Newbie wanting to lift | Mopar - AEV - Rubicon Express - Other?

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lil'wizzy

New member
Looking over all the lift threads here, I noticed a lot of you are running EVO's. What made you choose them over all the others?
I work two jobs and spend a good 500 miles a week on the road, this is my daily and only rig right now. It's a 2015 Rubicon Unlimited 6spd, currently the only item that is not classified stock are the 33" M/Ts and after market wheels. I'm not sure if I want 35"s or 37"s, leaning towards the 37"s but Seattle does like their parking garages...

After doing my research I was looking at the Mopar 4" lift, mainly because I have the lifetime warranty on my Jeep and the Dealer said it would be covered under it if they installed (I would get this in writing before they do the work if I went this route).

However, I'm leaning more towards the AEV 4.5" RS lift as I've read a lot of reviews on it and the company. it'll allow me to run the 37"s no questions, and it keeps the geo of the vehicle...

I would do a Rubicon Express if it's the best deal, but being quoted $10k (would be a long arm, that can accommodate 40"s, all though I would only run 37"s) kinda turns me off.

Then the next question is, do I have to upgrade to a Dana 60 if I run 37" tires? or is this just recommended if I do things like JKX?
 
I can only speak for myself here as ride quality is 100% subjective but, after testing out all the lifts you've just mentioned, I personally prefer the EVO Enforcer kit as it offers a true 3" or 4" lift (as opposed to being more than an inch taller with most other kits) and the Plush Ride coils the kit comes with are without question, the softest you can buy. The Mopar kit is made by TeraFlex and the coils are ungodly stiff. The AEV kit is simply over priced for what little you really get and again, I'm no fan of their coils in terms of ride quality - too stiff. RE used to be a good company but since being bought out by 4WheelParts, the quality of their parts haven't been quite as good. The coils aren't terrible but I still think the Plush rides are nicer. Of course, that's just my opinion.

As far as a Dana 60 goes, no, you would NOT need one to run 37's. I would recommend a ProRock 44 up front though.
 
I just switched from a Rubicon Express lift to a EVO enforcer a few days ago, huge improvement. RE kit had very stiff coils in my opinion
 
wayoflife said:
I can only speak for myself here as ride quality is 100% subjective but, after testing out all the lifts you've just mentioned, I personally prefer the EVO Enforcer kit as it offers a true 3" or 4" lift (as opposed to being more than an inch taller with most other kits) and the Plush Ride coils the kit comes with are without question, the softest you can buy. The Mopar kit is made by TeraFlex and the coils are ungodly stiff. The AEV kit is simply over priced for what little you really get and again, I'm no fan of their coils in terms of ride quality - too stiff. RE used to be a good company but since being bought out by 4WheelParts, the quality of their parts haven't been quite as good. The coils aren't terrible but I still think the Plush rides are nicer. Of course, that's just my opinion.

As far as a Dana 60 goes, no, you would NOT need one to run 37's. I would recommend a ProRock 44 up front though.
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x2 on what Eddie said. Even with "in writing from the dealer" on the lift, I bet chrysler would still void your warranty on things. I would go evo enforcer as well, great price point, and very high quality parts for what you pay for, no gimmicks or smoke and mirrors.
 
I have the mopar stage 3 kit. It's probably mopar's most complete kit. It's worked well for me. Here's the catch: it's got a lot of fluff that isn't very useful (speed bumps, limit straps) and doesn't include things like quick disconnects. At over 2 grand it's really not a great value.


If I could start over I would go with the evo enforcer.
 
I just pulled my RE kit. I wanted to change out all of the RE control arms so I went with another complete kit - RK 3.5" Mid Arm X Factor.
So far I like the ride better than the RE kit. Unfortunately I haven't driven it a whole bunch - back and forth from the dealership dealing with issues
involving a wreck and frame replacement - so my opinion on the ride quality will have to wait a while.

FWIW - based on what I have heard here you cannot go wrong with the plush rides. If I didn't want to get rid of the RE control arms I would have just switched to the EVO coils.
 
I don't know anything about EVO, but the EVO guy looks like a good guy on Eddie's videos, and their stuff certainly looks cool.

Like you, I was thinking warranty when I looked at Mopar for my 2015 JKUR. For what it's worth, the Mopar kits are no longer rebranded TF or RE kits, the shocks are Fox, but the rest of it is all made by Jeep's own OEMs, and designed in-house by Jeep. This is ONLY for the new as of 2015 kits. I learned this in talking with a couple guys at FCA in Detroit when I was researching the lift.

I knew I didn't want to go over 2 or 3" and didn't want to go bigger than 35s (I clear about 6'2" for parking garage purposes), so one of the shorter kits was fine. I ended up not going w/ the AEV, TF, or anything else b/c there just wasn't enough to make them worth the "void the warranty" risk.

I was really about to get the MetalCloak Game Changer w/ OME shocks, and I really like their stuff (plus they're local), but in the end wimped out b/c of the warranty issue. So I went Mopar and even had my dealer install. Not cheap, and arguably not necessary under the law, but I have peace of mind. I sue people for a living, and hate to have to do it on my own time, so sometimes I just pay not to have to deal.

I have the new 2" kit (comes with a thinner double cardin front driveshaft) and for the first 1k miles, I thought it was, um, unfortunately firm-riding as Eddie referenced. BUT after 100 miles, (AND once I put Rock Hard 4x4 steel bumpers w/ tire carrier, a winch, and 35s on i, probably an extra 150 lbs front and rear), it is actually extremely comfortable. I am not going to say "It's better than stock!!!!!" because I just don't remember one way or the other. It honestly drives really nice, though I think there's just a little too much caster presently. It's not really the best thing to drive over 75 mph, but that could be 32 cold psi tire pressure, too. I think if it had the same seats as my wife's 2015 Grand Cherokee Overland, it'd be supremely comfortable for a live-axle vehicle.
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Also, my $0.02 is Bilsteins are too harsh. I had a sweet 1993 FJ-80 Land Cruiser w/ a 3" lift and Bilsteins, and it really needed another 300-400 lbs to ride nicely.
 
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I just dont see how chyrsler will void your engine warranty when you use their mopar designed intake....but is fine with a lift
 
Well, they "shouldn't" be able to void the warranty for mods unless like others have said elsewhere they can prove that the mod was the cause of the failure for which you're seeking warranty coverage. However, "proof" doesn't mean "beyond a reasonable doubt" like you see in criminal cases, but only means "more likely than not". Think of a balance scale with 51% on one side and 49% on the other--51% is "more likely than not." If it's a big enough claim, e.g., new engine, you can end up having to hire your own mechanic to take your side against the dealer when it's escalated to the manufacturer. That's why I was talking about paying for peace of mind.
Now, if I had wanted to do the whole long arm kit and go to 40s, I would have, warranty be darned, but since I didn't, it was a factor. I didn't find other kits to be so much better for what I anticipated doing that they were worth the risk. But it may not matter as much to you--both positions are valid.
As for bumpers, I cannot say enough good things about the Rock Hard 4x4 stuff, though again, I don't have any experience with Evo stuff. They also gave me a good discount on the parts since I bought the winch from them directly, and shipping to the FEDEX depo of your choice was free. But again, depends on what you're after. I knew I wanted a full width setup with a tire carrier NOT attached to the tailgate. If I'd wanted a stubby, I probably would have gone another way.
 
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