Xman4602

I'm running the same lift and my front DS started flinging grease after my first wheeling trip. Probably could run it for awhile but I have a new Coast ordered. Better safe than sorry.

wayoflife

On a 2-door with 3" of lift or more, I have seen rear drive shafts fail prematurely. If you wheel and flex out your jeep on a regular basis, it will fail sooner than later. With the amount of lift you're looking to install, it'll definitely be something that you'll want to save up for as it will need to be replaced. Over the last 5 years, I have seen most people get about a year or 30,000 miles out of their factory rear shaft. Of course, this number changes plus or minus if you spend a lot of time flexing on the rocks or are just a pavement princess. Being that you're going with an RK kit instead of something like an AEV kit, I'm going to assume that you will be doing the prior and so, you should have an idea of what to expect. Hope that helps you out.

wayoflife

Wow, you sure do seem very sure of yourself. Having that AEV kit of yours must be the equivalent of staying the night at a Holiday Inn Express.

FoxRacingJMC

I wouldn't nccessarily say you DON'T need one, it just happens that with this kit, the LCA mounts are just lowered thus not effecting the angle as much which in turn should HELP with the possible premature failure on the DS. So, to say it's not required isn't all that true bc if your angles are still off, you don't have things dialed in, etc...all that good stuff, you can still in fact run into an issue. As some aren't too "fond" of the AEV kits, they are good in each's own opinion, but to say "once you get this kit, you won't need anything else" is untrue because there is always the possiblity of something else....

wayoflife

just so that we're all on the same page, the OP has a 2012 and is asking about the REAR drive shaft, NOT the front. to the best of my knowledge, there are no LCA mounts for the rear. but, even if he did have the AEV drop brackets, they wouldn't address the issue you would have with the slip shaft making contact with the exhaust cross over when flexing and, the angle on the CV boot at the front output shaft would be just as bad and will fail sooner than later. trust me, i have seen it ON A 2012 JK WITH AN AEV lift installed. to suggest that the angle isn't effected as much is just wishful thinking.

from what i have seen over the last 5 years, at 3" of lift or more, there is no "can" about it when it comes to the rear. the OP lives here in CA and is looking at an RK kit and assuming that he plans on using his jeep on the trails we have out here, it'll be a "will" and sooner than later. but, that's just what i've seen.

LOL!! yeah, that would be me. i love AEV, the products that they make but taking over the bankrupt company, nth degree mobility and making their line of suspension products AEV's was, in my opinion, a mistake. of course, my biggest problem with their kits is that they are WAY OVER PRICED for what little you get but again, that's just me.

FoxRacingJMC

Glad you took it as a joke and me just "poking fun" at ya cause that's simply what it was as I know you don't like them, haha... Where as others take offense to your rebuttals and get off topic and take it to another level of unimportant internet bickering...

oh, and yea... thanks for some more clarification on the original question/issue at hand by the OP. Where as I have knowledge on stuff like this, at times I can't word it right or get my brain to not go all over the place and get off topic.

wayoflife

yeah, i knew you were just elbowing me and it was funny. i know you're not a troll and because of that, we can actually just "talk" about things

FoxRacingJMC

True statement there...

Full-Traction Suspension

When the factory shaft fails, it can not be fixed.

Do you really want to take a risk, not knowing when and where its going to leave your stranded? This is why I upgraded my drive shafts before anything else.

Vinson Clark

Im running the RK 3.5 x factor kit on my 2 door i upgraded the rear shaft to a coast 1310 and threw the stock one in the back as a spare and all is good. BTW the 3.5in from RK really puts the 2 door up there im running 37s with cut factory fenders and i have plenty of clearance