Let's Talk Lifts . . .

[RalphTomaccio]

Hey guys,

I'm hoping to put on a lift this Spring and have been doing a lot of research trying to determine the best price/value/functionality point for me. Let me start by saying that I have capped the budget at $750.00. Over time many have told me to keep it simple and get a budget boost and spend the money on other things, i.e. quick disconnects, diff skids, etc. My research has led me to the following Teraflex products, chosen for their reputation for decent quality, on and off road ride and handling:

Teraflex 1251000 Lift Kit with coils and shocks
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006D9W95G/ref ... DYEIPCW4OO

Teraflex 1255200 Budget Boost Suspension Lift
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006D9WA3W/ref ... RCXB8B9VYO

TeraFlex 1355210 2.5 Inch Budget Boost Suspension System
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009X25Q5A/ref ... 459PGZH4V9

Now, I know there are many more options more expensive than my top choice that include control arms, track bars, etc. I just can't justify that unless a rich relative leaves me in their will. So, we don't need to go there.

What I'm not sure about are the compromises made when going with either of the two lesser expensive options. I'm guessing it all has to do with the limitations on the degree of flex. The coils lift the Jeep and the longer shocks take advantage of the extra travel.

1. So, how much do I lose if I go with the middle priced lift with just the pucks and shocks w/no coils compared to with coils and

2. How much do I lose if I go the cheapest route with just pucks?

With my type of wheeling, am I going to notice that much of a difference between the three?

Also, I have read mixed comments on whether it is necessary to add exhaust extensions on a 2 1/2" lift. Some say yes, some say no. They're less that $50.00, so I was planning on adding them for a margin of safety. Your thoughts?

Your input, suggestions, etc. will be greatly appreciated. Thanks guys!

[Yipjeep]

Ralph, I have the 2.5" coil lift with Bilstein shocks. I have absolutely no complaints about the drive on or off-road. May have improved slightly compared to stock, but to be honest I put wheels and larger tires on about 3 weeks after the lift and that was about 2 years ago. I cannot speak for the BB. Never had one on the TJ or on my current JK. When I was doing research for additional clearance, many seemed to state there was little difference other than quality of the coil between stock and aftermarket. I wanted the coil suspension to better deal with the additional weight from bumper and winch.

I am not sure if TeraFlex is packaging shorter shocks for the 2.5" lift yet. They were having an issue with the shocks being to long and causing the drive shaft to droop and hit the exhaust, so they were telling individuals to install exhaust spacers until they had a permanent solution (http://www.teraflex.biz/jk-exhaust-spac ... enger.html). If they have resolved the shock length then you shouldn't need the spacers. I had some issue with the Bilsteins and the TeraFlex lift so spacers were installed. The drive shaft boot is fine and at full drop I am not touching now.

Not sure about the TNT skids for the oil pan, but there were discussions with the spacers causing the exhaust to vibrate on the oil pan skid for some manufacturers. With my Rock Hard oil pan skid I had to install a spacer between the transfer skid and oil plan skid. The spacer actually came with my oil plan skid. No vibration problems.

With regards to price. I purchased from Northridge. They beat all other prices, including Amazon. Recently I was speaking with Lou at Elias and he commented that on my future purchases to give him a call because he can often compete in price. May be worth calling him to discuss purchase.

Good luck!

Mike

[Hoodoo Man]

personaly not a fan of Teraflex at all. I had a TF lift on my TJ and it was awful, all the bushings were noisy and had no fittings to grease them. Only thing left from that lift on my jeep is the springs which I also plan to dump. Mike White works at Elias and they are very reputable and there motto is buyers rempose is the # 1 enemy. He will do you right. (although he is overly fond of OX lockers for some reason. )

AEV has a very nice lift as do a hundred other vendors. it all comes down to how high you want to go and how much you want to spend. I would also check out Zone offroad....

[schwalby]

I would suggest taking a look at the BDS budget boost. Cheaper then the Terraflex and in my opinion a lot better quality. I am pretty sure Lou is a dealer too so you will get a good deal.

Reason I suggest the budget boost over the full lift is the BDS full lift is over you budget if you have a 2D, 4D kit is in your budget). And you can always add the springs in later.

Edit: just noticed the BDS kit comes with break line extensions exhaust mod, octo cam washers to adjust alignment .

[RalphTomaccio]

With regards to price. I purchased from Northridge. They beat all other prices, including Amazon. Recently I was speaking with Lou at Elias and he commented that on my future purchases to give him a call because he can often compete in price. May be worth calling him to discuss purchase.

Just as an example on price, the most popular price I have seen for the Teraflex coil spring and shock lift is $730.00. Amazon's current price is $668.00. It does flucuate and you have to monitor it often to catch the best price. I have seen it as low as $630.00 on Amazon.

personaly not a fan of Teraflex at all. I had a TF lift on my TJ and it was awful, all the bushings were noisy and had no fittings to grease them. Only thing left from that lift on my jeep is the springs which I also plan to dump. Mike White works at Elias and they are very reputable and there motto is buyers rempose is the # 1 enemy. He will do you right. AEV has a very nice lift as do a hundred other vendors. it all comes down to how high you want to go and how much you want to spend. I would also check out Zone offroad....

With a coil spring and shock lift, there aren't any bushings that I would have to be concerned with, are there?

If the budget was not an issue, I would be seriously interested in the AEV’s DualSport 2.5-Inch XT Suspension System. But at $939.00, I can't consider it. I believe I have considered all the brands and have knocked out most mainly due to price. I like Rock Krawler too. It also seems like a popular and well made lift but, again, $$$$.

I would suggest taking a look at the BDS budget boost. Cheaper then the Terraflex and in my opinion a lot better quality. I am pretty sure Lou is a dealer too so you will get a good deal.

Reason I suggest the budget boost over the full lift is the BDS full lift is over you budget if you have a 2D, 4D kit is in your budget). And you can always add the springs in later.

Edit: just noticed the BDS kit comes with break line extensions exhaust mod, octo cam washers to adjust alignment .

Quite awhile back I spoke with Mike at Elias who explained that with a JKU, I should ideally shoot for 3" of lift. To avoid drive shaft and other issues, go with a 2 1/2" lift and make up the difference with tires. I want to eventually get 33" tires, which would bring me to the 3" mark. I looked at the BDS lifts on-line and they offer a 2" budget boost and 2" coil lifts, then jump to 3" and larger, no 2 1/2".

Can anyone address the questions I posed in my first post?

1. So, how much do I lose if I go with just the pucks and shocks w/no coils compared to with coils and

2. How much do I lose if I go the cheapest route with just pucks?

I'm going to add a third question as well:

3. Is a body lift a consideration? If not, why not?

With my type of wheeling, am I going to notice that much of a difference between the 4 methods?

[ASauer17]

Not sure if you want to go the cheaper route. I put my lift on summer 2010 and one had to replace one shock.. I paid a little over 1k but i researched my kit for 3 months before buying. I wasnt a part of a club yet and didnt know anyone who installed or even had suggestions.

I have a Rubicon Express 4.5", but I also have a TJ as you know. I bought the whole package which included coils and Procomp shocks. I didn't want pieces as I never have luck with anything ever going together smoothly.

[ASauer17]

3. NO body lift. Please! That wont help in suspension or flex.

[Frank]

Ralphster:) The body lifty thing will give you clearance for tires but wont git yer belly off the ground. Ipsnay on the body lift. Weather you go with a coil lift or the pucks , It raises the chassis a bit so you can get over stuff easier. That will come down to personal choice cause your payin forem. Really a quality spring lift will ride more firm because they had to make the spring stronger to hold the same weight higher . A BB does the same thing with a softer stock coil by lowering the top mount so you are foolin the Jeep into sitting higher. New coils might be more firm and that may help you feel more confident on the trails. The lifts that come with the shocks are better because they already did the home work on how far everything moves. Even with a BB you might have to replace the stock shocks anyway as they will hinder droop being short. The after market shocks will be able to handle off road stuff a lot better than stock. Remember the size difference in the stabilizer ?If you can buy the lift kit of your choice Id say go that way , Hey what do I know ? Good luck bud. FjR68

[schwalby]

Mike is a smart guy but I can't imagine a half inch is going to cause major issues. The BDS guys know what they are doing and remember all the other parts their kit comes with.

Can anyone address the questions I posed in my first post?

1. So, how much do I lose if I go with just the pucks and shocks w/no coils compared to with coils and

2. How much do I lose if I go the cheapest route with just pucks?

I'm going to add a third question as well:

3. Is a body lift a consideration? If not, why not?

With my type of wheeling, am I going to notice that much of a difference between the 4 methods?

1. Not upgrading your coils you just end up with the old stock coils that don't perform as well as after market ones. I have heard some people say that springs and pucks are more likely to pop and come out but I have never seen it.

2. Cheapest route leaves you with all stock parts not designed for off-road and you can destroy your shocks and limit the travel.

3. I have a BL on my TJ but that is because I have a 4" lift and didn't want to jump to a 6". I also needed tire clearance, I have plenty of flex.

4. Don't really know your type of wheeling so can't help there.

All just my 2 cents.

[RalphTomaccio]

Thanks for everyone's 2 cents worth so far.

Just for the record, I wasn't considering a body lift seriously. Just wanted to through it out there to confirm my suspicions.

When I said ". . . my type of wheeling" I was referring to using a dailey driver for all the runs that are feasible for me to do in the club. Stock challenging type of stuff!

Things are beginning to come together in my mind thanks to everyone's comments. Keep the comments coming!

[BlackNBlue-ISH]

1. You'll loose a bit of travel with the pucks in lieu of the coils. You will likely have less down travel due to limitations of various other components, but you will retain the current ride quality.

2. Without also upgrading your shocks, you won't get the any additional down travel. The shocks will bottom out and that'll be it. Not good for the shocks or overall flex.

3. Like the others said, the body lift doesn't accomplish much on their own. For my TJ, a small body lift will allow for me to tuck other components up between the frame rails. Body lifts allow for larger tires, but too much more. They can put a lot more force on each of the mount locations so you don't want to go to large with those of you can help it. I've not yet heard of a body lift on JK's.

[Hoodoo Man]

personaly not a fan of Teraflex at all. I had a TF lift on my TJ and it was awful, all the bushings were noisy and had no fittings to grease them. Only thing left from that lift on my jeep is the springs which I also plan to dump. Mike White works at Elias and they are very reputable and there motto is buyers rempose is the # 1 enemy. He will do you right. AEV has a very nice lift as do a hundred other vendors. it all comes down to how high you want to go and how much you want to spend. I would also check out Zone offroad....

With a coil spring and shock lift, there aren't any bushings that I would have to be concerned with, are there?

Well all of the replacement control arms on my Terraflex lift had bad bushings and were junk, so I would say its a concern. granted I got my jeep with the lift used and it had been abused, but it was so damn squeaky it was stupid and a few bushings were so bad they caused handling quirks on the highway... not a fan for those reason....


I have heard good things about simple coil spacer lifts helping clear bigger tires and are a cheaper buy in. As others have mentioned you loose a little uptravel and may need shock extenders etc. A decent way to go for a starter lift...

[DDewar53]

Ralph - there's nothing wrong with a small (1") body lift in conjunction with a suspension lift to get yourself a little bit more tire while avoiding rub. Nothing wrong with that at all.

My JK has the 2" Teraflex budget boost under it, it's been there for 6 years and still works fine. This spring I plan to remove the spacers and go with 2" lift springs, because the factory springs are starting to sag. If it's in your budget, get the springs so you only have to do it once. I've had no issues with Teraflex, as you mentioned there are no bushings in the kit, so no issue with them. The kit that I got was complete - extended bump stops, brake line extenders, a relocation bracket for the rear track bar, everything worked great. I bought mine from Lou and he had it drop shipped to me. There's something to be said for buying local - the relationships that you build that way can be more valuable that $. The advice that I've gotten from dealing with Lou and the good folks that work for him has saved me from spending more $ than I could ever have saved by shopping on line.

[DaveP]

I run the Teraflex 2.5" coil lift with the Bilstein Shocks and have had no issues at all. I don't know if they have changed the recommendation to install the exhaust spacers to overcome the driveshaft clearance. I have the exhaust spacers and haven't had any problems.

[Hoodoo Man]

Ralph are you near pulling the trigger on this? I may know where there would be space to throw the Jeep on the lift to knock it out quick. Don't forget you will need an alignment before driving very far as our model years will go into limp mode if things are off too much.... shoukd add $100 or so to your budget for that...