el mono

I also went with FT; I'm running the 3" Ultimate kit. Great ride, dial-in alignment, and easy install (Project-JK write-up).

GJeep

Here it is --

Lift - 4" Full Traction
Tires - 35” (315/70/17) Mickey Thompson MTZ
Rims - Pro Comp 7105 Xtreme

Attachment 356273

(I think that on a white Jeep, the bright lips on black rims add a nice touch.)

weebus

I have a 3in bds on 35's on my 11 jku and i want to go higher. im not understanding the pros and cons of long arm vs short arm. is there a reason long arms are needed. im hearing lots of conflicting storys plz educate me

GJeep

Parked in front of a 2-door w/ stock wheels...
The angle in which this was shot makes the size difference stunning...

TeraFlex

The higher you raise a JK, the more the control arms at the axle end point at the ground. The sharper the angle, the harsher the ride and the more the handling/ride quality will suffer. Long arms are mounted closer to the center, which allows them (control arms) to be more parallel to the ground/frame. This will improve how well your JK handles/rides on/off road. Now the JK has longer arms compared to a TJ. With a 3" kit you can go either way, taller than that, then you should consider it. Shorts arms are just a simple bolt in vs. long arms involves cutting/welding/drilling etc.

teskymo

Hey, I would recommend a:

Rubicon Express 3.5" Superflex Short Arm lift with 35" 12.50 17" NITTO Trail Grapplers, mounted on 17" Level 8 Strike Five wheels.

GJeep

With the same springs & shocks, long arms give a somewhat softer ride , because they're more level, but not a big difference IMO.
I drove Jeeps with with short & long arms, and, at least to my experience, the springs/shocks usually make much more difference in ride quality than the long arms.

The main benefit is allowing increased articulation.

The downside is that they are not bolt-on, you have to weld their connections to the frame, they're more prone to get knocked by rocks etc', as they're longer and more exposed. They're are more expensive.

Considering the pros & cons, and the impressive capabilities of a Jeep with 4" lift and "just" 35" wheels, I didn't think that long arms could give me a serious edge, and I don't like their increased vulnerability.

I don't do extreme rock crawling. Those who do, or who don't mind fixing their Jeep every now or then, may think differently.

weebus

aev is now makeing a set of drop brackets so short arms can stay level on a 4 1/2 in lift. only a bout a 100 bucks i think. i might look into them

Mr.T

Since it sounds like you haven't decided on the lift height, the 2+ inch OME lift on mine has worked well. 1" extra travel, no need to change drive shafts, control arms, brake lines, etc.

GJeep

I basically agree.

However:

My previous JKU was fitted with air springs & long travel Fox shocks.
As a DD, it was at stock height, no lift. For wheeling, I raised it about 3"~4".
For large obstacles, I raised it all the way, which was about 10" (for short trail sections and slow speed only).
( See in the picture on the left how high the rear is, in spite of the weight leaning on the rear suspension )

It had the stock short arms.

Once the shocks were re-valved properly to suit the air springs, it rode MUCH softer than the stock coils/shocks. That was up to about 4" lift.
Above that, up to about 6" lift, it became harder, about the same as the stock suspension.
This shows that the difference in ride softness, attributed to long vs short arms, is somewhat exaggerated.
Ride quality depends more on the springs and the spring/shock combination, than on the arm length, and, BTW, so does tire pressure.

If the articulation of a 4" lift /short arms really isn't enough for you, go for the long arms.
Also, for a fixed lift of 6" or more, I'd say that long arms are 'obligatory'.