Rock Krawler 2.5 Max Travel lift

I know I am new around these parts so I hope I don't step on anyone's toes. I am thinking of buying an AEV 2.5" lift kit but I am honestly not mechanically inclined much at all. I looked through the vendor forum and nothing really jumped out but I would love to find a local, Jeep experienced shop that could install it for me. I would love to do it myself but I do not have the tools or the garage to do it in. Any tips would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

Hey Bill!

It's hard to say if you'd struggle with doing this yourself, because I don't know what your skill level is. But I've done a lot of wrenching and shocks and springs are a very easy swap. More difficult than an oil change, but less difficult than pulling the engine. I'd be willing to help out or (preferably) supervise if I'm free. I can travel with tools (I always do, just to be safe), however I don't have a garage. Well I do sorta (at my parents' house), but it's a haul to get there.

Since I do my own work, I'm hopeless when it comes to knowing of any good garages/shops in the area. Honestly, I have no clue.

I'm always open to helping. Save the money (it's $4-600 for an install, if I remember correctly). I travel for work, but if you have a garage or a warm day that I'm around, count me in. The best thing you can do is to start by emptying a can of PB Blaster, available at AutoZone, about a week before you start.

All that being said - Steve's Jeep Country does lift installs. The Vendors list on this forum should give a good idea of other local shops, like Domenic's.

I have to say you folks are pretty friendly and helpful to some Joe Schmoe you guys don't even know. It is refreshing really. I am going to do my research and choose the right lift kit for me hopefully and then will see about getting it installed. I really appreciate you guys offering.

-bill

The sorta before and after with new tires:

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The after shows rear end sagging a tad. that is because all 5 old tired + my spare are in the back! I need to order an extension so my spare fits on the rear.

I've never actually seen a MOAB edition aside from promo pics.

Very cool!

Is the hood like that on all of them or on the newer most recent models, I hadn't noticed the raised section before.
Looks very nice, never seen that model.
That yard looks familiar though.

The hood is unique to the MOAB edition. It is like a mixture of all the good stuff from the Sahara and the Rubicon in between..

So it looks like the lift will be put off for a while. In order to do any kind of real lift I will need to switch out my wheels. The stock MOAB wheels have a very poor backspacing so I will need to buy 5 all new wheels. I could do that and put my new 33s on them and use those for a while, which might make sense. Then down the road, once I am ready to move up to 35" tires I can look into the lift more thoroughly.

It's amazing how much I am learning about mechanics, suspensions, etc. in such a short time. I really would like to do the work myself (meaning with a bunch of help from you folks!) so I can learn even more. I think I am going to love this Jeep culture indeed.

One more pic with new Cooper tires:

Looks good Bill, don't rush into anything.
Enjoy driving it for a while, gather info then decide what you want down the line.

X2 on what Mark said. Research is free and worth more than any part you'll buy.

Regarding new wheels, I'm not exactly sure what the issue is, but if it's the same problem I had (after the lift, my tire rubbed on the spring perch on one side of the rear axle), you could just get spacers. That's a much cheaper option. Plus, it looks awesome and helps prevent rollovers. Something to consider. Anyways, welcome! And remember what Jeep stands for; Just Empty Every Pocket.

Keep your factory wheels and get some spidertraxx spacers. I run 35s like this with no issues.

I hear so many different stories about spacers. Someone said they are illegal in MA. Others have said most reputable tire retailer/installers will not touch your tires to rotate them if spacers are involved. I figured I would just bypass all of that hassle and get new wheels.

-bill

I've never heard of any such thing. YMMV. But do what suits you best.

The only thing I've heard of which could be taken as a suggestion to stay away from spacers is that your tires can't extend beyond the fenders. You can work around this in many ways though.

For what it's worth, you'll find that you probably will end up preferring to do tire rotations yourself.

Even if you're not shelling out $60 a session from the dealer, it's just easier to spend a quick 1/2hr doing it yourself than scheduling an appointment, driving, and then waiting that same amount of time.

Even my wife has come to prefer doing the JK rotations herself.

I would love to be able to do that kind of stuff on my own. Unfortunately I do not really have a place to do it safely/reliably. The parking lot for the house I rent is dirt/gravel. That doesn't count the fact that I have no jack or real tools that would facilitate doing my own upgrades and repairs.

I am not mechanically inclined but I would love to learn to be. It has just never been practical.

Well, if it's something you truly want to learn, you'll have to invest in some tools first. A basic metric and English wrench and socket set can get you a long way.

Oh, and totally understand the intimidation factor, btw. We don't mean to pressure you.

When I started learning I lived in Jamaica Plain without a driveway or tools and the most automotive I had ever done was changed a tire. I had never done an oil change, or changed a headlight, or so much as changed an air filter.

That's the awesome thing about Jeeps and the Jeep community. Whatever your comfort level/interest level is, if you ask the right questions, it's pretty much always within your ability.

Not to get ahead of ourselves, though, don't worry about the wheel spacers. Many, many run them with no issues on safety, reliability or problems with tire places. Just make sure they're tightened properly.

CrawlingForward wrote:Just make sure they're tightened properly.

This times a billion. I found out the hard way that mine weren't quite tightened enough. Or loctite'd enough. No one got hurt and I learned from it. That's the beauty of doing it yourself. Although it was a stressful commute that morning, but it makes a good story.

I've had wheel spacers on my rigs for 4 years total. Don't have them currently as my new wheels have enough backspacing. But I would not hesitate to use them.

Inspections will not matter and really know one would really know you have them unless they take your tire off.

But tire shops, at least any I ever went to, WILL NOT touch your rig if they know they are on, and once they pull the first wheel they will tell you they wont do the work. So getting new tires put on your rig would be impossible, unless you can take the spacers off just for going to the shop...

Rotations just do yourself.

Mechanical ability will come with time. Read up online about something you want to tackle and it becomes much easier and the more you do the more confident you will be to do other, harder things.

I run spacers all the way around and have never had an issue getting things balanced or rotated.

Weird. I've been to a few big name shops (Sullivan, Town Fair, Discount) all wouldn't touch my rig when they saw the spacers, as its their policy from what I was told. Safety wise, they don't like them and don't want to be liable for anything to go wrong.

That is what I was told by the Town Fair tire guys. I will hopefully have my new wheels by Friday. I have seen them on other Jeeps, they look great.

So strange. I get my tire work at Firestone in Wilmington and Town Fair in Woburn. Nobody's said squat.

I haven't had my spacers on at any shops yet except for NTB for an alignment. They didn't mention it. It's funny how some businesses like to make up excuses to not take your money.