AEV JK 3.5" Dual Sport Lift

SharkByte

SharkByte

New member
I am looking at having a 3.5" lift put on my Unlimited Rubicon Hard Rock. It seems like AEV makes a really good product. It cost $1,800 and $550 for installation by an authorized AEV dealer. Any thoughts out there about doing this? Are there better lift options. I was going to buy some 35" BF Goodrich KO2's to go on my stock Rubicon rims.

Let me know your thoughts or suggestions? Does this seem like a bad idea?

Thanks!
 
DGP

DGP

New member
Hey Shark, I see you have a new jeep. Congrats! It is very easy to get caught up with all the mods especially since there are so many modified jeeps out there to inspire you. My advice would be to take it slow and learn about your jeeps capabilities in its somewhat stock format. If you must have a lift and are ready to start your build I recommend you do the research and install it yourself. You will learn a lot about your jeep and will be much better off when something inevitably goes wrong out on the trail. Goodluck ;)
 
wayoflife

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
AEV JK 3.5" Dual Sport Lift

jmonty21 said:
You will not regret using any AEV products.
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LOL! I beg to differ. I had the unfortunate pleasure of wheeling an AEV lifted JK again a couple of weeks ago, in Moab and I thought I was going to pee blood. I was reminded how much I dislike the ride and couldn't wait to get back in my Jeep. But hey, that is just me. Not like I would know anything.

BTW - welcome to WAYALIFE
 
Jeepfan30

Jeepfan30

Member
I will start out by saying that I have never owned an AEV suspension, but I have read more unfavorable threads on them than good threads. Main complaint is rough ride as Eddie mentioned. From personal experience I can recommend the EVO Enforcer lift. I have ridden in my friends Jeeps equipped with Metalcloak (Old Man EMU shocks) and Teraflex (Teraflex shocks) and my EVO (Fox shocks) was far better on road & off road IMO.
 
ScoobyCarolanNC

ScoobyCarolanNC

Active Member
wayoflife said:
LOL! I beg to differ. I had the unfortunate pleasure of wheeling an AEV lifted JK again a couple of weeks ago, in Moab and I thought I was going to pee blood. I was reminded how much I dislike the ride and couldn't wait to get back in my Jeep. But hey, that is just me. Not like I would know anything.

BTW - welcome to WAYALIFE
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Just about spit up my coffee lol!
 
M

mastrcruse

New member
I've had a few friends go AEV and as said, shits expensive. Most of the people that have a rough ride ditch the bilsteins that they had (not sure if they come with the lift or not) and changed em' out for something like the rancho 9000s which greatly improved the ride.

But seriously, go evo. They are the best setup and are the absolute best with their plush springs in regards to ride. If this isn't #1 on your list, you need to throw the list in the trash.
 
S

Samlautranger

New member
I had a the AEV 2.5 lift kit on my 2012 Rubicon, and was happy with it. Had local mechanic charge me a couple hundred bucks to do the install. Probably would not use again, as think there are better, less expensive options out there. If going with a 3.5 inch kit, I think one with new adjustable lower control arms is better than the AEV geometry correction brackets.

But, the 2.5" lift kit performed well for me. Had 315 A/T on it and no issues. With the 2.5 kit though, I had to buy a separate (went JKS) adjustable front track bar not included in the kit, to get things right though.

Your dealer install is not a bad price though. The Jeep dealer nearby where I live, that is the official AEV distributor for the state, charges $1000 to install the AEV lift kit, when just checking a few weeks ago. :crazyeyes::shock:
 
SharkByte

SharkByte

New member
DGP said:
Hey Shark, I see you have a new jeep. Congrats! It is very easy to get caught up with all the mods especially since there are so many modified jeeps out there to inspire you. My advice would be to take it slow and learn about your jeeps capabilities in its somewhat stock format. If you must have a lift and are ready to start your build I recommend you do the research and install it yourself. You will learn a lot about your jeep and will be much better off when something inevitably goes wrong out on the trail. Goodluck ;)
Click to expand...

DGP,

You have given me some very sound and good advice here! Your right it is easy to get caught up with all the mods for jeeps. Right now I don't have a clue as to what I am doing...:eek: I think patients is called for here and learn more about all the cool stuff that is out there.

I really appreciate all of the other comments as well... It is great to hear varied opinions and will help me learn more about what is out there. So keep the comments coming!

Thanks!
 
SharkByte

SharkByte

New member
mastrcruse said:
I've had a few friends go AEV and as said, shits expensive. Most of the people that have a rough ride ditch the bilsteins that they had (not sure if they come with the lift or not) and changed em' out for something like the rancho 9000s which greatly improved the ride.

But seriously, go evo. They are the best setup and are the absolute best with their plush springs in regards to ride. If this isn't #1 on your list, you need to throw the list in the trash.
Click to expand...

Thanks! I will definitely check it out!
 
Speedy_RCW

Speedy_RCW

Hooked
I have a JKS system and I'm very happy with the ride. You're close by so feel free to get ahold of me and you can take mine for a spin to see if you like it. I've also heard a lot of great things about the Enforcer but have no personal experience with it. And I definitely agree on doing it yourself. Gonna have to learn to wrench in your own junk unless you're gonna bring along your mechanic on your runs.
 
Moonraker

Moonraker

New member
I think there are a lot of things to consider when you want to life a jeep or anything for that matter.. Your wallet being top of the list...is it for looks,crawling,speed,center of gravity or just somewhere in between. For me,I was already having a low hung crawler built with big horse power. So I went with 4.5 AEV Dual sport RS,and it has be en a great middle ground for me. That being said,if I were only building one JK I would stick with EVO. They have put a ton of real world testing on there kits. I went with the AEV kit for simplicity and highway ride. I have beat on it pretty hard with no issues. If I could go back in time,I would lose my YJ and put my money in EVO Double Trow Down..I guess it ok to dream.....🤔
 
Brute

Brute

Hooked
I have an AEV 4.5 in the Brute...to paraphrase Eddie, "it's an acquired taste"...it actually handles & rides real nice on pavement...but off road, it's stiff. I was going to go with a custom 3 & 4 link on my new build, but eventually decided to go with EVO DTD's front & rear...EVO has turned out to be a great source of knowledge for all things suspension...and very good customer service. I would highly recommend them to anyone. Having been a small business owner for 30+ years, word of mouth advertisement is either the best or worse thing that can happen to your biz...EVO gets my high praise.
 
Moonraker

Moonraker

New member
I've noticed the stiff commits a few times and i kept trying to figure out why I was not going tru that. Than I remembered one the the reasons I went with the AEV kit that I did was so I could carry a bunch of weight and not sag in the rear. I have always had my jeep loaded full of camping gear,chainsaw,tools,dogs,& a bunch of other bs....It's carries the weight well. I guess that makes sense...
 
SharkByte

SharkByte

New member
Moonraker said:
I think there are a lot of things to consider when you want to life a jeep or anything for that matter.. Your wallet being top of the list...is it for looks,crawling,speed,center of gravity or just somewhere in between. For me,I was already having a low hung crawler built with big horse power. So I went with 4.5 AEV Dual sport RS,and it has be en a great middle ground for me. That being said,if I were only building one JK I would stick with EVO. They have put a ton of real world testing on there kits. I went with the AEV kit for simplicity and highway ride. I have beat on it pretty hard with no issues. If I could go back in time,I would lose my YJ and put my money in EVO Double Trow Down..I guess it ok to dream.....樂
Click to expand...

Thank you for your thoughts on this! I am learning a great deal!
 
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