Suspension Kit Q

[Stavros]

Hey Guys

Virtually first post here and I have a couple of questions if you may indulge me...

I am looking at the Suspension Stuff 2" Lift Kit. The kit includes:

KIT 2:

2" Suspension Stuff Flexy Coils:
Bilstein 25" Front & 27.5" Rear Shocks
1" Front bump stop spacer for Petrol, none for Diesel.
Rear bump stop spacers
Rear brake line drop brackets

There are optional sway bar disconnects as well.

Question is whether I need to be looking at additional stuff to get the best out of this kit? I ask this as in comparison to say the AEV Kit which has a few other elements.

Are the disconnects really needed straight up?

I have read a bit on comparison between the two kits, but any more thoughts on either or would be useful.

By the way, I have a 2011 JKU auto...

Thanks in advance.

[Paul-JK]

Sway bar disconnects should certainly be on the list. You get heaps more flex off road once you disconnect the front sway bar which literally transforms the JK. Not sure which disconnects they offer though as there are a few brands that make them. I've got the JKS ones and they work well and are supposedly less fiddly to use than others. You'll need longer sway bar links (front and rear) anyway after the lift so you might as well get disconnects instead of fixed links for the front.

I've got the SS springs and they're a great choice. Really comfortable but still carry a load well. I use the Rancho adjustable shocks with them but there are a few guys using the Bilsteins. I think they just bit firm for my liking.

Other things to consider are adjustable front track bar and rear track bar bracket to re-centre the axles under the JK after the lift. After the alignment issues I've had with mine I say these should be almost essential personally but others don't bother. For me I'm finding that with the extra flex you get from the flexy springs obviously the axle moves more. The components under the JK are all fairly close together so if anything is out of alignment as it's moving (ie your axle isn't centred) then things start to hit other things. This is even more important if your running larger tyres (I've got 285/70/17's) on standard wheels as you'll find that if the axles isn't centred, one tyre is then closer to the body than it should be and with the increased flex and travel you're going to get that wheel may start to hit things that it shouldn't. Less of an issue if you getting new wheels with larger off set, or are just running standard size tyres.

A 2" lift is also getting to the point where you want to look at caster correction. Again some don't bother and have no issues but I think it really helps the handling and settles the steering down. You can do this with adjustable control arms or AEV drop brackets. I've got longer lower control arms but I'm thinking of changing to drop brackets as these change the angle and fixing position of the chassis end of the control arms rather than just pushing the axle forward as longer arms do. Again, this just keeps the axle closer to the position and orientation that it was designed to be in. They're also heaps cheaper than adjustable arms.

When you get it all fitted up you'll also need to make sure that your drive shaft doesn't hit the auto skid plate when the axle drops fully. Not sure if the 2011 models still have this problem. If it does then you can just use spacers to lower the bash plate slightly or cut a chunk out of it.

Can't comment on the full AEV kit as I've never been in a JK with it fitted but I can say that if I ever needed to lift another JK then I'd get the SS coils again as they're great. My lift transformed the handling of my JK so hopefully you'll be as happy with yours.

[037981]

I would say swaybar disconnects are very good also make it more comfortable I wouldn't recommend having them disconnected for high-speed.

I would highly recommend you get a Steering Stabiliser Hi Mount Relocation Bracket they are a must

Yeah a lot of people are recommending the aev drop Bracket it they are very good just like all the other aev products

a adjustable Track Bar for the front will set you back about 350 dollars and the same for the rear however you can get around it a bit cheaper by using a Trackbar Bracket in the rear this cost 145dollars

that is about it

[Stavros]

Thanks guys, great, great responses. Whilst the flexy coils sound the business, the AEV kit sounds like a fuller package and ultimately better value. From what I can see, there is little difference from the experience of forum members, so this is almost shifting me over to the AEV camp. Can anyone offer more thoughts on comparison between the two???

[jktom]

You will get more flex from the SS 2.5" lift than the AEV. Main reason is the AEV kit only ships with the 625mm shocks, where as the SS coils are longer, you can use the 700mm shocks. On the flip side the AEV coils are apparently frequency tuned, and the shocks and coils are tuned together, so in theory, the AEV kit should give you a more engineered ride.

Originally Posted by Stavros

Thanks guys, great, great responses. Whilst the flexy coils sound the business, the AEV kit sounds like a fuller package and ultimately better value. From what I can see, there is little difference from the experience of forum members, so this is almost shifting me over to the AEV camp. Can anyone offer more thoughts on comparison between the two???

[JasperJ]

Stavros, what are you trying to achieve out of the kit? Lift, looks, touring, rock hopping flex monster? And which AEV kit are you comparing to the SS offering? I suspect it is the 2.5".

I've got the AEV 3.5" and for what I wanted (touring) it does a great job. As mine is also my DD and spends the bulk of it's life on the roads the on road performance is spot on. AEV have a different part number for their tuned shocks from the standard Bilsteins as they are matched to their spring rates.

Suspension set-up is subjective and most people will not be able to give you a back to back comparison. You'll get opinions based on the experience with one kit or the other, rarely both.

As others have said sway bar disconnects are really the first suspension mod you should do. They just allow the JK to perform so much better right out of the box.

If you add sway bar disconnects into either of the kits, there really is very little to separate them component wise. The AEV kit has front brake line drop brackets, rear bumpstops and the rear trackbar tower. So it comes down to cost, and the engineering behind it as these components can be easily added to the SS offering. The rear trackbar tower is worth its weight in gold as well. By increasing the roll center you get flatter cornering and it also does away with the need for an adjustable rear panhard rod.

Good luck.

[SeaComms]

I have ridden in both the AEV 2.5in kit optioned with the drop brackets on a mates Rubi, and a SS flexi coils setup (mine) which is almost the same spec in the way I have put it together (2.5in coils, AEV drop brackets, Teraflex rear track bar bracket, front adjustable track bar, longer rear Poly Performance links, longer front disconnectable Poly Perf links, rear brake line extension - I think thats everything).

The SS is slightly softer than the AEV, but only marginally, though seems to flex a little better as well. We were both running the 25in shocks so no difference in overall travel. If I were doing it again I would go the same path, though now would run the 27in front shocks and 25in rear shocks. The rear can not take advantage of the more flex with the sway bar connected anyway, and no one really disconnects the rear swaybar. The AEV drop brackets rotate the front drif as it drops so this will reduce damage to the front drive shaft at the diff end, not sure how the transfer case end will handle regularly dropping that far, but since I dont do axle hopping rock climbing, rather slow and steady crawl through ruts etc I should never likely have both sides at full extension anyway.

Oh, and as for the disconnect links - absolute must. I used to unbolt mine when it was stock for offroad trips and the difference is amazing.