Okay, I'll start off with stating what I plan to use my Jeep for as that will probably dictate the type of lift I should get. I use my jeep as a daily driver BUT i'm only 3 miles from work. When i get out of work, i hit the rocks. I do alot of powerline trails with large boulders similar to a rock course, some solid rock faces. I am also the type to continue to upgrade. I'm looking at the RockKrawer 3.5" X Factor Plus long arm suspension and plan to run 37s /5.38 gears (auto)( have flat fenders). I've read that some are of the opinion that the long arm is not necessary with the unlimiteds with a lift under 4". However, the price difference between short arm and long arm for similar systems is approx 800. The labor cost to install would be significantly more so that's a factor as well. The advantage to the long arm other than the obvious would be the 3 link conversion as well as shock relocation brackets and the anti squat adjustability. It also makes my addiction to upgrading more feasible as I would only need taller springs and possibly longer sway bar links, lines to go taller.

That being said, the only reason I'm going with the 3.5" instead of the 5.5" is to keep my center of gravity low. Does it make more sense to just buy the 5.5" kit with the shorter springs? would that give me more articulation? Does a long arm give more articulation than short arm? Does a 3 link give more articulation than 4 link? Is articulation what its all about? I've spent hundreds of hours on this forum reading and like I said, I just come up with more questions because alot of this seems to be preference. Yes, I want a nice quality ride, and yes, based on what I've encountered on the trail, more articulation or "flex" is in order. If i'm going to spend the extra 800 plus extra install dollars, how much more flex will I get in return?

 

I went with basically the 5.5 long arm kit only with the 3.5 springs which is what your thinking about going with and I have no regrets. If you want to ever go higher just swap out the springs.

 

3 link vs 4 link is a binding issue. so 3 link has less bind

long arms are better for keeping you axles straight when flexing, whereas short arms start to look like skateboards when they are turning (the axle starts to twist inwards)

and as far as i understand nothing gives as much flex as coilovers.

altho i might be wrong about some of these points

 

The fact that coil overs yield more flex is a myth. We hate seeing people spend money on something they do not need. For example, a good coil spring and a good shock say with 12" of travel will yield the same amount of "flex" as does a 12" travel coil over.

The true benefits of coil overs when looking to replace a coil spring and shock combination for a given location are as follows;

1) You can easily adjust the height to suit your needs.

2) The coil springs are captured so they can never fall out.

3) You can easily adjust spring rate and rebuild/revalve the shocks to tune the ride and performance to your liking.

4) In some cases, such as ours, up front the bottom coil over mount is moved closer to the wheel so your off camber ability is increased as well as over all vehicle stability.


Personally, a good spring and shock combination is a nice, cost effective way to go. And it is obviously much less work than putting in coil overs.

Rock Krawler

 

Man that's a great summary of coil overs. Thanks for posting!

 

this is all great info. has anyone measured the travel difference between the 5.5 inch lift and the 3.5 inch lift? are there any differences in the lift other than the springs/swaybarlinks/brakelines/shocks?

 

Springs, Sway Bar Links and Shocks. That is it. If you have our 3.5" Long Arm System all you need is the center pins out of the sway bar links as well which is only a $10 part.

Rock Krawler

 

so the best way to go would be to order the 3.5" lift and just get the links from the 5.5" kit instead and order the shocks recommended for the 5.5 " kit. That should do it? Is there anything else I will need above what the kit has besides the shocks? I'm planning on getting the adjustable bumpstops but I"m hoping that's all I'll need. The last part is, is it worth doing this now or should I wait until the spring? I'd only get a few months use out of it before I have to put my 33's back on.

 

the brake lines that come with both kits are the same I believe. Now, for shocks... I'm looking for Front Shock - 19" Collapsed to 31" Extended /Rear Shock - 17" Collapsed to 27" Extended per Rock Krawers specs for the 5.5 inch x factor plus kit. What are my options for shocks that length? Their site says that bilstien doesn't make a shock long enough and the RRD shocks they recommend arent available yet. Any ideas?

 

What shocks are you running with that setup?