srunyon

Got my first JK last week....stock 2 dr Rubi, and I'm itchin' to start mods (Lift, wheels, tires, bumpers, etc.) I think I've gotten the lift portion narrowed down to two--AEV's NTH degree or TF 3" Flexarm lift. Can anyone give me any insight as to their experience with either/both please? I appreciate any feedback....and can hardly wait to get this little project underway. (i've done work on CJ's for about 4 years but this is my first JK). Thanks in advance for any help!!

Things I'm looking for feedback on:

-Ride (versus one another or stock) and what to expect
-approximately how much lift to expect
-warranty/support info
-install difficulty (probably be doing this myself....)
-anything else to consider

wayoflife

honestly, you are comparing apples and oranges here. the aev kit comes with a bunch of over priced relocation brackets that are used in conjunction to your factory suspension components and the teraflex flex arm kit comes with all new, heavy duty adjustable suspension components that provide greater bind free flex.

the aev kit will offer the same ride as stock. the TF kit will not be the same but, being that ride quality is 100% subjective, most will tell you that they like it better than stock.

they will both yield about the same. even though the TF kit says it's only a 3" lift, you will get closer to 4" and it will be taller than the aev.

look around the forum and you will find that joe from teraflex is always on here and always willing to help out a member with any issues they might have and in a hurry.

they are both easy to install. the aev kit is probably a bit easier as there are no adjustments you can make but, that is also its downside to me.

if you plan on wheeling your jeep, the control arm drop brackets that come with the aev kit are HUGE rock targets and i am no fan of them. if your jeep is mainly a pavement princess, this kit might be the easier way to go even though it's way over priced for what little you get. also, the aev kit comes with no means to address your rear pinion angle if you decide to get an aftermarket drive shaft. you will need to buy additional adjustable rear upper control arms to do this.

HappyCurmudgeon

Cant comment on the AEV lift, but i do have the 3" TeraFlex lift (with adj. arms) on mine.

• Ride IMO is far better than stock. (I had a 2" BB that i tore off to do the spring lift) Tire pressure means tons.
• I wound up with just over 4" of lift.
• TeraFlex has awesome customer support. My rear trackbar bracket arrived bent, I called Joe and a new one showed up in just a couple days.
• I am no mechanic but reasonably adept, I grew up on farms working on equipment so I do know somewhat of how to turn a wrench. I wouldnt say it is an easy install for a novice (certainly would be for anyone with experience). Moderate maybe? Time consuming more than anything, especially fiddling with the caster. Get an angle finder, theyre cheap and you'll need it. I do have an air compressor & air tools which helped immensely. I installed the lift all by myself. I started on a friday night, finished it up sunday am. could have done it faster but i have a wife and kids so I had to keep stopping for various reasons. I didnt have any difficulties other than blowing out my stupid sears floor jack, and I forgot to unhook one shock before i dropped the front axle. I had it lose but neglected to pull the bolts. WOW are those suckers loud when they pop! messy too.
• I am seriously out of shape. I was sore for a week. I really need a creeper. That damn cement got cold and hard after a while.

srunyon

WOL, thanks for the info. That's sort of what i like about the AEV, is that it adapts to the Stock susp and I here the ride is exceptional....I agree on the cost though, it's not cheap. Didn't know that about the control arm brackets though, thanks. This thing will see quite a few trails since it's a toy (locally Hills n Hollers and Dirty Turtle mostly), but road too as I just like being in my Jeep(s)....

HC, thanks for the info! Since I'm from KY, I've worked on a few farms too I hope you're doing well, my man. My mother is a cancer survivor.

wayoflife

the ride being "exceptional" is subjective and is an opinion most often sung by those who own the kit. in my experience, very few people ever talk smack about the kit they own as it would be an admission that they made a mistake and god forbid they would ever do that. as i had stated, the ride it offers will be about the same as stock and if you think your stock ride is exceptional, you will be happy with the on-road ride it offers. however, being that you plan on wheeling your jeep, i would NOT recommend this kit as it has more drawbacks on the trail then benefits. but, that's just my opinion.

TeraFlex

If you have any questions about any TeraFlex products, please give me a call.

grmncrsnbr

To me the AEV comes with a lot of over priced baindaids (brackets) if you are serious look for lifts that come with adjustable hardware like the TF or Full traction kits. The adjustable bars will allow the suspension geometry to be aligned properly for improved ride quality. My full traction 3in long arm kit rides great on the highway and has plenty of flex.

WCDAVE

Well, I am looking at this too. I have experience with modding suspensions on track cars, but this will be my first foray into 4wheel mods so take my comments with a grain of salt. Here are my observations: The AEV kit does lower the control arm mounting points, but if you look at any long arm kit from the side, they hang down lower still. So I am not sure that it poses that much more of a target. Stuff gets bashed when rock crawling. With a top of the line long-arm kit you could easily roll off of a rock, smash the LCA, slide on up to the mounting point and impact it as well. The reason AEV has dropped the mounting points is so that when you hit a bump, the axle only needs to travel up. If the points were not lowered, the axle would have to travel forward on an arc to travel up, thus making the "hit" rougher. Another point about the AEV that seems well thought out is mounting the drag link from the top. The excessive articulation required on the joint to function with a 3"+ lift seems jerry-rigged, but then again, with AEV, you have to drill out the knuckle. Teraflex is nice as well. As a starting point, I don't think you can go wrong either way. For me, I am leaning AEV since my Jeep is 90% if not more on road. If I were lucky enough to get out and off-road twice a month I would feel like I was stealing something.

srunyon

I've looked at Full Traction....I'm still considering them as well.

srunyon

Thanks for the info, Planman. I've read a few of your posts and definitely respect what you have to say....