Rock Krawler Kit 3.5 Max Travel system Vs All other Lift kits.
03-02-2012, 11:34 PM
#21
JK Super Freak
Basically same setup im going with except i haven't bought the drive shaft yet and using all pro offroad 1.25" spacers.
what size bump stops did you get??
03-03-2012, 03:58 AM
#22
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Sorry for the newb question but I am new to this. My previous 3 vehicles were imports and this is my first jeep, I love it so far, a 12' JK Unlimited. Why do you need to replace the front drive shafts with the lift kits? I was planning on doing a 2.5 or 3.5" lift in the next year, reading a lot of threads and people are replacing drive shafts and I'm not sure why. Thanks
03-03-2012, 04:10 AM
#23
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Originally Posted by grover0878
Sorry for the newb question but I am new to this. My previous 3 vehicles were imports and this is my first jeep, I love it so far, a 12' JK Unlimited. Why do you need to replace the front drive shafts with the lift kits? I was planning on doing a 2.5 or 3.5" lift in the next year, reading a lot of threads and people are replacing drive shafts and I'm not sure why. Thanks
03-03-2012, 07:38 PM
#24
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Sorry for the newb question but I am new to this. My previous 3 vehicles were imports and this is my first jeep, I love it so far, a 12' JK Unlimited. Why do you need to replace the front drive shafts with the lift kits? I was planning on doing a 2.5 or 3.5" lift in the next year, reading a lot of threads and people are replacing drive shafts and I'm not sure why. Thanks
I have the RK 3.5" Max Travel Suspension and even with a smaller diameter aftermarket drive shaft, I had less than a 1/4" clearance before the drive shaft would hit the stock exhaust when the axle was at full droop. In any weird off-camber situation or with the swaybar disconnected, I would probably hit the exhaust, so in addition to the drive shaft, I relocated the exhaust too. I'm using shocks that are about 29" long in the front.
Last edited by bo9roadking; 03-03-2012 at 08:06 PM.
03-03-2012, 07:47 PM
#25
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I've got a '12 JKUR. What size tire are you going to run? The xfactor lifts aren't necessary if your just going to run a 35" tire. Yes they are more complete, just not necessary. I went with the "Flex" lift for this reason. The 5100s and RK springs combine for a what I'd call a taunt ride. Not harsh, just firm and controlled. Makes the JK feel like a Euro sedan as much as it can. I haven't modded the exaust and I'm running the stock front driveshaft. I have at least two inches of clearance between the DS and the exhaust crossover. Haven't had time to disconnect the sway bar and see if I can get it to touch but it would have to droop quite a bit. The rubber gasket on the output shaft connecting the transfer case to the front drive shaft seems fine too. I personally think some of this stuff is blown out of proportion by manufacturers to drum up unnecessary sales. Also the current RK flex joint only require maintenance every 2-3 years and come pre greased.
Anyways I can't recommend RK enough, stout parts w/ an awesome warranty and the damn Jeep drives better than stock! Here's a pic...
Anyways I can't recommend RK enough, stout parts w/ an awesome warranty and the damn Jeep drives better than stock! Here's a pic...
With that said, you shouldn't have any drive shaft clearance issues if you are running a shock shorter than 27.5" because it will limit your droop. If you followed RK's recommendations for your lift, you have 27" shocks and you probably won't have a drive shaft clearance problem. I'm running 29" shocks on my 3.5" lift and I needed a new drive shaft and I relocated the exhaust. There are lots of people with 2012 lifted JK's that had to spend the money on a new drive shaft. It sounds like you are one of the lucky few that didn't need too. I'm sure that the people that needed to buy a new drive shaft investigated the reason for it and didn't blindly spend $400-$500 on a drive shaft because of some marketing. I'm not trying to call you out, but don't make claims that you haven't even tested yourself.
Last edited by bo9roadking; 03-03-2012 at 08:26 PM.
03-05-2012, 06:35 AM
#26
Former Vendor
Keep in mind as well guys, that on the 2012's the front driveline is at a slightly steeper angle than it was on the prior models... An aftermarket high angle drive shaft will not be a bad idea....
RK
RK
03-05-2012, 06:59 AM
#27
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Originally Posted by Rock Krawler Suspension
Keep in mind as well guys, that on the 2012's the front driveline is at a slightly steeper angle than it was on the prior models... An aftermarket high angle drive shaft will not be a bad idea....
RK
RK
As well....
03-19-2012, 06:21 PM
#29
RK,
I'm also shopping lifts and was initially drawn to the AEV because of the nice ride reputation. I'd also heard that EVO had a soft ride as well and have been checking theirs out now. A second concern I have is loading the Jeep with the usual bumpers, winch, camp/trail crap, kids, kids' crap, family, etc. and I'd prefer to utilize progressive springs for the best performance of both on and off road.
I rock crawl and thus my consideration for your more durable RK kits, but let's face it, the other 95% of driving time for those of us without dedicated rigs is on the road so a good ride/road performance is most important to me.
My question is you mentioned using progressive springs, but the one turn off I had about reading your lift descriptions is the mention of linear springs in the rear. What's the purpose for the different springs front/aft since much of the additional weight I'd add for trips will be supported by the rear springs?
Thanks
I'm also shopping lifts and was initially drawn to the AEV because of the nice ride reputation. I'd also heard that EVO had a soft ride as well and have been checking theirs out now. A second concern I have is loading the Jeep with the usual bumpers, winch, camp/trail crap, kids, kids' crap, family, etc. and I'd prefer to utilize progressive springs for the best performance of both on and off road.
I rock crawl and thus my consideration for your more durable RK kits, but let's face it, the other 95% of driving time for those of us without dedicated rigs is on the road so a good ride/road performance is most important to me.
My question is you mentioned using progressive springs, but the one turn off I had about reading your lift descriptions is the mention of linear springs in the rear. What's the purpose for the different springs front/aft since much of the additional weight I'd add for trips will be supported by the rear springs?
Thanks
Last edited by fredrok; 03-19-2012 at 06:23 PM.
03-20-2012, 08:33 AM
#30
Former Vendor
We have found the front to be much more predictable as far as consumers are concerned than the rears. For the front of a JK, there is only so much a consumer can throw at it and most of your ride quality is determined by the front so we really concentrated there!
We went with HD straight rate rears. The rear of JK's can have so many different loading conditions it is crazy. Outside of the normal bumper, tire carrier, and full size spare, you can also throw in a ton of gear as well as put a trailer behind them and have to account for tongue weight. We just found a good quality linear coil to be much more consistent in all conditions. Also, in the rear, as the coils want to bow a bit due to pinion correction, straight rate HD coils will buckle or bow less a longer coil...
That is just our $.02 and why we did what we did.
RK
We went with HD straight rate rears. The rear of JK's can have so many different loading conditions it is crazy. Outside of the normal bumper, tire carrier, and full size spare, you can also throw in a ton of gear as well as put a trailer behind them and have to account for tongue weight. We just found a good quality linear coil to be much more consistent in all conditions. Also, in the rear, as the coils want to bow a bit due to pinion correction, straight rate HD coils will buckle or bow less a longer coil...
That is just our $.02 and why we did what we did.
RK