Is AEV worth the money?
#21
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As much as the bottom of my JK gets beat by the rocks I can't imagine adding brakets that hang even lower than the stock mounting points Just another damn thing to get hit, smashed and cause me to get hung up
I will keep my TF confident that it will survive my wheeling style.
I will keep my TF confident that it will survive my wheeling style.
The pros for them are that they change the geometry (the difference between the lowers and uppers isn't the same as stock) so that when you hit bumps on the road, the force is directed less into the frame and more into the shocks .. your JK feels a lot smoother/less-jarring going over them. They also give your JK significantly less anti-dive when you really hit the brakes and lessen the angle that your front drive-shaft operates at.
So again, another AEV conundrum. You can surely buy adjustable front control arms (or use cam bolts). You just won't get the same ride.
Last edited by aristobrat; 12-05-2010 at 03:19 PM.
#22
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Originally Posted by aristobrat
Agreed. On the same note, it's hard to not agree that there are not many threads on here from people raving about the on-street drive quality of their JKs post lift, either.
having said all that, have you built up and or even tested anything other than what you have on your jeep? can you say with authority that the aev brackets provide significantly better ride and handling over a kit that's been dialed in with with adjustable heavy duty components?
Last edited by wayoflife; 12-05-2010 at 03:31 PM.
#23
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Originally Posted by aristobrat
You can surely buy adjustable front control arms (or use cam bolts). You just won't get the same ride
#24
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having said all that, have you built up and or even tested anything other than what you have on your jeep?
can you say with authority that the aev brackets provide significantly better ride and handling over a kit that comes with complete with adjustable heavy duty components?
A lot of how the AEV behaves comes directly from the geometry setup via their brackets. If their track bar brackets raise the axle-side mounts 4"-6" up (to purposefully change the roll center), how does an adjustable HD trackbar achieve the same results? Edit: I didn't post that to be a smart-ass, I really don't understand (and have never seen anyone explain) that.
Last edited by aristobrat; 12-05-2010 at 03:58 PM.
#25
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How good is the strength and design of these geometry brackets?
Several other brackets have been known to be somewhat weak or add extra stress that may cause issues, which prompted reinforcements or different designs. So I was just curious about the design of these. Are they reinforced somehow, or will they possibly cause stress related issues of some type?
(I have not been following any of the threads on these, I haven't actually seen a pic of the ca geometry brackets installed, nor have I seen any comments related to the strength - this is just something that I was curious about, and this thread seems a good place to ask...)
Several other brackets have been known to be somewhat weak or add extra stress that may cause issues, which prompted reinforcements or different designs. So I was just curious about the design of these. Are they reinforced somehow, or will they possibly cause stress related issues of some type?
(I have not been following any of the threads on these, I haven't actually seen a pic of the ca geometry brackets installed, nor have I seen any comments related to the strength - this is just something that I was curious about, and this thread seems a good place to ask...)
#26
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funny, you just said that you "agreed" with the statement that i made regarding ride quality and handling being 100% subjective but now, you are effectively suggesting otherwise. of course, i can only assume that your opinion is based on the fact that you have at least driven and wheeled your JK's with these components on it. surely, how else could you speak with such authority.
I have driven my lifted JK with stock control arms mounted with the AEV drop bracket.
I can point you to many posts on project-jk made by people who have compared the performance of their JK before and after the AEV drop backet, many of whom had adjustable control arms.
My experiences from everything above give me no pause to give my opinion in the matter. Respectfully, I do not claim to speak with any authority, and I've never had a situation on here where anyone has taken my opinion for anything other than that -- my opinion.
#27
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Yeah, I'm pretty jealous of the kind of rock crawling you get to do. From what I can tell, there's virtually nothing near that caliber in the Mid-Atlantic states. Matter of fact, it's a good six-hours (one way) to find anything a quarter as good as what you get. This is unfortunately why on-street performance is so high on my list.
The first lift I installed on my JK was a TF 2.5" coil (which I chose mostly because the price was right, and not having any personal wrenching experience, your write-up on the TF 2.5" BB made me feel comfortable enough to do it myself). In my Jeep club, I've done a fair amount of riding with a friend who has a BDS 4" lift, and some guys with frankenlifts.
A lot of how the AEV behaves comes directly from the geometry setup via their brackets. If their track bar brackets raise the axle-side mounts 4"-6" up (to purposefully change the roll center), how does an adjustable HD trackbar achieve the same results?
Last edited by wayoflife; 12-05-2010 at 04:29 PM.
#28
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I have driven my lifted JK with stock control arms in their stock position.
I have driven my lifted JK with stock control arms mounted with the AEV drop bracket.
I can point you to many posts on project-jk made by people who have compared the performance of their JK before and after the AEV drop backet, many of whom had adjustable control arms.
I have driven my lifted JK with stock control arms mounted with the AEV drop bracket.
I can point you to many posts on project-jk made by people who have compared the performance of their JK before and after the AEV drop backet, many of whom had adjustable control arms.
just to reitterate, i am NOT saying that this isn't a good kit. i have mearly given my opinion to the OP who specifically asked - is it "worth the money?"
My experiences from everything above give me no pause to give my opinion in the matter. Respectfully, I do not claim to speak with any authority, and I've never had a situation on here where anyone has taken my opinion for anything other than that -- my opinion.
Last edited by wayoflife; 12-05-2010 at 04:44 PM.
#29
Originally Posted by wayoflife
and, that's my point, you have not driven your jeep with anything other than stock arms or stock arms with these drop brackets. please understand, i completely agree that they do what they are advertised to do but, i think you would find that if you had tried running a dialed in suspension setup using adjustable control arms, it wouldn't have been too bad either. for me personally, i still have a hard time wanting to LOWER a mount that already gets hit all the time on the trail especially after paying so much to get the underside of my jeep up higher - i'm mean, it seems self-defeating. if ride comfort and handling is so important, i would highly recommend that you try driving a JK with a high quality and very complete long arm kit installed. if you're really honest with yourself, i think you would find that it is way better than what you have now.
#30
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I have the OME HD kit with LT shocks and it rides almost as good as factory No id say it rides as good as factory and like you said Northridge is running a special on it. Go for the OME w\ track bars