I had the Johnson 1.5” lift and just switched to the proud rhino 2” lift. Someone here said they felt that the 2” lift ride quality was too harsh and bouncy. I can’t tell a difference at all. Subjectively I think the 2” looks a bit better.



2” Proud Rhino



1.5” Johnson Rod Lift

 

Too funny. I just swapped the 2” PRs for 1 1/2” JRs last week. That was my post complaining about front end bounce, not necessarily in normal mode but definitely in the off road.

Since the swap out ,I haven’t taken it out of the garage, so I cannot report on the bounce nor the new visual appearance.

 

well now that we both have both setups, we’ll likely figure out which is the best option. It’s a 5 min swap one way or another.

 

I concur. It’s a very quick & easy swap.
Your Def X is a beauty. Is your VIN build # in the 30K range?

 

21k range

 

Getting ready to install Johnson Rods 1.5" w/ K02's on my x... I think either, with larger all terrains looks SO MUCH better than stock, and to me seems they way a Defender should come from the factory. On a side note, I have a kind of off topic question for you: were your fender arch trim pieces gloss black from the factory or did you wrap or paint them? Just had mine installed and they are matte gray. The guys at my dealer said they only come matte gray, but I have seen several images where they are matched to black gloss trim. Looks much better matched.

 

they had to be painted. Due to the OEM texture, they can’t be wrapped. Keep in mind that the painting of those fenders is a big job. Lots of prep, high build primer and then more sanding and prep. On top of that, they should be wrapped with a PPF to avoid chips (paint is so thick).

 

Are you guys getting an alignment after the lift? I found that you get more toe with the height change.

On the matter of alignments: the only adjustment that can be done is for toe. No camber or caster adjustments unless you order new suspension arms.

Rob

 

Quick question, does installing these rods need any kind of software change? or do you simply pop them on and raise/lower the suspension and the car figures things out.

 

yes I got an alignment with the 1.5” lift. The toe was out of spec but not badly. I’d didn’t do it again when I went to 2”.