I am very hesitant when looking at lift kits for my 2013 Wrangler as I ended up having death wobble and vibration issues with my 2008 a few years back before trading. Having said that, I love the stance of a slightly lifted Jeep and really want to get a "kit" for mine. I work in sales so I drive my jeep many miles a week.

If I am going to go through with a lift I wanna do it completely right the FIRST time and make sure I have everything I will ever need. I don't plan on doing any trails or crawling, it is purely cosmetic for me. Is there a particular lift kit and shocks you would recommend that will give me AT LEAST the stock ride quality if not better? Also, it appears most death wobble occurs through either the track bar and/or ball joints. Do you recommend replacing these while having the kit installed?

I know everyone has a different opinion on ride quality and there are many companies out there with lift kits but as I stated above, regardless of company Ijust want to make sure I have everything I need the first time and try to at least maintain my ride quality but hopefully increase the "plushness" if possible.

I appreciate your help!

 

I love the ride of my Metalcloak lift with OME shocks. I've ridden in Rough Country, Rock Krawler, and have owned Teraflex BB lift and IMO my current set up blows all of them away.

I have heard EVO plush coils are pretty plush but they are at 3" of lift.

At 2.5" it's not mandatory to replace the trackbar but it is recommended.

 

No bolt on lift out there is going to ride like stock. You are changing the geometry of the suspension and steering.

 

Metalcloak!

 

OK here's what I did for the same reason and it didn't cost to much. Maybe $1000 total including labor at the dealer. Yeah I know but I don't have a gargage right now. Teraflex 1.5" Performance Leveling Kit and Rough Country 1.25" Body Lift and 1 1/2" wheel spacers. My ride is a little a little stiffer than stock, love it, and you can put whatever tires, up to 35", on to get the look you want.

Here's pic after 295/70/18 (34.6") Nitto Trail Grappler


Here's before tires

 

If it's purely cosmetic and you do alot of highway driving, you probably aren't looking to go very high.

I would recommend either just a leveling kit (small front spacers to even out rake), or a budget boost. (pucks that add height by sitting on your stock springs). Top it off with some Rancho adjustable shocks and you can dial in whatever ride feels best to you without spending $400 on shocks and hating it.

If you want to spend some $$$, go with the AEV 2.5" and still stick with the Rancho adjustables. That kit comes with quality Bilstein shocks (which I run and like), but some say are a little stiff, especially on 2 doors. You can sell the Bilsteins it comes with to offset some cost.

Lots of quality stuff out there and everyone has there own opinions.

Rock Crawler is tough as nails, Teraflex is good, Metalcloak is designed for massive articualtion, AEV is for overlanding, etc. Stay away from the non-popular ones, they're not popular for a reason usually.

If you're going whole hog, look for a kit with progressive type springs on all 4 corners, especially if you haul stuff for your sales thing.

Just my 2 cents. Enjoy!

 

There is quite a number of contradictory remarks here on the forum as regards the softness of different springs. Some say RK rides nice, some its totaly harsh. Some say AEV rides great, others oppose.

Since every Jeep is different (lots of different equipment, or rather lack of it), its really hard to tell for sure. The only way would be finding out the spring rates for these springs. I am not sure however if the manufacturers will be willing to actually tell us, or whether they perceive it as a part of their private "know-how"...

Anyhow, if you are only after a "stance", dont really plan to wheel and want to keep close-to-stock handling, you should definitely check the TF levelling kit: | TeraFlex Suspensions

 

For this street build that may see 500 miles per week with plushness as goal: .5 inch puck spacer on front coil; flat fenders for perceived lift; All-Terrain skinny 33" tires. Rides as stock. Gives the customized look and doesn't kill mpg too much. This setup will probably lose ~2 mpg @65 mph as long as the air-dam stays on.

Although overkill for street, going more aggressive with MT; larger tire; more lift; lights; winch; bumpers gets the look, you'll lose ~5 mpg @65mph. Whatever you do, know that mpg will drop.

 

Just added a skyjacker 2.5" lift to my 2012 Sahara 4 door, it has coil springs, shocks, lower track bars front and rear, sway links and diff plate, I have 385/65/18 nitto terra grapplers, rides better than stock and gets good mpg, here are some pics of lift off and in jeep, and p.s.... The guys at 4wheel parts are great customer service and helped me with everything I needed to complete, they're great....

 

I did a teraflex 2.5 budget boost. Retains stock factory coils which are soft and I don't feel any change in driving dynamics. You'd think it came from the factory this way.