style_front

Basically when the left side is stuffed and the right side is dropped the axle will be further to the rear on the right and closer to the front on the left and this difference in angle would have to be absorbed by the bushings since it's on a different plain Than the swivel

joneszj

Dont the Superlift Rockrunner arms do the same thing? I coulda sworn they dont have heims or johnny joints, whatever you want to call em on either end, look similar to the JKS ones as far as i can tell, heres a pic...

wayoflife

these have poly bushings which require greasing to keep them from squeaking and are not as durable as clevite bonded rubber. you would be better off with johnny joints.

spinlock

I don't have first hand experience with the Superlilft Rockrunner links, but they appear to be a low cost version of the JKS design.
Where as the short joint on the JKS arms is one piece that threads into the long arm,
the SL design seems to have a threaded rod that threads both into the short joint and the arm. To adjust the thread screws into the short joint.

The JKS have fine thread (12 threads/in) which allow for very fine length adjustments and minimum changes in length as the arm rotates during float.

The JKS uses the long life OEM bushings which do not require lubing. The only lubing is in the arm itself for the bearing and threads.

The SL links have 3 Zerk fittings for the ajustable part of the arm and the two bushings.

The SC arms are ~25% cheaper than the JKS arms and the SC arms are discounted.

I like the rotating float that the JKS arms provide and the use of OEM bushings is big plus. The front lower Clayton arms I use, tend to twist slightly on the front brackets.
I've aligned them twice and eventually after flexing they end up slightly twisted. I've tried tightening the stopnut a bit more and less with the same result.
Maybe it is just a function of the Johnny Joints, but I don't believe I would have this problem with the JKS arms.

The upper ones are OK probably because they are shorter.

I may just end up swapping them out for JKS arms.

style_front

What is the SC arm? I was tracking with SL then you said SC, typo?

joneszj

For my money, I went with Teraflex arms. Yeah, they have a heim. I like them because if anything goes bad over the years, I can buy all the necessary parts to rebuild the arms. That being said, I have had them on a few months now and haven't had a single issue with them. They are solid, the jam nuts stay tight, keeping the arms adjusted correctly, and they are easy to grease (with the exception of the front lowers, which I am currently working on a solution for. The JKS are a nice design and maintenance free I guess, but the way I see it there's a reason so many manufacturers use heims and johnny joints. They provide great articulation, thats for sure. IMO, no parts for a vehicle are truly maintenance free ever.

UGOTKERN

We have the full set of JKS control arms and couldnt be happier.

wayoflife

johnny joints are great and will provide bind free flex. however, they are a hard joint and do need greasing. bonded rubber bushings require NO maintenance and depending on the amount of flex you have, will easily outlast a johnny joint.

on the ramp, the difference you'd see would be negligible. in long term testing, there is no question that you would need to grease the johnny joints on a regular basis and honestly, that totally fine by me. likewise, you would most likely have to rebuild them long before the rubber bushings go out and again, that would be fine by me. i like bind free flex especially being that i run coilovers. however, rubber will offer up a nicer ride and will stay squeak free.

actually, it's not a heim but a rebuildable spherical joint much like a johnny in fact, the TF arms have a rubber bushing on the frame end just like a JKS arm. the reason why manufacturers use spherical joints and rod ends is because they provide a greater amount of bind free flex compared to a rubber bushings. HOWEVER, the rotating arms are designed to help get around the bind issue. as far as maintenace goes, no, there is a difference between having to grease your joints several times a year to help prevent wear and squeaks and having to replace a bushing after 200,000 miles or more. i think the real issue here is that no part comes without it's share of benefits and drawbacks.

TeraFlex

TeraFlex ran TJ arms like that for years, but had the poly bushings on the ends. The poly bushing would always end up failing after several years.

Northridge4x4

I have JKS arms on our 4 door and they have been great no issues at all.

David