Anybody use control arm drop brackets

I just love this pic so much, I post it every chance I can. Here is the kind of flex you can get with 5" of lift and drop brackets.

DSC_0725.jpg
 
Ok got my lift under front except the drop kit there coming and i have 8 inches of lift with 35,s and only have about 3 inches in front and rear of tires before my factory fender flares touch them i really didnt want to take off the factory flares and didnt want to have to max out the acos adjusters anybody see any other option?is there regular fender lips under the factory flares? and thats a cool pic mrsimon i will try to post pics tomorrow..
 
I dunno. never liked drop brackets. i made some on my first lift but you cant beat the ride, flex, clearance, and not to mention strength you get with long arms. When you go that high with that big of tires it already puts more stress on the stock brackets. When you extend those brackets or in this case drop them, it acts like a lever and puts even more stress on those brackets. I have seen stock brackets rip off even without the drop brackets installed. Not trying to scare you, just my .02
 
No thats cool im up for advise i figured they would help cause i have a good angle on my lower control arms right now so i figure the drops would ease up on them it might even be best to tack weld them to frame..i really was shocked how close the flares were to tires ..the 6.5 lift kits say for 35 plus i added 1.5 more lift with acos figured i would be miles away..somebody here knows whats under the flares please enlighten me..:dunce:
 
I dunno. never liked drop brackets. i made some on my first lift but you cant beat the ride, flex, clearance, and not to mention strength you get with long arms. When you go that high with that big of tires it already puts more stress on the stock brackets. When you extend those brackets or in this case drop them, it acts like a lever and puts even more stress on those brackets. I have seen stock brackets rip off even without the drop brackets installed. Not trying to scare you, just my .02

And that is why RE makes braces to go along with the drop brackets. In order to alleviate the additional stress you describe, it's kind of mandatory that one install braces whenever installing the drop brackets.
 
I dunno. never liked drop brackets. i made some on my first lift but you cant beat the ride, flex, clearance, and not to mention strength you get with long arms. When you go that high with that big of tires it already puts more stress on the stock brackets. When you extend those brackets or in this case drop them, it acts like a lever and puts even more stress on those brackets. I have seen stock brackets rip off even without the drop brackets installed. Not trying to scare you, just my .02

I've ran a 3 Link long arm on an XJ and I'm currently running drop brackets. The drop brackets I'm using actually strengthen the control arm mounts...they extend back the frame rail towards the t-case crossmember so there is no real leaverage on the stock bracket.

On road the 3 link was less predictable when rounding bends at any speeds with a front sway bar while I have been running the drop brackets without sway bars (1 ton over the knuckle steering) and its a lot more predictable and the body roll is not half as bad. Keep in mind both of these jeeps has basically the same front setup.

Offroad I would prefer the long arms in most cases because they do seem to flex a little better with the right setup. I have noticed that the Rock Krawler 3 link I was running did seem to get hung up on obsticles more than the drop brackets do though. I ran 36"s with the long arms and 37"s with the drop brackets...and the drop brackets are mostly covered while running a tire this size.
 
they do help in a lot of areas, but i did have a friend rip his off trying to back off a rock ledge. i don't think he had the braces on them, though. before that, though, it flexed great, and rode like a stocker.
 
did i see 8" of lift with drop brackets. ive heard of 5" and them. But wont you be back to a decent angle at that height.

I went long arms the first time and id have to say it was the best purchase by far.
 
I dunno. never liked drop brackets. i made some on my first lift but you cant beat the ride, flex, clearance, and not to mention strength you get with long arms. When you go that high with that big of tires it already puts more stress on the stock brackets. When you extend those brackets or in this case drop them, it acts like a lever and puts even more stress on those brackets. I have seen stock brackets rip off even without the drop brackets installed. Not trying to scare you, just my .02

Thats why I went a step further and went with the braces and then tied all of that into the Detours frame stiffeners/sliders. But honestly I know plenty of folks running DB's without braces and wheelin the crap out of them with no issues even on big tires. Currently I drive my rig back and forth to the trails sometimes a few hours on the highway. I can say that it is a laid back ride and handle even at highway speeds. I have ridden in some LA set-ups that were not very stable at highway speeds and that is what convinced me to go with DB's.
 
I've ran a 3 Link long arm on an XJ and I'm currently running drop brackets. The drop brackets I'm using actually strengthen the control arm mounts...they extend back the frame rail towards the t-case crossmember so there is no real leaverage on the stock bracket.

On road the 3 link was less predictable when rounding bends at any speeds with a front sway bar while I have been running the drop brackets without sway bars (1 ton over the knuckle steering) and its a lot more predictable and the body roll is not half as bad. Keep in mind both of these jeeps has basically the same front setup.

Offroad I would prefer the long arms in most cases because they do seem to flex a little better with the right setup. I have noticed that the Rock Krawler 3 link I was running did seem to get hung up on obsticles more than the drop brackets do though. I ran 36"s with the long arms and 37"s with the drop brackets...and the drop brackets are mostly covered while running a tire this size.

good info, thanks.
 
Yes very good info..mine looks like if they were to flex all way the lower control arm would hit the mount right behind shock on bottom i even trimmed that a little but eventually would run out of shock guess thats normal.. but i need to figure out my tire clearance problem....and my sway bar seems real close to my coil springs..
 
I have a buddy with a 87 with the RE drop brackets. I have a 6 inch and short arm without the drop brackets. His ride is a lot smoother than mine. I have also seen him drop the brackets on rocks pretty hard and hasn't bent them at all. I was surprised they held up that well, but I went over the same obstacle and didn't hit. Same size lift and tires.
 
Got my kit on and am sitting at 8 inches of lift right now and need to raise the acos a little more to level it out a hair guess you need a outer coil spring compressor to adjust the acos?and have to hook up brake lines tomorrow think i wont have to do any trimming i flexed it pretty good with jack and no hits..
 
need to raise the acos a little more to level it out a hair guess you need a outer coil spring compressor to adjust the acos?

Nope, just disconnect the sway bar and drive up on a large rock or wall, adjust the side that is drooped and repeat for the other side. I change springs the same way. I have a big a$$ rock in my back yard to play on. Its a good way to check bumpstops as well.
 
Ahh i put jack stand under frame and let wheel hang but couldnt spin acos guess cause i didnt think about the disconnects...doh might have helped:banghead:
 
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