Bustabizz

The benefits of long arm kits are pretty obvious nobody will really dispute that. They are a big commitment, with the grinding off factory brackets because once you go long arm there's no turning back.

In my opinion it sounds like what you are going to be doing with your Jeep you shouldn't need a long arm. I would think with what you currently have on the Jeep it should be able to ride and handle like stock if not better.

I would make sure everything has been adjusted correctly, check the track bar bolt because the hole wallows out easily.

If you want to go long arm you do not need to scrap most of what you have, most companies already mentioned sell Long arm upgrade kits.

Jknockers

I am just telling you from my experience with the flighty steering and the addition of the 4" lift and 35" X 12.5" x 17 Pro Comp XTreme Mud Terrains tires, it was very bad to drive down the highway, I put 1.5" spacers and the thing drove better than stock. I could drive down the hwy and take my hands off the wheels and it would track straight as an arrow with no adjustment. Wheels were pro comps with 4.75 bs, I'm just sayin if you were open to wheel spacers I think if you added a set you would change your mind about the long arm, you don't really need it with a 4" and under lift, it's a hell of a lot cheaper than a long arm upgrade kit.

TeraFlex

You can re-use your current 4" coils/shocks/trackbars/brakelines etc with this kit. All that your replacing is the control arms and brackets.

porters

You are absolutely correct.

For the rest of the readers let me explain why. Another way to drastically simplify the complicated geometry issues induced by lifting a Jeep into something easily comprehensible, is to state one simple rule. The closer your arms and track-bars are to horizontal the better your ride will be. The farther the arms and track-bars get from horizontal the worse the ride and handling, and the more susceptible you are to death wobble.

Stock arms are horizontal from the factory, as you lift a Jeep more and more the arms begin to angle farther from horizontal. How much lift is enough to affect handling? Typically anything 2.5"+ will begin to affect handling and ride and the higher you go the worse handling gets. For the mathematicians, the impact on handling as you continue to lift is not a linear function, or in simple terms, the first 2 inches of lift have barely noticeable handling impact. Add another inch and the impact of that additional inch on handling is greater than adding the previous 2 inches. As each additional inch is added, that new inch impacts handling to a greater degree than the previous inch. Various adjustable components already talked about help minimize the impact to handling and ride but do not totally eliminate them.

Now an easy second rule. The longer an arm the less it's angle from horizontal changes when applying the same amount of lift. This is why Long Arms are beneficial, they reduce the angle and make the arms more horizontal.

As a general rule, most companies say that the benefits of a long arm lift begin to pay off in a major way with lifts above 3 - 4". That is not to say that a shorter lift will not benefit from long arms, just not as much. The higher you lift the more long arms will benefit your ride and handling.

pickjones

you guys got me convinced. i foresee a long arm upgrade in my future. (although, i have no complaints on ride quality now. it is just as good or better than stock).

Jknockers

I'm not disputing the added benefit of the Long A, I don't doubt one minute that it drives better than stock,,, what I'm sayin to the guy is that if he's open to spacers to give that a try first b4 the 2 grand for the upgrade kit,, if I was goin to stay 35's, I woulda went with what I have (4" stock arms, and 1.5" wheel spacers) the thing drove very straight and tracked very well. 220 bucks vs. the 2 grand + labor unless ya do it yourself,, I would do the spacers see if I could live with it. It drives good with 40's and 1.5" spacers, tracks straight down the hwy,,,,

Jknockers

Just let me know when ya wanna head on out,, I'm open any time to wheel,, Lets wear those 37's out so you can go big,,, We'll talk steering geometry over a beer or 3,,

nkijkuit

Thanks all for your input!

A bit more info from my side: the Death Wobble was fixed (was caused by bad ball bearings and worsened by a bad SS).

I also have pretty wide tires: 12.5", this does not help.

Interestingly enough speed is a small factor in the on road behavior of my Jeep. The other day I drove back from France (European Jeepers Jamboree) and had no issue to drive 75 mph all the time (besides the speeding tickets). I.e. the Jeep behaves ad bad drive 50 mph as it does driving 75 mph. It just feels insecure and wanders a bit. And any bump and pothole feels like the axle is heavy and jumpy

The issue I have is that every time I see a new solution I end up further down shit creek... I was told I should fix the caster; the JKS LCA's should have fixed that (caster is close to the stock situation). Nope! I should realign my axles by using an adjustable track bar, hence the JKS adjustable tack bar. Nope! I should do a little dance before getting in the car. Nope!

Don't get me wrong: i love my Jeep. And I have no intention nor the funds to trade it in in the foreseeable future. So I am willing to invest some more in the suspension (and postpone those lockers and regear I was dreaming about). But since I already bought the LCA's and Trackbar, an upgrade kit doesn't save me a lot of money. If I am throwing more money in this flawed suspension, I want to do it right this time. So I get a Jeep that drives good off- and on road!

Marc

Hey Niels,

U don't know me , but I live in Holland also.
I have on my JK the 4" Teraflex Long arm lift and performance realy great.
If I was u I should consider the Teraflex 3" L.A. if u decide to stay on the 35" tyres, what's big enough here in EU!!
I was not on the Jamboree but on a private terrain in the south of France last week cause the Trophee Cevenol was canceled and drove my Jeep more than 2300 km with a average speed off 75 mph with 37" tyres.

nkijkuit

I do question my skills since long ago :-) so I went to various shops; to no avail!