New Member Looking for Guidance on First Lift (Rims, Tires, Kit, etc...)

[David Stephens]

Hey Y'all,


I have a 2014 JKU 4 Door and I'm finally looking into getting it lifted. I've practically made no modifications. It would be my daily driver and is expected to see limited off-roading (maybe a beaten/dirt trail on a road trip).

I've tried my best to do some research to find what I'd like. However, it's become overwhelming and I don't truly know what I need to be looking at. I'm hoping that y'all could help guide/consult me through the process. Thank you for your help!



Dave

[NVRDUN]

Hi Dave…. I also have a 2014 JKU 4 Door and it's my daily driver.

I am running a Teraflex 2.5" lift and 35's. The Teraflex kit greatly improved the drive and handling on and off the road.

I highly recommend this kit.

[David Stephens]

Hi Dave…. I also have a 2014 JKU 4 Door and it's my daily driver.

I am running a Teraflex 2.5" lift and 35's. The Teraflex kit greatly improved the drive and handling on and off the road.

I highly recommend this kit.

Hey James,

Do you know what all I would need to go with the kit? I'm looking around it appears that there are a lot of options with or without shocks, adapters, flex arms, etc... Thank you for the help James.

[NVRDUN]

Hey James,

Do you know what all I would need to go with the kit? I'm looking around it appears that there are a lot of options with or without shocks, adapters, flex arms, etc... Thank you for the help James.

Let me get home later today I will give you my parts list with all the numbers.

[dboat]

David, James has a fantastic looking Jeep, his setup looks just great. So take the sharing of his wisdom as a great sign!

[NVRDUN]

Hi Dave,

Here is what I installed on my 2014 Jeep Rubicon JKU. I am running BFG KM3's 35 x 12.50 x 17's Great tires by the way..!

Lift Kit:

TeraFlex 2.5" Suspension Lift Kit, with 9550 VSS Shocks, Part No: TF-1251000

I went with this kit because Teraflex makes great stuff and the ride quality is much better than stock on and off road.

They say you don’t need adjustable track bars with this kit, and they are correct. But I am kind of OCD about suspension geometry. The brackets that come with the kit will get your axles back close to center after the install. But I wanted mine exactly center under my Jeep. The only way you can do this is with adjustable track bars. So this is what I installed to solve this issue.

Track Bar REAR: JKS Adjustable Track Bar, SKU: OGS159

I used this with the Teraflex relocation bracket that came with the lift kit and it worked great. I did have to cut about 1 inch off the track bar to get it just right. That OCD thing again..!

Track Bar FRONT: JKS Adjustable Track Bar, JKSOGS121

Again you don’t have to do track bars but I would recommend them. You REALLY want the front axle to be dead center after a lift.

Now let’s talk caster angle. When you lift your Jeep it will change your caster angle of your axles as well as move them back just a bit. This amount depends of the amount of lift you install. You can also run this kit without any adjustment to correct this and most people do. A 2.5 inch lift is not considered a major amount. But remember the OCD thing I talked about. To get my front axle dialed back into factory specs and position better front to back I installed these.

Teraflex Front Lower FlexArms: TF-1653700 Again not a must with a 2.5 inch lift.

I have been running this on my JKU now for several years and love it on and off road. I would do it again in a minute. My JKU is my daily driver and it's a joy to drive. Whatever you decide to do be sure to shop around for the best pricing with free shipping.

Hope this helps you plan your build.
James

[RedRubiconLJ]

I have OCD like James. I run a Rock Krawler X-factor kit because it comes with all 8 adj control arms and adj track bars. I wanted everything set as good as or better than factory. I started out with the 2.5" springs and now have the 3.5" simply because I added a ton of armor (no pun intended). I am using the Fox 2.0 IFP shocks and the ride is Great! I ran 35s with both sets of springs but have recently gone to 37s.

Mine is also a daily driver as well as what I drive to go wheeling and drive it home. I do not trailer so my parts selection was based on quality IMO, so that I have minimal issues if any, The drive is better than factory as well.

As mentioned a lift will bring your axles inboard, shortening your wheelbase and can cause a rougher ride. The need for adj ca's is to get your axles pushed back out to the factory location, or a little further which is what I do to get a bit more wheelbase in addition to get your caster set properly.

Work on James to get his "secret handshake" , that just might save you some money and keep your butt and back off a concrete floor while installing the lift. hahahaha

IMO, A solid kit will include:

8 adj ca's w/johnny joints
2 adj tb's w/johnny joints
4 shocks
4 ext brake lines
4 ext end links
F&R bumpstops
all associated brackets required for install, typically TB brackets that you still use with the adj TB's.
Im sure Im missing something.

Some kits come with a complete grade 8 nut/bolt kit to replace all factory hardware.
You DO NOT need a drop pitman arm.

Since not all Jeeps are created equal, you may need to spring for a new aftermarket front drive shaft or a exhaust spacer kit to avoid contact with each other.

You may also need wheel spacers to avoid tire contact with your new endlinks unless you have aftermarket wheels with the correct back space. This is usually listed in the instructions.

Larger tires need to have the brake system addressed. Honestly, you need better brakes when you go bigger. I prefer Centric premium rotors (non slotted and non drilled) and green or yellow EBC pads F&R.

[Bearkat]

Great advice from both of these guys! I also run the Rock Krawler 3.5" lift.

[Nathan W]

You should also talk to Caleb, he's in the club and has a well set up jeep that he wheels. He also works at 4Wheel Parts in Plano (I think, might be Coppell) and he can steer you in the right direction.

I also agree that control arms are the way to go an you should get all 8 so you can dial it in. DO NOT go with a lift that uses cam bolts for caster adjustment....they WILL fail and cause major death wobble that will also damage other parts. Ask me how I know.

Rock Krawler, Metal Cloak, and Tereflex seem to be the big three lift kits that people choose...and there's a ****ed good reason. Those kits are top notch and you can't go wrong with any of them. Where you will go wrong is if you try to skimp and get the "partial" kits that don't have everything that the more complete kits have with the mentality that you'll add the parts later. You run the risk of having the stock/partially upgraded parts fail before you get the good parts on....again, ask me how I know.

About the only place that I would recommend it's ok to go with an "incomplete" kits is one that doesn't include shocks. Go with Fox shocks, they are incredible shocks and can't be beat for the price.

Red is right, don't get a drop Pitman arm. HOWEVER, if you get a kit that raises your front trackbar mount you need to do a draglink flip to keep steering geometry in line and prevent bump steer. Kits that raise the front and rear trackbars are nice because that will raise your roll center which will prevent body roll as you go around corners...something to pay attention to if you're going to daily your Jeep.

Since you have a JKU, if you have any intention of wheeling it I'd recommend go straight to a 3.5"~4" lift and get 37s the added belly clearance over 2.5 and 35s can make a HUGE difference in what you can get over. I've also got a JKU and these things are like land barges....so much belly to drag.

Which brings me to the next point...skid plates, skid plates, skid plates. The JK is woefully inadequate in this department. Crawl under there and look at how exposed your oil pan is....I went with full skids after I came home with a dent in my oil pan right next to the drain plug. Look at Rock Hard, Metal Cloak, or Artec. They all have a fairly similar design and are bomb-proof. Get the skids BEFORE your dent up your underside to the point that it's hard to install them because everything's bent to heck under your rig.....wait for it......ask me how I know, hahaha!

Welcome to the club, let's go wheel!

[Alice_in_jeepland]

I run a 3.5 Teraflex lift with the Falcon 2.1 shocks on Nitto Trail Grappler 35s. When my stock track bar, tie rod and drag link wore out I upgraded to all Teraflex. They make a great product and they're customer service is top notch. I drive it daily and wheel it hard.

If you come to the members meeting tomorrow tonight you'll be able to look at/go through Jeeps of different ranges that are daily drivers. Give ya a chance to look and ask more specific questions.