Hey all, a quick question for my fellow Jeepers out there. What size lift would you say is the best or most practical for an overland build. I am stuck between a 2.5 or a 3.5 and could really use some input. Thanks!!
Best lift HEIGHT to go with on a jeep for Overland build?
- Thread starter The JKU Kraken
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A 2.5 should clear 31" tires easily, yet not get into the range of drive line vibrations and short u-joint life.
I would vote for keeping it as low "aka stable and reliable" as possible.
I would vote for keeping it as low "aka stable and reliable" as possible.
When I bought the Jeep last year used it came with a very basic Coil spring lift on it already that the previous owner had installed. It's a 2.5 inch lift and I'm running 35's without any issue. It's obviously not the type of lift I want since I would be looking for at least a mid arm lift in the 2.5 range.
That's the biggest issue I'm having because the dealership did not know, they couldn't get me in touch with the previous owner and my local shop checked it out when they were installing some new tires for me and said that there was no distinguishing markings on it. It could be anything from a rough country or a Rubicon Express. It does have a set of Bilstien 5100's in the front and rear so that's a plus but that's all I know about the kit.
Off-Road Ranger I
I put an AEV 2.5" with 35's and 1.5" spacers on my 2 dr and she drives better than stock IMO. The 4dr came with a 3.5" w/35's", no spacers, which I plan on adding, but I think a 2.5" would've been more than ample. Neither have had any problems clearing the rooted/rocky roads I live on and frequent, but I'm glad I have sliders.
I just feel with the extra weight of the 4 door along with the bumpers I want to put on a 3.5 with some HD springs up front might be the best option. Something like a Rock Krawler kit maybe?
well more information on what you are planning to do with the jeep?
Simple off road trails or more rock crawling and technical trails would dictate what type and design of suspension would best fit your needs. Also what kind of weight have you added to the vehicle as well.
Simple off road trails or more rock crawling and technical trails would dictate what type and design of suspension would best fit your needs. Also what kind of weight have you added to the vehicle as well.
Well being in south Florida and the general south east I don't plan on doing too much extreme rock crawling. I definitely have been looking into doing the trans am trail in bits and pieces over the next few years and overall just doing some traveling in the mountains of Georgia, the Carolinas, and Tennessee. I will be adding Smittybuilt bumpers front and rear for sure as well as a winch and probably a roof rack to house some essentials as well as a roof tent. That's just kind of the idea I have for starters, which I'm sure will change a hundred times before its all said and done, but I don't see myself attempting to scale any 80 degree rock walls in the near future!
Advocate II
I have a 3.5" Rock Krawler MaxFlex lift and Bilstein 5100s with 35s and it rides like a Caddy on road and off-road. I had planned on staying with stock fenders was the reason I went with the 3.5". I kept rubbing them with my tires at stuff in the back so I ended up going to a set of MetalCloak Hardlines. It could really use 37s now to fill in the wheel gap but It's okay. One thing to think about going to a 3.5" is that at some point you will have to change driveshafts because of the angle it puts them in..even with control arms to help correct those. My front driveshaft lasted 6months before it had to be replaced. With the 3.5" you will also need extended brake lines and bump stops. If If I had it to do again I would probably go with the 2.5" lift and at some point once I get my rack on and back storage system built out I may still drop it back down to 2.5".
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I wouldn't focus on height as much as what you are achieving for said height. While I don't run a Jeep, I just completely redid the front suspension on my Nissan. I gained no more than an inch of height, but nearly doubled my wheel travel and smoothed out the ride. Adding height does nothing for you if it rides like crud, or you are always picking up a tire and flopping around on obstacles.
I really do love the look of the 3.5 inch lift and yours looks awesome. Love that front bumper choice too. But I was also taking the drive shaft issue into consideration as well with going with a lift that size. I think to be honest that whatever the lift that came with mine now is just a trash lift because I have seen a 2.5 lift from a quality manufacturer and it sits much nicer than mine does. I also agree that the ride quality and travel is much more important than the overall hight as I am clearing 35's with no issue now on a sub par lift. What is your take on the stock driveshafts anyways? Is it something I should look into replacing either way once I start getting into some more rugged or serious terrain? Such as up in the mountains etc..?I have a 3.5" Rock Krawler MaxFlex lift and Bilstein 5100s with 35s and it rides like a Caddy on road and off-road. I had planned on staying with stock fenders was the reason I went with the 3.5". I kept rubbing them with my tires at stuff in the back so I ended up going to a set of MetalCloak Hardlines. It could really use 37s now to fill in the wheel gap but It's okay. One thing to think about going to a 3.5" is that at some point you will have to change driveshafts because of the angle it puts them in..even with control arms to help correct those. My front driveshaft lasted 6months before it had to be replaced. With the 3.5" you will also need extended brake lines and bump stops. If If I had it to do again I would probably go with the 2.5" lift and at some point once I get my rack on and back storage system built out I may still drop it back down to 2.5".
Agreed. Good point with the topic of travel and ride quality! Also like I said I'm clearing my tires now with no issue on a crappy "2.5 lift" whereas I'm sure I would be much happier with the ride quality and the way it sat and performed with a quality 2.5 lift like the 2.5 max travel from Rock Krawler.
No matter how high you go, skid plates and armor are an important consideration. Even if you are not rock crawling, the added ground clearance with a lift and bigger tires makes uneven terrain more accessible and the hazards of that terrain more of a threat. At a minimum I'd look at adding tranny/oil pan skid plate.
Advocate II
If running a 2.5" lift the driveshaft is really a non-issue unless you are just beating on it or you step up to 37s. I drove mine with the stock front driveshaft till I needed it then I replaced it with an upgraded Adam's driveshaft. The rear is still stock and will remain that way till I have an issue. I have a friend that lives by me with MetalCloak Overland fenders and 2.5" midFlex Rock Krawler and it does him just fine. He doesn't have any clearance issues and his rides every bit as good as mine. I have more articulation with the extra height and that's about it. When I put my RK lift on it yielded 4.25" have increase on just suspension alone. His also yielded him about .75" taller than what the lift said. After I have had mine now since June last year I still yielded .75" taller than the lift said it was. I have talked to many folks with the RK lifts and all of them said they yield a little taller. It's an amazing lift and the spring/shock combo of the RK springs and Bilsteins ride like a dream. As long as you go with quality you won't go wrong either way. The midFlex and Max Travel both come with front swaybar disconnects and brake lines. 2.5 or 3.5" in the RK you can't go wrong in my opinion in ride comfort and performance.
Influencer I
I would stick with what you have, and spend your money on skid plates, recovery gear, and adventuring. Wheel it and let the rig tell you where it needs upgrades. I went full in when I bought mine, 3.5" Rock Krawler long arm coilover conversion, 37s, driveshafts, axle upgrades, brakes and everything else to make it all work together. Dropped almost $20k in parts/labor. It's been over a year since then and I'm still chasing little Gremlins and have been on exactly zero overlanding trips since then. I wheel a lot a local offroad parks, but I want to explore. So yeah, that's my .02, wheel it and it'll tell you where you need upgrades. Also, Nina Barlow of Barlow Adventures has written a cool article laying our her recommended build list in order to run the Rubicon. (https://barlows.us/2016/07/how-to-prepare-your-rig-for-the-rubicon-trail/). I would consider it that to be the basic setup for overlanding and probably the most anyone would ever need unless you're gonna be a career overlander. But again, that just my 2 cents!
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All of the above comments are great but if you are going to do true overlanding then you will have some weight on the rear and the best way to overcome that is by using ARB/OME with a constant 300 kgs load rating. Good luck remember its a Jeep and that stands for Just Empty Every Pocket!
I actually put on air bags on mine to support the stock (soft) suspension for our trips. Primary helps in the long distance driving keeping the headlights down and geometry of the truck (aero and weight loading).
If you've seen a lot of classig overland rigs, none look like a rock crawler. Nothing wrong with that just saying you don't need that setup to travel a lot of the trails in overlanding style.
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If you've seen a lot of classig overland rigs, none look like a rock crawler. Nothing wrong with that just saying you don't need that setup to travel a lot of the trails in overlanding style.
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It drives horrible as it is with this particular set up on there already. At a bare minimum I need to replace that kit just to GET to the trails safely (south Florida isn't much of an area for overlanding lol) so I'm going to be driving to north Georgia for the most part at a minimum. A 50 min highway drive usually yields a lot of front end drifting steering wheel wobble and a generally unpleasant ride.
