meep97

Very well done Planman. Just one question though, why Currie and Rock Krawler CA's over Metalcloacks?

LUZZO454, Planman has just given you probably the best response you're going to hear. If money is not a problem this would be one of the best set ups. If you do choose to go this route with the Old Man Emu shocks, I would recommend the Metalcloack coils as Metalcloack has tested their coils with these shocks with very nice results.

I am one of those who believe that there is no "best kit" out there and that the "best kit" would be made up of a lot of different companies suspension parts combined to make one kit as Planman has just told you. Every kit has it's ups and downs that you may have to later on replace with another companies parts.

Black2013JK

Keeping the "if you have to ask, you can't afford it" off the table, whats a ballpark cost for this build that Planman just laid out. Parts only. There is no way in hell I have the cash for it but I'm still curious about what something like this would cost.

Maertz

Metalcloaks are nice arms, but youll never use the degress of flex they have in most jeeps. They somehow got this instant fan club and people who swear by them just from reading forums.It baffles me. Not sure on there warranty, but I know rockkrawlers warranty is pretty damn good.

planman

I've used RK and Currie, but not MC arms. MC arms look good, but I'd need to have more experience with them before recommending them.

On cost, that setup could probably be packaged from Northridge4x4 for around $2500--more if it included the Anti-Rocks.

You could add Synergy ball joints, and a Synergy drag link and tie rod to beef up the steering to push the order over $3,000.

Then, gears, a Superchips tuner, labor to install the gears, a Warn winch, Poison Spyder BFH or TnT front and rear bumpers, an EVAP skid or relocation kit, 5 ATX Slab beadlocks, an engine skid, EVO or VKS weld-on sliders, and 5 37x12.50R17 tires could help round the total to over $10,000.

A 2 dr would run without a spare or carry it on the place of the back seat. A 4 dr would run an OR-Fab, EVO, or Genrght tire carrier if the rear cargo space was needed.

JeepAddOns-Chris

Regardless if you will ever use the potential misalignment in them, the type of ends they use are what makes them different from others on the market. Factory uses a clevite with rubber insulator. Johnny Joint, Rock Krawler, heims and the many others are on the market use a spherical on a hardened surface. Metal Cloak uses a fused center surrounded by rubber. What this does is gives you the benefits of a clevite and the benefits of a high misalignment joint all in one piece. This translates into a better ride by better absorption of vibration. The question is if they hold up as long as others on the market. I'm going into the third season of running mine now on the trail rig that sees plenty of abuse and they're as good as new (I'm running a combination of Currie and MC).

Maertz

I was just gonna say, not a fan of any rubber or poly bushings they always seem to wear fast, there style may last longer, but i cant say id even want to try them. I myself am a rod end or johnny joint guy. Just have to thread a new one in if ever needed. Im must more baffled by how they got such a fan club almost out of the blue lately...All of a sudden its like there the only kit out there to consider...Completey asenine imo.

TheDirtman

I would ditch the 35's and look into 37's to gain the ground clearance.

rsbmg

There are a few threads elsewhere of folks who were very hardcore longtime JJ supporters one of which who decided to not change anything on his jeep except to swap out his JJ's for duroflex joints and then post a review as he was quit skeptical of the duroflex joint. He said there was a noticeable difference and he was really in shock over how much better his jeep rode. This is a consistant finding from folks who have replaced their previous suspensions with MC's.

I think MC has a winner based purely on the large volume of reviews on every forum I could find. Self centering, no bind, great ride, whats not to like? Even if a MC end lasts only 50% as long as JJ (which of course is not the case from what I have read) I would take that over a rough clunky ride all day.

Durability is a question brought up but its just a question. There is nobody saying their joints wore out faster than any other joint, just that they ride a hell of a lot nicer.
Just like JJ's if one wears out, you can simply thread on a new one but you also have the added benefit of replacing only the internal bushing for 20 bucks. By all appearances these are a win and thats why MC has made such a great showing in the market.

Maertz

Because of that one item in there kit? Could it be smoother, maybe possibly, but not going to be extremely noticable. ive rode many different styles and maybe some slight notices, but nothing that stands out and makes me go wow this is the only option i could ever have.

I also feel it makes it alot harder to test parts for looseness and play when theres isolators or rubber/poly/or whatever. To some this may not matter, If your building an offroad vehicle with that much travel why is ride quality the main concern? IMO geometry is a bigger concern than control arms. It baffles me, but sorry to the op for my rant, I will not go into the massive discussions ive had over thiere kits. Im not saying there bad arms or kits, I just feel most high end kits are pretty damn similar. They all have there positives and negatives.

JKred

The one thing that has me skeptical of MC kit's as a whole is the complicated bends of their track bars. Having bent 2 trackbars now, I wouldn't settle for anything with large and/or complicated bends, and I wouldn't settle for anything less than solid bar stock. No tube.

Their joints have been getting great reviews from solid users I would personally trust to be truthful and unbiased. I have no personal experiance... I've run an assorted combination of heims, clevite joints, and JJ's and have only had issues with clevites eventually wearing.

The think with any bolt on kit is you're not going to get any better than factory geometry. So, with that said, get the kit with strongest arms, most reliable joints, and the ride you are looking for. That's the best, most unopinionated advice I can give.