Ok I don't think I qualify for my own build sheet yet... But any change is part of a build, I am very limited in funds (why buy a jeep??) and have a champagne taste on a beer budget as they say... So what do I currently have?
Bought a 2010 feb build jku in June 2010, new. 45k for the 4 door sport with mygig, tow kit, mopar winch bar (no winch) mopar 2" lift kit and auto trans cooler. So not a bad deal... Of course I have both hard and soft tops and she is v6 auto with (I believe) 3.73 gearing.
Have done some minor changes, front bash plate (plastic one was doomed really)... Front tow/recovery points, tinting onto the windows.
So that's where she currently stands..
Now the mopar 2" lift, I call it a "military lift" she is hard and stiff, you feel everything but it gives the jeep character! However as so many people say and my wife experiences... You get sea sick when riding in it. She hates getting into the jeep, so when we both go out the jeep stays home... Not great...
So what to do? New lift? 2" or bigger, what brand? Everyone has "their favorite" sometimes cause they like the dealer selling the kit, sometimes because they use it... Heck sometimes people tell you to stay away from a kit purely cause try don't like the guy selling it! So how the heck do you work out what to buy?
So in doing this I have looked at about 5 or 6 brands, ppm/synergy, Tera flex, evo, rancho, old man emu, skyjacker... Then short arm or get the better more horizontal arms and therefore go long arm kit, remember the more horizontal the arms the better... But short arm is a bolt on, long arm requires welding etc...
So now I know lca is long control arms... Good I think I understand??
So what brand? Australia loves arb and thus loves old man emu, but te guys on here and Melbourne jeep club love ppm/synergy stuff... USA forums love evo and Tera flex... So that did not help any!! Evo and Tera don't seem to be talked about much here on ajor or the jeep world...
So at this stage I learn a very good lesson, the suppliers we have here in Australia, mainly vic at sbr offroad and bill (sorry manny never spoke to you) are very patient and understanding guys, they talk slow and in simple terms and spend how ever long you need them to on the phone answering the basic of basic questions (what's a control arm? Castor??) you get the idea... I thank them both very Much for the time they spent with a new guy trying to work out how to get a nice ride in the jeep.. Oh and now I hear about progressive springs... Some love them some don't... Bit like anything really you can get the answer you want off the net, there is enough people with enough opinions that you can from the answer you want, not the one you need.
To try and keep this short so you read past this line, I quickly realized there was two kits to choose from... Ultimately evo was the cream da la cream... The next step down was a Tera flex kit or a Polly/synergy setup... Tera from sbr offroad and ppm from dbor... Tera flex kit included everything the ppm kit but did not have the drag link flip adaptor, ppm kit also did not have the 8 adjustable arms but were basically the same price... But what about shocks? Ppm? Tera flex? Ellis twin tube or fox twin tube? Oh and by twin tube I mean ones with a resovoour .
Elka are the cream da la cream of the shock world (well put of the above ones, sure I could go kings or bilstielns)... Bit the next issue the elka's are tuned to teraflex spring rates as are the fox... But dbor sells fox for use with ppm so they must also be tuned for ppm spring rate... Ella give the best ride by far, intact on USA forums the Tera and Elka combo are "the closest thing you get to riding coil overs"
Neither sbr offroad and dbor "bagged" out each others product they were both very professional am very helpful while of course hoping I will order their product, both took the time to explain what I needed explaining, which is a great thing... But what I knew was I would buy either ppm kit or the Tera kit with Elka shocks... The USA forums defiantly sway to teraflex (if you search USA forums search synergy as well, same product I believe??)
Well it's late, going to bed... Will edit and update this post later
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JKU: Craig's red rock build
Bugger!!
