In April 2016 we made the trek from just south of Boston, MA to Tremont, PA for a weekend of torture testing at Rausch Creek Offroad Park. Do Rock Krawler's suspension components really hold up to any abuse you throw at them? Are their products really worth the price? We added their 3.5" Mid Arm Flex Suspension set up to our 2015 Jeep Wrangler JK 2 Door Sport to answer these questions and see if their systems really do live up to their word. The 6 hour journey and 10 hour day on the uncompromising rock trails allowed us to properly test out our new modification for a first hand review. Needless to say, we were not disappointed!

We added the 3.5" system to our mascot, Frankie, in the beginning of March and threw on some Fox 2.0 IFP shocks mainly because not a lot of customers around here run either setup on their Jeep and we were curious to see how they'd hold up against the forever changing and unpredictable New England terrain. We have everything from snow, sand, mud, rocks and more all easily within an hour drive. Rock Krawler is well known for providing their consumers with quality aftermarket suspension components at a reasonable price and we were ready for the latest upgrade! The suspension system came with every needed for installation including easy to follow, step-by-step directions. The total installation time, with control arms and shocks included, was approximately 5 hours which is what we expected. Once installed (and without running a tailgate mounted spare tire) it looked and felt more like 4.5" than the 3.5" lift but we knew once we stored the spare in the back and once the shocks broke in, the whole system would settle.

We tested out the suspension system and shocks on some trails in Western MA about a week before the trip just so if there was any fine tuning or tweaks needed to be made, we would have plenty of time to do so. We made the last minute decision to swap the Fox shocks for the Rock Krawler RRD 2.0 Emulsion Shocks to test out the difference in ride quality as well as on and off road capabilities before heading out to Rausch.

On the road in the beginning, the RK shocks were a bit too firm for our liking- potholes were swiftly avoided and bumps were taken lightly. The weight of the spare tire, ratcheted down in the back, along with tool boxes and recovery gear had leveled the rear of the Jeep out, bringing it back down to 3.5" as predicted. Once we hit the highways and started cruising, the shocks started to break in more and the ride became more comfortable. The only time we were skeptical was on a stretch of highway where overweight trucks had left permanent grooves in the road, making the ride very bumpy. At first it felt like we had a flat tire but we quickly realized it was the suspension system compensating for the uneven surfaces.

On the trails the whole Rock Krawler suspension system really wowed us. The amount of down travel was surprising and made for some pretty badass photo ops along the way. The setup was extremely quiet, something that is always pleasing and welcome on the trails. There was no clunking, popping or squeaking noises during extreme articulation. This system, paired with 35" tires, made the black trails challenging yet do-able, providing ample clearance for rocks, stumps and other obstacles. We were still running factory fender flares since we hadn't yet made up our minds on which ones we wanted to add and the stock ones didn't get in the way when turning left or right. The Rock Hard 4x4 engine skid plate came in handy when needed and the RK lower control arms were well protected with Artec Front LCA skid plates.

In the end, the Rock Krawler 3.5" Flex System was definitely a smart decision for us to go with for the amount of rock crawling we do during the season. We believe all of the components live up to the RK name and principle and were absolutely worth the investment! Check out their line of suspension systems, components, replacements and upgrades here!