New Jeep JL Metalcloak Lift Install 2.5” Game-Changer
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- Опубліковано 24 сер 2024
- New Jeep JL Metalcloak Lift Install 2.5” Game-Changer. This is the install and review of my new JL Wrangler lift! It’s a Metalcloak Game-Changer Rocksport 2.5” suspension lift. This is a complete suspension transformation including all new coils, shocks, control arms, trackbars, bump stops, and sway bar links. This lift rides great and makes the Jeep handle amazing, check out the video to see the difference!
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You did it in perfect way...easy, simple and professional...thank u from Iraq 🇮🇶
Thanks for the feedback and steps for MC lift
No problem, thanks for watching!
Amazing vdo, paid so much attention to detail.
Avinash ibbandi thanks man, good luck with your Metalcloak install.
Great choice on the lift, I went with the 3.5 GC, running 37's, great set up.
J. Orozco yeah I really like the ride and flex of the game changer! I might do the 3.5” coils eventually.
I want to do the 3.5 but not excited about shelling out another 700 or so for a drive shaft so I might stick with the 2.5 GC. should be getting ~3 inches of lift with it anyway
Great lift man, been very happy with mine
JL LIFE OFFROAD thanks man, I did you’re one control arm at a time trick, worked great.
Frostbite JL glad to hear it 🙌🙌🙌
Sweet love the set up of your rig.
Thanks, yeah I’m still really happy with how it all turned out! Thanks for watching 👍
EXCELLENT VIDEO THANKZZZ FOR SHARING!! VERY INFORMATIVE!!
No problem, thanks for watching!
Very cool! I put on the Tera Flex 2.5 with the Falcon shocks. It was a fun job. I did my own front end alignment too. It was super easy. Bad news is I’m taking my Jeep back to the dealer for the second time, I have engine oil leaking onto my transmission pan. I can’t find the source but I suspect a intake gasket. Last time they put a new transmission pan gasket on, still leaking... we shall see. I’m still waiting for my tailgate hinge to arrive. Cool Jeep dude! Thanks for the videos.
Aaron Chandler how do you like the Teraflex kit? I was looking at that one but wanted the adjustable arms and track bars on the Metalcloak. Yeah the alignment is easy with fixed arms I did my own the first time, I’m glad I had this one checked, my toe and thrust angles were off. Hope the dealer can find the leak for you, mines been in for warranty work a few times as well, they always seem to fix it, so no worries. Thanks for watching, stay safe out there!
Frostbite JL I like my Tera Flex lift. They have really good support people too. I only use my Jeep for going off road but I wanted to keep the on/off road balance. I am happy with it. Hopefully I’ll get the leak fixed this time. If you’re ever in AZ let me know.
Aaron Chandler yeah I bet it rides pretty nice, I was looking at their Falcon adjustable shocks, but there not long enough for my lift. Thanks man I’ve always wanted to make a trip to the SW hopefully I can do more trips later this year. If you’re ever in Portland with the Jeep I know some fun spots too!
Frostbite JL that’s great, the Falcons are really well made. I have a long term plan to buy a small trailer for my Jeep and do some over land trips,maybe then. I’d love to explore the NW.😎
i just ordered my 3.5 im so excited, nervous about screwing up the install but we'll see
It’s a great kit you won’t be disappointed. If you have any questions hit me up, I’ve done a few Jeep lifts at this point.
@@FROSTBITEOFFROAD I have a 2021 JLU rubicon.. I want to run 37s - do u think I should get a game changer 2.5 or should I get The 3.5???
@@pointvillage16 with a Rubicon you can do 37’s all day on a 2.5” lift, honestly if you’re not going bigger tire wise a 3.5” will look a little weird. I’m currently running 37” KM3’s and I think they look a little small with my 2.5” lift. Let me know if you have any more questions!
Nice instructions!
Looks fantastic
Thanks!!
Watched this video about 8 times. My gamechanger lift will be here next week. Excited and nervous as I've never done anything like this before. You mention more in-depth videos on the interwebs, I can't seem to find one. Do you know of one for a newbie that would help with this lift? Thanks so much for the video!
That’s great your installing the lift yourself, it’s rewarding and you learn a lot about the Jeep’s suspension. It’s not really hard just time consuming, I did mine over a weekend. As far as the video I was referring to JK Gear and Gadgets video he did on his control arms also JL Life Off-road did a similar video when he installed his Metalcloak arms. The trick is to take pressure off the pinion of the axle and swap out one control arm at a time. I’ve done it the other way and it’s way more of a pain trying to line up multiple arms at once. I hope this helps, let me know if you have any more questions!
@@FROSTBITEOFFROAD you're the best! You got new subscriber!
@@weezyneezy thanks for the support man, enjoy that new lift!
Good video. I looked at the MC lift but went with the Teraflex lift with falcon shocks. Hope to get it installed this week.
hollywood21639 thanks, the Teraflex one should be nice as well! What arm’s did you go with?
@@FROSTBITEOFFROAD the non adjustable 2.5" arms.
hollywood21639 that’s what I had on my front lowers before, they were nice. They don’t require an alignment and they are bigger diameter than the Metalcloak’s.
@@FROSTBITEOFFROAD I got the adjustable TF track bar too so hopefully they'll be no issues with wobble or anything. MC kits didn't offer any shock options that were appealing. I wanted the Mopar lift to keep the warranty but too many people say it has issues.
hollywood21639 I wouldn’t recommend the Mopar lift, my brother in law has it and had a bunch of problems. He had to add stuff from Clayton to make it drivable. I actually really like the Rocksport shocks they ride great!
Great video and tricks. Thanks. What are the KC light brackets on your Jeep?
Bohdan Mazhar thanks, I just got the KC a pillar brackets made for the JL, I did a separate video on them if you want to check it out.
How tall is your garage door opening? Wondering if it’ll fit in my garage.
Mines an 8’ door, I believe standard is 7’. There would be plenty of room if you didn’t have a rack on top, thanks for watching the video!
Yeah mine is 7 foot, about 83 inches
Enjoyed the your video of the MC Game Changer as I'm considering this lift. Did you replace the stock front drive shaft?
Russ Elmy yeah it’s a great lift I recommend it! I did replace the front shaft, did a video on that a while back, if you want to check it out. I went with the Adam’s front drive shaft and like it as well. Thanks for watching!
How do you compare the metalcloak to the teraflex?
The Metalcloak kit rides awesome it was definitely a big improvement in ride and flex!
i wish i had skills like you
Haha thanks! It’s probably less skill and more a healthy supply of beer 🍺
Glad you made this video, it's been pretty informative. I have a 2018 JLU Sport S that I'm planning on lifting and I've been looking at the MetalCloak and Clayton Offroad lifts. Did you look at any other lifts before choosing the MC lift? If so, what helped you decide to choose the MC lift over anything else?
ElvisRides thanks for watching, hope it helps you choose a lift. I’ve looked at all the major suspension companies and have owned several of them on my other Jeeps. I chose Metalcloak for the joints and all inclusiveness of the kit for the money. I’ve also asked around the Jeep community and everyone that had a JL Metalcloak lift said it was great. I can say the ride and performance surprises me, I was expecting firm and slightly uncomfortable on road, but was pleasantly surprised. You also gain a ton of flex and no maintenance joints which is great! I would recommend the Game-Changer for sure, also if you can wait they do 10% around holidays!
Why did you get an alignment, you did not change the tire rod? I thought only get an alignment when changing tire rod right or no?
Jay Hernandez that’s not entirely true, anytime you do major suspension work including adjustable control arms, track bars, or steering components you need an alignment. Your thrust angle, caster, steering wheel, and axle center can be out of spec. Almost every major suspension company will recommend that you get an alignment. If not you run the risk of having you traction control kicking on when you don’t want it to, also it will eat up your tires. Hope this helps!
Always get an alignment after any suspension modifications. You can eyeball it, but you want the offroad shop with the alignment machine to do it for you.
What rim and tire setup are you running, I’m try to have my wheels as flush to the fenders as I can?
This was my old setup, it was 35x12.50R17 Nitto Ridge Grapplers and Pro Comp Prodigy wheels in 17x9 with a 4.75” backspacing. Hope this helps, thanks for watching Nate!
No driveshaft replacement?
The front driveshaft was replaced in a prior video with an Adam’s shaft. It’s definitely something that needs to be done with this lift due to the amount of flex it provides.
@@FROSTBITEOFFROAD ahh makes sense. Nice jeep
@@Madmike908 thanks Mike!
@@FROSTBITEOFFROAD how has the lift held up from MetalCloak? Worth the money?
@@Madmike908 it was a great riding and flexing lift. I did have to replace a couple flex joints under warranty but they were great about sending them out fast. I’d do it again if I bought another JL.
How tall are your jackstands and at what height do i need my jack to extend?
I like my 6 ton Harbor Freight jack stands, they extend to around 24”. You just have to get the frame high enough to drop the suspension all the way down, you could alway rent a spring compressor from the auto parts store just encase. Let me know if you have any more questions, thanks for watching Matty!
What other lift kits did you consider? What made you go with MC? I’m tied up between MC, Teraflex ST2, AEV RT 2.5 and JKS
I did a decent amount of research and Metalcloak had the best kit and flex for the money. If I bought another Jeep I would go with Metalcloak again, it rides great on the street and flexes even better off-road. Trail Recon did a lift comparison video that had those lifts you mentioned I believe. He liked the Teraflex if I recall but I would do some research about longevity with their kits.
Does the metalcloak lift require a new drive shaft in the front? No mention of replacing drive shaft.
I already did a video on replacing my front drive shaft before the lift. Metalcloak does recommend a new front drive shaft due to the added lift and flex, the stock one would rub at full droop. I went with an Adams drive shaft in the front and it has been great! Hope this helps, thanks for watching!
What size Adam's did you use up front?
I'm looking at this lift for my 2020 JLUR. I've always been a Rock Krawler guy, but I like the joints on the Metalcloak lifts. Maybe it was the camera angle but sure looked like there was too much bumpstop on the front. Do the bumpers squish down? Maybe that's what's causing me to ask, lol.
Glenn Kelly the progressive bump stops are a lot larger than factory but compress to the same size. They act like a secondary spring to slow sudden hard impacts. I have to say they have made a big difference in the ride off-road, I recommend them if you go with Metalcloak!
@@FROSTBITEOFFROAD thanks for the info! I'm pretty much sold on the Metalcloak lift, need to make sure I get the squishy bumper things too, lol.
Glenn Kelly no problem, you can’t go wrong with that setup!
What size tires were you running when you installed the 2.5 game changer kit?
Those tires were the Nitto Ridge Grapplers in 35x12.5R17. Hope this helps, thanks for watching!
@@FROSTBITEOFFROAD believe it or not I just bought same setup the 2.5 Inch Game Changer and the Nitto Ridge Grapplers in a 35x12.50x17. The only additional thing I added was the DB3 Rear Control Arm Correction Bracket. To adjust geometry.
@@amarshall5079 sounds like an awesome setup, enjoy the new mods!
3 years later how does this perform off-road?
The Jeep has changed a lot since then but I’m still running this lift kit. I’ve been really happy with the flex and ride over the years and Metalcloak’s warranty is awesome! Thanks for watching the video Blake!
@@FROSTBITEOFFROAD you may not know the answer to this. But is the “ game changer” package necessary? Over the “true dual” As far as Ik it’s only adding rear control arms? Are those necessary to center the axle? I’m on a budget
@@blake_pearson you can get by with the basic kit if you need to, you will sacrifice a decent amount of flex not having the flex joints on all 8 control arms. Metalcloak does do sales on the major holidays, so you can get the kit then and save a little.
@@FROSTBITEOFFROAD thank you
how many inches are these tires?
35x12.50R17 Nitto Ridge Grapplers, thanks for watching!
Would you say that the ride on and off road was more stiff than before? I am really on the fence between the Terraflex with the falcon piggybacks or the Metalcloak with the Rocksports. I don't want to beat body rattles into my jeep with daily driving on crap roads.
I really like the lift still, it’s compliant on road and amazing off road. The Rocksport shock are nice for the price and well matched with the coils. I don’t have any experience with Teraflex but I can tell you Metalcloak’s customer service is great!
Which one did you go with Bryan?
@@litoornelas6409 I did the Metalcloak Rocksports and I’m still happy with them, they are pretty soft which is nice on bumpy roads.
So you got a total of over 4 inches in lift vs the stock height? Has it settled down since? I’m contemplating on getting the 2.5 dual rate on my jl Moab, but I have some garage clearance issues with a lift that high
Yeah it’s definitely settled a little bit, it’s sitting about as high as the Mopar lift on my brother in laws JL. So I’d say around a 3” lift. Let me know if you have any more questions!
What size tires are those?
Those were the Nitto Ridge Grappler’s in a 35x12.5 R17. Thanks for watching Loui!
@@FROSTBITEOFFROAD It looks great. Nice rig! I just bought that kit for my silver JLU diesel!
Damn, we even have the same front bumper. I call dibs on the AEV rear bumper and the 392 wheels.
What size ridge grapplers are you running?
Those tires were 35x12.5R17 in load E, hope this helps!
What length did you go with for your track bars?
I did the stock length plus 1/4” seemed right on until it settled a bit. I could probably add another turn or two to make it perfect.
Good video! I just put the 2.5 gamechanger on and nw my coils are bowing. I got the correction pads and the coils are seated properly on both pads and isolators. Do you have any bowing going on on your coils?
Which way are they bowing? I don’t have any bowing and I didn’t install any correction pads. Maybe try putting the factory pads back in and see if it helps.
@@FROSTBITEOFFROAD with the original pads they were bowing. MetalCloak claims that these correction pads solves the problem and it didn’t. I thought originally they sent me the wrong springs so I sent them back and got the same size sent back to me. I wish I would’ve took more measurements before the lift. My buddies Jk has a 4” lift and my 2.5 lift sits just as high. The ride quality is great no complaints but the bowing of the coils is not right. The axles are centered as well. I took it to an off road jeep shop to check everything over. They’re actually gonna call MetalCloak tomorrow. I’ll keep you updated
@@philr4724 that’s strange the correction pads didn’t help at all. Hopefully the shop can get it straightened out soon, yeah let me know what the solution ends up being!
An update....,I picked my jeep up from the shop and they did a little tinkering and was able to solve the problem! I’m excited to take it wheeling. To be honest watching your videos is the reason I went with MetalCloak game changer. Keep up the videos they’re awesome!
@@philr4724 that’s great they got it sorted! You’ll really enjoy that kit off-road, thanks for watching and the support, I’m glad you get some use out of the video’s!!
what made you pick this kit over the long arm kit?
Metalcloak doesn’t make a long arm kit for the JL, they do for the JK’s. At the time when I bought this kit Metalcloak was the best complete lift kit for the price and to this day I’m still really happy with mine! Hope this helps, thanks for watching!
@@FROSTBITEOFFROAD awesome! Thanks for the reply. If there was a Long Arm Kit, do you think that would have been the better choice of the two?
@@ChasingDreamsLivingLife there is some give and take between the two and it really depends on how you use your Jeep. The mid arm kits for the JL are quite nice for a good daily, if you’re mainly wheeling hard trails the extra cost and labor might be worth it to step up to the long arm. For my uses I’d go with the mid arm Metalcloak again.
👍
Do you know what backspacing your wheels are in this video?
Those Procomp wheels were 17x9 4.75” backspacing, thanks for watching!
@@FROSTBITEOFFROAD did you have any problems with tire rub?
@@tym3kill3r33 no rubbing at all even with the current 37” BFG’s, the Metalcloak lift sits pretty high for a 2.5” which is nice. I did do Rubicon fender when I went to 37” tires which gained some clearance in the wheel well’s.
@@FROSTBITEOFFROAD thank you for the information it really helps. I’m highly considering this lift and I saw I might problems with tire rub. But thank you
@@tym3kill3r33 no problem, let me know if you have any more questions!
Hey Bryan thanks for the awesome install video, definitely have seen it at least 2-3 times lol. How are you liking it almost 2 1/2 years now? I think Mo from JL life definitely loves his control arms, how about everything else?
No problem, I’m glad the video helped you out. I’m still really enjoying the lift it rides great on road and flexes a lot off-road, I still get asked about it all the time. They have lifetime customer support and I’ve had a great experience ever time I reach out to them, I would definitely go with them again if I needed another lift. They have a long arm kit out now for the JL that is pretty enticing, thanks for watching the video Felix!
Running 37s?
I am now but in this video I had 35” Nitto Ridge Grappler’s.
@@FROSTBITEOFFROAD how ya like the 37s over the 35s? I'm debating which route to go ok my 20' Rubicon Unlimited.... I'm also looking at the 2.5" MC lift.
@@TRD_Cueto I’d do 37”s for sure, the Metalcloak lift sits pretty high and 35” s will look too small in my opinion. Rubicon’s can fit 35”s stock, I actually want to go to the new Nitto 38”s when the time comes.
@@FROSTBITEOFFROAD awesome, thanks! Did you regear?
@@TRD_Cueto yeah I re-geared my rear Dana 44 to 4.10 to match my Rubicon front axle. It’s fine with the 37”s but I might go to 5.13 with bigger tires.