Re-lift questions..

Kevgund

Kevgund

Member
I am recently coming back to this site... its been a while.

So I have a 2014 JK with a AEV 2.5" lift and I am thinking of going up by 1". I have 35s with no plans of going bigger. I also have a full set of Metal Cloak control arms and a JKS adjustable trackbar, so I am thinking I can only go with new springs and shocks. I feel like the AEV lift has been a bit stiff and not exactly what I want.

First off is it something that would work out to just swap the springs and shocks with a taller more comfortable option? Second has anyone done this and do you all have any recommendations for brands?

Thanks in advance.
 
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wayoflife

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
Kevgund said:
I am recently coming back to this site... its been a while.

So I have a 2014 JK with a AEV 2.5" lift and I am thinking of going up by 1". I have 35s with no plans of going bigger. I also have a full set of Metal Cloak control arms and a JKS adjustable trackbar, so I am thinking I can only go with new springs and shocks. I feel like the AEV lift has been a bit stiff and not exactly what I want.

First off is it something that would work out to just swap the springs and shocks with a taller more comfortable option? Second has anyone done this and do you all have any recommendations for brands?

Thanks in advance.
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Before you spend any money, what tires are you running and how much air do you have in them?
 
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wayoflife

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
Otherwise, yes, you could just swap coils and shocks but going taller isn’t really going to be helping you any or at least in terms of ride quality.
 
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Kevgund

Kevgund

Member
wayoflife said:
Ok, but how much air do you have in them? As in, anything more than 30 psi is too much and will result in a rougher ride.
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Sorry about that.. i forgot to type that. I am at around 32-33 psi. I will definitely drop it and see how that helps. I think the main issue is that I am just not really happy with the performance on and off road. The lift is over 3 years old and last year I did a ton of upgrades with the hopes of being able to be more capable and comfortable.

I am just not sure what direction to go, this is my daily driver but not driven daily as I work from home.

The upgrades i recently had done were as follows:
Dynatrac pro rock 44 front
Full set Metal Cloak control arms
Adams shafts
Trussed Dana 44 rear
Yeti Steering components
ORO front swayloc
4.56 gears
lockers
 
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fiend

fiend

Caught the Bug
You say you are not happy with the performance on and off road. Can you be more descriptive? Why exactly is it that you don’t like?
 
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Kevgund

Kevgund

Member
fiend said:
You say you are not happy with the performance on and off road. Can you be more descriptive? Why exactly is it that you don’t like?
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Yea it just sorta seems like when I take bumbs/potholes at lower speeds especially it hits really hard. I am assuming that lowering the psi will help a bit but I just feel like it should feel so hard. Also I started getting a clanking type noise from the front drivers, which again seems to be limited to lower speeds. I am planning on taking the tires off to see what I can see, but I am not very mechanically inclined so it may have to go to a shop.
 
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wayoflife

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
Kevgund said:
Sorry about that.. i forgot to type that. I am at around 32-33 psi. I will definitely drop it and see how that helps. I think the main issue is that I am just not really happy with the performance on and off road. The lift is over 3 years old and last year I did a ton of upgrades with the hopes of being able to be more capable and comfortable.

I am just not sure what direction to go, this is my daily driver but not driven daily as I work from home.

The upgrades i recently had done were as follows:
Dynatrac pro rock 44 front
Full set Metal Cloak control arms
Adams shafts
Trussed Dana 44 rear
Yeti Steering components
ORO front swayloc
4.56 gears
lockers
Click to expand...

Okay, that's in the general ball park and should be alright. I tend to run my Trail Grapplers at about 28 psi.

With that said, all the things you recently upgraded may help in your off road performance and maybe handling but none of it would have helped your ride quality.

Kevgund said:
Yea it just sorta seems like when I take bumbs/potholes at lower speeds especially it hits really hard. I am assuming that lowering the psi will help a bit but I just feel like it should feel so hard.
Click to expand...

With that said, going and inch taller than you are now, effectively giving you 3.5" of lift will NOT help anything. If anything, your ride quality will be worse. Taller lift coils will only be firmer and the steeper angles of your control arms at that height won't help anything either.

Ride quality is 100% subjective and it has always been of my personal opinion that AEV lifts tend to feel too firm. This is specifically because they sell their kits for "overland" use as in, their coils are designed to carry heavy loads and without causing too much sag. The only way to do this is through the use of coils that are firmer or have a firmer side to them. Swapping out your coils may be all that you need to help things along.

Also I started getting a clanking type noise from the front drivers, which again seems to be limited to lower speeds. I am planning on taking the tires off to see what I can see, but I am not very mechanically inclined so it may have to go to a shop.
Click to expand...

Check your driver side sway bar link. It's not uncommon for the bolts to come loose and that will cause the clanking sound you are hearing.
 
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Kevgund

Kevgund

Member
wayoflife said:
Okay, that's in the general ball park and should be alright. I tend to run my Trail Grapplers at about 28 psi.

With that said, all the things you recently upgraded may help in your off road performance and maybe handling but none of it would have helped your ride quality.



With that said, going and inch taller than you are now, effectively giving you 3.5" of lift will NOT help anything. If anything, your ride quality will be worse. Taller lift coils will only be firmer and the steeper angles of your control arms at that height won't help anything either.

Ride quality is 100% subjective and it has always been of my personal opinion that AEV lifts tend to feel too firm. This is specifically because they sell their kits for "overland" use as in, their coils are designed to carry heavy loads and without causing too much sag. The only way to do this is through the use of coils that are firmer or have a firmer side to them. Swapping out your coils may be all that you need to help things along.



Check your driver side sway bar link. It's not uncommon for the bolts to come loose and that will cause the clanking sound you are hearing.
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I appreciate the feedback. New coils may be a good direction as the AEV coils are stiff. I also will take a look at the sway bar..

Thank You
 
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wjtstudios

wjtstudios

Hooked
I ran both the AEV and the EVO Plush ride coils, and the plush ride are much softer and will make a difference. I run my TGs at 28 psi on the road and 8-14 psi on the trail. That really helps soak up the bumps and rocks.
 
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bmkrinne

bmkrinne

Active Member
I had the AEV 2.5” lift with 35’s for awhile then went to Evo 4” plush rides and 37’s. Swapped out springs and shocks. I like the Evo plush rides better as they are a softer ride, but the Jeep drove worse as others have mentioned above. Softer ride but tracks worse. I miss the geo brackets a lot!!!

In regards to your clunking, check your lower shock mount bolt. On the PR44, the shock bracket is thicker and doesn’t squeeze the shock at OEM bolt torque. Shock moves up and down on the bolt. I had to torque the shit out of the bolt on my front passenger lower mount. Found it by laying under the Jeep and a buddy cycling the suspension. Drove me nuts!!!
 
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