AEV lift contradiction. Help?

UpsideUp

UpsideUp

Member
So I'm getting ready to put an AEV 4.5" lift on my 12 JKSU and had a question regarding drive shaft replacement. Everything I have read on here says that any time you raise the 2012 above 3" you need to replace the drive line due to the rubbing and eventual failure of the drive shaft.
According to AEVs website their lift only requires the replacement of the drive line on 2011 and older. Why would that be if it totally contradicts everything that has been said here?
All help is welcome as I have a J.E. Reel 1310 coming as well...to the tune of $525. If I can return this and save money it would definitely be a bonus!
 
Your gonna shred the rubber boot on the stock driveline with that lift.

Slap that 1310 in there when you get.
 
UpsideUp said:
So I'm getting ready to put an AEV 4.5" lift on my 12 JKSU and had a question regarding drive shaft replacement. Everything I have read on here says that any time you raise the 2012 above 3" you need to replace the drive line due to the rubbing and eventual failure of the drive shaft.
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To be clear, there are 2 problems concerning front drive shafts when lifting a 2012 or newer JK. First, IF you have shocks long enough to allow for greater droop, your driveshaft WILL make contact with the exhaust cross over and damage the slip boot. Second, even IF your drive shaft didn't make contact (but I can prove that it will), the steeper angle of your engine/transmission will put your output shaft CV boot in a constant state of pinch and that will cause it to fail prematurely. This isn't an opinion but rather, a FACT. 2007-11 JK's only need a front drive shaft IF they have an automatic. Of course, if you have a 2-door, you'll really want to get a new rear shaft as well and will need adjustable rear upper control arms to set your pinion angle as well - this is regardless of year.

According to AEVs website their lift only requires the replacement of the drive line on 2011 and older. Why would that be if it totally contradicts everything that has been said here?
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Clearly, AEV is either stupid, doesn't know any better or is purposefully putting out this inaccurate information in an effort to sell more kits. Maybe they assume most people who run their kits will never really flex out their Jeeps and that's where you would see the negative effects on your drive shafts the most. Don't want to believe what I have to say, here's a shot of a front drive shaft looks like on a 2012 JK with an AEV kit installed...

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Here's a shot of the output shaft CV joint - notice how much of a pinch it's in. And again, this is on a 2012 JK with an AEV kit installed...

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I simply cannot make this stuff up but, you're more than welcome to take AEV's word over mine.
 
wayoflife said:
To be clear, there are 2 problems concerning front drive shafts when lifting a 2012 or newer JK. First, IF you have shocks long enough to allow for greater droop, your driveshaft WILL make contact with the exhaust cross over and damage the slip boot. Second, even IF your drive shaft didn't make contact (but I can prove that it will), the steeper angle of your engine/transmission will put your output shaft CV boot in a constant state of pinch and that will cause it to fail prematurely. This isn't an opinion but rather, a FACT. 2007-11 JK's only need a front drive shaft IF they have an automatic. Of course, if you have a 2-door, you'll really want to get a new rear shaft as well and will need adjustable rear upper control arms to set your pinion angle as well - this is regardless of year.



Clearly, AEV is either stupid, doesn't know any better or is purposefully putting out this inaccurate information in an effort to sell more kits. Maybe they assume most people who run their kits will never really flex out their Jeeps and that's where you would see the negative effects on your drive shafts the most. Don't want to believe what I have to say, here's a shot of a front drive shaft looks like on a 2012 JK with an AEV kit installed...

main.php


Here's a shot of the output shaft CV joint - notice how much of a pinch it's in. And again, this is on a 2012 JK with an AEV kit installed...

main.php


I simply cannot make this stuff up but, you're more than welcome to take AEV's word over mine.
Click to expand...

Out of curiosity, would something like an AFE Y pipe eliminate the exhaust issue?
 
Not at all Eddie...in fact you are who inspired me to get the drive line and I did it after reading the post you did with those pictures. Thank you by the way. To be clear i have the 4 door...sorry for not including that earlier. I felt like I was in the right with buying it but just wanted to make sure I made the right decision. $525 would just be handy in doing anything else on my shopping list. But as its in the mail I will install it as needed. Thanks for the clarification.
 
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Hope this comes across...but this is what AEV responded with in an email. Still going forward with the drive line but thought you guys would be curious.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using WAYALIFE mobile app
 
Just what everyone wants to carry around on the trail, a pile of stock driveshafts! Right there he confirmed what Eddie said... Its no longer a matter of IF, its a matter of WHEN. And unless I'm a retard (very possible), why would u have the stock drive shafts with a hemi swap???!! What a joke

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using WAYALIFE mobile app
 
Oh I get it!!! You don't need a new shaft right away. It will work at first.....then it will die. Good logic :thinking:
 
NFRs2000NYC said:
Out of curiosity, would something like an AFE Y pipe eliminate the exhaust issue?
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Moving or relocating the exhaust cross over using kits like this will prevent the front drive shaft from damaging it's slip shaft boot. However, they WILL NOT change the angle your drive shaft sits in and you will still have an output shaft CV joint that fails prematurely.
 
I'm about to do the 4inch long arm kit from evo on my 12, I have gotten a new front drive shaft do I need to get a new rear driveshaft too? I haven't gotten the lift in the mail yet but it should be here soon.
 
UpsideUp said:
View attachment 51590
Hope this comes across...but this is what AEV responded with in an email. Still going forward with the drive line but thought you guys would be curious.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using WAYALIFE mobile app
Click to expand...

Wow... just wow. Honestly, there are a lot of AEV products that I like but, I've never been much of a fan of their lift kits especially being they were all designed by the now defunct company, Nth Degree Mobility. It is answers like this that simply blow me away.

While it is true that their control arm drop brackets are designed in a way to reduce the amount of angle you would otherwise see with a lift of this height, they cannot change the fact that the 3.6L motor/transmission sits at a measurably steeper angle than the old 3.8L that came on 2007-11 JK's. Again, the photos I have posted were taken on a JK with an AEV lift. I simply cannot make this stuff up and the only way you won't damage your front drive shaft boot is IF you install shocks that are too short and do not give you enough droop.

As far as wheeling 37's with stock drive shafts on a HEMI powered JK goes, man, all I gotta say is that they are badass wheeling gods and I suck. For normal people, this is a shot of what a wimpy 3.8L motor can easily do to a factory drive shaft....

main.php
 
Angry Aussie said:
I'm about to do the 4inch long arm kit from evo on my 12, I have gotten a new front drive shaft do I need to get a new rear driveshaft too? I haven't gotten the lift in the mail yet but it should be here soon.
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No, since you have a 4dr your factory rear driveshaft is fine.
 
Holy Crap WOL!! Not only do I not want that to happen to me somewhere in a remote, isolated location but I think I will have to eat who ever I'm with. That would strand me for sure! x2 that I'm thankful for the J.E. Reel coming in the mail. Out of curiosity...did you run the 4.5" AEV or 3.5" and how big of a tire?

Sent from my DROID RAZR using WAYALIFE mobile app
 
A friend of mine bought an AEV 2.5" lift and upon inspecting it I asked him about his lift and he says that the shocks included in his kit are good up to 4" lift. I asked if he had planned to upgrade his driveshaft or if would do the exhaust spacers and he said AEV claimed no need for either and he showed it to me on their site. Knowing the shocks would allow for it to droop out very far I said what about when you disconnect and the driveshaft? Looking at the kit showed that AEV has no intention of you disconnecting your sway bar. They supplied him with brackets to reuse his factory end links with no quick disconnect feature. The guys at AEV market their lifts as expedition style lift kits. So I guess my question/statement is although you get a 4.5" lift and it handles well and is designed for expeditions, it's really not a true off road lift if their intent is for you to never use the full amount of wheel travel and flex it potentially has in which case to them new driveshafts would not be needed?
 
OJK12 said:
A friend of mine bought an AEV 2.5" lift and upon inspecting it I asked him about his lift and he says that the shocks included in his kit are good up to 4" lift. I asked if he had planned to upgrade his driveshaft or if would do the exhaust spacers and he said AEV claimed no need for either and he showed it to me on their site. Knowing the shocks would allow for it to droop out very far I said what about when you disconnect and the driveshaft? Looking at the kit showed that AEV has no intention of you disconnecting your sway bar. They supplied him with brackets to reuse his factory end links with no quick disconnect feature. The guys at AEV market their lifts as expedition style lift kits. So I guess my question/statement is although you get a 4.5" lift and it handles well and is designed for expeditions, it's really not a true off road lift if their intent is for you to never use the full amount of wheel travel and flex it potentially has in which case to them new driveshafts would not be needed?
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This. ▲▲▲▲

I'm researching alot.

A loootttt.... and companies like BDS make kits that include tuned shocks designed for the travel AND discos so the intent is to wheel and wheel right.

Now I don't run the BDS kit. But it seems to me that with design in mind and NO questions asked warranties both related to JK off road use... its a better choice.

companies like AEV tout their horn and talk a big talk. But this looks more like a lift designed for not being aired down and disco'd.

Unfortunately all of this info is not entirely clear so when you bounce all this info with eddie's info and cross reference the intel from competing companies... you'd need a new driveshaft and exhaust crossover after your first trail and be pissed off for no reason.

Which is exactly why I'm a Wayalifer and am grateful for this community. :rock:

Sent from my phone while I should probably be getting work done
 
Angry Aussie said:
I'm about to do the 4inch long arm kit from evo on my 12, I have gotten a new front drive shaft do I need to get a new rear driveshaft too? I haven't gotten the lift in the mail yet but it should be here soon.
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we do "recommend" a new rear DS.

EDIT* - the young man at AEV is wrong
 
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I don't claim to know much but what I do know is that I have the AEV 2.5" kit (replaced front track bar rear track bar and sway links) and it has performed just fine for me just fine in the past year. I al curious how close my drive shaft is to contacting at full droop though :thinking:
 
bl17z90 said:
I don't claim to know much but what I do know is that I have the AEV 2.5" kit (replaced front track bar rear track bar and sway links) and it has performed just fine for me just fine in the past year. I al curious how close my drive shaft is to contacting at full droop though :thinking:
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at 2.5" you should be okay. although that does not mean that your DS will not make contact at some point.
 
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