Level-up (leveling kit) questions

BigDaddyinBigD

BigDaddyinBigD

2011 JK Owner
Supporting Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2019
Messages
52
Location
Dallas, Texas
Recently bought a stock 2011 JK. My 16 yo daughter will be the primary driver, so I’m not planning on doing any major mods. I would like it to sit just a bit higher and level (w/out the front rake). I’ve looked around and there are a variety coil spring spacer kits. I‘m think of either a front end only level kit or a combo, but have several questions.

If we keep the stock bumper and do front end only, is the 3/4” kit sufficient to produce a level stance or should I go with a 1”? I know we’re only talking about a 1/4” difference, but I’d refer to not end up with it looking like the front is higher than the rear.

Same basic question with the combo kits. They have 2” front / 1” rear or 1 1/2” front / 3/4” rear.

It’s my understanding these minimal kits don’t require new shocks or other changes to maintain suspension geometry; your thoughts?

Finally, what material do you recommend, poly/rubber or metal/aluminum. I’ve heard the metal spacers, while more durable, create a rough ride and can have squeaking issues.

Oh, and one other thing, I’ve read about lifted Jeeps experiencing a “death wobble” when hitting a big bump at highway speed. Again, my daughter will be the main driver, so I don’t want to do anything, if it’s going to introduce that possibility.

Thanks for any help you can provide. BD
 
Do you have any photos of it as it sits now? I want to see how much it's raked before I give any advice.

A very small leveling kit such as 1" shouldn't require anything other than the spacers. However, if you start talking about 2", there's no way you're going to throw on a 2" spacer without needing new shocks, and at that point you may as well just get springs as oppose to spacers.

For material, rubber is going to be the absolute best in terms of isolating noise and harshness, followed by poly, then metal.

Adding spacers should have no effect whatsoever on death wobble. Death wobble is a result of badly worn tires, improperly torqued track bar bolts (or other bolts), poorly designed (or installed) steering systems, or a combination of multiple things.
 
Hey Chris, thanks for the reply. Here’s a photo of our JK. After I made the original post here, I went out and really looked at the body to ground spacing, behind the front fender and in front of the rear fender. There is very little difference; something like 1/2”, so may not make sense to even fool with it. Your thoughts?

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BigDaddyinBigD said:
Hey Chris, thanks for the reply. Here’s a photo of our JK. After I made the original post here, I went out and really looked at the body to ground spacing, behind the front fender and in front of the rear fender. There is very little difference; something like 1/2”, so may not make sense to even fool with it. Your thoughts?

View attachment 113996
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Honestly, looking at that, I wouldn't even mess with it personally. There's a slight rake, but if you put anything in the back (kids, groceries, etc.), I'd bet dollars to donuts it levels out.

You could add a 1/2" spacer up front, but then if you add any weight to the rear, it's going to make the front appear higher.

So in short, I wouldn't be bothered by that, it looks 100% normal to me, as all vehicles are suppose to have a very slight rake in the front from the factory, and auto manufacturers do this for a reason. Heck, you could probably throw a factory hard top on that thing and just that weight alone would level it out.
 
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