srunyon

Thanks, Joe! I can appreciate the manufacturer offering a hand...nothing like good support!

wayoflife

honestly, i don't know how you could even compare a kit that lowers your factory short arms with cheap extensions brackets to a top of the line LONG ARM kit. sure, long arms will be a rock target as well BUT, they are heavy duty LONG ARMS that improve your suspension geometry, provide unsurpassed ride and handling and come with joints that provide significantly better bind free flex.

but, you are still using factory short arms with their ridgid bonded rubber bushings and i would argue, LOWERING THEM SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER than where a long arm would sit and without any of the additional benefits of heavy duty long arms. if this were a more reasonably priced kit, i might be able to see your point but, for the cost, i just don't see how it's worth it.

nothing special about the aev steering setup and if you really wanted it, you could get it separately or get something just like it from off road evolution and for less.

WCDAVE

While I think AEV would say that their kits are capable of some rock crawling, the name of the company is American EXPEDITION Vehicles, so that may be a good way to draw a distinction. Planman has insight on how he will personally use the vehicle, so he can make the best choice for him. In a two Jeep family, it sounds like an addiction which demands less esoteric and more utilitarian solutions than the AEV kit.

As to brackets somehow being bandaids, don't all kits relocate the mounting points? Otherwise, you would still have a stock rig. I guess some brackets weld on versus bolt on, but I'm not sure how you could fault the AEV kit for using brackets. I sort of sense reading through this and other threads that there is some "loyalty" coloring the opinions.

wayoflife

ummm, what?? most good complete kits come with replacement adjustable heavy duty control arms with upgraded joints that provide greater bind free flex. there is nothing stock about them. long arm kits are the only kits that relocate their mounts as it is needed to run long arms.

lowering brackets are just a step above the cheap cam bolts they used to sell everone on as being the best thing since sliced bread. if the kit were more reasonably priced like the rancho sport kit, you wouldn't even be hearing from me but, being as expensive as it is, i think it's a joke. but, i do have to give aev kudos for their outstanding marketing as they sure seemed to have sold you.

i agree - you clearly seem to have a "loyaty" that is coloring your opinion.

Ryanc

Things I'm looking for feedback on:

-Ride (versus one another or stock) and what to expect-- Rides as good as stock.

-approximately how much lift to expect--depends on how weighted down you are with bumpers and winch, cargo, etc.

-warranty/support info---second to none.

-install difficulty (probably be doing this myself....)--easy, that is if you have patience.

WCDAVE

Brackets, not arms.

As for bind-free flex, not sure how your are encountering binding on the stock bushings. This is actually a fairly maintenance free solution. Low tech is not always a bad thing. The "upgraded" joints offer more parts to fail in an extreme environment. I'm sure that properly maintained and serviced they afford a measure of improvement, but I do not think that Jeep has produced an utterly substandard part here.

On the cost side, the AEV kit with shocks and PRoCal is $1700 and the TF kit the OP referenced costs $2,200, so it seems disingenuous to rant about the cost of AEV when the kit being considered (1451302) cost $500 more and, while including control arms, includes no steering solution and no ProCal. I don't have a dog in this fight, but I do feel there are merits to the AEV system. Is there a better one? I will stipulate that there is, but I will also say, you get what you pay for.

wayoflife

nobody said that bonded rubber bushings were "utterly substandard". in fact, the teraflex arms use bonded rubber bushings at the frame mounts for better ride comfort. but, in order to flex, a bonded rubber bushing has to "twist" and this twisting IS bind. the teraflex arms use a large spherical joint at the axle end to help reduce the amount of this bind and offer greater flex. properly maintained and serviced, they will remain quite and do in fact afford measurable improvement.

but, with the teraflex kit, you get a complete set of BRAND NEW HEAVY DUTY ADJUSTABLE CONTROL ARMS and adjustable front track bar. the control arms will even allow you to set your rear pinion angle after you install a new u-joint style drive shaft. the aev kit gives you a bunch of relocation bracket and ones that won't be able to set your rear pinion angle. no, the teraflex kit does not come with a draglink flip kit but honestly, it's not necessary. would having one improve high speed handling through a slalom, sure and, if that's how you roll, i suppose you can still add it for a couple of hundred dollars more.

yes, there are definite merits to the aev kit - i just don't think it's worth the $1700 especially when you can get something very similar for less than half the cost.

you're absolutely right, if you were to pay for a long arm kit, you would get better but, a good one would be about a thousand dollars more.

WCDAVE

WOL,

I appreciate your zeal for TF and appreciate that they are a sponsor here and AEV is not. My responses to the OP were simply to point out what I liked about AEV having researched the same question on this and other forums. You are much more expert on all things Jeep than I am. I do not have either of these kits and am unbiased in my review of the information available and acknowledge the pros and cons outlined here and elsewhere. I think we can agree that each of these (as well as others) have their particular merits. In the end, each user determines what is right for THEM.

Dave

wayoflife

i was wondering when that was gonna come up. when you have nothing better to add, you attack my integrity and try to suggest that the valid and articulate points that i've been making should be discounted due to the fact that teraflex is a sponsor here and aev is not.

and, my responses to the OP were simply to point out what i have personally seen, tested out and experienced over the last 4+ years.

please, of course you are biased. you have developed a strong opinion based on your extensive research on the internet and you have been trying to justify them here through your defense of the kit you have convinced yourself to buy. as for me, i don't have either kit on my 2 jk's either. sure i have run teraflex kits in the past and have even installed plenty of them but, i have also installed and tested many other brands as well. but hey, why trust anything a guy like me would have to say

ummm, if you had been reading what i have been saying all along, the aev kit would be just fine if it weren't so over priced for what little you get. sure it has meirts but in my opinion, at a premium that i'm amazed people are so eager and willing to pay. kits like the rancho sport kit are very similar in design and in what you get but it's less than half the cost of the aev kit.

LOL!! from what i have seen, "right" is whatever one convinces themselves to be right and really, there's nothing wrong with that so long as you're happy with what you got

membrain

I also have 3 2010 JKs in the family, but only 1 is lifted at the moment...

Cannot comment on AEV...

Cannot comment on Teraflex 3"...

...but having owned 7 Jeeps over the last few years, I have been in the same quandry as the OP: Which is the better lift?

I'm running a teraflex 4" short arm lift, my 3 kids and I put it on over a weekend.

It rides nice, I am very happy with it, and would recommend it to others.

Bottom line, it is hard to say what is bad or what is good until you have experienced it for yourself. It is nice to have someone's firsthand evaluation of a specific lift that you are interested in versus a bunch of answers like "it's good," it's great," "it sucks" or "get it, you'll like it."

Talk to the person that has driven the lift you are interested in, ask what they specifically like and don't like about it, right down to the little things, and then see if that's what you want. It will be rare that you get a "lemon" for a lift kit, but it could happen.

The only thing I'm paranoid about on my lift is making sure everything stays tight and keeping all the joints properly lubed.