Noob time - lift questions

Hey all, appreciate the forum and some of the more pragmatic views of lifts, and what is really needed. I know you are probably tired of these questions, so accept my apologies up front.


I hope to provide all the details you will need up front, but if I miss anything let me know.

Jeep - 2012 unlimited rubicon
4.10 gearing
plans on some extra weight, to include bumpers front/rear, tire carrier, and winch. Probably a skid for oil pan/transfer case.
This is not a daily driver at this time, but may turn into that in a couple years.

I was considering 33s, but I am pretty sure now that I will stick with 35s. I will want a quiet mud or aggressive AT tire, as I live in TX and any spots to wheel are over an hour away, and we are planning trips all over the place to do some exploring, so long highway days will be in the mix. Been kicking around the Kelly TSR, Hankook MT, Cooper SST or ST max, etc.

offroading will be mixed. Reasonable trips will include stuff I can clear in factory form, but the Superlift OHV park in Arkansas isnt too far off, so that iss a plan. Hope to run some more difficult trails, but I will probably be a bit cautious for a while as I am learning, and the wife as well.

I know I can fit 35s with a budget boost. I would prefer a coil lift with good ride. I dont know if I will ever go bigger than 35s, but who knows.

I was initially planning on something like a RK 1.5", flat fenders, and seeing how things went. I then decided a 2.5" made more sense, so the RK 2.5 looked good, looked into MetalCloak 2.5 duroflex, and now I am also looking at the Enforcer lift at 3".

From reading here I know a new front driveshaft will be needed. I will probably do the Rancho pipe kit as a temp fix, and plan on a new front driveshaft some time soon after that.

The Metalcloak has no front lowers, so adding those would put me around $1500 + shocks. Has front track bar, upper front arms, rear track bar bracket, bump stops, brake lines, etc.

The RK would be the Flex system with coils and front lower control arms, front track bar, and rear bracket, brake lines. would have to add bump stops, shocks, not sure what else.

The Evo has the coils, front arms, rear track bar bracket, brake line extensions, bump stops, sway bar end links. I think I would do the draglink flip kit so no front track bar is needed, and then I would need to add shocks.

All will be relatively close in cost, a bit under $2k to include shocks.

Will any of these be a problem, or not work well? I know the feeling about the MetalCloak springs on here - I like the design of the control arms and joints, but I dont know enough to say if they are better than anything else. I wasnt even looking at the EVO until I found this site, but the kit looks pretty good. But the 3" and need for the new front shaft sooner has me hesitant.

Anything else I should consider, things I am missing, etc?

Thanks!

Well first things first, ride is 100% subjective and everyone has their favorites. I have had the Pro-Cpmp 2.5 inch lift with their ES9000 shocks and did not like it. I have since switched to the EVO Plush Ride coils and love the ride. I have also paired the coils with Rancho RS9000 XL.

I would recommend find some people with different lifts and take a ride to see what you like and do not like. That way you can make the best choice.

As for the mental cloak lifts I am not a fan of their joints. Seems like they are going to be stiff. One of the members here had their toe rod and ended up bending it on their last run to the rubicon.

I am savings for the EVO bolt on Coilovers and drag link flip.

R/
Will


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I'm in the same boat as you being in Houston, lots of highway miles to get to a good trail. I am running the RK 3.5" X Factor system (Bilstein 5100) and while the setup is fantastic on the trails I am not overly impressed with the highway ride. I am also not happy with the rear lower control arms and how far they push the axle back (I did not do my homework here :grayno.

I would also second the recommendation to catch rides in other rigs as well. (I know, easier said that done.)

Flat Top said:

I'm in the same boat as you being in Houston, lots of highway miles to get to a good trail. I am running the RK 3.5" X Factor system (Bilstein 5100) and while the setup is fantastic on the trails I am not overly impressed with the highway ride. I am also not happy with the rear lower control arms and how far they push the axle back (I did not do my homework here :grayno.

I would also second the recommendation to catch rides in other rigs as well. (I know, easier said that done.)

Click to expand...

What issues on the highway ?
I agree, pushing the axle back that far is not for everybody. I do know You can run the rear lowers all the way in and cut down the uppers. The threads within the arm are deep enough.
Do you have a high steer setup ?
Lastly, what gen coils do you have ?

I would read and spend time in the build threads. A lot of people ask and want to know what will work for them. Now it is hard for someone to say what will work for someone else. A Wrangler to me is probably the most customizable vehicle in the world and there are tons of different ideas, comforts, and thoughts of each person and what they want and what is affordable and comfortable to them.

I was in the same boat and wasnt sure what to get or what i wanted and being a first time Jeep owner i hadnt a clue. Just search through build threads, search through the install write ups, and look through all the questions ones before you have asked.

Here you will find a devote population to the enforcer lift and plush ride coils. this is because they are really a quality product from a great company. I can cruise all day on the highway doing 90 and i feel just fine.

For 33s, stay away from them if your lifting, they will look silly. I had my 35s on with stock suspension and had minimal rubbing which was a quick fix. For fenders, look through threads and see if you like the idea of just cutting your stock ones to save some
money and still get you the flat fender look.

Cant wait to see your own build thread started and have us watch you create your rig.

i have the Clayton 3.5" lift all the arms etc... on my 2010 jku my stock driveshaft lasted about 2 yrs before I had to replace it. with a 3" lift you can probably run your stock shaft for a while depending on how often and aggressive you wheel.
I've driven jeeps with the enforcer springs and it's a nice ride
I'd recommend a good AT tire, I've run the falken they did well all around but not so much in the snow where I spend time so now i run BFG KO AT's

Thanks for posting up thoughts, and the details on how long your stock DS lasted JEEEEP. I am probably wrong, but I understand that the front DS is more an an issue for the 12+ vs the 07-11 models.

and to all the others, thanks as well. I am reading a lot on here and other sites, but due to the amount of customization and mods people do, it is sometimes confusing as to what parts are needed, wanted, good to have, or just wasting cash.

I have to be realistic with my wheeling time - wife and I have a lot of other hobbies that take up time and money, this is going to see destination trips once or twice per year, where we would head to Big Bend, Ouray, Durango, Utah, California, etc. for offroad trips. Probably a couple more times a year as a secondary part of the trip (ie, stop at the Superlift park in Arkansas on the way up to northern Ark/Missouri to go fishing) and a solid handful of times going to spots within a 2 hour drive with family and friends. I would realistically call it 10-15 times per year.

Right now I am going through level 2 and 3 trails (with places with 1-4 and 1-5 ratings). We have high-centered on a couple of hills, and some of those places with heavy ruts/high spots in the center, but no real issues with getting up stuff as long as the clearance is there.


While I know this type of post is typically "what lift should I buy", I am really looking for "if you get the RK kit you will need these additional parts", or "MetalCloak is ready to wheel, be careful of the joints (thanks, BTW)", or "Evo kit rocks all you need, except wheels/tires, and a drive shaft".

I know that the Jeep is still more capable than my skills, and probably will be for a while, and that all the lifts should do fine. I just want to know exactly what I am keeping an eye out for, what I will need to get ready for the lift, etc.

I have ran several sets of the BFG ATs and for a daily driver 4x4 needing a little more than street tires they work great. They seem to do great on trails until you are treating it like an MT. I wouldnt hesitate to run them on any daily driver 4x4. The Nitto Trail Grappler is an MT and from what I've seen on the www it looks like it performs great both on road and off. I have not ran them though only hoping and dreaming to at this point. Lots of others on this forum run the Nittos.

The AT would probably be something like the Duratrac/Kelly TSR/Fierce MT (all essentially the same tire, from my understanding, all on same casing/rubber/load range) and all fairly light-weight vs Nitto/Toyo.

This wont be a daily driver, just need to not be annoyed or have a head ache from the drone when I get somewhere a few hundred miles away.

EVO plushrides, Rancho 9000 shocks (or 7000s if you wheel harder), control arms, and you should be good. I run an AEV 2.5" and wish I went the EVO plush route.

2007blackJk said:

What issues on the highway ?
I agree, pushing the axle back that far is not for everybody. I do know You can run the rear lowers all the way in and cut down the uppers. The threads within the arm are deep enough.
Do you have a high steer setup ?
Lastly, what gen coils do you have ?

Click to expand...

I understand the reasoning for pushing back the axle, I just don't like how the springs sit in the rear.

The ride itself is pretty damn rough unless I am on very smooth pavement, lot's of feedback through the steering wheel. I understand that it's a Wrangler but the setup is NOT better than stock, maybe my expectations are too high.

As far as high steer, I have the flip kit with the RK HD Drag Link.

I purchased my kit in Jan of 13 so I assume these are First gen springs.

el_chupo_ said:

The AT would probably be something like the Duratrac/Kelly TSR/Fierce MT (all essentially the same tire, from my understanding, all on same casing/rubber/load range) and all fairly light-weight vs Nitto/Toyo.

This wont be a daily driver, just need to not be annoyed or have a head ache from the drone when I get somewhere a few hundred miles away.

Click to expand...

I just switched from 35" Mickey Thompson ATZ which were pretty quite to 37" Nitto Trail Grapplers and I did not notice any big increase in noise. There is a bit more hum at highway speeds with the doors off but nothing annoying like you would hear when a lifted F250 with mud tires and truck nutz passes you up on the highway.

Flat Top said:

I understand the reasoning for pushing back the axle, I just don't like how the springs sit in the rear.

The ride itself is pretty damn rough unless I am on very smooth pavement, lot's of feedback through the steering wheel. I understand that it's a Wrangler but the setup is NOT better than stock, maybe my expectations are too high.

As far as high steer, I have the flip kit with the RK HD Drag Link.

I purchased my kit in Jan of 13 so I assume these are First gen springs.

Click to expand...

Fwiw .. I switched from the new RK coils to EVO's. The first gen coils rode worse then the TF coils they replaced. No comparison with the new triple rates. The Evo's handle bumps smoother and the way it handles over uneven road. All run with 9000 shock. Height stayed the same too. Maybe a little less with the EVO coils.
I was just giving you or anybody else running the RK Rear arms ideas.

Dragging this back up to avoid another thread. A slight detour/change in direction for the plans.

At this point (no thanks to all of the stuff on this forum) I am considering 37s, in the future. For that to happen and me to be happy, I know I will want a regear (or new axle), probably a 3.5 or 4" lift, new drive shaft. I also know that I dont want to waste a bunch of money on stuff that will be replaced when I go that route, so I am looking at a "temporary" setup to get a little more clearance and capability for a little while, while I save to do it right.

Due to the above I have decided that staying around 2", chopped fenders, and 35's to be the into. I know locally that used 35" tires will sell pretty well, so I am good with that. I also know that I will need new tires in the not too distant future. By sticking at 2" and 35s I wont need to worry about the regear with the 4.10s it already has, and from my understanding the drive shaft will be OK. Please correct me if I am wrong. Will probably go with new shocks as well.


Right now I am debating between the Evo 1.5" leveling kit, a Rancho 2" kit, and a generic coil spacer kit.

All of these would have the 9000 series shocks, unless I am better off with stock shocks for some reason.

I anticipate going to a new bumper and winch in the future (before 37s), so the "lift" would need to be able to handle that. Exhaust spacer kit could be added if needed, would prefer not to. The Dynomax exhaust kit may be in the future as well.



So am I missing anything, need to consider anything, or does anyone want to push me toward one of these options to clear 35s and have a bit more fun offroad?

Thanks