Teraflex Leveling Kit w/ Rubicon Express 2.5" BB?

Hack12

Hack12

New member
I've had my Tereflex leveling kit (2" spacer in front and 1" spacer in rear) installed for about a year now and I'm just not happy with the height it's provided. My rig is a daily driver that occasionally does some light/moderate wheeling, no rockcrawling or drastic angles. I am currently running 33" tires and will be upgrading to 35's sometime in the future. I'm not looking to break the bank but I want a couple more inches of height without having to do too many expensive modifications.

After doing some research I really like the Rubicon Express 2.5" BB w/ Monotube Shocks ( http://www.quadratec.com/products/16300_6015.htm ). Everything I've read so far says that this combo should work fine but I wanted to get some specific advice before dropping $700.

Here are my questions:

1- Will these two lifts result in any negative side effects when combined (i.e. death wobble, parts damage)?
2- Will I need any additional parts to avoid possible damage down the line?
3- What will the final lift height be with both combined?
4- Would you recommend something different to add to my currently installed leveling kit?

Before you respond, I should also make it clear that I am uninteresting in chopping my fenders or spending a ton to do a full suspension lift. I'm looking to remain in the $500-700 range and welcome any and all suggestions as to how I would be best served with that amount.

Thanks! :beer:
 
Check out some of the older threads on lift height and what you should get. They have a lot great information, and may just give you better ideas to what you may want. But, if you combine those spacers, or coils and spacers what ever they may be, you will want to address your drive shafts, bumpstops, brake lines, speedo, and control arms. Probably a few more things to. You'll get by with just your lift for a while, but without dropping a few bucks and investing in the "little things" that we tend to overlook, it will mean a lot more wear on parts, and possibly more costly repairs down the road. Even if your cruising around town, and the occasional trail. The most recommended items to get after a lift of 3 or more inches in my opinion are front lower control arms, rear upper control arms, and driveshafts. These will keep the wear down due to the extended length and angle of the shafts. Hope this helps.
 
Limpinlobster said:
Check out some of the older threads on lift height and what you should get. They have a lot great information, and may just give you better ideas to what you may want. But, if you combine those spacers, or coils and spacers what ever they may be, you will want to address your drive shafts, bumpstops, brake lines, speedo, and control arms. Probably a few more things to. You'll get by with just your lift for a while, but without dropping a few bucks and investing in the "little things" that we tend to overlook, it will mean a lot more wear on parts, and possibly more costly repairs down the road. Even if your cruising around town, and the occasional trail. The most recommended items to get after a lift of 3 or more inches in my opinion are front lower control arms, rear upper control arms, and driveshafts. These will keep the wear down due to the extended length and angle of the shafts. Hope this helps.
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Thanks for the reply. The Teraflex kit I currently have is merely spacers and sway bar links. The RE kit comes with F&R coils springs, extended sway bar links, bump stops, a track bar relocation bracket, & monotube shocks. Everything I've been reading says that I wouldn't be going high enough to warrant any drive shaft, brake line, or control arm modifications. Admittedly, I have no clue whether those testimonies are true or people justifying their own builds. What kit would you recommend to gain a 3-4 inch lift if money weren't an issue?
 
Hack12 said:
What kit would you recommend to gain a 3-4 inch lift if money weren't an issue?
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if money wasnt an issue i would say the Enforcer kit from EVO. i dont have this kit but have taken a ride in Hinrich's rig witht he plush ride coils and OMG was it soft! felt like i was on a pillow lol. to keep the price down you can even order the kit with the bilsteins instead of the kings.
 
Hack12 said:
1- Will these two lifts result in any negative side effects when combined (i.e. death wobble, parts damage)?
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Assuming that the RE coils just give you 2.5" of lift, that would put you at 4.5" of lift up front. Having said that, you are most likely to see closer to 3" of lift from the coils and that would put you at over 5" of lift and that is just crazy high. To put things into perspective, I run 40" with just 4" of lift and if you're really just planning on running 35's, I personally would NOT recommend running anything taller than 3" of lift unless you just like the non-functional 1980's sky high look. As far as negative side effects go - yeah, being that you have an automatic, you will damage your front drive shaft, your steering geometry will be way off providing poor handling, your ride quality will suffer due to steep suspension geometry and your center of gravity will be way off.

2- Will I need any additional parts to avoid possible damage down the line?
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Down the line? Actually, at 4"+ of lift, you will need a new front drive shaft way sooner than later. You will want a drag link flip/front track bar relocation kit, you would need new longer brake lines, you would at the very least want new adjustable front lower control arms, you would need new longer sway bar links, you would need taller bump stop extensions and that's just the bare minimum.

3- What will the final lift height be with both combined?
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As mentioned, up front, you would be at least 4.5" if not more. In the rear, you would be 3.5" if not more.

4- Would you recommend something different to add to my currently installed leveling kit?
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Honestly, I would just ditch the spacers and just run the new coils that come with the kit. Or, I might recommend saving up a bit and just getting a good 3" kit. Regardless, if you run new longer shocks, you will need to address your front drive shaft.
 
wayoflife said:
Assuming that the RE coils just give you 2.5" of lift, that would put you at 4.5" of lift up front. Having said that, you are most likely to see closer to 3" of lift from the coils and that would put you at over 5" of lift and that is just crazy high. To put things into perspective, I run 40" with just 4" of lift and if you're really just planning on running 35's, I personally would NOT recommend running anything taller than 3" of lift unless you just like the non-functional 1980's sky high look. As far as negative side effects go - yeah, being that you have an automatic, you will damage your front drive shaft, your steering geometry will be way off providing poor handling, your ride quality will suffer due to steep suspension geometry and your center of gravity will be way off.



Down the line? Actually, at 4"+ of lift, you will need a new front drive shaft way sooner than later. You will want a drag link flip/front track bar relocation kit, you would need new longer brake lines, you would at the very least want new adjustable front lower control arms, you would need new longer sway bar links, you would need taller bump stop extensions and that's just the bare minimum.


As mentioned, up front, you would be at least 4.5" if not more. In the rear, you would be 3.5" if not more.



Honestly, I would just ditch the spacers and just run the new coils that come with the kit. Or, I might recommend saving up a bit and just getting a good 3" kit. Regardless, if you run new longer shocks, you will need to address your front drive shaft.
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Wow, thanks for the great answers. You have thoroughly convinced me to stay away from this idea all together. I am not interesting in 5" of lift and certainly not interested in damaging so many other parts in taking a cheap route.

Any recommendations on a decent 3" kit that would come with everything I would need to do this correctly? Also, would a kit like that come with something to correct the front drive shaft issues that would arise from the longer shocks?
 
Hack12 said:
Wow, thanks for the great answers. You have thoroughly convinced me to stay away from this idea all together. I am not interesting in 5" of lift and certainly not interested in damaging so many other parts in taking a cheap route.

Any recommendations on a decent 3" kit that would come with everything I would need to do this correctly? Also, would a kit like that come with something to correct the front drive shaft issues that would arise from the longer shocks?
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rancho has a pretty good 3'' sport kit.
also imho, there is no such thing as a "complete kit or perfect kit".
 
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Hack12 said:
Wow, thanks for the great answers. You have thoroughly convinced me to stay away from this idea all together. I am not interesting in 5" of lift and certainly not interested in damaging so many other parts in taking a cheap route.

Any recommendations on a decent 3" kit that would come with everything I would need to do this correctly? Also, would a kit like that come with something to correct the front drive shaft issues that would arise from the longer shocks?
Click to expand...

Being that you have a 2008 auto, there really is nothing you can do to get around the front drive shaft problem. Even a 2.5" budget boost with shocks that allow for a lot more droop will allow your shaft to tear it's boot on the transmission. This is EVEN IF you were to remove the skid plate. While the damage will not be a big problem all at once, it will cause it to fail sooner than later and so you really should budget in the cost of a front shaft even if you can't afford one till later.

Having said that, a lot of 2.5" coil kits will get you up on 3" of lift and for pretty cheap. I personally prefer the EVO Enforcer kit as it offers, in my opinion, the best ride you can get with standard coils and comes with just the components you need to make it happen. I know the kits are advertised with King shocks but, if you are on a budget, consider a set of Rancho 7000MT's or Bilstein 5100's instead as they will still offer a good ride and for a lot less.
 
olram30 said:
rancho has a pretty good 3'' sport kit.
also imho, there is no such thing as a "complete kit or perfect kit".
Click to expand...

Cool, I'll check it out. Thanks.

wayoflife said:
Being that you have a 2008 auto, there really is nothing you can do to get around the front drive shaft problem. Even a 2.5" budget boost with shocks that allow for a lot more droop will allow your shaft to tear it's boot on the transmission. This is EVEN IF you were to remove the skid plate. While the damage will not be a big problem all at once, it will cause it to fail sooner than later and so you really should budget in the cost of a front shaft even if you can't afford one till later.

Having said that, a lot of 2.5" coil kits will get you up on 3" of lift and for pretty cheap. I personally prefer the EVO Enforcer kit as it offers, in my opinion, the best ride you can get with standard coils and comes with just the components you need to make it happen. I know the kits are advertised with King shocks but, if you are on a budget, consider a set of Rancho 7000MT's or Bilstein 5100's instead as they will still offer a good ride and for a lot less.
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Point taken. I'd rather save and do it correctly than rush into something cheap causing certain future problems that could end up costing me much more in the long run. Thanks for the honest advice, Eddie. Sometimes it's hard to get someone to offer an honest recommendation unless it happens to be what they are running on their rig. Much appreciated.
 
Well, I decided that I'm going to wisely take all of your gracious advice and ditch the Teraflex Leveling Kit all together so I won't have to worry about any safety issues arising or any potential future damage from combining it with another 2.5" of lift.

I went ahead and purchased the Rubicon Express 2.5" Lift Kit and the Bilstein 5100 shock absorbers.

Hopefully, this new setup will give me a better on and off road ride quality and get me a tad bit higher than I am now, but in the proper way.

Thanks for all your help and suggestions!
 
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