Difference between EVO stage 1 Overland vs non-overland

wayoflife said:

Yup, the control arm drop brackets are the only difference. The brackets will help restore your suspension geometry back to sock. This is nice for ride quality but are HUGE rock targets. Needless to say, if you just do a lot of driving on dirt roads like overlanders do, this is a better way to go. If you play on the rocks, you will destroy them.

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wayoflife said:

Yup, the control arm drop brackets are the only difference. The brackets will help restore your suspension geometry back to sock. This is nice for ride quality but are HUGE rock targets. Needless to say, if you just do a lot of driving on dirt roads like overlanders do, this is a better way to go. If you play on the rocks, you will destroy them.

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NFRs2000NYC said:

Realistically speaking, if you did smash one on the rocks while on a wheeling trip, you can just remove them and connect the control arms directly back to stock mounts right?

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Technically getting new control arms doesn’t achieve the same thing as the drop brackets, unless you change the mounting point of the new arms (aka long arm kit) right?

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wayoflife said:

Realistically speaking, you're not gonna damage something like an EVO drop bracket to the point where you'd need to remove the arm and reinstall it on the factory mount. The only brackets I've seen fail are the AEV JK ones. That being said, IF the bracket were to fail, it'd be pretty tough to install the control arm onto the factory mount out on the trail. Not saying that it can't be done, it'd just take some know how and a LOT of effort especially with the springs and opposite side control arm still being in place. The bigger problem with drop brackets is that they can get hung up on obstacles and can get bent/damaged to the point where removing your control arms in the future can be difficult.



This is correct. New adjustable control arms will NOT correct suspension geometry, it'll only allow you to reposition your axles and set things like caster and pinion angle. That being said, with just 2-2.5" of lift, the amount of geometry change really isn't enough to significantly effect your ride quality. Or I should say, not in my opinion anyway. Of course, ride quality is 100% subjective.

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NFRs2000NYC said:

So in your subjective opinion, do you feel any difference in tracking and other suspension compliance since going from stock to the 2.5 lift with arms? Putting tire ride quality aside, as well as the shock rebound performance which we now know thanks to you is subpar with the heavier tires, would you say, in your opinion of course, that the JLU with the evo lift with New CAs performs around the same as stock, or did you notice major issues that you’re not to happy with?

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wayoflife said:

With tire load range and shock rebound aside, I have experienced NO issues that would make me feel unhappy, not even minor ones. You need to remember that the JL comes with an FAD and because of it, you can run A LOT more caster and without driveline vibration concerns. Also, the JL front control arms are about an INCH longer than a JK so with just 2.5" of lift, the change in geometry really isn't that much. To me, the ONLY reason to go with the drop brackets is to save some money as adjustable control arms won't be needed with them.

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NFRs2000NYC said:

I gotcha. I think the evo setup with arms, an adjustable trackbar and some good shocks to take the abuse of bouncing 37s will be the perfect setup for my mostly street driving with occasional western trips.

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