Do I need adjustable LCA's?

[98XJSport]

I have a 98 xj on about 4.5" of lift. Im about ready to get some 33s and start trimming, but Im wondering if I should get some adjustable lcas to recenter my axle first. Ive read on here that your front tire usually moves forward when you flex, so this has me thinking I might not need to spend the $300 for a set. My xj is a dd and drives and handles fine with the stock control arms, so I dont have any other reason to get a new set than to nudge the axle forward a tiny bit. Any recomendations from those that have been there before?

 

[StuckXJ]

You dont need lca's you may need an ajustable track bar if you dont already have one. The track bar keeps the axel centered under the jeep. Adjustable lca's are if you want to adjust caster, which you probibly dont need to. If you look down the drivers side and then the assengers side and notice more tire on one side than the other, you need an adjstable trackbar. So your answer is: Lsa's:no probibly not, and track bar maybe. Hope this helps
-Steve D

 

[98XJSport]

Ive got an adjustable trac bar in already, and my axle is centered left-right but not perfectly fore-aft so to speak. Its not much towards the back, just barely enough to be noticable. Im just worried about having to trim the back more to allow for the back travel when flexing.

 

[Ludakris]

how about fixed control arms for 4.5" of lift...

 

[ChiXJeff]

I spent a a year at 3" of lift with stock control arms, then put on an adjustable trackbar and adjustable lowers. At 6", I added adjustable uppers. For running 33x12.50s, I had to trim the front but not the rear of the fenders.

As far as the original poster goes, as the wheels cycle up, they'll travel forward, and cycling down, will pull to the rear. You may have some interference in the rear of the wheel wells with stock control arms, but with the right length arms, I suspect that 33" tires should stuff nicely, and not come back into the body.

Personally, I'd suggest getting different LCAs at 3"-4". Doesn't really matter if they're adjustable or fixed, they do need to be longer. Can't give you the exact length though, but it is listed around here. Add new uppers above 4.5" of lift.

I like adjustables, but then, I like to tinker. 2 years ago, after finishing the lift up to 6" (and an OTA trackbar) I took my XJ in to get the alignment checked. Almost dead on factory specs. Only issue is bump steer from the short trackbar.

 

[98XJSport]

I can get a set of fixed for less than half for a set of adjustable, so that looks like the route im going. Does the twisting end of an adjustable really make that much of a difference in flex? Not that I need any more, just curious.

 

[RCP Phx]

What kind of wheeling do you do.For flex Id get a set of fixed RE Superflex lowers and a set of adj Superflex uppers.

 

[98XJSport]

Very few rocks, mostly woods trails and mud runs. True I don't need much flex for the stuff I do, but I prefer to build for a good all around vehicle, not something super specific because we have a good blend around here at times.

 

[RCP Phx]

There still the best arms for relieving stress on the mounts compared to 2dimensional arms.

 

[cal]

What kind of wheeling do you do.For flex Id get a set of fixed RE Superflex lowers and a set of adj Superflex uppers.

I run that exact setup with RE drop brackets at 6.5" of lift. Everything is centered, it rides and flexes well. With the drop brackets the adjustable uppers dont adjust quiet as short as I may like, but its not bad.

 

[98XJSport]

Are pretty much all jeeps similar for measurements? As in Ive read posts about other peoples 4.5" lift needing about a 16.5" long lca. Is this pretty much the standard for 4.5" of lift? Ive also noticed that when you order fixed companies just want your lift height, not the length of arm you wanted.

 

[01XJ75FJ40]

Don't know if you have adj. uppers or not but if you do, I would go ahead and spend the extra money on adj. lowers. That way you for sure can get the axle centered "forward and aft". Also, if you ever decide to go higher, like 6" you definitely will have no problems. I am basically running into the reverse problem. I have a 4.5" lift with lower adj. control arms and I added a 1.25" shackle in the back and an 1" spacer in front, giving me roughly 5.5-5.75" of lift. My axle is slightly "moved aft" in the wheel well. If I had upper adj. control arms I could fix it. I noticed it rubs more on the rear of the front fender than by the bumper.

Just my thoughts
Morgan

 

[snow drifter]

I ran stock control arms on mine with 5" for about 2 years. Everything lined up great, no death wobble, but the ride sucked ass! Road like a tank. Then with the flexing off road, my stock bushings wore out pretty quick. I now have fixed 4.5" lift upper and lower arms. Really smoothed the ride out, and gave my front end a more "solid" steering responce. I just installed Pro Crap 3000 shocks and now it rides like a tank again! Should of just saved some more $ and got OME shocks.