AEV is proud to offer the single biggest improvement to our JK Suspension since it was released. These new Front Control Arm Brackets are a win-win in terms of performance.

These new brackets will:
• Improve front impact ride quality (expansion joints, ledges)
• Increase Anti-Dive for improved braking performance
• Decrease the operating angle range of the front driveshaft
• Eliminate the need for adjustable control arms or cam bolts for caster correction

Improve front impact ride quality (expansion joints, ledges) – By reducing the operating angle of the front control arms, the suspension is allowed to work in a more natural state.  This means that when hitting a bump, the force applied to the control arms is directed up into the springs instead of back directly into the frame. In effect an AEV 3.5” lifted JK “thinks” its lifted only 1.25”.

Change the instant center to increase Anti-Dive for improved braking performance – By increasing the anti-dive geometry of the suspension, you’ll notice the front of the vehicle will barely drop under hard braking when the drop brackets are utilized. They also increase force on the front wheels, increasing traction for better straight line braking.  Further, they reduce the shifting weight and inertia under braking in curves, so handling is greatly improved.

Decrease the operating angle range of the front driveshaft – This one is often overlooked.  Aftermarket double cardan joints do not have the torque rating (1850lb/ft for the 1310 double cardan, 2150 lb/ft for the OE CV Joint) and they can’t run as smoothly, so it’s advantageous for most JKs to keep the stock CV units. The Front Control Arm Brackets rotate the pinion up as the axle drops to eliminate torn boots on the CV for long life in a lifted application.

Eliminate the need for adjustable control arms or cam bolts for caster correction – We’ve been touting the benefits of using the stock control arms for a long time because of the quality of the pre-loaded rubber OE Bushings that the factory uses, and because that quality has yet to be rivaled in any aftermarket bushing. These new brackets allow for the proper caster ranges to be achieved without the need for custom control arms.

The new Geometry Correction Front Control Arm Brackets are now standard in all AEV JK Nth Degree Suspensions and are available as PN Nth20410AA to upgrade all older AEV Suspensions. They can also be used on other manufacturer’s kits, however the springs must fall into an acceptable height range for the correct caster to be achieved. Please contact the AEV Tech Dept for more details.

For more information, contact:

American Expedition Vehicles
9693 Inspiration Dr.
Missoula, MT 59808
Office: (406) 251-2100
Fax:(406) 251-3005

If there’s one name synonymous with performance aftermarket batteries, it’s Optima.  They’re probably one of the most popular and common batteries you’ll find under the hood of a Jeep, and if you’re not already running one, chances are you know someone who is.  What sets Optimas apart makes them so popular is their Spiralcell® Technology design.  Without going into a ton of detail it basically means that Optima batteries are leak proof so they can be mounted anywhere in any position (and they won’t leak if you flop or roll your rig), and they’re far more vibration resistant (up to 15x more) than a regular flooded lead-acid battery so they’ll last longer too.  These two features make Optimas ideal for use in off-road vehicles.

Another feature that makes Optimas popular is their second set of battery terminals located on the front of the battery (or the top in the case of the Blue Top). These auxiliary terminals can make it easier and cleaner to wire in accessories that need to draw power directly from the battery.  Not all Optima batteries have the dual terminal setup, but the ones that fit most Jeeps do!

Optima makes three different types of batteries that come in a ranges of sizes: the Red Top, Yellow Top, and Blue Top.  In a nutshell, the Red Top is a starting battery, the Yellow Top is a deep-cycle, and the Blue Top is a marine deep-cycle.  If you’d like some more specifics on the Spiralcell® design, or on the differences between the Red, Yellow, and Blue Top batteries, check out Optima’s online FAQ.

The Red Top is probably what you’ll see most often, but if you’re going to be running a lot of high-load accessories, like a winch (or a lot of off-road lights, or a high-power stereo system), you’re going to want to go with a Yellow Top deep-cycle battery.  The Red Top is a great battery, but its weakness is that since it’s not a deep-cycle, if you run it all the way down a few times it can loose its ability to hold a charge.  That’s what happened to the original Red Top we had in our XJ, which is why it’s now got a Yellow Top under the hood.  So, when it came time to outfit our TJ with a new battery, the choice was obvious: an Optima Yellow Top.  The fact that the Yellow Top just happened to be color-matched to our TJ, well, that was just a bonus!

If you’re putting a Yellow Top in your TJ (or XJ or JK) you’ll want to go with the D34/78, which is what we installed here.  The D34/78 is a dual-terminal design and is rated for 750 Cold Cranking Amps (CCA).  The D75/25 will also fit and is a bit smaller, but it’s also not quite a powerful with only 620 CCA.  If you’re not sure which model fits best for your application, check out Optima’s handy online selection tool.

Installing a new battery, Optima or otherwise, in your Jeep is really pretty straight forward.  First things first though, depending on what kind of stereo you’ve got in your vehicle it may or may not remember all your presets if it looses power, so unless you know the stations by heart you’ll probably want to go through and write them down, just in case.  With that out of the way it’s really just a matter of undoing the battery tie-down, disconnecting the old battery, swapping in the new one, then hooking everything back up.

The nuts on the battery tie-down J-hooks and on the terminal clamps are different sizes on a TJ, so I just used a small adjustable crescent wrench instead of breaking out a couple of sockets or box-end wrenches.  One thing I’d highly recommend doing is wearing a pair of gloves during the install.  While Optimas are sealed so you don’t have to worry about leaking acid, the battery you’re replacing probably isn’t, plus the gloves will keep you from zapping yourself if you accidentally grab the wrong thing(s).  Safety glasses are always a good idea too.

As you can see from the photos, I haven’t yet made use of that handy second set of battery terminals, but it’s on my to-do list once I’ve got some spare time to go in and clean up some of that wiring.  We also took the opportunity during the install to replace the factory battery tie-down with a trick billet aluminum piece from NCM.  It doesn’t do anything more than the stock one did, it just looks darn cool.

As of the writing of this article we haven’t had the chance to get the TJ out on the trails to give the new battery a work-out with the winch, but the Yellow Top in our XJ has definitely been put through the paces with no complaints.  In fact, during one particularly tough situation the winch was under so much load that it partially melted the terminal clamps on one of the battery cables!  The Optima just kept on chuggin’.  If you’re looking for a heavy-duty battery for your rig, I think you’d be pretty hard-pressed to find anything better than an Optima.

For more information check out:

Optima Performance Batteries
Optima Off Road Batteries
Shop Optima Dual Purpose Deep Cycle Batteries

To increase cargo capacity for hauling gear, the Jeep Wrangler Overland’s rear seats were replaced with a large, flat, rubberized utility floor. Mounted to the cargo rack is an all-new ARB two-person Simpson II rooftop-mounted tent and touring awning. The interior of the Jeep Wrangler Overland features water-resistant Mopar front-seat covers, rugged Mopar slush mats and a Daystar dash bin and lower switch panel.

Helping to enhance off-road travel is a new Mopar 2.5-inch suspension lift. A full-traction rear sway bar was added, allowing the addition of aggressive 35-inch tires mounted on 17-inch steel Mopar winter/off-road wheels. Additional off-road protection at the front and rear is provided by American Expedition Vehicles’ steel bumpers and for added security a Warn 9.5ti winch.

In order to prepare the Jeep Wrangler Overland for desert duty, an American Expedition Vehicles (AEV) Jeep Wrangler heat-reduction hood and snorkel kit is fitted to the vehicle. Mopar windshield-mounted off-road lights and Daystar bumper-mounted lights provide additional lighting for nighttime and off-road driving.