jgerhard

Ya when I look at how much you get with the AEV lift its a bargain. Some of their other stuff is a bit pricey, but the lift kits I don't think are.

4W-Jive

subscribed, I am very interested. DS replacement needed? Is this lift typically dealership/warranty friendly? No rubbing with 35's? Good amount of flex?

Poker5150

On the 2.5 no DS replacement needed. My dealer installs this exact lift for customers so they are friendly. Should have no rub with a 35 but wheels must be properly backspaced. Good flex, not great, but good. If you are looking to rock crawl I would go in a different direction.

jgerhard

I've done alot of reading, up to 2.5 inches is a small lift, dealership should be fine. Even 3 and 4 inch lifts are fine with dealers, there is alot to read on the forum regarding this. 35's are good as long as you have the wheel backspacing or wheel spacers for stock wheels. Regarding flex, thats all about getting front sway bar disconnects. Look at the guy with the yellow jeep here regarding simple TF BB:

https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/atta...hmentid=317889

A thread about BB lifts. Above pic is from this thread where I was asking some questions myself.

https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/modi...-world-232782/

4W-Jive

Thanks guys! I live in CO, so some rocks are inevitable. This is my DD so I'm not looking to abuse or smash it up while crawling around though. I'm mainly looking for a lift that will let me explore as much of the rockies as possible (meaning, if there's an obstacle in the trail, I want to get over it). Part of the attraction for me to this lift is being able to fit 35's and still have a low COG, seems like it would pair up well with nice skids. What I'm mainly attracted to with this lift is that it seems like you buy the thing, put it on, possibly add the geometry correction kit, and you're completely done. I don't want to have to add this or that later, or open up pandora's box of expensive shit just to get it back to 'normal' drivability. That being said, I am very tempted by RK 2.5 max, but I will need to buy shocks at least and its a few hundo more to start with. opinions on anything I just rambled about?

Poker5150

I have the AEV 2.5 with the geometry correction brackets and I cant say enough about how well it drives. It handles and rides much better than stock. I do alot of hwy driving to and from Mammoth Lakes from the So Cal area so that is the primary reason I chose AEV ( ski season and fishing season). I do plan on doing the Rubicon Trail in a few months and I know that I will be taking ALL of the bypass routes. I knew going in that I would not have a true rock crawling rig with the AEV, but I wanted something that; 1)....drove well.....and 2)....would allow me to go offroad. I figure that a completely stock Rubicon is capable of doing the Rubicon, so with a lift, bigger tires, new bumpers/winch, and side and added underbody protection, I should be just fine.....at least thats what I keep telling myself!!!!

4W-Jive

so do you think that a RK kit may be more suited toward CO terrain?

Poker5150

Cant really say. I have no experience with any other lift and I havent wheeled mine yet. There are alot of people here who have experience with the RK. I know WOL likes the Rancho 4 inch. I think any good 2.5 system from AEV, RK, TF, will meet your needs. Just do what I did and get some bumpers (the plastic stock ones suck and will dent), protect your underside and get rock rails for the inevitable impact!

4W-Jive

thanks for your input Poker. I have the rubi rails, disco, and will certainly be getting skids, but bumpers will have to wait. At the risk of sounding redundant, I am trying to phrase this in a way that will avoid straying from topic. For those of you who have ran this kit, do you think it would do well in CO? Or is it possible that another setup such as FT or RK would better suit my needs in the long run...? This is my only vehicle, is my biggest investment to date, and I need to treat it as such.

kssting

On Saturday we installed a 2.5 TF on my 2011 and a 2.5 AEV on my friends 2012 and today we took both through some tough trails in central Utah and they both did great. The only thing we noticed was some rock scrapes on my friend "correction brackets" and it looks like they might get abused over time. We wanted to compare the flex of the two kits side by side but we never got the chance. So both kits should get the job done. The ride on the highway was as smooth or smoother than factory.