Long arm

[01xjcny]

have a 4.5 inch lift, will i notice a difference with a long arm or do i need to go higher to get all the benefits, what is a good kit to get was thinking i am going to be max of 6.5 of lift in the future

[OrangeXJ]

I had a 4.5 RC lift on mine then added long arms to it. It made a big diffrence. Keep in mind the taller you go the more it costs. My son has a 6.5 LA it coast around 3k where my 4.5 was a little less than 2k

[01xjcny]

well can i just add the long arm in now. with my 4.5 rubicon express then when the time comes put a 6.5 in

[EekGirl96]

Ive wanted a long arm kit for the longest time after I bought the SA lift kit from rough country(6.5" but after i got done with it, it was a 7.5" lift)...it was going to be my next major purchase until I got on an RTI ramp next to a LA Cherokee and I was right there with them. My friend bought a LA kit and hates it, says that he has more flex out of the SA.

In my opinion I wouldnt waste the extra $600+ on it.

[01xjcny]

what was your rti score i did a 680 the only time i did it, thats y i came here to see if it was worth the investment or just taller and how tall can you go with short arms

[EekGirl96]

didnt score it, it was at a meet and greet so it was just for fun. Im sitting at a 7.5" lift with 33x12.50x15 KM2's and cut fenders and she does amazing, goes anywhere I want her to.

[01xjcny]

sounds nice, i did the rti at a club meeting also they just gave me a score they figured out. i stopped when i heard crunching. i have 32 11.50

[EekGirl96]

Lol, yeah the crunching would stop me too....I have pics of it up on the forum somewhere if you want to see.

[LizardRunner]

LA's are more for keeping the geometry right and keeping a nice ride on the streets. If you use adjustable short arms (Iron Man Andy has the best IMHO) you can get by but "experts will tell you you're pushing the DW envelope. If you use adjustable shorts upper and lower, it's my opinion you will not have to go to LA's. I had shorts on the green lizard and she did just fine in every terrain I took her and she was very well mannered on the streets too.

[01xjcny]

handles really well on the street now, new to this whole lift thing dont think the arms i have in it now are adjustable i know they are not stock

[4.3LXJ]

Long arms in my opinion are worth it. But there are different types of long arms. I ran the traditional Y link type at 7.5" of lift and found them to be satisfactory. However now I am running a true three link and have found it to be much better. Even with the same springs and shocks, it takes the bumps better and flexes much better than the Y link. The reason is that the Y link will inhibit flex due to differences in the lengths needed when at full flex. The bushings can only take so much, as I found out after trashing them after only one wee little 105 mile off road trip. You can if you have good top link bushings get more flex out of the system if you only run one top link on the Y link system. Sort of a cheap three link.

[01xjcny]

so i guess i need to do some reading to find out what your talking about with links and all that. Have plenty of time because this was not on the list till next year. already had my modification planed out when uncle sam pays out

[4.3LXJ]

I have a thread in the Tech how to section on building my own. You can buy a three link from Iron Rock Off Road. Lots of companies have Y links. They will be the cheapest.

[Pookapotamus]

I ran a short arm on my last xj with 4.5" lift, absolutely hated it! I could run over a pocket full of change and tell you how much was there! It flexed ok and was good on the trail, but horrible on road.

That's why I am now running a clayton long arm, Cant comment on what its like cause I am still building though!:sad0147:

From what I have heard long arms do flex better and makes it much easier on the jeep than the short arms, much better ride, and coolness factor!

Build what you can afford, and try to build leaving yourself room to upgrade later on! And have fun doing it!

Pook

[LizardRunner]

Clayton and others have an "add on kit" that is just the long arms and brackets. I like the clayton unit because of the three piece tranny mount, makes getting to your drive train much easier after the install. I have to side with Steve, a three link is way better than y links. http://claytonoffroad.com/product_info.php/cPath/18_127/products_id/312

[01xjcny]

well i bought this just like it sits so time to add features i like but i have a awesome starting point

[4.3LXJ]

That is the way we all are to some extent. We are always making improvements