Rippin Lipz

So I ordered the Rock Krawler 3.5 XFactor Pro Mid Arm lift kit but it has not shipped yet. I am now thinking of changing it to the Long Arm kit but can't decide. I need some advice here. I know it cost more for the Long Arm lift and for the installation. I would like to know if the ride quality is that much better than the Mid Arm Kit. Im installing it on a 4 door Rubicon. I've heard on a 4 door the mid arm and long arm ride the same. Is this true? Thanks for any help.

Hexavalent

I have had no experience but have heard that the control arms on the jks are very strong and there really isnt a need to replace them. I have talked to someone with a 3.5in lift from AEV that uses the stock control arms and they said it handles the same if not better than stock lift.

scamp_71

Strong...perhaps. adjustable...not so much. You'll want to be able to dial in pinion and castor angles therefore the stockers need to go. As far as the op's question, ive always heard long arm provides the best ride because of the angle of the arms in comparison to any bump/holes isnt as great and therefore less shock on impact.

wayoflife

the real question you need to be asking is how tall you are going to lift your jeep. the arms you use and the ride you get will be determined by suspension geometry. the higher you go, the more of an angle your control arms will sit and this can adversely effect your ride quality. if you go really tall, long arms will help to restore your geometry to being closer to what they were stock and this will give you a much nicer ride on pavement. in other words, regardless of what you've heard, you cannot have a 4"-5" lift with a set of arms that attach to the factory mounts offer the same ride as one that has longer arms that attach to new repositioned frame mounts.

please don't take this the wrong way but, you really should stop talking to salemen who want to sell you parts as the information you will get from them will always be whatever will get you to buy their products. the factory control arms may be strong but, they will not allow you to make any adjustments and, will not provide you with better flex. the reason why they can make their lift kit handle the same as stock is because they make you install drop brackets that correct your front suspension geometry. while this does work, it effectively makes your control arms and the frame mount into a HUGE rock target that gets hit all the time and, it still does nothing to help your jeep's ability to flex on the trail. heavy duty adjustable control arms with more flexible joints may cost more but, are the better way to go.

Rippin Lipz

Well I'm going with the RK 3.5 which yields about 4 inches of lift. So with this lift are you saying long arms will give a better ride over the mid arms? Thank you for the help.

wayoflife

technically, yes. is it enough to warrant the cost of long arms, maybe not. i typically recommend that factory length arms are good up to about 4" of lift. that'll get you clearing 37's without too much trouble. up and over 4.5", long arms are nice to have especially if your jeep is a daily driver. of course, the down side to long arms is cost and the amount of work it takes to install.

Rippin Lipz

Well thanks for all the advice. If I can find a decent shop or individual in my area to install it, Im gonna get the long arms. I plan on upgrading to 5.5 springs and bigger tires later down the road, so getting long arms now will help pave that road. Thanks again.