noroad
New member
AAAHHH coilovers :brows: soon!
lift
- Thread starter GNOSIS
- Start date
AAAHHH coilovers :brows: soon!
dcbjk
Caught the Bug
I'm trying bro just so all of you know I have been looking at add-on's for Jeep for over 4 years and I don't even have it yet. But I figured that the best thing to do was not to rush into and just to some researching and talk to guys like y'all who have experience in offroading more than I do and make decisions based off of your opinions and advice and y'all have been helpful all around can't complain with WAYALIFE family.
noroad
New member
Np man, I am trying to get a good groups of stock to low moded jeeps together at the mid/end of Sept to run RC, you should deff come up and campthe weekend with us! meet a couple guys! take a ride in some other guys jeeps as well.
I live in Florida and the only off-road shop is 4 wheel parts and I refuse to shop there unless I absolutely have too. I order online and wait for the parts to come in. That way I get what I want and not having some sales person trying to sell their stuff to me because they get a better commission. EVO items can be purchased from Offroad Evolution or Northridge 4x4 which are both sponsors of this great forum.
Disclaimer: I am not way affiliated with EVO, ORE or Northridge4x4. Just trying to assist others in not making the same mistake I did and waste money on a sub par lift that did not meet my expectations.
R/
Will
dcbjk
Caught the Bug
Do to my lack of knowledge I don't where RC is :idontknow:
dcbjk
Caught the Bug
I agree bud I'm starting to spread out and see what I can do in terms of ordering stuff on-line and I love to make sure I support the forum cause all of my armor I intend to get will be EVO
noroad
New member
Its Rausch creek off road park in PA! shoot me a pm if you wana talk more i dont wana jack the thread to much more!
noroad
New member
hahah just trying to get some new people out on the trails thats all! there is wheeling for every size jeep out there!
JAGS
Hooked
Just don't drink the Creek water.:cheesy:
^^What he said^^, lmao
AlexwBlkJK
New member
I am ALSO trying to get a grip on all these different lift kits.... Reading as much as I can here BEFORE I decide...:crazyeyes:
I know that I do not plan on running tires larger than 35, and may stick with 33's.. I dont plan on doing any rock crawling, if I do it would be MILD... My JK is my DD and I am building it to be more of an overland/expedition jeep.. :thumb:
I went to my local 4 wheel parts and of coarse they want to sell the house brand Rubicon Express... but doing my research I have not found anyone saying anything good about their lifts...
NOW I am looking at the Tera-flex and EVO...:thumb::thumb::thumb:
I really dont want a huge lift.. 2.5-3"... a common budget boost right?... I am SOOO confused... I know I am do for shocks (50k on the JKU) :crazyeyes::crazyeyes:
I see kits with and with out springs, with and with out shocks, new upper control arms, some with nothing more than spacers.... I will install this myself (i have the mechanical knowledge and an awesome set of tools)
all help is appreciated... trying to make heads or tails of some of this stuff is hard...:thinking::thinking:
I know that I do not plan on running tires larger than 35, and may stick with 33's.. I dont plan on doing any rock crawling, if I do it would be MILD... My JK is my DD and I am building it to be more of an overland/expedition jeep.. :thumb:
I went to my local 4 wheel parts and of coarse they want to sell the house brand Rubicon Express... but doing my research I have not found anyone saying anything good about their lifts...
NOW I am looking at the Tera-flex and EVO...:thumb::thumb::thumb:
I really dont want a huge lift.. 2.5-3"... a common budget boost right?... I am SOOO confused... I know I am do for shocks (50k on the JKU) :crazyeyes::crazyeyes:
I see kits with and with out springs, with and with out shocks, new upper control arms, some with nothing more than spacers.... I will install this myself (i have the mechanical knowledge and an awesome set of tools)
all help is appreciated... trying to make heads or tails of some of this stuff is hard...:thinking::thinking:
olram30
Not That Kind of Engineer
I am ALSO trying to get a grip on all these different lift kits.... Reading as much as I can here BEFORE I decide...:crazyeyes:
I know that I do not plan on running tires larger than 35, and may stick with 33's.. I dont plan on doing any rock crawling, if I do it would be MILD... My JK is my DD and I am building it to be more of an overland/expedition jeep.. :thumb:
I went to my local 4 wheel parts and of coarse they want to sell the house brand Rubicon Express... but doing my research I have not found anyone saying anything good about their lifts...
NOW I am looking at the Tera-flex and EVO...:thumb::thumb::thumb:
I really dont want a huge lift.. 2.5-3"... a common budget boost right?... I am SOOO confused... I know I am do for shocks (50k on the JKU) :crazyeyes::crazyeyes:
I see kits with and with out springs, with and with out shocks, new upper control arms, some with nothing more than spacers.... I will install this myself (i have the mechanical knowledge and an awesome set of tools)
all help is appreciated... trying to make heads or tails of some of this stuff is hard...:thinking::thinking:
well, keep doing research before you purchase anything. and sounds like you're on the right track. you going to run flat or factory fender flares? weird as this sounds, it actually makes a difference on what size lift and bump stops to maximize your shock travel. i've changed my mind a few times alreaady on what to do, so i know the struggle man, it's real..
noroad
New member
Just don't drink the Creek water.
Hahah that is in the new member hand out lol!
Being that you are only wanting to run 33"-35", you really should be looking at a standard 2.5" budget boost with coil spacers. Honestly, you really don't need anything more for your needs and anything taller would be too much. Of course, the taller you go, the more you'll need to buy to make it work well.
That's because 4WheelParts bought the Rubicon Express brand after they went out of business and their sales reps get a higher percentage if they sell in-house products. This is why they will also push ProComp and Smittybilt stuff.
Although I am no fan of TeraFlex, they do make a good coil spacer budget boost kit. EVO makes a great leveling kit and for your needs, it's all you'd really need.
Possibly but not necessarily. I wouldn't assume that you need new ones just because of your mileage.
Again, for your purposes and for how you intend to run your Jeep, I would highly recommend a leveling kit of budget boost with coil spacers. You really don't need anything more and the lower ride height will eliminate the need for additional components you would otherwise need. Heck, I would even consider running your factory shocks with extensions.
MR.Ty
Token East Coast Guy
I am ALSO trying to get a grip on all these different lift kits.... Reading as much as I can here BEFORE I decide...:crazyeyes:
I know that I do not plan on running tires larger than 35, and may stick with 33's.. I dont plan on doing any rock crawling, if I do it would be MILD... My JK is my DD and I am building it to be more of an overland/expedition jeep.. :thumb:
I went to my local 4 wheel parts and of coarse they want to sell the house brand Rubicon Express... but doing my research I have not found anyone saying anything good about their lifts...
NOW I am looking at the Tera-flex and EVO...:thumb::thumb::thumb:
I really dont want a huge lift.. 2.5-3"... a common budget boost right?... I am SOOO confused... I know I am do for shocks (50k on the JKU) :crazyeyes::crazyeyes:
I see kits with and with out springs, with and with out shocks, new upper control arms, some with nothing more than spacers.... I will install this myself (i have the mechanical knowledge and an awesome set of tools)
all help is appreciated... trying to make heads or tails of some of this stuff is hard...:thinking::thinking:
"overlanding" http://wayalife.com/showthread.php?t=684
Is this your first jeep?
2014 JKUR
:cheesy: You just had to post that didn't ya :crazyeyes:
MR.Ty
Token East Coast Guy
Christarp
Member
I have the rubicon express 3.5" superflex lift. I am also running BFG KM2 35's
Here's my experiences with it.
The reason I bought it
Mainly cost. So far it's been pretty decent in that regard. It comes with an adjustable track bar (which works fine), a rear track bar bracket (which seems strong enough, and much stronger than some others I have seen, as it ties into the Lower control arm bracket too), springs obviously, Fixed lower control arms, adjustable upper control arms, brake lines, sway bar disconnects, and bump stops. It seemed to have everything I needed (except shocks but you buy those separately on most kits anyway)
Breakdown of each part
1. Adjustable front track bar. The bushing at the axle mount is getting worn as there's not an entire wall of metal for the bushing to sit against in the bracket, so the upper right bit of bushing is getting gradually eaten away by the edge of the axle mount. This so far hasn't caused any problems. The frame end I just have to grease every now and again. A dab of loctite on the jam nut will keep it from coming loose, I have had that happen
2. Rear track bar bracket. Ties into LCA mount at the axle and has a crush sleeve inserted into the factory track bar bracket, works well enough.
3. lower control arms. Not adjustable, heavier than factory control arms and seemed strong enough for what I do right now, haven't broken anything and the finish is holding up fine on them. You need to grease these somewhat regularly, they have grease zerks.
4. Upper control arms. Adjustable, hold up fine just like the lowers. You also need to grease these, they have grease zerks.
5. Sway bar disconnects. Also have held up fine, but I cannot take the bolt off the top as theyre both seized, I torqued them to spec so :idontknow: These have grease zerks as well at the top, and a nice little holder for them when it's disconnected to attach to and hold the sway bar up and out of the way, I like that little detail.
Now, so far everything has performed as expected and seemed fine for the most part sans a few niggles.
How does it ride?
So, here's where I want to be as critical as possible. It's VERY stiff. I have it paired with the bilstein 5100's and the ride is quite stiff, going over a speed bump will pretty much get air and get a very harsh front jounce, definitely "worse" (IMO) than factory suspension with rubicon shocks, which would glide over speed bumps perfectly. There's a lot of shock transfer to the cab. It's also noisier, if you don't keep up on the greasing then you'll get squeaks, and I get squeaks anyway with the suspension in a droop that I didn't with the factory suspension. I am running with a heavier evo tire carrier in the back now and that helped the stiffer ride, but with a factory bumper in front still and no winch the front is not very forgiving to your kidneys.
The lift itself
I got a lot more than i expected. In fact when I didn't have the evo tire carrier it looked kinda funny sitting on 35's. When I had the top and doors off it would sit awkwardly high on 35's. Now that I have the tire carrier the rear sits just fine I think, but again, my front is still higher than I want. Keep in mind, I have factory uncut flares. If you plan to cut your flares you're going to have the most awkward looking ride with 35's
Problems
I've already mentioned the front track bar bushing, seized bolts on the swaybar links, and quite harsh ride, but I want to bring to light a bigger issue. The provided bump stops in the kit are not long enough in the front. The springs will bottom out and completely collapse and go solid before you're completely compressing the bump stop foam. This means bottoming out is 1. Not as predictable as a feeling, 2. Hard on the springs, and 3. The shocks for a 2-4" lift (listed on sites as general shocks you buy when looking at JK specific ones) will actually bottom out as well and also act as a bump stop! This will destroy your shocks in no time at all. I thought I had a picture of it flexed and showing solid coils, but alas I don't seem to have it. I have personally witnessed it though.
The other BIG problem, is my front driveshaft, unless you want to replace it, get a different kit. My slip shaft boot is completely torn off right now, and the CV joint is at a very extreme angle. It's on its way out and going to be busted any time now. The instructions state you have to remove the skid plate to make clearance for your driveshaft, but if you do that you'll definitely kill your CV boot and destroy it there, if you don't take it out, you'll be notching the skid plate when you fully extend and be rubbing the driveshaft on it, thus tearing the slip shaft boot and eventually cutting your driveshaft in half probably :cheesy: It's a lose lose situation. I opted to keep my factory skid plate because I don't want to remove protection that was already there just to destroy my driveshaft differently...
Also, another thing I wanted to mention was my kit came with 2 right rear braided brake lines. I contacted them and they didn't offer to send out the left one, they actually said "it'll still work fine", and it does, but there's not as much clearance against my tire as there should be. If I was running more backspacing I'd be rubbing the lines regularly. I was not happy that they sent the wrong part and essentially said "deal with it".
Overall, It's an okay lift for the price, but it has its issues. I have also personally driven (a lot) a 2 door JK with a 4" rancho lift (which actually sits lower than my rubicon express 3.5" superflex! [but he also has full steel bumpers]), with adjustable rancho 9000XL shocks, and the difference in ride is night and day, not nearly as harsh as the rubicon express kit. All that being said, would I buy this kit again? Probably not, I am not too unhappy with it, but there are better choices. I could probably fit 37's on this kit with minimal cutting. I can't imagine how tall the 4.5" rubicon express superflex kit actually sits :crazyeyes:
Hope that bit of info helped your decision making, I dunno.
Here's my experiences with it.
The reason I bought it
Mainly cost. So far it's been pretty decent in that regard. It comes with an adjustable track bar (which works fine), a rear track bar bracket (which seems strong enough, and much stronger than some others I have seen, as it ties into the Lower control arm bracket too), springs obviously, Fixed lower control arms, adjustable upper control arms, brake lines, sway bar disconnects, and bump stops. It seemed to have everything I needed (except shocks but you buy those separately on most kits anyway)
Breakdown of each part
1. Adjustable front track bar. The bushing at the axle mount is getting worn as there's not an entire wall of metal for the bushing to sit against in the bracket, so the upper right bit of bushing is getting gradually eaten away by the edge of the axle mount. This so far hasn't caused any problems. The frame end I just have to grease every now and again. A dab of loctite on the jam nut will keep it from coming loose, I have had that happen
2. Rear track bar bracket. Ties into LCA mount at the axle and has a crush sleeve inserted into the factory track bar bracket, works well enough.
3. lower control arms. Not adjustable, heavier than factory control arms and seemed strong enough for what I do right now, haven't broken anything and the finish is holding up fine on them. You need to grease these somewhat regularly, they have grease zerks.
4. Upper control arms. Adjustable, hold up fine just like the lowers. You also need to grease these, they have grease zerks.
5. Sway bar disconnects. Also have held up fine, but I cannot take the bolt off the top as theyre both seized, I torqued them to spec so :idontknow: These have grease zerks as well at the top, and a nice little holder for them when it's disconnected to attach to and hold the sway bar up and out of the way, I like that little detail.
Now, so far everything has performed as expected and seemed fine for the most part sans a few niggles.
How does it ride?
So, here's where I want to be as critical as possible. It's VERY stiff. I have it paired with the bilstein 5100's and the ride is quite stiff, going over a speed bump will pretty much get air and get a very harsh front jounce, definitely "worse" (IMO) than factory suspension with rubicon shocks, which would glide over speed bumps perfectly. There's a lot of shock transfer to the cab. It's also noisier, if you don't keep up on the greasing then you'll get squeaks, and I get squeaks anyway with the suspension in a droop that I didn't with the factory suspension. I am running with a heavier evo tire carrier in the back now and that helped the stiffer ride, but with a factory bumper in front still and no winch the front is not very forgiving to your kidneys.
The lift itself
I got a lot more than i expected. In fact when I didn't have the evo tire carrier it looked kinda funny sitting on 35's. When I had the top and doors off it would sit awkwardly high on 35's. Now that I have the tire carrier the rear sits just fine I think, but again, my front is still higher than I want. Keep in mind, I have factory uncut flares. If you plan to cut your flares you're going to have the most awkward looking ride with 35's
Problems
I've already mentioned the front track bar bushing, seized bolts on the swaybar links, and quite harsh ride, but I want to bring to light a bigger issue. The provided bump stops in the kit are not long enough in the front. The springs will bottom out and completely collapse and go solid before you're completely compressing the bump stop foam. This means bottoming out is 1. Not as predictable as a feeling, 2. Hard on the springs, and 3. The shocks for a 2-4" lift (listed on sites as general shocks you buy when looking at JK specific ones) will actually bottom out as well and also act as a bump stop! This will destroy your shocks in no time at all. I thought I had a picture of it flexed and showing solid coils, but alas I don't seem to have it. I have personally witnessed it though.
The other BIG problem, is my front driveshaft, unless you want to replace it, get a different kit. My slip shaft boot is completely torn off right now, and the CV joint is at a very extreme angle. It's on its way out and going to be busted any time now. The instructions state you have to remove the skid plate to make clearance for your driveshaft, but if you do that you'll definitely kill your CV boot and destroy it there, if you don't take it out, you'll be notching the skid plate when you fully extend and be rubbing the driveshaft on it, thus tearing the slip shaft boot and eventually cutting your driveshaft in half probably :cheesy: It's a lose lose situation. I opted to keep my factory skid plate because I don't want to remove protection that was already there just to destroy my driveshaft differently...
Also, another thing I wanted to mention was my kit came with 2 right rear braided brake lines. I contacted them and they didn't offer to send out the left one, they actually said "it'll still work fine", and it does, but there's not as much clearance against my tire as there should be. If I was running more backspacing I'd be rubbing the lines regularly. I was not happy that they sent the wrong part and essentially said "deal with it".
Overall, It's an okay lift for the price, but it has its issues. I have also personally driven (a lot) a 2 door JK with a 4" rancho lift (which actually sits lower than my rubicon express 3.5" superflex! [but he also has full steel bumpers]), with adjustable rancho 9000XL shocks, and the difference in ride is night and day, not nearly as harsh as the rubicon express kit. All that being said, would I buy this kit again? Probably not, I am not too unhappy with it, but there are better choices. I could probably fit 37's on this kit with minimal cutting. I can't imagine how tall the 4.5" rubicon express superflex kit actually sits :crazyeyes:
Hope that bit of info helped your decision making, I dunno.
Last edited:
tapcola
New member
YEP! I ha e the same lift and ditto to all the above , I have no bumpers yet . but it is a hard ride ! I have their shocks and yep it a little short on bumps , its been on for over a year now and I am looking into some 4 plush rides and RS9000s to soften things up a little .No I would not buy this lift again either saving for EVO 4 LA and bolt on COs !