Should I lift my Jeep? 6
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Yes (4) 67%
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Definitely yes (1) 17%
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No (1) 17%
When I bought my 392, it's previous owner had installed the AEV 3" Dual Sport XP suspension on it. The ride quality is fantastic, very comfortable. The front control arm drop brackets maintain the stock suspension geometry, and the handling is superb by my standards. It corners with minimal body roll, it accelerates with minimal squatting, and it brakes with minimal front end dive. Very predictable on highway offramps to the point that you can play with the edge of traction predictably.
I had an opportunity to drive it on Rausch Creek's F150 Raptor competition course during that heavy snow storm on Dec. 14th. That course is fine gravel with no substantial rocks. I had an absolute blast flying through the woods at freeway speeds in 12 inches of fresh powder, drifting through every corner, and hitting the course's small jumps.
Offroad, the spring rates and Bilstein shocks really control the vehicle's mass. It's really noticeable when a tire drops down off a rock or obstacle while crawling, because with it's stiffer springs and better shocks it uses up much less suspension travel than a stock Rubicon. I'd say it compresses half as much as stock in that situation, which means more net ground clearance. Despite of that, it doesn't feel harsh in any way.
It also gives you the option of running 37x12.50 R17's, which look fantastic on a lifted Gladiator imo.
Edit: Forgot to mention shock fade. The Bilstein's are better shocks than the stock Rubi shocks, the stock Rubi shocks have less damping and exhibit substantially more shock fade when wheeling on hot days. If you still have the stock Rubi shocks, that alone would be a noticeable improvement imo.
it looks like the Yes votes have won. lol Hopefully I can find time to do the install before the June AOAA trail ride.
Pictures???
Unfortunately I did not get before/after photos. I meant to take a shot before we left AOAA but I forgot...
I just took a poor photo in my driveway, hopefully this will suffice for now
2" spacers front/rear and swapped to Mojave X front springs which took out the roughly 3/4" sag from the front bumper/winch. It's on 35" tires which I think were a perfect match to the stock Mojave suspension. Guess I'll eventually have to upgrade to 37s.
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