judge that for yourself.

If you want my opinion I would go with Rokmen arms, and poly everything else. At this point I have a mixture of RE, Currie, and poly under my rig.

Of course, there is a whole world of other stuff you can do since everybody makes something for the JK. I can go into more detail on each part and why if you need.


Added note: if you are going to lift it that high I am sure you are going with 35" or 37" tires so, there are some weak points to the stock axle that need to be addressed. If you don't know what they are let me know.

Edit: forgot about bump stops...

 

[TexasTJ]

Having had many different kits on 4 different jeeps I can say in my opinion the AEV is by far the best kit I have ever owned. I have never had a long arm on a JK thought, because with the new geometry I never saw a reason for it like on a TJ. The AEV Coils and Shocks are tuned together and ride better than stock. If you looking to get into some KICK ***** rock crawling there are better options for sure, but if you want a good handling and riding kit that will work well in all situations the AEV is the way to go. I would take it easy on the Mixing an matching it can lead yo to a bad place really fast. Do it right once and get a complete kit. I have the 2.5" AEV with the Geometry kit on my Unlimited. I have had Rubicon Express kit on my 2door JK, and there long arm on my old TJ. That TJ also have a 4" Pro Comp for a while. My wife had a mix and Match Alcan kit on a Yj for a short time and A Daystar on her Liberty.

At the End of the day what you don't want to do is spend a lot of money and have to redo stuff later.

Nate

 

[Rancho]

If you do find yourself doing the "go fast" thing for a long period of time look to a monotube shock. Some find a monotube to be firmer than what they want on a daily basis though.
On another note we just launched 6 new systems for the JK from 2" to various 4" systems , depending on budget, all upgradeable BTW.
Good luck in your search.
Our 2012 on our CRAWLER system.

Our 2007 on our LONG ARM system

 

[EstianSwanepoel]

Can't go wrong with Full Traction and Teraflex!

 

[Jeep or Tacoma]

terra flex cntrol arms and

OME heavy duty springs with Bilsteins. that is what I am running it s tall enough to get over stuff not so tall you feel weird running 33 inch falkens...... great set up

 

[Rovertrader]

JFarris, look at your initial post/parameters, and try to find the best 'designed' suspension for those parameters. I believe the AEV will be best for what you are defining, with the possible addition of either air or hydraulic bumps IF you really want to do off road speed runs. Bear in mind you will need some beef added in the form of axle upgrades and tube/C reinforcement and most likely steering components. If you just mean a little speed without catching air, a little different story. Point being, build for the 99% first, then reinforce as needed for the other 1% without losing sight of the initial 99%. This is the key to continuing to enjoy your Jeep, for if you build for the 1%, you will likely tire of it quickly while driving it built built incorrectly for 99% of the time.

 

[Main Line Overland]

JFarris, look at your initial post/parameters, and try to find the best 'designed' suspension for those parameters. I believe the AEV will be best for what you are defining, with the possible addition of either air or hydraulic bumps IF you really want to do off road speed runs. Bear in mind you will need some beef added in the form of axle upgrades and tube/C reinforcement and most likely steering components. If you just mean a little speed without catching air, a little different story. Point being, build for the 99% first, then reinforce as needed for the other 1% without losing sight of the initial 99%. This is the key to continuing to enjoy your Jeep, for if you build for the 1%, you will likely tire of it quickly while driving it built built incorrectly for 99% of the time.

I would have to agree with Rovertrader. I would recommend going with a complete engineered kit and not try to mix and match components. We carry a number of kits (AEV, OME, ICON) to meet the various on-road/off-road needs of our customers.

Perhaps AEV's 2.5" kit could fit your needs? This still gives you the well engineered kit, great on and off-road handling, and plenty of clearance for 35's.

 

[SilverJK12]

If you do find yourself doing the "go fast" thing for a long period of time look to a monotube shock. Some find a monotube to be firmer than what they want on a daily basis though.
On another note we just launched 6 new systems for the JK from 2" to various 4" systems , depending on budget, all upgradeable BTW.
Good luck in your search.
Our 2012 on our CRAWLER system.

Our 2007 on our LONG ARM system

Here is my quick reply on this.....Rancho suspension has really stepped up their game so take a look at them. Tera is good but their steering stabilizers are really bad. My bud just got his 4th ss and tera keeps saying its a "bad batch." lol Anyways, I have evo coils and wanting the rancho 9500 shocks bc they are adjustable.

 

[JFarris]

Thanks everyone for your input. Honestly, I'm still leaning towards the AEV 3.5" kit with reservoir shocks.

Anyone out there have this specific setup that can chime in?