AEV JK DualSport XT 2.5 inch lift
- Thread starter Burk24
- Start date
olram30
Not That Kind of Engineer
I don't know what exactly is in this kit, but usually just drop your old springs and pop in new ones. Then usually a track bar bracket in the back. Longer sway bar links in the rear and move old ones up front. Did this come with an adjustable front track bar to center your front axle?
Burk first off Welcome to the WAYALIFE. How about stopping by the Give us a Wave thread and introduce yourself. Here is the link http://wayalife.com/forumdisplay.php?11-Give-us-a-Wave
I will do some research and get back to you. Can you specifically give the part number of the lift you ordered?
R/
Will
I Googled your thread title and came up with the installation instructions.
http://www.aev-conversions.com/isheets/AEV_25_XT_Suspension(AEV30207AD).pdf
Does not look too difficult. The very first thing you need to do is tape the top dead center of your steering wheel and the top of the dash. Once you install the lift you will need to re-center your steering wheel and this will make it a lot easier. I did not do that when I put my lift on and it was a booger to get centered. With the front springs you will want to disconntect the mounting bracket for the brake lines and sensor wires. This will give you the a little more room to get the old springs out. On the rear springs the sensor wires are the only ones with that are secured to the frame. You will need to pop the retaining clip off the frame. As with doing anything on your Jeep, help is always good and what ever time you think it is going to take double it.
R/
Will
http://www.aev-conversions.com/isheets/AEV_25_XT_Suspension(AEV30207AD).pdf
Does not look too difficult. The very first thing you need to do is tape the top dead center of your steering wheel and the top of the dash. Once you install the lift you will need to re-center your steering wheel and this will make it a lot easier. I did not do that when I put my lift on and it was a booger to get centered. With the front springs you will want to disconntect the mounting bracket for the brake lines and sensor wires. This will give you the a little more room to get the old springs out. On the rear springs the sensor wires are the only ones with that are secured to the frame. You will need to pop the retaining clip off the frame. As with doing anything on your Jeep, help is always good and what ever time you think it is going to take double it.
R/
Will
NFRs2000NYC
Caught the Bug
As an owner of the AEV 2.5" lift, if you can, cancel your order and get something else.
I have this lift and am extremely happy with it both on and off road. If your going to make such a comment you should back it up with personal facts as your post provides no value.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using WAYALIFE mobile app
Sharkey
Word Ninja
Why lift your vehicle to run a bigger tire and increase ground clearance only to negate that benefit by installing super expensive drop brackets (that, by the way, flex sideways because they aren't very strong).
If you must go this route, get the Rancho brackets. They are stronger and less expensive.
Edit: the Rancho brackets cost a little more.
If you must go this route, get the Rancho brackets. They are stronger and less expensive.
Edit: the Rancho brackets cost a little more.
Last edited:
Wardell
New member
This is one of the lift kits I'm considering. None of this is from my personal experience, just from what I have read so far while researching the kit, so take it as such.
This sounds like a good kit, but the springs are stiffer than stock which could make for a "sportier" ride. Some people have called it a rougher ride, but I think those were people looking for a softer spring rate than stock, and thus weren't happy with what they got. It's really all a matter of personal preference, and the only way to know if you like it would be to try it out.
Also, it sounds like AEV based the 2.5" of lift off a Jeep with their after market bumper, tire carrier, etc also installed, so your actual lift would vary with the weight of any other after market add ons you may have (which is true of any kit). If your vehicle is stock, you might get closer to 3" of lift just because it's lighter, though probably still not so much lift that you need to worry about front driveline issues. If you have thick steel bumpers, a heavy winch and a heavy spare tire and carrier, it might even be closer to 2". The only way to really know is to install the lift, give it a few days for the springs and shocks to settle, and measure.
Also, AEV sells drop brackets for the front control arms to let you correct the caster angle. Rather than having adjustable control arms, AEV went with these brackets with holes set for their three different lift kits. The brackets are included in their 3.5" and 4.5" kits, but for the 2.5" kit you have to buy them seperately. If you do get this kit, they would be well worth it.
This sounds like a good kit, but the springs are stiffer than stock which could make for a "sportier" ride. Some people have called it a rougher ride, but I think those were people looking for a softer spring rate than stock, and thus weren't happy with what they got. It's really all a matter of personal preference, and the only way to know if you like it would be to try it out.
Also, it sounds like AEV based the 2.5" of lift off a Jeep with their after market bumper, tire carrier, etc also installed, so your actual lift would vary with the weight of any other after market add ons you may have (which is true of any kit). If your vehicle is stock, you might get closer to 3" of lift just because it's lighter, though probably still not so much lift that you need to worry about front driveline issues. If you have thick steel bumpers, a heavy winch and a heavy spare tire and carrier, it might even be closer to 2". The only way to really know is to install the lift, give it a few days for the springs and shocks to settle, and measure.
Also, AEV sells drop brackets for the front control arms to let you correct the caster angle. Rather than having adjustable control arms, AEV went with these brackets with holes set for their three different lift kits. The brackets are included in their 3.5" and 4.5" kits, but for the 2.5" kit you have to buy them seperately. If you do get this kit, they would be well worth it.
Sharkey
Word Ninja
I appreciate your honesty. :thumb: Unfortunately, too many people lack the ability to be honest about the fact that a particular purchase, especially a big one like a lift, didn't meet their expectations.
Rideski
New member
I bought the drop brkts with my kit and I have yet to hit them on anything - and I've taken my jeep through many a rock garden. I have yet to feel them flex as well. I am quite happy with this kit, especially for what it did to my on-road driving experience. I can corner faster and the jeep is much more firm and solid.
Off road I have absolutely no complaints but this is also my first lift so it's my only reference point.
Off road I have absolutely no complaints but this is also my first lift so it's my only reference point.
olram30
Not That Kind of Engineer
Looking back at my first posts, I saw there was no caster correction. I guess you have to pay more for these drop brackets. I didn't know this.
If I were to ever get drop brackets, I understand Rancho are stronger and cheaper. And only on a jeep that is mostly pavement, maybe some mild trails. I couldn't see these things lasting very long on harder trails.
So final price is close to 1200 bucks for this kit?
If I were to ever get drop brackets, I understand Rancho are stronger and cheaper. And only on a jeep that is mostly pavement, maybe some mild trails. I couldn't see these things lasting very long on harder trails.
So final price is close to 1200 bucks for this kit?
NFRs2000NYC
Caught the Bug
I have in other threads, but since you are going to be all "fanboy" then I will gladly explain it.
1) The lift is poorly engineered. If someone showed me the lift without telling me the brand, I would immediately say it is a slap together franken-lift. The fact that they used brackets instead of longer sway links should tell you that the lift is cut-corner.
2) The ride is horrid. It is harsh, hard, and almost unlivable. My 2012 had teraflex springs, and the ride was nicer.
For the money it costs, I regret getting it, and wish I bought something else....and I will.
The first thing about being a credible poster on a forum, have the balls to admit something you spent money on sucks. AEV makes some amazing products, but their lifts, flat out suck.
I am gonna go all "Andy Dufraine" on ORE and send them a case of beer and a letter a week begging them to make direct swap in plush ride coils. They can't ignore me forever....wait....they might like the neverending supply of free beer....this plan may not work.
Last edited:
NFRs2000NYC
Caught the Bug
Oh, and I too run drop brackets, but I run Rancho because again, the AEV units are poorly engineered and are a ripoff...at least the Rancho units are solid.
The pros...
Jeep definitely drives better. Keeping the control arms parallel eliminated most of the brake dive, and the alignment is bang on. On the road, they are great. Offroad, I can't tell you, I haven't wheeled anywhere serious with them yet, but hanging down 2" lower than the stock control arm point will definitely effect SOME wheelers. Those that live out west and play on big rocks definitely don't want drop brackets. For us north east peeps, especially if you roll on 35" tires+, you are not going to run into any issues with the drop brackets. For those that wheel a few times a year if that and mall crawl the rest of the time (guilty) then they are definitely worth having.
The pros...
Jeep definitely drives better. Keeping the control arms parallel eliminated most of the brake dive, and the alignment is bang on. On the road, they are great. Offroad, I can't tell you, I haven't wheeled anywhere serious with them yet, but hanging down 2" lower than the stock control arm point will definitely effect SOME wheelers. Those that live out west and play on big rocks definitely don't want drop brackets. For us north east peeps, especially if you roll on 35" tires+, you are not going to run into any issues with the drop brackets. For those that wheel a few times a year if that and mall crawl the rest of the time (guilty) then they are definitely worth having.
Rancho
Caught the Bug
Here is the info own ours, for all to look over. 
It tends to cost about $10 more, but for a a solid one piece design, we think its is a great value. :blush:
It tends to cost about $10 more, but for a a solid one piece design, we think its is a great value. :blush:
samIam007
Member
As an owner of the AEV 2.5 kit with the correction brackets, I recommend this kit. The vehicle drives great on the road and I have no complaints off road either. I just finished a week in Moab and it did amazing on difficult rated trails. I cannot speak to the level of engineering because I am not an engineer and I cannot really say it is better or worse than other kits but I can say that my Jeep is more capable than my driving skills.
JKWrang
New member
I'd group these people into 3 categories:
1) guys like myself, Cozdude and NFRs who bought a product as rookies, had nothing else to reference besides economic value, short-sighted needs and marketing voodoo and have realized we made either the wrong choice, have no better comparison and are satisfied or know there is better and feel no need to pretend there isn't.
2) fanboys who refuse to believe there is better and would like a rough country lift and tell eddie it ouflexes, out performs and lasts longer than his DTD for pennies by comparison
3)mall crawlers whose lift does nothing more than look cool, kill gas mileage and cost the owner $700.00+
I have noticed a trend though, especially on WAL, that the guys who didn't listen to the sage advice here and actually wheel once in a while know that there IS better, will recommend better and won't stand by their purchase of lift, especially not while going all fanboy. Guys like me, NFRs and Cozdude :thumb:
Sent from my SM-P905V using WAYALIFE mobile app
Silverton34
Member
I bought my second AEV 2.5" lift a couple years ago simply because the first one rode so incredibly well. This second lift was for a new 2dr and it rode HORRIBLE! After fighting it for a month we determined the right front shock was defective and much stiffer than it should have been. We found this checking for loose components after driving and this bad shock was much warmer than the LF shock after driving. Replaced the shock and the ride is amazing. I did use the correction brackets and they work as advertised. I'm not an every weekend off-roader and don't go to the super rough terrain places but simply limit my adventures to Moab and Colorado where there are no issues with the drop brackets.
This kit has since been removed in favor of a long arm system that I have regretted since day one. I really miss the ride and handling of the AEV kits. I only have owned three brands of lifts but the AEV has been far superior to the others. I know this is a brand specific site but I do enjoy the discussions of other brands too.
This kit has since been removed in favor of a long arm system that I have regretted since day one. I really miss the ride and handling of the AEV kits. I only have owned three brands of lifts but the AEV has been far superior to the others. I know this is a brand specific site but I do enjoy the discussions of other brands too.