AEV 3.5 lift
06-24-2016, 07:44 PM
#14
JK Newbie
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: ABQ
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Just installed the AEV 3.5 dualsport SC kit on my 15 JKUHR. By myself. Take about building character...
Anyway - I was debating between that, the 3.5 metalcloak GC, or the 'popular' teraflex 2.5 lift with geo correction, etc.
I rarely off-road but if so usually more fire road/overland/sand dune. Reading up I decided to go with 3.5" to get the belly up a bit higher. That, plus the teraflex kit would have been more expensive since I thought it would also require flat fenders and aev procal a la carte. I couldn't justify the metalcloak financially so I went with the aev.
The geo brackets really don't hang that low IMO. The major negative I found after ordering is that the 3.5 aev kit is a lot of money for a lot of brackets. However, those brackets work to correct geometry and I'm not going to beat the shit out of my DD. Considering all the costs necessary when doing a lift, I'm not sure I could have done better financially. If I decide to buy a new DD and start smashing into rocks, I'll likely have to yank the aev and spend a ton of cash...
I won't regret going with 3.5". I don't yet regret going with a 'wimpy' lift kit. Maybe I never will.
PS - the exhaust spacer for me (manual trans) was the easiest part to install. I will be shopping for a new front driveshaft eventually though...
Anyway - I was debating between that, the 3.5 metalcloak GC, or the 'popular' teraflex 2.5 lift with geo correction, etc.
I rarely off-road but if so usually more fire road/overland/sand dune. Reading up I decided to go with 3.5" to get the belly up a bit higher. That, plus the teraflex kit would have been more expensive since I thought it would also require flat fenders and aev procal a la carte. I couldn't justify the metalcloak financially so I went with the aev.
The geo brackets really don't hang that low IMO. The major negative I found after ordering is that the 3.5 aev kit is a lot of money for a lot of brackets. However, those brackets work to correct geometry and I'm not going to beat the shit out of my DD. Considering all the costs necessary when doing a lift, I'm not sure I could have done better financially. If I decide to buy a new DD and start smashing into rocks, I'll likely have to yank the aev and spend a ton of cash...
I won't regret going with 3.5". I don't yet regret going with a 'wimpy' lift kit. Maybe I never will.
PS - the exhaust spacer for me (manual trans) was the easiest part to install. I will be shopping for a new front driveshaft eventually though...
Last edited by Chingon; 06-24-2016 at 07:46 PM.
06-24-2016, 08:43 PM
#15
I'm running the 2.5 on a 2door on 35s. Added the geo brackets as well. Mostly DD, but off the beaten path once a month.
-The brackets don't hang as low as some say. Plus it's at a location where you're likely to not hit very often. Haven't hit mine at all yet and I'm a klutz...
-For me the brackets made a huge difference on road manners, it really should come just included.
-2.5 on 35 is a pretty good combo for overland or DD use IMHO. After that, you'll start needing a lot more components to get good road manners the higher you go. Way less worries if you can stay lower.
-As others have posted, driveshafts should be a consideration with anything 2" or over. I'm not supposed to need one with a 2.5 according to AEV, but mines just about had it. Swapping it out next week.
That said, Mopar does have a pretty sweet kit. If I had to do it all over again, it mightttt just win.
Hope that helps!
-The brackets don't hang as low as some say. Plus it's at a location where you're likely to not hit very often. Haven't hit mine at all yet and I'm a klutz...
-For me the brackets made a huge difference on road manners, it really should come just included.
-2.5 on 35 is a pretty good combo for overland or DD use IMHO. After that, you'll start needing a lot more components to get good road manners the higher you go. Way less worries if you can stay lower.
-As others have posted, driveshafts should be a consideration with anything 2" or over. I'm not supposed to need one with a 2.5 according to AEV, but mines just about had it. Swapping it out next week.
That said, Mopar does have a pretty sweet kit. If I had to do it all over again, it mightttt just win.
Hope that helps!
06-25-2016, 12:09 PM
#16
JK Enthusiast
Thread Starter
Just installed the AEV 3.5 dualsport SC kit on my 15 JKUHR. By myself. Take about building character...
Anyway - I was debating between that, the 3.5 metalcloak GC, or the 'popular' teraflex 2.5 lift with geo correction, etc.
I rarely off-road but if so usually more fire road/overland/sand dune. Reading up I decided to go with 3.5" to get the belly up a bit higher. That, plus the teraflex kit would have been more expensive since I thought it would also require flat fenders and aev procal a la carte. I couldn't justify the metalcloak financially so I went with the aev.
The geo brackets really don't hang that low IMO. The major negative I found after ordering is that the 3.5 aev kit is a lot of money for a lot of brackets. However, those brackets work to correct geometry and I'm not going to beat the shit out of my DD. Considering all the costs necessary when doing a lift, I'm not sure I could have done better financially. If I decide to buy a new DD and start smashing into rocks, I'll likely have to yank the aev and spend a ton of cash...
I won't regret going with 3.5". I don't yet regret going with a 'wimpy' lift kit. Maybe I never will.
PS - the exhaust spacer for me (manual trans) was the easiest part to install. I will be shopping for a new front driveshaft eventually though...
Anyway - I was debating between that, the 3.5 metalcloak GC, or the 'popular' teraflex 2.5 lift with geo correction, etc.
I rarely off-road but if so usually more fire road/overland/sand dune. Reading up I decided to go with 3.5" to get the belly up a bit higher. That, plus the teraflex kit would have been more expensive since I thought it would also require flat fenders and aev procal a la carte. I couldn't justify the metalcloak financially so I went with the aev.
The geo brackets really don't hang that low IMO. The major negative I found after ordering is that the 3.5 aev kit is a lot of money for a lot of brackets. However, those brackets work to correct geometry and I'm not going to beat the shit out of my DD. Considering all the costs necessary when doing a lift, I'm not sure I could have done better financially. If I decide to buy a new DD and start smashing into rocks, I'll likely have to yank the aev and spend a ton of cash...
I won't regret going with 3.5". I don't yet regret going with a 'wimpy' lift kit. Maybe I never will.
PS - the exhaust spacer for me (manual trans) was the easiest part to install. I will be shopping for a new front driveshaft eventually though...
06-25-2016, 12:11 PM
#17
JK Enthusiast
Thread Starter
I'm running the 2.5 on a 2door on 35s. Added the geo brackets as well. Mostly DD, but off the beaten path once a month.
-The brackets don't hang as low as some say. Plus it's at a location where you're likely to not hit very often. Haven't hit mine at all yet and I'm a klutz...
-For me the brackets made a huge difference on road manners, it really should come just included.
-2.5 on 35 is a pretty good combo for overland or DD use IMHO. After that, you'll start needing a lot more components to get good road manners the higher you go. Way less worries if you can stay lower.
-As others have posted, driveshafts should be a consideration with anything 2" or over. I'm not supposed to need one with a 2.5 according to AEV, but mines just about had it. Swapping it out next week.
That said, Mopar does have a pretty sweet kit. If I had to do it all over again, it mightttt just win.
Hope that helps!
-The brackets don't hang as low as some say. Plus it's at a location where you're likely to not hit very often. Haven't hit mine at all yet and I'm a klutz...
-For me the brackets made a huge difference on road manners, it really should come just included.
-2.5 on 35 is a pretty good combo for overland or DD use IMHO. After that, you'll start needing a lot more components to get good road manners the higher you go. Way less worries if you can stay lower.
-As others have posted, driveshafts should be a consideration with anything 2" or over. I'm not supposed to need one with a 2.5 according to AEV, but mines just about had it. Swapping it out next week.
That said, Mopar does have a pretty sweet kit. If I had to do it all over again, it mightttt just win.
Hope that helps!
06-25-2016, 07:26 PM
#19
Super Moderator
Originally Posted by Mopar
Q: Why do we need a driveshaft in the kit?
A: When the 3.6 engine was introduced, (2012) the exhaust routing ran the pipe directly under the front driveshaft. When a lift is installed, the driveshaft is lowered, hence it will rub on the exhaust pipe when the suspension drops away from the vehicle. This causes the protective boot on the driveshaft to wear and eventually tear apart, allowing contaminants to leak into the boot and causing the driveshaft slip feature to eventually fail. We address this problem the best way with a new, smaller diameter shaft, but it is more expensive.
A: When the 3.6 engine was introduced, (2012) the exhaust routing ran the pipe directly under the front driveshaft. When a lift is installed, the driveshaft is lowered, hence it will rub on the exhaust pipe when the suspension drops away from the vehicle. This causes the protective boot on the driveshaft to wear and eventually tear apart, allowing contaminants to leak into the boot and causing the driveshaft slip feature to eventually fail. We address this problem the best way with a new, smaller diameter shaft, but it is more expensive.
Last edited by Rednroll; 06-25-2016 at 07:36 PM.