Been looking and reading about lifts for my 2011 jku until my head hurts!! Needing advise on what all is actually need with some of these lifts. This is my daily driver, travel around 100 miles round trip each day. I do some moderate off roading nothing extreme. Been looking at the Rancho 2” sport lift and serval 2.5” lifts. The skyjacker 2.5 with the lower sport arms have also caught my attention. Question is with the Rancho lift will I need to add lower control arms and adjustable track arm brackets? And will the same be true with an 2.5” lift that doesn’t have these things? My plan is to stay on 33” tires until it’s no longer a daily driver and eventually go up to 35” but also have read that I will need to regear and beef up my Dana 30 axle.

 

If you haven't found them yet, open the two threads stuck right to the top of the Modified Tech area. Lots of good info to browse through.

Which specific components 'you' might or might not want is a personal opinion. As the lift gets taller, the caster is reduced further and further (making the steering progressively flightier), and both axles shift further to opposite sides. It makes sense that at some point you will want to correct these issues, but none of us can say that 2 or 2.5 or 3" is the point for you. 2.5" is s loose general recommendation, but don't worry about it too much. If the lift you choose does not include something and you decide you want it, just add it later. No harm done. And also you should be aware that coils from different mfg's can give very different measured lift heights. (a 2.5" coil from one company may net you 2", but from a different company you could get 4". Good to research whatever brand you choose just so you have an idea going into it, as, again, taller = more likely to want to correct issues.)

For brands, Rancho is popular, Skyjacker not so much. If you are open to other suggestions, consider MetalCloak and Synergy also. And names like RockKrawler, AEV, JKS and Teraflex are quite popular as well.

Axle mods? Don't worry abut it yet unless you are planning to wheel it hard, which it doesn't sound like you are. If you get 35's, and if you decide to regear, that would be a good time to research strengthening or swapping axles.

 

Thank you for the help!

 

Have you considered just using spacer pucks ("budget boost") to gain a little lift? Sometimes that is a good solution for folks. Like nthinuf highlights, the biggest problem with springs is you can't tell what they will really end up netting you till their installed. Some brands will net you more than the stated amount, some will net you about the stated amount, and some are going to sag one year down the road. It's a moving target that you are trying to build around. With a budget boost, a 2.5" puck is going to net you exactly that, 2.5".

I mention that because it's nice to have a known quantity sometimes. If you throw a 2.5" spring in there that nets 3.5", guess what?.....you're building as if you have a 3.5" lift which means a front drive shaft is now in the mix. I'm not saying a budget boost is better for you, but maybe something to consider at least. To run 33s you don't need a whole lot, and 35s with 2.5" is nice as well.

Caster is always going to be the biggest X factor to address in any lift. Various lifts will address that different ways once you get high enough. There isn't a "best solution" that fits every jeep, but some methods are better than others. Just because one lift uses control arms vs control arm brackets doesn't necessarily mean it's a better lift.

Lifting a jeep is never as cheap as people want to think it is, and you often get what you pay for. It will end up costing about the same when it's all said and done if you buy a solid 2.5" kit from a quality manufacture or if you buy what appears to be more budget friendly. The road will just be longer and bumpier on that latter path.

 

I’ve considered the puck lifts as well. Was trying to see if there was a better way other than spending the big bucks on an loft with all the part vs piece one together. Was really looking hard at the rough county series 2 3.5” lift cause it seems more complete for a lower price but after reading all the negative reviews on the shocks are crap and the drop pitman arm being a bad idea was looking into other options! I’m running 33-11.5’s now will no lift and it works just want more clearance on the trails especially after I get my winch and bumpers installed

 

I could link you 20 threads or so on this forum alone that will convince you the RC 3.5" lift if about the worst option out there on the market. I don't have time to dig those at the moment, but you can trust me on this one. Whatever you choose, DON'T choose that.

 

If I chose to go with a puck lift do I still have to do caster corrections of some sort and or adjustable track bars?

 

It's kind of amazing how many negative posts we've had on that one specific kit. But, it's priced right and people are too eager to pull out the credit cards rather than do even a few quick minutes of research...

 

Coil or Spacer doesn't matter, it's about lift height. Taller you go, the more you will want to add components. If the lift doesn't come with correction, see what you think and decide for yourself before spending more.

Most kits include at least a rear trackbar bracket, so that axle will probably be good. If your next choice is between caster correction and a front trackbar (new trackbar, adding a bracket up front is more involved than the rear...), go for caster correction. Drop brackets are reasonably priced and work well, or a single set of adjustable arms (many people buy fixed arms, but adjustability is nice to have).

 

The one thing that the coil spacer does is guarantee what the actual net lift achieved will be. No guessing game like when swapping springs. Although caster decreases with any increase in lift, some will say that 2-2.5" isn't so much lift as to really affect the driveability much, nor shift that front axle enough to worry about it. You can always add the components nthinuf mentions and build along the way regardless of which route you go.