When Jeep launched the Wrangler Unlimited JK in 2007, it opened up an entirely new audience to the brand. The four-door Wrangler was roomy, easy to drive, and dare we say it, practical. While the initial 3.8L V6 engine was underwhelming on the power front, in 2012 the company took care of that issue with the introduction of the more powerful 3.6L Pentastar V-6. Today, the Wrangler Unlimited platform is continually being refined and the aftermarket support shows no signs of slowing down. A great example of this steady support and quality progression can be seen with the Eibach All-Terrain-Lift Kit for the 2007-2015 Jeep Wrangler JK. Eibach is a company well-known for its performance-derived coil springs, so it only made sense for the company to create a unique coil-spring offering for the Wrangler JK platform. We recently had the opportunity to grab the keys to a 2015 Wrangler Unlimited Sahara and install the 3.5-inch version of the Eibach All-Terrain-Lift Kit. Packed with the absolute lift essentials, the 3.5-inch kit is designed for those looking to retain a factory-like ride, while gaining a few inches of lift. While there is an optional full-replacement control-arm set available, we choose to retain the stock arms for this daily driven Unlimited. With the help of the Jeep experts at Low Range 4x4 in Wilmington, North Carolina, we were able to knock out the lift in a few hours. So, how did it work and all come together? Read on to find out. Eibach’s 3.5-inch suspension gives you everything you need to get your JK raised and tracking properly. This includes stainless steel braided brake lines, a massive adjustable front track bar, and specially tuned coils and shocks. For those looking for an even higher level of performance, you can add the company’s Pro-Alignment adjustable control arms. Compensating for the increased lift height out back is a track bar drop bracket. This bracket bolts on using exiting holes in the JK’s frame and reuses the stock track bar. To make sure that the suspension travel is properly moderated, a set of heavy-duty bumpstop mounts were bolted to the axle. Part of the reason for bumping/inhibiting the up travel is to prevent damage to the suspension components. Another reason the bumps are necessary is to prevent your now larger-than-stock tires from contacting the body. Eibach includes monotube shocks with 46mm pistons and nitro-coated shock shafts at all four corners. These shocks come with the company’s two-year warranty standard. Once the shocks were installed out back, we bolted on the rear adjustable sway bar links and new brake lines. Up front, the 3.5-inch lift coils and new shocks install easily in place. Like the rear, a bumpstop mount is bolted to on the axle side. We found the new coil springs were only slightly stiffer than the stock set. This equated to a very plush ride, which worked well with the shock valving. Eibach includes these high-quality adjustable sway bar endlinks. Unfortunately, they are not quick disconnect. This means we’ll have to unbolt them when we want to hit the trail with the sway bar disconnected. For those with a Rubicon model, this won’t be an issue. Isolating the front axle is a massive adjustable track bar, which uses the stock mounting locations. Since the track bar has a connecting adjustment collar, we could easily adjust it on the vehicle. To add some additional front end control, we opted for Eibach’s Pro-Steering Damper. The added suspension lift alters the caster of the front axle. To get this back in check, Eibach includes a cam-bolt kit. Installing the new control-arm hardware requires removing OE-cam tabs on each of the front lower control arms, which can be easily accomplished with an air chisel. The 3.5-inch lift provided more than enough room to clear the 35x12.50R17 NittoTrail Grapplers. The smooth-rolling mud-terrain radials were mounted on 17-inch ATX 757 Chamber Pro II wheels. After a quick trip to get the tires balanced, we were able to hit the road sans any shimmies or shakes. Despite the Trail Grappler’s aggressive looks, we found the tires to be extremely quiet on-road. And, when aired down off-road, the Grapplers had no trouble chucking the dirt between the lugs. Depending on how your Wrangler is outfitted will determine of much of a “true” 3.5 inches of lift you will net. Since this 2015 JK is largely stock, it sits about as high as you’d expect from a 3.5-inch lift spring. After putting some miles on the kit, we’re very pleased with the upgrade. It’s definitely a touch on the soft side, but we never found it to feel floaty on-road or off. We’ll likely toss on some sway bar disconnects to make our transition from road to dirt a little faster, but we don’t really see the need to modify anything else at the moment. Ultimately, a good suspension system should improve the ride and performance of your vehicle, and the Eibach All-Terrain-Lift Kit does just that. Install Notes: For 2012 and newer models, you will need to modify the exhaust. In addition, we strongly suggest a handheld programmer to calibrate for the larger tires.
