FlameRedJK

I keep going back and forth about lifts...
I'm tempted to just drop the $3500-4000 on a Rock Krawler long arm system, seeing as how i have the cash. But, I'm thinking it would be wiser to go with something more economical as I wont really be doing any serious gnarly rock crawling.

I have read a lot of great reviews about AEV Dualsport lifts on this and other forums but I also know Rock Krawler makes a great product and I have also read great reviews about their max travel system.

If I go with the Rock Krawler, I will still be using Bilstein 5100 shocks.

I'm not really concerned about the price difference.

I need many opinions on this.

If anyone could suggest something in the $1500-2500 price range they think would be better I would also like that.

internski

I run the AEV and like it. It retains the stock ride and handling around town and allows me to run the trails that I want to. Haven't been in a JK with the LA RK but I do own their tranny pan and it is stout!

pontiac31

I run the RK 3.5" x factor and it rides better then stock and has the most flex I've seen out of a mid arm system. The kit is very complete and RK has great customer service. I have run most every trail at Rausch Creek and can say the kit will take you anywhere you are willing to try. It will not disappoint you!

FoxRacingJMC

My AEV 3.5 SC kit gets installed tomorrow morning, I will be posting pics & reviews in the thread I started about 1 1/2 weeks ago. If interested, check it out and I'm sure that will give you a little more insight.

jtjk

Both are very nicw kits. From my understanding the aev kit if geared more for overlanding were the rock krawler kit is more fore krawling. I think value for miney the rock krawler kit is a little better. Allot of people dont like aevs controle arm brackets. I think the rock krawler will give thw best offroad flex and the aev a better road ride.

bo9roadking

I have the RK Max Travel lift with the RK RRD 2.0 shocks. I also added the RK HD Pro Tie Rod. I have no complaints at all. This kit replaces all of the stock components with components that are more stout than stock. There is nothing in this kit that uses brackets except for the trackbars. An added bonus is that you can upgrade to the Long Arm kit or change to a 3-link rear in the future and reuse most of what is in the Max Travel kit.

I hear that the AEV kit is good, but I don't have any experience with it.

When I was comparing both kits, I found out the following: Neither the RK nor the AEV kit are complete, but you can buy the missing pieces. The RK kit doesn't have bumpstops included, but the AEV kit does. The RK kit doesn't come with shocks, but the AEV kit does. The RK kit doesn't have anything to adjust for speedometer recalibration or gearing, but the AEV kit does. The RK kit has extended sway bar links for front and back, but the AEV kit reuses the rear stock swaybar links. The RK kit has fully adjustable control arms, the AEV kit uses relocation brackets with stock arms. The RK kit has beefier trackbars than the AEV kit. The RK kit has extended SS brake lines, the AEV kit uses drop brackets with the stock brake lines. The RK kit moves the rear axle back an inch for better tire clearances and provides rear spring wedges, but the AEV kit doesn't have this capability. The RK kit has a built-in steering stabilizer relocation on the front trackbar bracket to move the stabilizer higher. I'm not sure is AEV's kit has a stabilizer relocation.

Both kits have their good and bad. The RK kit will do expedition and rock crawling adventures. The AEV kit will probably do both, but the suspension probably won't articulate as well. The AEV kit probably has less long term maintenance because it is reusing a lot of the stock components. The stock components are engineered to reduce factory warranty claims, so there isn't as much maintenance required. Does that make the stock components better? No, just less maintenance. In the end, either kit will work, it depends on what you want.

moabicon

I dont think that RK and AEV are for 2 different types of clients. I think AEV is best for the wheeler that wants maximum street performance without compromising offroad capability.
Yes, I have an AEV lift. I installed a 3.5 Premium just over a year ago. I am completely impressed by it still to this day.

Before I bought the JK I had a TJ with a 4 1/2" Teraflex long arm kit and it worked great on trails such as Pritchett Canyon many times. But, I have to tell ya... The JK Unlimited with the AEV Premium is way better. I know the 2 jeeps are night and day different. I am just sayin that to me that doesnt matter.

The JK with the 3 1/2" AEV lift w/ 37s gets me over more harder obstacles than the TJ ever could. Including Golden Spike/Dbl Whammy, anything on Pritchett, Rock Chucker, Potato Salad Hill, anything in Moab. So why would i need to buy a different brand that may not be as well engineered as the AEV?
I have also had it through Trough your Rocker, Holy Cross, Sidewinder and Billings. No issues and it performed fantastic. I dont know about Clayton, Rock Krawler or others, they may have a similar effect. I'm sure they are good and reputable companies.

But I do know that the AEV lift is NOT for just overlanding or moderate trails only. It will handle anything I can throw at it. I live in the mountains of Colorado and I wheel mostly in the rocks here and around Moab.
I am posting this because I think many AEV customers may not be doing some of the toughest trails and I wanted to post from my personal experience that AEV can handle anything that the others do. I hope this helps some of you.

Grognard

I went through Poison Spider Mesa last week with the AEV rig in my group (along with the Teraflex rig) and it did just fine. I did not run with the RK rig but by all reports it did just fine as well.

To me, I don't think AEV gives you the value for the money. You spend all that and get a set of brackets? All lifts from the reputable companies engineer their lifts, so I don't buy the argument the money is for their engineering. But that's just me.

FWIW I did Hell's Revenge, Poison Spider, Metal Masher and a couple other trails on my TF lift last week and had a great time. With any of the good companies, you will be successful. Pick the one you want, don't look back, and you will do well.

moabicon

I agree that all the companies mentioned are good companies and you will not go wrong with any of them.

The thing I have to adress is the ignorance in the statement regarding getting only a set of brackets. That is completely uncalled for. We should try and help others relying on us to understand the real differences between lift kit companies and not just say something like all you get is some brackets for the money.

You should know that with the dual Sport set up you get much more than brackets. The Bilstein 5100 shocks are custom tuned to work perfectly with the special frequency tuned coil spring that work as a matched set front and rear for great performance when driven over the road and at high speeds over rough road conditions. Some other companies use off the shelf shocks and off the shelf coil springs and just settle for them being close enough. At AEV it's the engineering behind the complete system setup that sets them apart from all the others. It is engineered by bonifide former Jeep engineers unlike the other companies mentioned. The raised rear Track bar bracket is strong and works great. The front Drag Link is flipped on the knuckle and is parrallel with the Track bar that is raised with a tower provided that provides the proper geometry in the steering system. This provides a higher roll center which is a good thing. There's actually quite a bit more included that I will get into if requested.

Like I said, I believe the others are good reutable companies. It's not that at all. I just couldn't let the remark about only getting brackets go unchallenged.
Again, I hope this helps others.

ASSFROW

Hello,

I'll start out saying I'm just a newb, but Iv'e read everything I can to try and figure out what lift to get. In my opinion the RK kit is the way to go if you plan on hard off-roading and want to spend the money. No matter what anyone says the AEV system has drawbacks off road. Articulation isn't as good and neither is clearance. There is another less expensive option that uses the drop brackets like AEV. It's the Rancho 4 inch sport system. Rancho just released a new version and you can find it for under $1100 with shocks and get a $500 rebate until June 1st. It doesn't have a procal to to correct your spedo and such or the jack base, but other than that it does everything the AEV kit does at a much lower price and the Rancho drop brackets are stronger. The price is low enough that you can add control arms or whatever later if you feel the need and still save a ton. I do know that everyone that installs the AEV kits will tell you they are the best thing ever, so they must be doing something right. I will be installing the Rancho kit like bazilions of others that are very happy with them and pocketing a boatload of cash for future mods.

Here'e a link to a thread here about the Rancho kit. It's long, but worth the read.

https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/show...e-try-one-here

Here's a link to a thread here with Rancho's new kits released yesterday!

https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/show...or-the-Jeep-JK

Gary