I am looking to purchase a Basic Lift Kit for my 2015 JKU. I currently am on the fence about using Rusty 3.25" Basic Lift, Rough Country 3.5" Lift, Mammoth 3.5", and Zone 4" Lift. I understand that I will need to purchase the additional exhaust spacer. I will be running Bushwhacker Fenders and 315 duratracs.

I DO NOT HAVE MONEY for a Complete lift, but in a few years I will. Not looking for a mall crawler either. I do plan on adding control arms etc at some point.

I am not looking to modify my driveshaft or any other parts, not sure if 4inch would require that. Zone says not.

What I Know:
- Zone is owned by Fox
- Rusty has quality products
- Rough Country mixed reviews

What I Want:
- Quality reviews and tips
- I like the appearance of 3.25" and higher
- Suggestions

What I DO NOT WANT:
- Negative answers that are unrelated to my topic.


My Budget is $450-$700

 

What is the budget for lift? How much more do you eventually see yourself putting into it?

People on here have had driveshaft issues as low as 2.5". Others report being ok at 4-5". Because an ad from some random suspension mfg says you won't have any driveshaft problems, just don't make it so. Crawl underneath and look, and have some kind of plan for if/when you see the grease splatter.

Research the various components so you actually know what you are getting with each lift. (if you are planning on adj arms later, do you want Cam Bolts now?)

Best bet might be to spend a bit more now and go with a basic kit from RockKrawler/MetalCloak/AEV/TeraFlex/Synergy/whoever, then add on to it.

 

You can flip a coin on the choices you offer. All are incomplete and will basically ride the same, poorly. All will be upgradeable over time which will not be an issue. Any changes in height will affect geometry and driveshafts, the more height the more issues you are likely to have. There is no hard number on if driveshafts may have issues as height, shock travel, and how you use your jeep will affect how components will hold up.

 

Is the ride quality that bad?

 

Ride quality is subjective. But the geometry is basic math and improper geometry will result in poor performance.

 

If you're going with flat fenders at time of lift just go with something like the RK 1.5". Looks great, will perform the same as any of the others (better actually since you're not changing geometry components yet), and not high enough to need to change many parts.

 

Well I have spoken to a few techs and they said to avoid any lift greater than 3.5 as a precaution for drive train issues.
Looking at just a basic lift right now ---> next year I will get new shocks, control arms, track bar ---> then ill get flat fenders.

Still looking on a good basic lift between Rustys 3.25, RC 3.5, and Zone 3 with nitro. to put on this year

 

3.5" coils without new shocks or extensions will limit your down travel to about 1" You need to realize that you typically get more lift then advertised from the lift companies unless you have a heavily armored jeep. Its not a stretch to get 4"+ from a 3.5" coil. Bushwhackers give you the look of about a 4" lift and give you the clearance to run 35" tires without a lift, add another 3"-4" of lift in there and your jeep is going to look funny with those small tires.

If you are going to piece together a kit, start by buying a good set of coils in the height you want or maybe a 2.5" height as you can always add a coil spacer on top the coil to gain more height. You will want around 2" of extended bump stops for that size tire. If you are going to the 3.25"+ you really want to add a front adjustable track bar and rear axle side track bar bracket to center you axles as at that height they would be offset quite a bit and shift a lot during articulation of the suspension.

The red link in my signature will give you a good overview of what you are going to need to properly build your jeep suspension.

 

I was on the same boat a year ago when I bought my 13 JKUR. I went with the Rubicon Express Basic 3.5" with 37" Km2s. I also added Rancho control arm brackets and exaust spacers. For shocks I went with the Rancho RS9000xls. 8000 onroad miles later, I'm really happy with it. The ride quality is great, a lot smoother than stock. I credit the shocks for that. I spent about $1,000 for everything.

Like you, I plan on building my rig up slowly to eventually start getting into some moderate crawling, but for my Imidiate needs, it does just fine.

 

Nice, I plan on eventually moving in to larger tires when the duratracs wear out. I do plan on adding a heavy duty front and rear bumper with a winch which will lower the lift. Did you do anything to your drivetrain?