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Johnny Joints on both ends of control arms?

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Old 12-04-2016, 04:30 PM
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Default Johnny Joints on both ends of control arms?

I am replacing my x-flex joints from my rough country control arms with Johnny Joints. I was informed today that their lifetime warranty is voided unless the JJ is used on both ends of the arm.

It would appear that having the rubber bushing axle end cut off and a JJ welded on is within reason as far as labor and fabricating but how will this extra flex affect the way the suspension work?

Any affects in ride quality?
Old 12-04-2016, 05:29 PM
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No, it will just be a more bind free set up.
Old 12-04-2016, 06:07 PM
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Originally Posted by waterboy222
I am replacing my x-flex joints from my rough country control arms with Johnny Joints. I was informed today that their lifetime warranty is voided unless the JJ is used on both ends of the arm. It would appear that having the rubber bushing axle end cut off and a JJ welded on is within reason as far as labor and fabricating but how will this extra flex affect the way the suspension work? Any affects in ride quality?
Before you go completely crazy with cutting and splicing into your control arms look at the cost of the joints, labor and down time and weigh it against a new set of arms?

Another opting is to replace with heim joints from Barnes 4x4. Chances are you can find a complete set for a reduce price. And you will not be out the down time and will not break the integrity of your control arms.

R/
Will
Old 12-04-2016, 06:42 PM
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Wouldn't running heims lead to a rougher ride due to the metal on metal fittings?

I put a ton of miles on my jk just getting to trails. Average trip is 2500 miles (RT) so I don't want to degrade the ride any further than necessary. But I'm up for saving some money if I can as well....
Old 12-05-2016, 03:15 AM
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Solid joints do not make the ride harder/stiffer, rather more harsh, or connected, depending on how you want to look at it. It's hard to explain, and really needs to be felt.
They will transmit more frequencies, or, harmonics into the chassis (and the noise/s associated), which is felt. Nice in a vehicle you want to "feel" the road with, not so enjoyable on long trips or something you are looking for pure comfort in. Sharp edged bumps will have a more pronounced feel to them... like expansion joints in the road, bridges etc. It's definitely a more "connected" feeling to the surface you are driving on, even concrete paving is "felt".
I've had them in the past on an XJ because I wanted to eliminate as much stress on the unibody mounts as I could. Now that there are good flexible rubber joints on the market, I really don't see then need for solid arms on a dual purpose Jeep... I much prefer rubber for my rig.
My street/strip foxbody Mustang has solid joints in the rear but that vehicle is all about transmitting every ounce of power to the track on 6500rpm launches. It's a trade off I'm willing to accept in a play toy that will never see a road trip.

Look into Metal Cloak and Synergy. I have MC arms and they were a vast improvement in ride quality all on their own. (bought arms before any other equipment, so I saw a direct comparison (stock shocks/coils ect). Synergy's line of "new style rubber bushing" was not released when I went with MC. I would not hesitate to buy MC again, but I run a lot of Synergy parts on my rig and can only assume that there arms are excellent quality based on all their other bits I have experience with.



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