AEV 2.5 vs Quadratec

DanW

DanW

Member
I'm torn between 2 lifts. I'm swapping out my old 2" AEV spacer lift, which has served me well, for a 2.5" lift. I've narrowed it down to AEV and Quadratec.

My cousin just put the AEV on his 2018 JKU and it performs very well. We took it to Moab last week and I was very impressed. It rides slightly stiff for my liking, but handles really well on and off road. I like the stance, but with my winch, it might have a little rake, whereas I'd like it to stay level. (Anyone with this lift and a winch please share how it looks). I like that AEV appears to have put a great deal of thought into the rear suspension, too, with a new track bar and bracket.

The Quadratec is about $170 less and has Fox shocks. I LOVE the Fox shocks on my Mopar lift, so I'd be a bit partial to these. I'm also told that this lift rides a little softer and that there is no rake with a winch on the front. (Stays level). It uses the stock rear track bar with a realignment bracket, which is where I'm a little unsure. Does this setup work as well as AEV's in terms of handling, articulation, etc?

I'd love to hear some feedback from owners of both lifts. I'm likely to stick with 33's on the JK but could possibly go to a lightweight C load rated 35" tire, eventually.
 
Ride quality is totally subjective and a lot of what you might be feeling in terms of "stiff" could easily be attributed to tires with a higher load range or filled with too much air. Of the two lifts you're considering, I personally would choose the AEV lift if only because it really is a more complete lift and one that I have found to handle well. Unfortunately, I do not have any experience with the Quadratec kit you're referring to so I couldn't say with any real authority on how it performs.
 
I have not run either of those lifts so I can't give you real insight, but I do currently run Rancho's 2.5" lift on both of my JKUR's with RS9000XL shocks and have been happy with the results. If you are worried about a little bit of a rake you should be able to add a small spacer (like a 1/2") to the front to balance everything out.
 
Sharkey said:
I have not run either of those lifts so I can't give you real insight, but I do currently run Rancho's 2.5" lift on both of my JKUR's with RS9000XL shocks and have been happy with the results. If you are worried about a little bit of a rake you should be able to add a small spacer (like a 1/2") to the front to balance everything out.
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I'd have to agree with this ^^^^

In my opinion, it's better to run a spacer to help compensate for a rake than to run a stiffer spring.
 
I have always been a fan of Fox, and have Fox 2.0's in my Synergy 3.5" lift, and frankly I will likely move to the Ranchos as my shocks get older. The ride is good, just "stiff" as Eddie mentioned.
 
I have never ran an AEV kit in any of my Jeeps, But have worked with them on other units. I like the quality of the product and have had no issues. As stated above ride quality is subjective. No clue about the Quadratec kit, I would assume its a rebranded kit of some sort. I would not by a kit solely on what they put on for shocks. that's an easy change/upgrade for any kit really. What's going to be better longevity wise for the Jeep? you already know how you like the AEV kit.
 
I had the AEV 2.5 on my JKU first and thought it was nice. This was my first lifted vehicle of any kind though so no comparison at the time.

I really had no complaints about it and only changed it to go up to 3.5 and 37s. All my driving was on pavement for the life of the AEV lift. No real idea how it feels Offroad.

I’d have no hesitation getting it again if it was solely a daily driver.
 
So, I just put a 2.5” JKS with Fox 2.0 shocks on my 2013 JK and can’t believe how good it rides on the street and performs on the trails. It blows my old Mopar out of the water. But for reference, the Mopar lift was on a 2012 JKU and the JKS is on a 2013 JK.
I know you’re talking about AEV vs. Quadratec, but just giving you another option. I think they’re in the same price range.
 

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Sharkey said:
I have not run either of those lifts so I can't give you real insight, but I do currently run Rancho's 2.5" lift on both of my JKUR's with RS9000XL shocks and have been happy with the results. If you are worried about a little bit of a rake you should be able to add a small spacer (like a 1/2") to the front to balance everything out.
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All I see from Rancho are 2" kits. Where did you find a 2.5? I have heard the RS9000xl shocks can be dialed in for a pretty smooth ride.
 
FFPulley77 said:
So, I just put a 2.5” JKS with Fox 2.0 shocks on my 2013 JK and can’t believe how good it rides on the street and performs on the trails. It blows my old Mopar out of the water. But for reference, the Mopar lift was on a 2012 JKU and the JKS is on a 2013 JK.
I know you’re talking about AEV vs. Quadratec, but just giving you another option. I think they’re in the same price range.
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Where did you Buy your JKS? Did yours come with the adjustable F/R track bars? The best I'm seeing is $1,231.
 
wayoflife said:
Ride quality is totally subjective and a lot of what you might be feeling in terms of "stiff" could easily be attributed to tires with a higher load range or filled with too much air. Of the two lifts you're considering, I personally would choose the AEV lift if only because it really is a more complete lift and one that I have found to handle well. Unfortunately, I do not have any experience with the Quadratec kit you're referring to so I couldn't say with any real authority on how it performs.
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The tires on his JKU are 33" Wildpeak MT's and they are C load range, so I think they are a pretty good riding tire. I've got 33" KO2's in C load range that will be staying on it for awhile as they don't have many miles on them. We just got back from Moab and his Jeep's AEV suspension did very well off-road. I can probably live with it being a little stiffer than I'd like. I think the problem is that my JL's ride has spoiled me. It has the Mopar lift with Fox shocks and it has a very plush ride both on and off road. I doubt there's any combo I could do on the JK that will ride that good, but the closer I can get the better.
 
DanW said:
Where did you Buy your JKS? Did yours come with the adjustable F/R track bars? The best I'm seeing is $1,231.
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I bought it through my local shop. It came with adjustable front track bar, rear track bar brace/bracket and front sway bar quick disconnects. It’s their J-Venture kit. And that price seems about right.
 
The main thing making me hesitate on the Quadratec lift is the way they did the rear track bar. It is probably fine, but it just doesn't look like they put the engineering effort into it that AEV did. I do know the AEV handles really well on the road, and my cousin was beyond thrilled with its performance off-road in Moab.

I like what I see in the JKS kit except the price gets a little out of my range for this old Jeep. I'd like that extra $200 bucks to go toward an auxillary lighting upgrade.

One small but nice thing is that I won't have to mess with bump stops on the install, as my Jeep has bump stop extensions already in place with the old AEV spacer lift that's coming off.

The main reasons I want to do this is to first get a little more breakover angle. Approach/departure improvement is good, too, even if slight. Also, I want to level it out. I feel the rake is just too much, looking like an old Chevy C/K with an empty bed. I'm currently running Rancho RX5000 shocks and they've been ok, but I think either the Bilstein or Fox shocks will be a nice upgrade. In the process I'd like improved ride. Handling will be a bonus.

My son is 17 and just learned to drive the manual transmission and he LOVES this old JK. So we're fixing it up so he can drive it on our off-road trips. (Note: He's not getting the Jeep for himself, as he'd like. He only gets it on the adventures! Lol!) But I want it to close the gap in capability with the JL a bit so he can go mostly where I go.

Here is its current condition. Sorry I didn't post a pic sooner.

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And here is my cousin's 2018 JKU (No winch or custom bumper) on the AEV lift right after we completed the installation. I think you can see here that it is leveled out better.

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I have had no issues with my 3.5 AEV. It is great on road and good offroad for what i do. Only thing i hate about it is their paint peeling off.
 
DanW said:
The main thing making me hesitate on the Quadratec lift is the way they did the rear track bar. It is probably fine, but it just doesn't look like they put the engineering effort into it that AEV did. I do know the AEV handles really well on the road, and my cousin was beyond thrilled with its performance off-road in Moab.

I like what I see in the JKS kit except the price gets a little out of my range for this old Jeep. I'd like that extra $200 bucks to go toward an auxillary lighting upgrade.

One small but nice thing is that I won't have to mess with bump stops on the install, as my Jeep has bump stop extensions already in place with the old AEV spacer lift that's coming off.

The main reasons I want to do this is to first get a little more breakover angle. Approach/departure improvement is good, too, even if slight. Also, I want to level it out. I feel the rake is just too much, looking like an old Chevy C/K with an empty bed. I'm currently running Rancho RX5000 shocks and they've been ok, but I think either the Bilstein or Fox shocks will be a nice upgrade. In the process I'd like improved ride. Handling will be a bonus.

My son is 17 and just learned to drive the manual transmission and he LOVES this old JK. So we're fixing it up so he can drive it on our off-road trips. (Note: He's not getting the Jeep for himself, as he'd like. He only gets it on the adventures! Lol!) But I want it to close the gap in capability with the JL a bit so he can go mostly where I go.

Here is its current condition. Sorry I didn't post a pic sooner.
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Rake is something you can correct with ease using spacers and it's what I would recommend over stiffer springs being that a "stiff" ride is something you're concerned with. Along those lines, I can guarantee you that your Rancho 5000's will offer a smoother ride (unless they're blown) than a set of Bilstein, Fox or other monotube shock. Smoothness isn't what they're designed for, helping to recover quickly and prevent shock fade is. Great qualities to have in a shock and what makes them cost more but that usually makes them feel firmer on pavement and around town. You can feel the difference between the two by cycling them by hand. A monotube shock will take a LOT more effort to get going and it will spring back quickly.
 
Thanks for all the advice! I appreciate this forum's members and Eddie so much!

I went ahead and ordered the AEV today with the Bilsteins and add the geometry correction brackets and 1/2" Teraflex front coil spacers to offset the winch weight. While the consensus is a firm ride, all of my research indicates very good road manners and good performance off-road, too.

I'll let you know how it goes once I install it. It'll be a few weeks as I'm going to be doing some weekend fishing and have to wait for my nephew's company's lift to be available, along with a couple friends who will be helping with the installation.

So the 13 year old 150k mile JK gets a nice upgrade for the next 150k of adventures!
 
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I'm late to the party, but thought I'd share my thoughts. When I bought my 2012 JKUR a few years ago, it had an AEV 2.5" DualSport Suspension with the Bilstein shocks and the geometry correction brackets. It also had 315/70R17 BFG A/T tires on it along with a Warn Xd9000i winch and steel front bumper. We drove about dozen different jeeps while looking and can honestly say this jeep drove and rode the best out of all of them - this was a mix of stock and modified jeeps. The geo brackets really do work for maintaining very good road manners. The jeep tacked straight as an arrow even when hitting bumps and uneven patches. I really liked the suspension and ride quality, but went to 37's and needed more lift, so I decided to try the 4" EVO plush ride springs and Rancho 9000's. I kept the AEV brake line extension brackets and AEV rear track bar bracket, but replaced all of the other AEV components. I removed the AEV geo brackets and went with adjustable control arms. In comparison of the two set ups, I like the softer ride quality of the EVO springs and Rancho shocks more, but really miss the geo brackets and the good tame road manners. Now the jeep wonders when hitting bumps in the road due to change in axle position and angle when the suspension compresses on one side. The geo brackets keep the arms almost horizontal so compression of one side of the suspension doesn't alter axle position much at all. My wife tells me I spent a shit ton of money to make my jeep drive like shit, so there's that. Long arms will probably fix it!

As for the rake, my jeep had about 3/4" of rake to it and may have been due to the winch, but not sure. Never saw it without the winch. The new EVO set up does NOT have any rake and is level. Off road, the suspension was quiet and behaved very well. No complaints on or off road with the AEV 2.5" lift. You made an excellent choice!
 
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