Unless they are removing or modified the exhaust crossover to clear the driveline it will need changed.

Even if thats changed how are the fixing the extreme angle on the driveshaft?

 

what year is your JK?

 

I don't know. I know everyone else highly recommends changing out the front DS. I want to say it has to do with the 6Pak shocks, and the amount of uptravel they have, but my memory isn't the greatest. I'd give them a call again and ask. Sorry. I just know that I've got 20k miles on the system, and I haven't had any problems yet. I'm sure it's going to grenade on me someday, but it's giving me plenty of time to save up for aftermarket DS.

 

2012 JKUR w/Auto

 

You do have to relocate the stock exhaust crossover, but you have to do that on all 3"+ lifts, unless you replace the DS with a 1310. A trip to the muffler shop is going to be cheaper than a trip to the drive line shop.

 

You are 100% correct, However your post lead people to believe they do not have to address the exhaust issue at all.

The best way to clear the exhaust and solve the driveline angle issue is to replace the front shaft. You may be able to drive on the factory shaft for awhile. But mark my words it will not last.

 

Thanks. My 1310 Coast got here today. Now just need to decide on lift.

 

Hey man so after hours online and getting as much info as i could in the last month or so I think the enforcer 4" kit with the evo spec 2.5 kings works best for me. Just a couple questions, can i split the buying part in two.. ? As in buy the lift & draglink flip kit. then buy the shocks next month ?

Also I know it's a 4" but how will it hold up after I put rear/ front bumper on Will it sag at all ?

 

4" will hold up, you might find the need for a 1" spacer in the front. I would run it first then see what you think.

Yes, you can split you order. No problem!

 

I apologize if my post lead people to believe that they don't have to address the exhaust. That wasn't my intention, and I honestly don't even know where I did that. Once again, I appologize to the OP and anyone else who reads this, or has posted on this thread. Furthermore, sorry for the following hijack!

You do have to worry about the stock exhaust crossover if you choose not to replace the stock DS. I chose to address the exhaust crossover instead of the DS, because at that point in the build, I just couldn't afford to replace them. I did the full 3.5" MC Game Changer, 5 Raceline Beadlocks, with 5 35" BFG KM2's all at one time. That was quite a hefty CC payment that month, and spending another $1k on front and rear DS, slip yoke eliminators, wasn't happening. That was one of the many selling points that helped me decide to go with MetalCloak. (I'll explain why that was a selling point later.)

After the initial build I found out that my stock front & rear bumpers were limiting my travel, so when I saved up some more money, I was able to replace them and get more flex out of the system. After that, I noticed that I smashed my stock exhaust at an OHV park, so I replaced it with a Flowmaster. After a couple of trail runs, I found that I smashed my evap canister skid, and put a couple dings in my transmission pan, so I bought some skids to protect the guts on my Jeep. After my Rubicon run, I noticed I broke the seal on my rear diff cover, so I replaced the stock ones (front & rear) and used LubeLocker gaskets. I guess what I'm trying to say is, you do not have to replace your drive shafts right away! You can save your money and buy other things with it, and your Jeep won't explode while you're out having fun. However, if you're taking your JK through the toughest trails week after week, and abusing it, you'll definitely need to replace them sooner than later. No doubt about it. The stock DS's are not as strong as the aftermarket ones. That is all part of owning a Jeep, and driving it. Don't think for one second you can buy a Jeep, build it up, and never have to touch it again. If that's the case, stop now and save your money.

The point I'm trying to make here is...why replace your drive shafts if there is nothing wrong with them, and they're not limiting your travel? Chris mentioned that they're always at a constant bind, and that's why you need to replace them. I'm not going to argue that, I don't know. But I can tell you that I haven't noticed it, nor have I seen any signs of it. I guess ignorance is bliss. What I do know is that I've been able to enjoy my JK with all the money that I've put into it, and I haven't had any problems with my drive shafts!

Hopefully this next bit can answer matprovo's question about the DS. I've talked to Matson at MetalCloak, and here is what he had to say...

"...because their suspension design is based on a 50/50 ratio, meaning 50% up travel, 50% down travel, the drive shaft don't experience the extreme angles that other suspensions of similar travel experience."

Hope that helps.