What’s your budget? $500 or less, $500 to $1000, $1000 to $1500, $2000 and up?
What type of driving will you be doing?
What size tires do you plan on running?
Likewise, having owned several other modified Jeeps in the past, I wanted this one to be comfortable, capable, and dependable. I researched several different lifts and decided on the AEV 3.5” DualSport, mostly because it allows me to run 35” tires and retain a more factory like suspension geometry as well as it is a true complete lift. The 2.5” XT Lift doesn’t require any exhaust modifications as do lifts of 3.5” and up. It’s a complete lift with exception to not having a ProCal Module to recalibrate speedometer, trans shift points, TPMS parameters etc. The lift sells for about $1000 and the ProCal is $170 more. IMHO
I wasn't sure if the 2.5 required the exhaust spacers or not, so thanks for clarifying. My 3.5" Dualsport lift did, but they aren't very large.
AEV wouldn't put their name on something if it didn't perform exceptionally well. Their JK lifts are absolutely excellent. It rides better than stock with no harshness at all.
I went with the Terraflex 2.5” lift which cost about $800 which comes with an exhaust spacer. The ride is great on 33’s and no other mods were required. Maybe a little firm but it hasn’t dropped with all the added weight from after market bumpers, winch and armor. Actually we ended up removing the exhaust spacer because it moved the exhaust too far and it rubbed under hard acceleration.