A Guide to Choosing the Best Jk Lift Kit

‍Looking for the best lift kit for your JK Jeep Wrangler? This guide will help you pick the best option to maximize your Jeep’s capability.

The Teraflex 2.5” Suspension Kit is the best lift kit on the market overall. It gives you 2-3” of additional ground clearance and improves your Jeep’s suspension performance. If you are just looking for a simple way to get a bit more ride height, The Proryde leveling kit is another great option.

I’ve ridden off-road trails from the deserts of Southern Utah to the high Rocky Mountains. I love looking for new ways to increase the performance of my rig, and a lift kit is one of the biggest improvements you can buy. For this article I researched dozens of the best lift kits on the market to narrow down the options for you.

‍Best JK Lift Kit Options

If you’re looking for the best JK lift kit options, this list will break down the choices for you and outline the best lift kits for different needs.

Teraflex 2.5” Suspension Lift Kit - Best Overall JK Lift kit

If you are looking for the best overall option for a Jeep Wrangler lift kit to improve your ride height and performance, the Teraflex 2.5” Suspension Lift Kit is a fantastic option.

With awesome performance, two to three inches of added ride height, and bomber components, this is my pick for the best Jeep lift kit overall.

Installation

This lift kit comes with new coil springs, front and rear shocks, sway bar links, bump stops, and brake brackets: everything you need to install it on your Jeep Wrangler JK.

While you have all the parts you need in the kit, the instructions aren’t the clearest, and the installation process takes a long time. If you are doing self-installation you’ll definitely want to find an installation video on Youtube to help guide you through the process of getting this lift kit installed.

Suspension lifts are very involved, and if you don’t know what you’re doing, there is a lot that can go wrong. If you aren’t comfortable with disassembling and reassembling the suspension of your Jeep, I’d recommend finding a professional installer near you to do the job.

Performance

This lift kit gets you two to three inches of extra ride height so you have more ground clearance for tackling bigger obstacles and more challenging trails. You will have a lot more confidence on really rocky routes with the extra clearance underneath.

You also get added tire clearance for up to 35” tires, which will give even more capability, and ground clearance. When you install this lift kit you will get a better approach angle, breakover angle, and departure angle.

The coil springs and shocks with this lift kit give you more articulation and suspension travel, and you get a fantastic ride quality with the high-performance shocks.

Pros

• 2-3” of extra ride height gives you more clearance for large obstacles
• Excellent ride quality that smooths out rough trails
• Fantastic all-around performance for off-roading

Cons

• Installation isn’t straightforward and instructions are lacking

Rough Country 3.5” JK Lift Kit - Best Value JK Lift kit

If you want a good-performing lift kit at an affordable price, the Rough Country 3.5” JK Lift Kit offers fantastic value and performance without breaking the bank.

If you are upgrading your Jeep Wrangler for off-road riding, it can be easy to spend a lot of money quickly. Lift kits especially can be expensive. You’ll want to save money wherever you can without compromising on quality and performance.

Rough Country is known for building high-quality coil spring lift kits and off-roading components for value-oriented buyers. This suspension lift kit is no exception and will add a lot of capability to your Jeep Wrangler JK while saving you some cash compared to other options.

Installation

The installation process for coil spring lift kits can be intimidating, and Rough Country does a great job at making this system as straightforward and painless to install as possible. If you want a Jeep lift kit that you can install at home, this is a good one to pick.

This lift kit works by dropping the control arms lower and provides everything you need in the box, from coil springs to extended sway bar links. Compared to other options, the install process is fairly quick and straightforward. Anyone who has some experience working on cars, the right tools, and enough time can tackle this approachable install.

Performance

Usually you expect inexpensive lift kits to skimp on quality and performance, but it definitely doesn’t feel that way with these Rough Country lift kits. With this Jeep lift kit, you will instantly notice a difference from the factory ride quality of your Jeep Wrangler.

The shocks and coil springs provided with these lift kits are high-performance, and will give you a boost in ride quality both on and off road.

The extra three to four inches of ride height is also a huge benefit when tackling tough trails and obstacles.

Pros

• Very affordable compared to most suspension lifts
• Good ride quality for off-roading
• Straightforward installation that you can do at home

Cons

• Watch out for rust issues on bolts

Proryde Jeep Wrangler JK Front Lift Leveling Kit - Best JK Leveling Lift Kit

If you are specifically looking for a leveling lift kit to give you some extra ride height and change the stance of your Jeep Wrangler, the Proryde JK Front Lift Leveling Kit is a great option.

If you want a full lift of your Jeep, you can also check out Proryde’s Rear Coil Spring Block Kit.

Installation

Like all body lifts, this kit includes coil spring spacers that let you increase your ride height without actually needing to swap out component parts. The appeal of leveling lift kits like this is that the installation is much simpler, there are fewer new components to buy, and there’s less to go wrong.

The process for installing the coil spring spacers is much simpler than with a suspension lift, and is something anyone with the proper tools can do.

Performance

Unlike suspension lifts, leveling spacer lifts don’t do as much to change the ride quality of your Jeep. The biggest difference you’ll notice will be the increased ride height and clearance.

The nice thing about leveling lift kits like this is that you don’t need to worry about major changes in your Jeep’s ride that may be detrimental. Your Jeep will handle and drive very similarly, just with more clearance underneath.

The adjustable spacers included in the kit let you pick 1.5”, 2”, 2.5”, or 3” lift. Depending on the setup you choose, you’ll be able to fit up to 35” tires on your Jeep.

Pros

• Much easier to install than other Jeep lift kits
• Gives you a boost in ride height without much change to handling
• Less expensive than full suspension lifts

Cons

• Doesn’t increase your suspension travel

TeraFlex Body Lift - Best JK Body Lift Kit

If you don’t care about the performance improvements you can get with a full suspension lift kit, the Teraflex Body Lift Kit is a great way to increase your ride height and add clearance for larger tires without overly complicated suspension swaps.

Body lift kits are an inexpensive and easy way to get extra tire clearance without needing to make major changes to your Jeep Wrangler.

Installation

This kit is very easy to install and comes with simple UHMW polyethylene spacers that lift the body of your Jeep 1.25 inches from the frame.

Performance

While body lift kits don’t give you any additional clearance for obstacles underneath, they can give you extra space at the fenders for larger tires. Just adding larger tires without making any other change to your Jeep will make it much more capable off-road.

This simple JK lift kit is the easiest and least expensive way to get your Jeep Wrangler to run 33” tires. If you want to increase your capability without expensive and complicated changes to your Jeep JK, this body lift is a great way to get it.

Pros

• This lift kit is super easy to install
• It’s much less expensive than other options
• Installing this lift lets you run up to 33” tires

Cons

• Doesn’t give you any additional ground clearance
• No improvements to your suspension performance

How to Choose the Best JK Lift Kit

There is a lot that goes into picking between different lift kits for your Jeep Wrangler JK. A lot of your decision will come down to your personal preference, driving style, and what you are looking to get from your Jeep.

What is a Jeep Lift Kit?

Lift kits are sets of components you buy from manufacturers to increase the ride height, tire clearance, and/or ground clearance of your Jeep. Some lift kits use simple spacers to achieve the additional height, while some involve swapping your full suspension system including shocks and coil springs.

Why Should You Lift Your Jeep Wrangler?

Lifting your Jeep has several advantages for off-road riding, and there are many different reasons to take into account.

• Lifting your Jeep gets you better ground clearance for crawling over obstacles.
• Most lifts will enable you to fit larger tires for better grip and roll-over performance.
• Some suspension lifts can give you improved articulation and suspension travel.
• Of course, everyone knows that lifted Jeeps just look better.

Types of Jeep Wrangler Lift Kits

Body Lift Kit

A body lift kit doesn’t give you any extra ground clearance. These lift kits use a set of spacers to increase the distance between your Jeep’s body and its frame, so nothing is changed in the actual suspension and performance of the vehicle.

While a body lift kit doesn’t change the performance of your vehicle, it can add extra tire clearance so you can

Suspension Lift Kit

A suspension lift kit is what most people will need if they are lifting their Jeep Wrangler for off-roading. This type of lift kit actually lengthens out your Jeep’s suspension and can give you two to three inches of extra ground clearance in most cases.

Suspension lift kits can also increase the suspension articulation of your Jeep Wrangler to give you even better off-road performance.

Leveling Lift Kit

A leveling lift kit is the least expensive way to add a little bit of ride height, tire clearance, and ground clearance to your Jeep.