Need opinions on AEV suspension/tire upfgrade
- Thread starter LL247
- Start date
I was wondering the same thing. Its not the spacer that's making his rig ride bad. I think his shocks are on the way out. If you are not loading the AEV down with heavy bumpers and armor, they are a very very stiff lift. They are designed for the weight of the bumpers etc. I have heard many compaints about stiff ride on JK/Us with the 2.5 and stock running gear. If you are running 33's, keep the spacers, your money and just upgrade your shocks, and if you need extra weight carrying, add a set of airlifts in the rear.
Fhunter1
Adventurer
I'm running AEV 2.5 lift and 285/75R17 KM2s which are a true 33" on the vehicle. I am very happy with the road manners and capability. AEV kits are very well designed and work well with the Jeep. In my opinion it drives and handles better that stock. My wife agrees so that is worth a lot in my book 
expedition4x4
Explorer
I went with the Aev 3.5 kit because it had the steering flip kit which they couldn't fit in the 2.5 kit space and also is a more complete kit. I run 35" toyos and it handles marvelously.
Jeep or Tacoma
Explorer
try this line of thinking
instead of dealing with the hassles that come with a lift retain the stock suspension, use aftermarket fenders and slap on a set of 35's with no lift The result is lower Center of gravity retain stock springs and shocks either trim fender or look at an aftermarket set and save the stock ones
instead of dealing with the hassles that come with a lift retain the stock suspension, use aftermarket fenders and slap on a set of 35's with no lift The result is lower Center of gravity retain stock springs and shocks either trim fender or look at an aftermarket set and save the stock ones
RubiconGeoff
Adventurer
...unless you play in the rocks and need some ground clearance. Believe me, I always appreciate my Jeep's comparatively low center of gravity compared to past 4x4s I've owned, but with only a 3.5" lift and 35's, I'm constantly dragging its belly and rear bumper across the rocks. I just can't go any taller (tires or suspension) because then my Jeep won't fit into my garage (I have 1/4" clearance between the hardtop and the garage door) but if I could get another 1 inch of suspension lift and/or 1 inch of additional tire radius, I'd rarely ever bash my undercarriage.
what is the rear deck height ( to the actual load space where the floor is) of your setup? I need to balance my other activity and my height
- loading ~100lbs+ of tanks sucks if you can't gear up using the truck.
BCobe
Adventurer
Look at all the factors that come with running 35's and then weigh out your options. Going to 35's are you going to need/want to re-gear your axles? Is beefing up your axles something you would want to do? How much will gas mileage be effected? These are some things that helped me kind of rule out 35's. I think Jeep culture is run 35's or bigger because that's what everyone else does. Maybe find someone local to you with an AEV lift and see how it rides? One thing people have noted is that when using the drop brackets for your CA's you loose a little bit of clearance.
Hilldweller
SE Expedition Society
33" 255/80-17 tires and 1" Synergy springs are a very good overlanding option. http://www.synergymfg.com/Synergy-S...r-Lift-Coil-Springs-p-16405.html#.VNCgly50d3w
Unless you crawl. Then you need breakover angle improvement. And the can of worms is open.
BCobe
Adventurer
Exactly. As of now I plan on going with the OME Springs and the OME Nitro Changer shocks with 33's.
I have been eyeballing those synergy springs for a long time. I am just afraid that it will upset the "apple cart". My jeep rides great now, handles great etc. I don't mind using the airbags in the rear when the weight is on it from the trailer. I have heard great things about them and the RK overland springs as well.
LL247
Observer
I'll pretty dead-set on the AEV setup ever since I drove a brand new AEV build at the local dealer (was going that route initially but decided to save some $ and build over time). I drove one with the 3.5 lift and 35's, was very impressed. I'm still leaning 2.5 and thinking if I up my tire size, I might just flat-fender anyways. Honestly a big part of the decision is not about spending the extra money to go higher with larger tires, it's that I can go so much further with my build if I stick with the smaller lift and still brand new 33's. I'm figuring it'll be an extra $1k for the higher lift, plus another 1-2k for tires...so that's 2-3k that can go towards bumpers, winch, and rack. Think I'm pulling the trigger on the AEV 2.5 this morning, now I need to decide on how much I want to spend on the front bumper...
what is the rear deck height ( to the actual load space where the floor is) of your setup? I need to balance my other activity and my height
Rear height is right at about 36 inches......I also use the frontrunner slide for fridge etc.