Can a Rock Krawler Lift Help Fit 37s on your 2018 Wrangler - AUSJEEPOFFROAD.COM Jeep News Australia and New Zealand

Go Back   AUSJEEPOFFROAD.COM Jeep News Australia and New Zealand > PORTAL > AUSTRALIAN JEEP NEWS
Register Forums Trading Your Jeep New Garage Mark All Read

Post New Thread  Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
  #1  
Old 04-10-2018
Jimmyb's Avatar
Jimmyb  Jimmyb is offline
Head Honcho
 
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Australia
Posts: 12,760
What Jeep do I drive?: XJ
Likes: 1,060
Liked 1,173 Times in 708 Posts
Check out my Ride(s)
Default Can a Rock Krawler Lift Help Fit 37s on your 2018 Wrangler

The all-new ’18 Jeep JL Wrangler was eagerly welcomed after a long run of JK Wrangler production. Among other things, on- and off-road performance has been improved and the flagship Rubicon models come from the factory with 33-inch tires.

However, the owner of this JL Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon wanted a bit more height to improve approach and departure angles, and the ability to run 37-inch tires. Enter Rock Krawler Suspension. The company offers both 2.5- and 3.5-inch suspension systems for the new JL. Additionally, Rock Krawler offers several kit options based on the performance you desire for your Wrangler.

The owner of this Wrangler opted to use the company’s 2.5-inch X Factor Mid Arm System. The kit includes beefier adjustable control arms, a new adjustable front track bar, triple-rate coil springs, sway bar disconnects, and rear track bar relocation bracket. We also installed Rock Krawler’s brand-new RRD 2.25 shocks. (See sidebar for more info.)

The control arms and track bar come preassembled and Rock Krawler provides suggested starting lengths based on the lift kit height. We set lengths on a workbench and proceeded with the installation. The kit was installed at Done Right Diesel in the Phoenix, Arizona, area and Larry Zager was the technician that completed most of the project.

It took about eight hours for Zager to perform the job using a lift, and the work only required common tools. We see little reason the Rock Krawler kit could not be installed in a home driveway over a weekend by following the detailed instructions provided.



Here is the complete kit, less shocks. It includes all replacement control arms, a front track bar, coil springs, sway bar links, and all the hardware needed to install the lift.



At the frame, all four lower control arms are fitted with Rock Krawler Pro Flex Joints. Krawler Joints are used elsewhere. All are greaseable and rebuildable. Rock Krawler recommends clearancing the lower arm mounts on the axle with a hole saw to allow access to the zerk fittings.

All the new control arms mount to the existing frame and axle mounts with the factory hardware. The new upper arms are bent slightly to clear the framerails during full articulation. Here you can also see the installed bumpstop pads. The Rock Krawler control arms are much beefier than the stock pieces. The lower control arms are constructed from thick-wall 1.75-inch-diameter tubing. Each is also bent upward to improve ground clearance.



New coil spring seats were placed on the axle and new springs installed, followed by the RRD 2.25 shocks. The kit includes a heavy-duty track bar that was bolted in place using the factory hardware.

With the front axle fully drooped on the lift, the brake lines, ABS wiring, and breather hose were all checked to ensure there would be ample slack in them when the suspension was flexed out. New sway bar links are included for the front axle, along with lower relocation brackets that simply bolt in to position. The lower link ends can be disconnected from the axle by pulling the quick-release pins to completely disable the sway bar.

Straps are also included to secure the disconnected sway bar links away from the axle. The Rubicon model was equipped with the electric sway bar disconnect feature. Rock Krawler recommends manually disconnecting the links for extreme off-roading or high articulation of the front axle.



After the new spring seats were installed on the axle, the new coil springs were put in place and the RRD 2.25 shocks were bolted in to position. The Rock Krawler bumpstop mounts and pads are included and were bolted on to the existing metal pads on the axletubes.

The Jeep got new wheels and rubber to take advantage of the taller height, and to further increase performance. It now turns 37x13.50R20LT Nitto Ridge Grapplers mounted on one-piece 20x10 Fuel Coupler wheels.

Driving tests showed the street ride was smooth; the multi-rate coils soaked up the small pavement bumps well, and then allowed the Jeep to corner without excessive body roll as the spring rate advanced under compression. Off-road, the ride was also well behaved with the coils soaking up bumpy dirt trails effectively while providing supple flex when needed.

With the added lift and new tires, the approach angle of the Jeep increased impressively by about 12 degrees, while the departure angle increased by 7 degrees. It was a noticeable improvement off-road. Ground clearance went up by approximately 2 inches due to the larger-diameter tires. The stance of the Jeep remains reasonably low and very stable. The kit comes with multiple bumpstop pads that can be stacked as needed. We installed the recommended two pads up front and a single pad in the rear. At full flex, we found very minor tire rubbing on some of the plastic inner fender panels and on the trailing edge of the stock front bumper, but we opted not to add additional bumpstop pads.

We paired the 2.5-inch X Factor Mid Arm System with Rock Krawler’s hot new RRD 2.25-inch shock. Some of its features include a fluted-aluminum body that not only makes the shock lightweight, but also improves vital cooling with its increased outer surface area. The body is hard-anodized to prevent corrosion. A heavy-duty 3/4-inch Nitrotec steel shaft is supported internally with a pair of high-quality DU bearings, and then sealed up with Viton O-rings and double-lip Buna-N shaft seals to keep shock fluid in and external contaminants out. A billet aluminum–valve circuit with digressive valving controls the damping of each shock, which comes tuned specifically for the lift kit application. The RRD emulsion shocks are also fully serviceable and can be re-valved as needed.

__________________

www.ausjeepoffroad.com
Post New Thread  Reply


Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On





All times are GMT +10. The time now is 05:11 PM.


Advertisements




AJOR does not vouch for or warrant the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of any message, and are not responsible for the contents of any message. The messages express the views of the author of the message, not necessarily the views of AJOR or any entity associated with AJOR, nor should any advice be substituted as technical advice replacing that of a mechanic. You agree, through your use of this service, that you will not use AJOR to post any material which is knowingly false and/or defamatory, inaccurate, abusive, vulgar, hateful, harassing, obscene, profane, sexually oriented, threatening, invasive of a person's privacy, religious, political or otherwise violative of any law. You agree not to post any copyrighted material unless the copyright is owned by you or by AJOR. The owner, administrators and moderators of AJOR reserve the right to delete any message or members for any or no reason whatsoever. You remain solely responsible for the content of your messages, and you agree to indemnify and hold harmless AJOR, the administrators, moderators, and their agents with respect to any claim based upon transmission of your message(s). The use of profile signatures to intentionally mislead or misdirect any member on this forum is not acceptable and may result in your account being suspended. Any trip that is organised through the AJOR forum is participated at your own risk. If you or your vehicle is damaged it is your responsibility, not that of the person that posted the thread, message or topic initiating the trip, nor the organisers of AJOR or moderators of any specific forum. This forum and associated website is the property of AJOR. No user data is harvested and no information supplied in your registration will be sold for profit.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.

AJOR © 2002 - 2024 AUSJEEPOFFROAD.COM. All corporate trademarked names and logos are property of their respective owners. Ausjeepoffroad is in no way associated with DaimlerChrysler Corporation or Fiat Jeep.
www.ausjeep.com www.ausjeep.com.au www.midlifemate.com ausjeepforum.com www.r9kustoms.com
vB Ad Management by =RedTyger=