Hey all,
Decided to replace the frankenlift on my JKUR and go with something a bit nicer. Right now I'm on the teraflex 2.5 with rancho 9000's and 1" spacers on top of the springs. Going to go with 4.5 so I can avoid doing long arms. I'm between 2 choices...Metalcloak gamechanger 4.5" or synergy stage 3 4.5" lift. Thoughts? Right now I'm leaning towards metalcloak but I like the way the synergy components are adjustable without having to use the jam nut or removing the component from the vehicle.

Also need advice on shocks...looking at the metalcloak 6 pack or something by fox.

As far as what I'm looking for in the setup...good, stable ride quality on road, serious flex for rock crawling off road. Most of my wheeling is slow and steady, not worried about high speed stuff. My current setup is basically riding on the bumstops so the ride is torturous. I do pull a trailer sometimes and carry a bunch of gear in the back. As it is my jk is heavy as hell...armor all around so need to make sure the springs wont sag too much with all that weight.

What else...running 37's and flat fenders...aftermarket driveshafts, axles, etc.

Thanks for any and all advice.

 

I like the synergy lift and fox shocks better. I'm running 3" synergy coils and 12" travel fox shocks ride is infinitely better than teraflex 2.5 which I used to have. Being able to adjust arms on the vehicle is a huge benefit when tweaking pinion angles and castor.

If you go metalcloak skip the 6 packs. They are nothing but trouble requiring frequent maintenance and tons of issues reported. Do some research there.

 

Hey, thanks for the great feedback. Especially since you previously had the exact lift that I'm currently running. I did see some negative stuff about the maintenance on the 6 packs but I do love the amount of travel that they provide. With that said Fox probably is a better option overall. Did you go with res or non reservoir shocks?

Totally agree on the adjustability factor...will be nice to tweak on the vehicle, and I've had jam nuts loosen up on me in the past.

One more thing I forgot to mention...I'm in the northeast where they salt the heck out of the roads in winter. I have to be better about keeping the shocks clean but my current ranchos rusted like crazy, even on the shaft which eventually caused the seal to blow. Any feedback on which components will be better in these conditions?

 

Hey there, I'm in Maryland so I feel your pain. The salted roads in the winter suck and will eat your jeep alive. Haha.

That being said, I just put on the MC 3.5" game changer Rocksport edition and I'm in love. I was previously running an AEV 2.5" lift with the MC full control arm set. I couldn't be happier with the change. Jeep rides nothing short of amazing on the road and it killed it on the trails this past weekend in PA. I would highly recommend their lifts. And I agree with the other comment... Skip the 6 pak shocks.

 

Hey Man, thanks for the feedback! Assuming you were at tatas this weekend? I was there too...which is why im now hellbent on changing the suspension out. The jeep did well on the trails but a little more height and flex would have helped me in a couple places lol. Plus the ride is horrible onroad and off and I'm sick of it. Duly noted on the 6-pack...guess they are cool in theory and not in practice...

 

Well first of all, it's "lady" not "man". Haha. Yep, I was at Tatas. This was the first trip where I didn't come home insanely sore from spending 3 days driving my jeep and didn't smack my head on the door because of some freak suspension oscillation. Lol. Was able to blast through the blue trails at a good clip and the suspension soaked up the bumps. Ran the rock creek on Sunday and it performed flawlessly. Really happy with the choice that I made. I'm a MC fan girl for sure. Their customer service is top notch as well (I've always worked with Will in the past and he has been great).

 

The 6 pak are not as bad as people make them out. You have to consider perspective on them. For those of us used to custom tuning coilovers or Struts, 6 paks are simple. From someone with a bolt-on lift and maintenance free everything, they appear to be a lot of work. Increasing offroad performance will eventually require more maintenance. RCVs need to be lubricated as do aftermarket driveshafts (the latter of which is a PITA). So yes, you do need to charge the nitrogen every 3-6 months. We adjust pressure in our ORIs every time we wheel. It's not a big deal and the effort is worth the performance.

That said, the value in the 6paks comes from additional "up" travel. If you don't run the Overline fenders or go without fenders, you gain nothing. You'll have too much bump stop and won't gain any travel.

We'd recommend those before a bolt-on coilover setup any day. If you don't want to mess with fenders, stick to standard shocks.

Lastly, 4.5" lifts introduce many issues. Just be prepared for the additional investment to deal with them (drag link flip, caster corrected housing, driveshafts, etc).

 

My Bad!!! NO disrespect intended...everyone is dude or man to me...lol. Awesome again, thanks for the feedback, much appreciated!

 

Fusion beat me to ti. The 6 pack shocks are designed for LCOG builds and need their fenders to take full advantage. Just find a 12" travel shock for those lift heights you are looking at.
I would be curious to see your set up now to see what may be wrong with it in terms of set up as you should not be riding on bump stops with that much lift. I would plan a drag link flip as well.

 

I know, was just messing with you. And regarding my comment on the 6 paks... I was steering you away based on comments I heard on their older design. Apparently they've made some changes. So you can remove my vote against them.