Thanks. Of course.

It is important because some people hate the stiffness of an STI or a Honda S2000 and some people hate the sloppy feel of a 1970s era Buick.

Some people love the stiffness of an AEV lift on a light rig (AEV lifts are designed to handle the weight of AEV bumpers).

Some people hate the stiffness and want ubber soft Skyjacker Hydro shocks on really soft spring rate springs.

Some people install lifts incorrectly and end up with rubber bushings pre-loaded/twisted/binding to the wrong ride height, which results in a jittery, poor ride. Then, they blame their installer error on the lift manufacturer.

 

As a lift manufacturer, how do you build a turn-key bolt-on lift that makes everyone happy?

Some people prefer sportier, stiffer, and some people hate that.

As a manufacturer, do you pick spring rates and shock valving for a jeep that is built light, or one that has 800 additional lbs in armor/bumpers/gear, or tows a 3500 lbs camper, or one is driven at 45 mph through whoops in the desert, or one that is used for commuting in town, or one that is used for cross country driving, or one that is used for rock crawling, or one that will be used with shorter or longer shocks from a different manufacturer, etc., etc.?

Inevitably, a manufacturer cannot build something that does all these things without making the package extremely expensive an not "bolt-on".

 

To be clear, I was not commenting on product quality. I think all three companies do and strive to, make good product.

 

Must of misunderstood you when you said clearly Teraflex customer service was poor and I was wondering who in TF customer service was working with you?

 

Correct, I was referring to customer service and not the product itself. While in practice the two go together, in this case I've separated them into two independent factors. In the event this is still confusing, I provide the following illustration: actual product quality & performance + customer service = total product experience.

In hindsight, I shouldn't have made specific reference to the brands. It was my experience, but the intent of the comment was to support the context of my perspective. I do my best to not make biased public statements, but I'm human and slip from time to time.

I think my customer service comment was arguably, inappropriate to make in open forum. Calling out specific employees or detailing my experience would absolutely be inappropriate. Therefore, I won't do it online or offline. Far too many variables and I very well could be an outlier. I'm 28 data points away from having a statistically significant comment.

In fairness to Teraflex, there were times I would have been lost early on if not for their videos. As a company, they have done a lot to further the sport and bring value to the JK community.

 

If I have a customer support question regarding Teraflex, I contact Joe or Dennis directly.

They have always been prompt and helpful.

 

I drive roughly 40-50 miles a day. about half city (30-45 mph), half highway(60-80 mph)
gearing will probably be a mod for next year
33" tires on right now Ultimately I would like to put 35" tires on
most of my offroading is expedition, forest service roads, and mud. very little if any rock crawling
On road I have steel bumpers front and rear, winch in the front
I dont do any trailer towing and hauling.........maybe a jet ski in the near future.
I would prefer a stiffer sportier ride.
I will probably install it myself.

 

[QUOTE="ScubaSteve913;3840209"] I drive roughly 40-50 miles a day. about half city (30-45 mph), half highway(60-80 mph) gearing will probably be a mod for next year 33" tires on right now Ultimately I would like to put 35" tires on most of my offroading is expedition, forest service roads, and mud. very little if any rock crawling On road I have steel bumpers front and rear, winch in the front I dont do any trailer towing and hauling.........maybe a jet ski in the near future. I would prefer a stiffer sportier ride. I will probably install it myself.[/QUOTE ]

Problally 4.10 Or 4.56

 

Actually sounds like a good fit for an AEV lift. Just saying....

 

Based on this, you could do:

On a budget: 2.5" BB lift from Teraflex, with Bilstein shocks, and find a pair of front take-off 4 door Rubicon hard top springs, and add a pair of front JKS front quick disconnect sway bar links.

The reason why is that the springs from a 4 dr Rubicon hard top are stiffer and can handle the weight of the steel front bumper and winch well. Plus, you don't need significant spring travel.


Using the whole $1,000, plus a little: An AEV 2.5" Dual Sport XT lift with the addition of front JKS quick disconnect sway bar links.

The reason for this is that the spring and shock combination is designed for a stiffer, sportier ride, and to be able to handle the added weight of heavy steel bumpers.


Now, you wouldn't be unhappy with a 2.5" lift from Rock Krawler or Metalcoak, but for what you have described as your use and preferences, I'd do what I listed above.

My use is different than yours, and I would run a Rock Krawler or Metal Cloak with as long travel shocks as the springs would allow.


Given that you have a 2011, 2 door automatic, if you stay at a 2.5" lift without running super long shocks, you will not need to upgrade your driveshafts or relocate your rear lower coil perches.

Since you have a 2011 automatic, when you regear, you will want to run 5.13s when you upgrade to 35s. That will put you at about 2450 engine rpm at 70 mph and just under 2800 engine rpm at 80 mph. With the added weight and rolling resistance of the 35s, you will need around 2500 rpm at 70 mph and 2800 rpm at 80 mph to reduce transmission downshifting. Transmission downshifting is what kills fuel economy.

By comparison, if you installed 4.56s with 35s, you would not even turn 2200 rpm at 70 mph and would still be under 2500 rpm at 80 mph.

The 3.8L engine produces less than 90 rear wheel horsepower at 2500 rpm. That simply isn't enough horsepower to handle the wind resistance and added weight of larger tires at 80 mph without regular transmission downshifting.