nkijkuit

I just came back from the European Jeepers jamboree and noticed that the most "agile" jeeps have long arm lifts. I currently have a 2-3" OME lift on my 4dr X and do not experience the "better than stock" drive others claim they have.

Been through various episodes of death wobble and while being "in stable condition" now, I don't like the drive quality now. I just feel how heavy my (meager) 33" are on the axles. Every little pothole is another adventure. Off road flex is sufficient however.

Which makes me think: should I switch to a long arm lift? Something like Off Road Evolution MFG JK 4" DoubleD Bolt-on Long Arm Kit (if I can afford it). I am hoping the long arm lift does restore the original geometry somewhat, hence returning stock quality drive-ability. Being in Europe I do little rock crawling, mostly sand, mud and a lot of highway.

My next set of tires will be 35's. A (real) 3"-4" lift will do for me.

Anyone made the switch from short to long arm and what are your experiences? What should I do? And which long arm lift do you recommend (and why). Do I need anything else than the above mentioned kit?

w squared

What did you do to adress geometry with your OME lift?

Did you extend your bumpstops? Add adjustable front control arms to keep your caster where it should be? Extend your sway bar links? Add adjustable track bars (or relocation brackets)? Add a drop pitman arm or draglink flip?

OME makes first rate coils and shocks, but there's more to a lift that just coils and shocks.

When I put on my OME lift and 35's, I also put on front and read JKS track bars, Currie front upper control arms, extended bumpstops, extended brake lines, longer sway bar links, and rear coil retainers.

There are improvements that you can see from a long arm lift...but you're not likely to realize them if your lift height is in the three inch range. The improved steering geometry and articulation that you would see from a long arm probably wouldn't be really noticeable with a lift in the 3" range.

porters

You are correct, it is a matter of geometry. Short arm lifts change the geometry of the arms and track bars and steering in ways that are less than ideal. One common side effect of this less than ideal geometry is the death wobble you reported experiencing.

There are ways to minimize the geometry issues inherent with short arm lifts. Adjustable arms, adjustable track-bars, Hi-steer kits, etc. These methods will help but not eliminate the geometry issues.

Another more effective way to minimize the geometry changes induced by lifting a Jeep is lengthening the arms. The longer arms keep arm angles much closer to stock. The longer arms also keep the axles straighter when cycling the suspension. Keeping the axles straight reduces the chances for death wobble. The downside of long arm lifts is cost and clearance. Since the arms are more parallel like factory arms they sit closer to the ground than short arms do.

Anyway, let me know if I missed any important questions in this quick summary.

TeraFlex

Save some money and get a long arm upgrade kit and reuse your coils and shocks.

http://www.teraflex.biz/elite-lcg-jk...rackets-1.html

BKGM Jeepers

4" or more of lift benefit from a long arm's geometry. Off road is where you experience the LA kits strengths. However, my ride is just as stable as stock and I run 5.5" of lift adn 38" tires on my JKU.

b1g

I was about to pull the trigger on getting the Teraflex 2.5" lift with shocks... But this thread is making me think twice. I CERTAINLY DON'T want to experience a degraded ride !

I don't want to thread jack but. What should I get for a better or equal ride quality and about 2" 3" lift?

TeraFlex

Have you seen this video?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqbdriU_qUg

nkijkuit

what I have added so far:

- JKS lca's
- JKS adjustable trackbar
- JKS (longer) sway bar disconnects front
- Northridge adjustabel swaybar connects rear
- Tereflex bumpstop extenders
- JKS trackbar relocator/brace
- rear track bar brace
- hd coils front
- md cols rear

As far as the video concerns: nice, very nice. But I do not intend to race in Nevada ;-)

b1g

WoW ! Great video. Great setup too.

But what can we get for a 2" lift for a moderate budget and limited off road use?

Is the Teraflex 2.5 kit /shocks good enough for normal use. (keeping in mind we don't want a OEM degrade) ?

b1g

You've added all of that, and you still have a poor ride quality ???? !!!