Realistically, the same things that work for a JKU built to crawl over rocks, works on the trails/roads. First and foremost, you want useable suspension travel with limited brackets and the like hanging low to get bashed on the trail (in my mind, this eliminates AEV day one from consideration, why lift your Jeep to get it up above the trail and then add brackets that remove the advantage you just gained).
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The best riding set-up's I've been in were centered around KING shocks, though there are a few alternatives on the horizon that I can't talk about just yet because they are still in the prototype/testing phase so I'll focos on King (though I will say the coming alternatives should offer equivalent performance at a reduced price compared to King). King shocks with the EVO plush ride springs provide about the best ride I've encountered out of a shock/coilspring combo. I've ridding in JK's with Rock Krawler, Teraflex, AEV, OME, Currie, and several other suspension set-up's and none of them ride anywhere near as well as the EVO Plush Ride springs. Rock Krawler and Teraflex build suspensions that flex as well, but the ride is harsh out of the box (though to Rock Krawler's credit, their top of the line shocks are rebuildable so with time, you should be able to get the valving right and improve the ride tremendously). The springs come in 3" and 4" lift heights, though I hear you can get a 2" set-up as well with a simple phone call to EVO (the 2" springs aren't on their website).
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The next step beyond that would be a set of King Coilovers front and rear. And that will ride better than anything else on the market, including the plush ride springs noted previously. Though you pay for it. Rebel, Synergy, EVO, and Tribe4x4 all make front coilover brackets that are all functionally the same, though I do believe the EVO brackets get the upper shock mount a little higher which allows for a slightly lower minimum lift height. At the rear, objectively, I believe the EVO mounts are superior to the other mounts on the market presently. They bolt-in, require minimum cutting and no welding, and don't require you to cut through the tub. Synergy hangs the shocks toward the rear and in my opinion, in harms way, Rebel is largely splits the difference between the EVO and the Synergy mounts.
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For what you described, an ideal set-up for your JK would be coil-overs in front with a shock/coil-spring set-up in the rear. Similar to what Rock Krawler sells for the JK. And I like their set-up save for the fact that it rides extremely harsh.
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EVO King front Coil-overs w/ Mounting Brackets - $1750
EVO King Rear Adjustable Shocks - $890
EVO Rear Plush Ride 3" springs - $190
EVO Draglink Flip - $299
EVO Rear Track Bar Bracket - $140
EVO Front Lower Control Arms - $420 (Personally I prefer the Rokmen Arms but it's largely a wash, both use Johnny Joints on both ends and that's the key)
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$3690 and you have a top of the line, awesome riding suspension that will deliver on and off road with a smooth ride. Set the lift height to 2.5 to 3 inches and you are set. I realize this isn't an inexpensive solution. One way to drop cost would be to swap the front coilovers for a shock/coilspring combo similar to the rear. This would knock roughly $750 off the overall price tag. You could also go with another shock, though it would take some work with a Bilstein or Fox shock to get the valving to a point where it provided a ride near the off the rack Kings, but it would drop the cost another $750 to $1000.
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If you are focusing on overland travel, fuel efficiency becomes important and tire size/lift height are the two primary contributors to reduced fuel efficiency. Lift Height probably being the more important of the two.
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I can tell you that my 2009 with 2.5 inches of lift on 37's gets better gas mileage than my 2012 with 35's and a 4 inch lift and equivalent mileage to other local JK's on 33's with 2.5 inches of lift. The taller the JK and the more spread from tire to body, the worse your mileage is going to be.
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So minimize your lift height for the tires you plan to run (which means Flat Fenders are an advantage in many ways because it allows you to get the lift height lower without negatively impacting the ability of the suspension to flex while fitting larger meats under the fenders).
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Good luck and have fun with your JK, they are truly the best "go anywhere" overlanding vehicle available today (which is why I own two of them).
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Forgive an old rock crawler who is still learning a bit about overlanding builds.
I have a 2014 JKU Sport with a hard top that is in need of replacement springs and shocks. Above the stock weight, I am +180 lbs in the front (ARB bar, winch, skids), +60 lbs in the rear (ARB bar), and +100 neutral (sliders) with no gear. Included gear will typically be minimal to the point of adding relatively insignificant weight, maybe 50 pounds or so. According to the Jeep site I am currently about 120 pounds heavier than a stock Rubi, so not a bad starting point.
The stock suspension - particularly the front - is none too happy about the weight increase and newly found F/R imbalance. I'm looking for springs and shocks to help compensate for this, and add a bit of belly clearance. I will not go larger that 33" tires or equivalent. I have great things about OME and AEV in particular, and we are also lucky enough to have Rock Krawler and Metalcloak enter the mix with their 1.5 springs. I want to attain 2-2.5 inches over stock and no more.
OME seems like a great bet, with their differing spring rates available. The problem I run into is with my F/R imbalance. A spring set that nets me 2" in the front seems likely to net me much more in the rear, especially since it is a canted load. I think I may have to mix and match. Ideas, recommendations?
Also, given the weights above, what are the default go-to shock options? Again I hear only positives about Nitrochargers. Ranchos and the AEV-specd 5100s also seem to be great choices from the reading on this site. Any experience with off-the-shelf 5100s and how they are?
Thanks for all the help and humoring.
