3.0-3.5 in lift advice on jku 6 speed

JKUx · Dec 9, 2013

Hello everyone,

I'm in the market for a full suspension lift (replacing the TF BB kit) and confused in what to buy, for example they sell an economy lift and then there's the premium systems that come with fully adjustable front and rear lower arms and some with upper and lower front and rear adjustable arms; now the original plan was to pick up the AEV 3.5 dual sport RS system but now after considerable research I've seen other companies(rock krawler/full traction/teraflex/skyjacker/rancho) offering more than just brackets etc.

Now I have my sights on (Full Traction) 3.0 in ultimate suspension kit, it is a complete system with complete adjustability and I priced it with the Fox 2.0 shocks.

All Experienced advice is appreciated.

The goal is to do it right (with a reliable/serviceable system) and make it trail worthy for those weekend warrior events and eventually move up from 35s to 37s.

drwfaulk · Dec 9, 2013

I've been researching the same thing. It have done a lot of mix-matching and have found that it is cheaper to get for example: EVO 3" plush ride coils , Currie control arms with Johny joints ,RK track bars ,EVO end links , ext. SS break lines ,EVO drag link flip kit(if needed) , rs9000 shocks. But that's off the top of my head. I could be missing something but it all came out cheaper than the complete kits and in my opinion more quality parts.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using WAYALIFE mobile app

DunnyBunny · Dec 9, 2013

Only think I would maybe change from above is I would go with the synergy flip kit. Comes with a beefier draglink and replaces both ends with beefier ends I believe. And it's only a few dollars more.

JKUx · Dec 9, 2013

drwfaulk said:
I've been researching the same thing. It have done a lot of mix-matching and have found that it is cheaper to get for example: EVO 3" plush ride coils , Currie control arms with Johny joints ,RK track bars ,EVO end links , ext. SS break lines ,EVO drag link flip kit(if needed) , rs9000 shocks. But that's off the top of my head. I could be missing something but it all came out cheaper than the complete kits and in my opinion more quality parts.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using WAYALIFE mobile app

That's definitely a quality setup, I appreciate the advice!!!

Trembley · Dec 10, 2013

drwfaulk said:
I've been researching the same thing. It have done a lot of mix-matching and have found that it is cheaper to get for example: EVO 3" plush ride coils , Currie control arms with Johny joints ,RK track bars ,EVO end links , ext. SS break lines ,EVO drag link flip kit(if needed) , rs9000 shocks. But that's off the top of my head. I could be missing something but it all came out cheaper than the complete kits and in my opinion more quality parts.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using WAYALIFE mobile app

Anybody else have a comment on this, it seems like a decent way for a guy on a budget to add things as they can afford them and end up with a solid set up.

drwfaulk · Dec 10, 2013

Trembley said:
Anybody else have a comment on this, it seems like a decent way for a guy on a budget to add things as they can afford them and end up with a solid set up.

It's just a start. I never see myself doing C/O, unless the price drops. But with that setup I can upgrade as I go with quality parts first. I did start with a RC 2.5 spring lift and it sucks, rides really rough and I netted about 3.75 inches on the lift which was more than I wanted and has put too much strain on other parts.

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DunnyBunny · Dec 10, 2013

Trembley said:
Anybody else have a comment on this, it seems like a decent way for a guy on a budget to add things as they can afford them and end up with a solid set up.

This is basically how I'm doing it just with the synergy flip kit and drag link and with springs that are a tad cheaper. Didn't realize their plush coils were $400 basically. And I have fox shocks and got a hell of a deal of a full set of RK control arms that I couldn't pass.

chaseit1 · Feb 15, 2014

If you want a quality lift on a upgrade as you can afford I would suggest looking at the Rock Krawler Line... You can start out with springs and front Trackbar and rear trackbar relocation bracket and removeable front swaybar links for a pretty reasonable price around $500.00.Included is the BombProof lifetime Warranty as long as you use all there parts in the upgrade process. Parts are reasonably priced and you can build to whatever level you want. you can check them out at http://rockkrawler.com

JKDriver · Feb 15, 2014

The Rock Krawler stuff is high quality. Just a few things to note, their shocks are a little on the stiff side, and their RRD shocks are also. The shocks are re build able and can be valves for your application, but you need to specify what kind of ride you are looking for.

JKUx · Feb 15, 2014

chaseit1 said:
If you want a quality lift on a upgrade as you can afford I would suggest looking at the Rock Krawler Line... You can start out with springs and front Trackbar and rear trackbar relocation bracket and removeable front swaybar links for a pretty reasonable price around $500.00.Included is the BombProof lifetime Warranty as long as you use all there parts in the upgrade process. Parts are reasonably priced and you can build to whatever level you want. you can check them out at http://rockkrawler.com

Thanks I bought most of the RK stuff with EVO plush coils and Bilstein 5100's
Now to get time to install:

:

wayoflife · Feb 15, 2014

DunnyBunny said:
Only think I would maybe change from above is I would go with the synergy flip kit. Comes with a beefier draglink and replaces both ends with beefier ends I believe. And it's only a few dollars more.

Funny, in the last 7+ years, I can't say that I've ever had a problem with my factory drag link. Still running it on my 2012 JK that has over 75,000 hard miles on it. Guess I need to play harder. :idontknow:

Trembley said:
Anybody else have a comment on this, it seems like a decent way for a guy on a budget to add things as they can afford them and end up with a solid set up.

Sounds like a solid setup to me.

chaseit1 said:
If you want a quality lift on a upgrade as you can afford I would suggest looking at the Rock Krawler Line... You can start out with springs and front Trackbar and rear trackbar relocation bracket and removeable front swaybar links for a pretty reasonable price around $500.00.Included is the BombProof lifetime Warranty as long as you use all there parts in the upgrade process. Parts are reasonably priced and you can build to whatever level you want. you can check them out at http://rockkrawler.com

For a guy with only 4 posts and who said he came here to "try to listen and learn more than talk", that's quite an endorsement :crazyeyes:

JKDriver said:
The Rock Krawler stuff is high quality. Just a few things to note, their shocks are a little on the stiff side, and their RRD shocks are also. The shocks are re build able and can be valves for your application, but you need to specify what kind of ride you are looking for.

As noted, the shocks are too long and the shortest length you can set their control arms is about 1.5" longer than stock too. Even with 4" of lift, you really only need to have your control arms adjusted at about 1/2" longer max. This longer length will cause issues with spring bow, springs making contact with things like your track bar and in some cases, difficulty setting your pinion angle.

JKUx · Feb 15, 2014

wayoflife said:
Funny, in the last 7+ years, I can't say that I've ever had a problem with my factory drag link. Still running it on my 2012 JK that has over 75,000 hard miles on it. Guess I need to play harder. :idontknow:

Sounds like a solid setup to me.

For a guy with only 4 posts and who said he came here to "try to listen and learn more than talk", that's quite an endorsement :crazyeyes:

As noted, the shocks are too long and the shortest length you can set their control arms is about 1.5" longer than stock too. Even with 4" of lift, you really only need to have your control arms adjusted at about 1/2" longer max. This longer length will cause issues with spring bow, springs making contact with things like your track bar and in some cases, difficulty setting your pinion angle.

^^^^This is good to know as RK lower control arm length is set for 3.5 inch of lift as I have the EVO 3 inch Plush coils, according to RK guide it shows very little difference in length from their 3.5-5.0 inch suggested settings, I was going to follow accordingly to their 3.5 setting as go from there.

wayoflife · Feb 15, 2014

JKUx said:
^^^^This is good to know as RK lower control arm length is set for 3.5 inch of lift as I have the EVO 3 inch Plush coils, according to RK guide it shows very little difference in length from their 3.5-5.0 inch suggested settings, I was going to follow accordingly to their 3.5 setting as go from there.

To give you an idea of things, a factory front lower control arm measures 22-5/8″ in length eye to eye. As a starting point, I typically set my new adjustable front lower control arms to 23″ eye to eye on a 3.5"-4" lift - that only 3/8″ longer than stock. Again, the shortest setting that the RK arms will allow you to go is 1-1/2" longer than stock. This is A LOT longer than what you need even at 5" of lift to get your axles back to where they were under the wheel wells.

JKUx · Feb 15, 2014

wayoflife said:
To give you an idea of things, a factory front lower control arm measures 22-5/8″ in length eye to eye. As a starting point, I typically set my new adjustable front lower control arms to 23″ eye to eye on a 3.5"-4" lift - that only 3/8″ longer than stock. Again, the shortest setting that the RK arms will allow you to go is 1-1/2" longer than stock. This is A LOT longer than what you need even at 5" of lift to get your axles back to where they were under the wheel wells.

Just measured to confirm, seems like it's max length is with the ends all the way in; based on your measurement and compared RK 23 1/8 suggested settings it's pretty damn close...

ImageUploadedByWAYALIFE1392489262.108076.jpg

wayoflife · Feb 15, 2014

JKUx said:
Just measured to confirm, seems like it's max length is with the ends all the way in; based on your measurement and compared RK 23 1/8 suggested settings it's pretty damn close... View attachment 69269

Compared to what I have seen in the past, this looks to be a recent change and one that I'm glad to see. I should note that the 23" that I recommend is just a "starting point" for 4" of lift, not 3" and more times than not, I personally find that going a tad shorter yields better results especially if you did not get adjustable uppers with your kit. Still, you should be okay - the worst that you'll see is some spring rubbing issues. I just don't get why a company would sell an "adjustable" product that you can't even adjust to a stock length but, that's just me.

JKUx · Feb 15, 2014

Off topic but I forgot to ask, what's the eta on the WOL gear decal in black, I wanted to buy 2 to go with the other decals I recently purchased from you.

JKUx · Feb 15, 2014

wayoflife said:
Compared to what I have seen in the past, this looks to be a recent change and one that I'm glad to see. I should note that the 23" that I recommend is just a "starting point" for 4" of lift, not 3" and more times than not, I personally find that going a tad shorter yields better results especially if you did not get adjustable uppers with your kit. Still, you should be okay - the worst that you'll see is some spring rubbing issues. I just don't get why a company would sell an "adjustable" product that you can't even adjust to a stock length but, that's just me.

Learning as I go along and I totally agree; as this is the first Jeep I ever owned which I love, now that I'm aware before starting the install I'll go for the uppers too as I was going to buy them down the road.
As always I appreciate the valuable information!

DunnyBunny · Feb 15, 2014

wayoflife said:
Funny, in the last 7+ years, I can't say that I've ever had a problem with my factory drag link. Still running it on my 2012 JK that has over 75,000 hard miles on it. Guess I need to play harder. :idontknow:

Post was a while ago and I never said you don't play hard enough. To me it makes sense to spend I think $25 extra to have a what I consider a better setup. It was also merely a suggestion and my opinion to the OP. Sorry you felt offended by it.

wayoflife · Feb 16, 2014

JKUx said:
Off topic but I forgot to ask, what's the eta on the WOL gear decal in black, I wanted to buy 2 to go with the other decals I recently purchased from you.

Hopefully in about 2 weeks :yup:

DunnyBunny said:
Post was a while ago and I never said you don't play hard enough. To me it makes sense to spend I think $25 extra to have a what I consider a better setup. It was also merely a suggestion and my opinion to the OP. Sorry you felt offended by it.

:cheesy: Funny, never said you did and I merely stated what I have experienced to the OP. If it helps you to sleep better at night spending money on things you don't really need, more power to you. Seems to me that the apology is mine to give as clearly, it is you who was offended here.

DunnyBunny · Feb 16, 2014

wayoflife said:
Hopefully in about 2 weeks :yup:

:cheesy: Funny, never said you did and I merely stated what I have experienced to the OP. If it helps you to sleep better at night spending money on things you don't really need, more power to you. Seems to me that the apology is mine to give as clearly, it is you who was offended here.

Quoting my post and then stating at the end that you should play harder doesn't seem to only merely share your experience. Seems more defensive to me. Maybe I misinterpreted. But last I checked the EVO kit was $300. If I'm spending that kind of money I don't want to go from stock to stock and if I can spend roughly the same amount of money and go from stock to better then yes that's what I'm going to do just to have a little extra piece of mind.

3.0-3.5 in lift advice on jku 6 speed

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