What makes a good all around performing suspension? If you ask three people you are likely to get three different answers. For me, it has always been a system that works equally well on-road as it does off-road. That’s because my off-road rig has always been my daily driver.
TeraFlex ST3 Overview
The ST3, or street and trail, is a road-biased system that gives exceptional capability off-road for 90% of drivers. The limitations to maximum flex are stock control arms and factory rubber bushings. These are the exact same components that help retain the factory ride and handling.
What the system does really well is it restores the front end geometry to better than factory. I have written before about the benefit of reusing factory parts. The ability to source a part almost anywhere in the world is an attractive feature. It is why many companies that serve the overland market choose to relocate stock parts using relocation brackets.
What’s Included (From TeraFlex)
• 3.5” Lift Coil Springs (Front: # 1863000 & Rear: # 1863100)
• Front Control Arm Sport Brackets (2.5-4.5” Lift) (# 1938125)
• Front Track Bar Bracket (2.5-3.5” Lift) (# 1953250)
• Rear Track Bar Bracket (2.5-4.5” Lift) (# 1953600)
• Falcon Progressive Front & Rear Bump Stop Kit (0-4.5” Lift) (# 1959200)
• 2” Front & Rear Bump Stop Strike Pad Extension Kit (# 1959500)
• 0.5” Front & Rear Bump Stop Strike Pad Shim Kit (# 1959300)
• Longer 11.5” Front Sway Bar Links Kit (# XXXXXXX)
• Longer 10.75” Rear Sway Bar Links Kit (# 744500)
• Front Brake Line Anchor Kit (# 1101255)
• Falcon Series 3.3 Fast Adjust Piggyback Shocks (2-4.5” Lift) (# 11-01-33-400-200)
• All necessary hardware
• And more
The Sport ST3 and Sport ST4 feature our Front Control Arm Sport Brackets that optimize caster and pinion angles to restore front suspension geometry. These systems also include Front (3.5”+) and Rear (2.5”) Track Bar Brackets to improve steering response, optimize vehicle roll center, and reduce body roll for unsurpassed handling.
This results in a simple “install and drive” bolt-on installation with no cutting, welding, or alignment required. These maintenance-free suspension systems provide superior on-road ride quality and comfort with maximum off-road flex. TeraFlex suspension systems provide reduced noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH).
ST3 Install and Drive
TeraFlex claimed that the system is simply install it and drive, no cutting, no welding, and no alignment required. So that’s what I did. My original kit, which was early production did not include the rear track bar bracket which TeraFlex now includes. Even with that piece missing the system bolted up, we centered the steering wheel and I have driven it several thousand miles on multiple long road trips and daily commutes without a single issue or any weird tire wear normally found with a bad alignment.
Some of that can be attributed to the inherent lack of adjustment, and lack of needed adjustment, on a solid axle vehicle. The rest of that equation is precision manufacturing to exact specifications so that each time you bolt this on a Jeep it gives you repeatable results. This is harder to manufacture than adjustable arms that can compensate for sloppier machining by turning a rod end out a few threads.
What’s it like to live with?
Like a taller version of a stock Jeep. That’s the point though, isn’t it? It rides smoother than the factory springs, it handles weight transfer in fast corners and evasion maneuvers with minimal body roll leaving you in control instead of waiting for the Jeep to settle before you can make another move.
The Jeep doesn’t throw you when running uneven terrain, you can feel the axles moving under the chassis and the suspension compressing and rebounding while you stay relatively stable in the driver’s seat.
A lot of that credit goes to the exceptionally capable Falcon 3.3 Fast Adjust Piggyback shocks. Short of full-on race coil overs these are as good as it gets for a multipurpose shock for all conditions. With 3 separate settings and a graduated control with setting 2, you can dial these into whatever type of ride you are looking for. I prefer a softer ride so I run the shocks at 2.1 leaving level 1 for off-road crawling. Pay money for good shocks you will never regret it.
In the end, this system is a complete lift for your Jeep JL and it will tackle any terrain you throw at it. It’s well engineered, built strong, and maintenance is almost zero. For a daily driven vehicle that sees plenty of trail time, it’s an ideal solution.
If you want more TeraFlex also offers their Alpine Arms to complement the spring and shock package giving you some extra clearance and adjustment if you need it.
Where can I get mine?
You can buy yours right from TeraFlex or at most online retailers. Retail for our kit is $2719 but that does include the 3.3 Piggyback Shocks that cost $1599.99 by themselves.
