Jeep what lift kit to buy? 2018 JKUR

[gijohn40]

Bought a new JKUR and now I need to figure out what lift to put on it. I have looked at a few and they all have some niche item that makes them unique.
I looked at the Rough Country 3.5 inch it has brackets that lower the control arms at the frame side to keep the geometry correct. I am not sure if that really is a needed item.
Next I looked at the Teraflex 2.5-3 inch and I liked what I saw there too.

I do not plan on going any bigger then 35 inch tires and I am not going to be doing any hardcore trails with this either so just need something to get it up a little and level out the front end. So tell me what your running and if you can add a picture so I can see what it looks like.

 

[rholbrook]

My suggestion is what ever lift you end up with, go an extra 1/2 in the front with a spacer if you add a winch and bumper.

 

[TRD270]

Teraflex has good stuff. My brief experience with my JKU I would highly recommend whatever you purchase make sure you get adjustable control arms for the front. I only lifted mine 2" and it really changed the drivability, had I kept it the very next purchase would have been adjustable arms to get the front end back where it needed to be.

 

[pkrfctr]

Huge fan of AEV. Most of these lift company kits are designed by mechanical engineers, nothing wrong with that per se, but AEV uses full suspension engineers. You're going to pay a little more but the ride is exactly like or better than factory. I know the guy that designs for AEV, chrysler spent big money teaching him how to design suspensions.

 

[DAA]

I've always been real happy with all the AEV stuff I have put on my LJ. A JLRU is on the possible list for my Wife's next vehicle. If that happens, we might have to wait and see what AEV comes up with for the JL before I start messing with it. I don't think they have anything out for the JL yet though.

- DAA

 

[gijohn40]

I looked at the AEV 3 inch lift with the progressive rate coils and that is still one of the top lifts I am considering.

As far as the adjustable control arms the rough country lift actually lowers the mounts for the control arms so they stay where they where originally at so to speak.

 

[Greg]

You know what I'm going to say.... support the local companies that build amazing Jeep products.

If I were in your shoes, I'd strongly consider the Teraflex 2.5” Sport ST2 Suspension System w/ Falcon 2.1 Shocks. They have a kit that comes with longer lower control arms to put your caster back to stock, like @TRD270 mentioned. It also includes their upgraded bump stops (which are actually simple, yet awesome), a HD forged front trackbar and you can get the kit with Falcon 2.1 shocks. These are the least expensive, not adjustable shocks. I ran them on my JKU for almost a year and loved them, they worked great. The entire kit is $1800, which isn't bad when you consider everything it comes with.

And the Falcons are awesome, they are the biggest upgrade that affects how the Jeep will ride on road and off.

I'm sure a few of our Teraflex dealers could get the parts to you quickly..... @Anchor_Mtn , @Agility Customs , @mesha

Personal opinion.... I'm not a fan of lowering brackets for the control arms.

 

[pkrfctr]

I've always been real happy with all the AEV stuff I have put on my LJ. A JLRU is on the possible list for my Wife's next vehicle. If that happens, we might have to wait and see what AEV comes up with for the JL before I start messing with it. I don't think they have anything out for the JL yet though.

- DAA

He'll be done with the JL stuff any time time now and its awesome.

 

[Bart]

This x 2. Just a bad way to correct geometry.

Personal opinion.... I'm not a fan of lowering brackets for the control arms.

 

[Jesser04]

You know what I'm going to say.... support the local companies that build amazing Jeep products.

If I were in your shoes, I'd strongly consider the Teraflex 2.5” Sport ST2 Suspension System w/ Falcon 2.1 Shocks. That kit comes with longer lower control arms to put your caster back to stock, like @TRD270 mentioned. It also includes their upgraded bump stops (which are actually simple, yet awesome) and you can get the kit with Falcon 2.1 shocks. These are the least expensive, not adjustable shocks. I ran them on my JKU for almost a year and loved them, they worked great. The entire kit is $1650, which isn't bad when you consider everything it comes with. And the Falcons are awesome, they are the biggest upgrade that affects how the Jeep will ride on road and off!

https://teraflex.com/shop_items/5bf59cc156d70ed493a5b544

I'm sure a few of our Teraflex dealers could get the parts to you quickly..... @Anchor_Mtn , @Agility Customs , @mesha

Personal opinion.... I'm not a fan of lowering brackets for the control arms.

This

 

[Johnny Quest]

x3 on support local companies.

If you get a chance, come down to Teraflex; we're located in West Jordan. I would be happy to show you around, and we can figure out which of our lift kits is the perfect one for you.

 

[Greg]

x3 on support local companies.

If you get a chance, come down to Teraflex; we're located in West Jordan. I would be happy to show you around, and we can figure out which of our lift kits is the perfect one for you.

That is an awesome invitation, @gijohn40 !

 

[rholbrook]

You need more than 2 1/2” with 35s. Mine rub when wheeling off camber areas. I went 3” in front and 2 1/2” in the rear. It needs a minimum of 3 1/2” in the rear

 

[Anchor_Mtn]

I ran the AEV 2.5" dual sport on my jku with 35s for about 3 years and it worked well. I have since moved on to Evo Mfg. 3" plush rice coils and Falcon 3.3 series shocks and the jeep works 10x better than before. Softer ride, better handling and way more articulation.

If I was to recommend a single kit it would be the Teraflex 2.5 or 3.5 ST with the best Falcon shocks your budget will allow. The shocks will be the best investment you can make in the lift kit.

Don't forget about our PSH sale coming up

 

[Herzog]

Teraflex has good stuff. My brief experience with my JKU I would highly recommend whatever you purchase make sure you get adjustable control arms for the front. I only lifted mine 2" and it really changed the drivability, had I kept it the very next purchase would have been adjustable arms to get the front end back where it needed to be.

I just dealt with this exact problem with my parent's JKU. Simple 2" lift and the castor was out enough to cause horrible manners on the road. Adjusted it back with cam bolts on their setup since it doesn't see anything crazy other than the scenic trails and they say it's a huge difference.

So, long story short: x2 on the adustable front CA's.

 

[Herzog]

Also - sleeve the front axle ASAP. Their housing was bent and it had only seen mild scenic trails on 33" tires (2017 first owner). The dealer did warranty it and put a new one in, but nice to avoid that hassle. We sleeved the new housing after they replaced it.

 

[Oscar da Grouch]

I've probably installed every major brand of lift on a JK. They all have their issues which is why I had a franken lift on mine.
If you really only plan on 35s and youve got the Rubicon you can easily get away with just a set of spacers or cheep coils. Stop at 2.5 in and if you find you need more room trim the fenders or get aftermarkets. I ran 37s on a 5in lift and then dropped it to a 2.5 and it was light years better and was much easier on the steering angles and drive line angles. Check your spring numbers if you have the good ones (last two numerical digits on tag indicates strength) then a set of pucks will last you till you wear out the oem ones. 18 front and 58 rear are pretty standard for rubicons. lower than that get new coils. higher than that usually only came on the ones with oem metal bumpers like the hardrock

@Herzog has a valid point but I would suggest a truss before the sleeves. I've seen too many tubes snap and the sleeve slide out. #1 thing is make sure you put C gussets in. The 44 in the front of the jeep is actually a 30/44 hybrid. The only difference is the chunk. The Cs are very week and like to bend with heavy tires.

At a 2.5 lift you dont need control arms. Wait till you bend them to upgrade. If I was going to do it all over again I would buy these parts separate and just replace what wears out or breaks as I go.

2.5 in coils (probably teraflex. Love those guys)
bag of hockey pucks for bump stops
Rear sway bar links. (move the rears to the front)
4in brake lines (dont do extenison brackets you cheap bastard )

Install all that and flex it out setting the hockey pucks for bump stops to keep the tires out of the fenders at stuff.
once you have all that stuff the tires and figure out what the max length of a collapsed shock will fit and find a set that fits in there.
I dont buy shocks based off what the lift guys call them. (ie shock for 2-3in of lift) I've found they are seldom optimal. On my Rubi I had what they refered to as 6in shocks in the front and 4in the rear on a 2.5 lift. At full stuff onto the bump stops i still had a half inch of shaft showing. If I had gone with the recommended lengths it would have been a shit ton of wasted travel.

 

[TRD270]

At a 2.5 lift you dont need control arms. Wait till you bend them to upgrade. If I was going to do it all over again I would buy these parts separate and just replace what wears out or breaks as I go.

I very much disagree with this. The driving characteristics were horrible on my rubicon with a 2.5 in lift. It completely changed the road manners. Fixing the caster angle is a must unless you want to wander all over the road

 

[Oscar da Grouch]

I very much disagree with this. The driving characteristics were horrible on my rubicon with a 2.5 in lift. It completely changed the road manners. Fixing the caster angle is a must unless you want to wander all over the road

That s not my experience. Especially with a 4 door. Are you sure you got an actual 2.5" Ive seen 3in coils get 5in of lift on some rigs. This generally happens to two doors who get 4 door coils.

Setting toe and an adjustable track bar I consider necessities. Thanks for reminding me I neglected to mention that before.

 

[mesha]

Thanks for your PM @gijohn40 sorry it took so long to respond I am out of town. I can still get you taken care of when the internet here is working.