I have a 2011 Jeep JK 70th Anniversary Edition. It was completely stock and it was time for some suspension mods. I went to OK4WD in Stewartsville, NJ. They are the recommended shop in my area and they did not let me down. I worked with someone there who helped me pick every part to build exactly what I wanted. These guys will not do anything the fast way. They only use premium parts and tell you up front they will not do crap builds. So if you're looking for a $200 lift kit this is not the shop for you.
I chose to go with a BDS 3" lift kit to start with. The kit is pretty standard coming with coil springs, bump stops and all the parts to complete the install. Now with any suspension kit
you can get the minimum or add on your upgrades. The parts I chose all came recommended by OK4WD. I use this Jeep as a daily driver 95% of the time and that was a consideration when picking the parts for my build. The first upgrade to the kit was Fox 2.0 Performance Series IFP Shocks that have an aluminum body. I love these shocks and cant describe in words how nice they ride. If you upgrade one thing upgrade the shocks.
I chose to go with the BDS Ultimate Sway Bar Links. They are pretty solid and they do disconnect. If I was a serious off roader I may have chosen the JKS or another popular disconnect but I saw no need to.
Now since larger tires were part of this build and I was going to need a good steering stabilizer. Nothing crazy but nothing cheap
either. I added the BDS 9500 Series Single Shock Stabilizer. It has proven to work well so far and I don't get any bump steer or hopping around.
For an adjustable front track bar I went with what OK4WD recommended, JKS. The JKS Front Adjustable Track Bar seems to be the go to track bar with an excellent reputation. It is definitely much beefier than the stock bar that was original equipment.
Since this lift was three inches I added some AEV Geometry
Correction Brackets. These inexpensive brackets bring everything back in line without the need for new control arms. If you're going with a three inch or higher lift I would strongly recommend adding them. In addition to geometry correction brackets I upgraded the tie rods and drag link. This can get pretty expensive if you're going to
spend a lot of time off road. I went with good but not best here. I ended up with Moog Tie Rod Drag Link Kit with Zerk fittings to allow for grease. I have been pleased so far and have no wobble when driving.
Enough suspension talk, lets talk wheels and tires. Like anybody who doesn't want awesome wheels and big tires on their Jeep. Well I'm no exception and this took me a while to pick the right wheel. I wanted a "Bead Lock" look, so that narrowed it down a bit. I thought about all black, but then saw these, two-tone grey and black, 2640 wheels from Pro Comp. I knew as soon as I saw them that that's what I want. Now tire choices are almost as plentiful as wheel choices. As I said earlier I use this as a daily driver the majority of time. I am not crawling Moab on the weekends so i need something that rides good on the road but has some teeth If I need it.
OK4WD recommended one tire, the BFG KO2. This tire is great. The next dilemma was size. I just was not happy with the 285's and if I went to a 35" tire it was 12" wide and then you get into gearing issues. BFG makes a KO2 34x10.50R17 but it is expensive. I mean its like $150 more per tire than, the very close in size, 285's. The 34's are just a perfect size for this setup. They are only 10.5 inches wide so they just look great on the Jeep, just slightly extending beyond the stock fenders. They drive smooth and quiet on the road. Off road they have performed very well, but admittedly, I have not been buried to my axles in mud with them.
Overall, I really can't think of anything I would change on this Jeep build. It drives like it
came from the factory. It is plenty high and the wheels and tires make it stand out. I have added plenty of accessories, like LED headlights and some graphics, but a front bumper and winch is on my list. Check out the video to take a look, but honestly the video does not do it justice in just how good it looks in person.
(Affiliate) Links:
Purchase Fox 2.0 Performance IFP Shocks on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2uruNhA
Purchase the Pro Comp Wheels on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2IWZ9f7
Purchase Rancho Geomotry Correction Brackets on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2IcDT3T
Purchase JKS Front Adjustable Track Bar on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2GhAsZ6
Purchase Fox 2.0 Perf. ATS Steering Stabilizer on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2pLhOCO
Purchase TeraFlex JK HD Tie Rod Drag Link Kit on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2IcXxwN
Purchase BFG KO2 34x10.50R17 tires on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2J2eGu7
Lou
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