jk-tony

So I read in some other post in another thread on here that there is possibly some ride quality improvement to be had from loosening the control arms (upper and lower front and rear) and re-torquing them at ride height (vehicle supporting its own weight on the wheels) after installing a lift.

Has anyone tried this? Being a mechanic and knowing how control arm bushings are designed to work, it stands to reason that this could have some potential benefits. I guess I just got in a hurry to finish up my lift install and didn't do it.

I'm probably going to do this on the weekend anyway just to see for myself, but I'm curious to see if anyone has experienced some benefit in ride quality from doing this.

JaySC

Not sure, but I take my rig to Offroad Evolution for regular suspension retorques, and it always rides a lot better each time.

D_engel

torquing control arms should only be done on level ground to prevent preloading the bushings. Loosen all the bolts and retighten them on a flat surface and you should see a big improvement

jk-tony

That's kind of what I was getting after. Thanks all for the tip. I know that it is common and correct practice to torque bushing bolts at actual ride height, but like I said, I guess I just got in a hurry when installing my lift and didn't do it. I will report back as to how much of a noticeable improvement it makes. Between that and the longer JKS front lowers I ordered today, I should notice a hell of an improvement. I think I'm gonna do the bushing and track bar re-torque before the arms so I can get a good read on the differences.

Thanks again everyone!

bigf350sd

And trust me, I just learned that when they say check torque on fasteners after 500 miles, or however many miles each particular kit says, you need to do it! I have just a few days ago hit the 500 mile mark on my kit, and all of the lower control arm bolts felt fairly loose, or at least they were far from 125 ft. lb. I went ahead and loosened them all, rocked and bounced the Jeep up and down, then went back to 125 on all of them. Felt MUCH better, drove easier, without wandering around, and quiter. One of the rears had developed a thud sound, where it was actually moving when taking off under a load.