I Need Your Help NAC!

[CumminsJeep]

For my Senior project/thesis I decided to do a study between Jeep Cherokee Suspensions. Both the factory 4 link short arm design (this includes aftermarket short arms) vs. the aftermarket long arm system (primarily radius arm style). The study will focus mainly on customer satisfaction between different companies out there since there is not too many ways to get numerical data besides an RTI ramp. Since I am not anywhere near an RTI ramp, I will have to wait til Rausch to get that part of the data. So if anyone is going to Rausch anytime soon, Ill score your Jeep if you want to give me a few minutes of your time.

Now, for the actual customer satisfaction part of the data. I want to focus both on on-road drivability and off-road drivability/capability. and I need about 5 questions for each part of the survey. If anyone has any other ideas that they think would be good for the test, definitely post up and let me know. For now, if you could take a few min and answer these questions it would be greatly appreciated. Everything is on a 1-10 scale. I would like people to respond if they feel they have sufficient seat time with their suspension. Not something they put on last week and "seems to be good" etc. It will be better data if people actually know the kit well and its characteristics. and try not to be impartial to the kit you have just because its yours. I want to know the truth about it. Im looking for Jeeps in the 3.5"-6" lift range and between 33" and 35" tires. These are very broad questions so answer the best you can. and remember, BE HONEST! if your jeep doesnt soak up bumps well or corner well (and I realize not many of us run sway bars and are used to it), I wanna know about it. and if you want to add anything to say why any category got a high score or low score (ex: joints failed after a month/ 3 years on the same joints) please feel free. Thanks!


1. What brand suspension do you run?


2. Short arm or radius long arm?


3. On a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being more towards on road and 10 being towards off road), do you spend more time with your Jeep on road or off road?


4. Are you running sway bars? F/R/none


5. If you could change your suspension, what would you change to? (upgrade to long arm? different short arms? brand?)


6. Ease of Installation. 1-10



On road drivability

1. How well does your suspension soak up bumps? 1-10


2. Cornering ability. how planted does your Jeep feel? 1-10


3. When you have to do a quick maneuver, how well does the suspension respond? 1-10


4. Comfort level. 1-10



Off-Road Drivability/Capability

1. Articulation. How well does it flex? 1-10


2. Bump absorption. Does it soak it up or does your back hurt? Comfort level. 1-10


3. Strength. Can it take a beating? 1-10


4. Durability. Joint/bushing condition etc. 1-10


5. Off-Road Capability. 1-10


6. Clearance. 1-10




For now I think that is a good start. I really dont need 400 questions. all I need is enough people to take the survey to hopefully get enough people with each suspension. All in all this is not only comparing each company's suspensions, but comparing the factory 4 link design vs. a radius long arm suspension. and if anyone has any other ideas/questions for the survey PLEASE FEEL FREE TO LET ME KNOW. THANKS GUYS!

 

[ktm racer 419]

not interested in 3/4 linked rigs?

only gaydius arms?

 

[CumminsJeep]

not interested in 3/4 linked rigs?

only gaydius arms?

yea If I could do homebrew 3/4 links and all that I would get a shit ton of data. and I want good quality control. Most aftermarket kits are radius arm and are popular. homebrew arms/setups are all different. for example, all clayton arms are the exact same and everyone gets the same kit. I need data that is constant and followed by the same parameters. I can only get one honest response from a homebrew design when I can get unlimited from everyone running a Clayton suspension. you know? Just makes it easier and more accurate

 

[ktm racer 419]

yea If I could do homebrew 3/4 links and all that I would get a shit ton of data. and I want good quality control. Most aftermarket kits are radius arm and are popular. homebrew arms/setups are all different. for example, all clayton arms are the exact same and everyone gets the same kit. I need data that is constant and followed by the same parameters. I can only get one honest response from a homebrew design when I can get unlimited from everyone running a Clayton suspension. you know? Just makes it easier and more accurate

lol. hokay!

 

[MoparManiac]

I can PM you some advice if you want, as I don't want to spam your thread.

I think you'll find most people haven't driven enough different suspensions to be able to give an accurate response without a well defined scale they can relate to.

 

[XJLI]

I think you'll find most people haven't driven enough different suspensions to be able to give an accurate response without a well defined scale they can relate to.

def.. i've driven like 10 differently setup XJs though.. helps when all your friends drive em.


my old rig...

1. What brand suspension do you run?
rustys leafs (with a stock XJ 2nd longest leaf added as an AAL0
RE 3.5 coils
RK trackbar
RK uppers
RE SF lowers
255/70 5150s all around

2. Short arm or radius long arm?
shortarm

3. On a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being more towards on road and 10 being towards off road), do you spend more time with your Jeep on road or off road?
5

4. Are you running sway bars? F/R/none
none

5. If you could change your suspension, what would you change to? (upgrade to long arm? different short arms? brand?)
different brand lowers, slighty higher spring rate leafs.. i'd get RK lowers and prob bigoffroad leafs for that rig.

6. Ease of Installation. 1-10
when i was 17? 12. now? 2.


On road drivability

1. How well does your suspension soak up bumps? 1-10
6


2. Cornering ability. how planted does your Jeep feel? 1-10
10 being my old subie? 4. 10 being a stock xj? 9


3. When you have to do a quick maneuver, how well does the suspension respond? 1-10
9

4. Comfort level. 1-10
8


Off-Road Drivability/Capability

1. Articulation. How well does it flex? 1-10
JF would hate it. it didnt have a huge amount of travel but it worked awesome for me. so, 10 for me, but probably 6 if i ramped it.

2. Bump absorption. Does it soak it up or does your back hurt? Comfort level. 1-10
8. almost 100 miles of offroad from moab to grand junction and i was comfy as as clam.

3. Strength. Can it take a beating? 1-10
8

4. Durability. Joint/bushing condition etc. 1-10
XXXX RE.. their rubber bushings sucked, there superjoints suck bc the races wear out. 1
RK uppers kick ass 10
rustys bushings suck, but at least still work when they suck 3

5. Off-Road Capability. 1-10
9 got me everywhere i needed except escalator and potato salad hill.. but that wasnt the suspension fault.. i only had 3 wheel drive.

6. Clearance. 1-10
had the tnt belly, truck was still low though 6.

 

[CumminsJeep]

Adam, thanks for the reply. Im going to use the info you gave me on your old jeep. The subaru doesnt matter or the ones that you have driven because they are your friends. hell I could write a shit ton about other peoples jeeps too lol. I just want the one that you have the most experience with which was your old jeep. I dont need to know about the amount of lockers or anything I just need your opinion on the suspensions performance. and your response about the bushings was good. It will give me numbers for those different brands.

 

[CumminsJeep]

I need to edit my original post but I cant do so. I can only edit the last post I made. can anyone help me with this?

 

[90XJay]

I can give u my ramp data from the GAJR if you want.

1. What brand suspension do you run?
Teraflex 6.5 coils
Teraflex adjustable uppers
RE lowers
RE HD Tracbar


2. Short arm or radius long arm?
Short arms

3. On a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being more towards on road and 10 being towards off road), do you spend more time with your Jeep on road or off road?
2

4. Are you running sway bars? F/R/none
None

5. If you could change your suspension, what would you change to? (upgrade to long arm? different short arms? brand?)
I would like to try long arms (4 link) or at least some drop brackets. Bumps get annoying after a few years.

6. Ease of Installation. 1-10
3


On road drivability

1. How well does your suspension soak up bumps? 1-10
4 strangely it takes large bumps well, little bumps not well.

2. Cornering ability. how planted does your Jeep feel? 1-10
9 I also have very wide tires. I always feel safe cornering.

3. When you have to do a quick maneuver, how well does the suspension respond? 1-10
7

4. Comfort level. 1-10
5


Off-Road Drivability/Capability

1. Articulation. How well does it flex? 1-10
front 9 (for a short arm), back not as well (working on my leafs). At the rally I scored over 1k on the rti ramp for my front end. Guy said that was really good for a short arm xj. Would have even more travel but my shocks/brakelines are my limiting straps atm.

2. Bump absorption. Does it soak it up or does your back hurt? Comfort level. 1-10
7

3. Strength. Can it take a beating? 1-10
9- Only thing on my on the suspension to let go was a control arm mount on the axle, not the suspension's fault.

4. Durability. Joint/bushing condition etc. 1-10
7- rubber mounts on the body side don't seam to last long.

5. Off-Road Capability. 1-10
7- I don't do crazy buggy stuff but I get through alot of stuff that those with bigger jeeps have trouble with.

6. Clearance. 1-10
9 Arms are never in the way

 

[XJLI]

Adam, thanks for the reply. Im going to use the info you gave me on your old jeep. The subaru doesnt matter or the ones that you have driven because they are your friends. hell I could write a shit ton about other peoples jeeps too lol. I just want the one that you have the most experience with which was your old jeep. I dont need to know about the amount of lockers or anything I just need your opinion on the suspensions performance. and your response about the bushings was good. It will give me numbers for those different brands.

werd. i put 70k on that jeep, 60k of that it was lifted.

 

[TYphoon]

1. What brand suspension do you run?
Rough Country

2. Short arm or radius long arm?
Radius Long Arm

3. On a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being more towards on road and 10 being towards off road), do you spend more time with your Jeep on road or off road?
4

4. Are you running sway bars? F/R/none
None

5. If you could change your suspension, what would you change to? (upgrade to long arm? different short arms? brand?)
Change to either clayton or treks long arm. Different leaf packs and shackle relocation box

6. Ease of Installation. 1-10
7


On road drivability

1. How well does your suspension soak up bumps? 1-10
In the front, 7, in the rear, 2

2. Cornering ability. how planted does your Jeep feel? 1-10
6

3. When you have to do a quick maneuver, how well does the suspension respond? 1-10
6

4. Comfort level. 1-10
6


Off-Road Drivability/Capability

1. Articulation. How well does it flex? 1-10
7.5 I think alot of this has to do with my steering binding though

2. Bump absorption. Does it soak it up or does your back hurt? Comfort level. 1-10
7


3. Strength. Can it take a beating? 1-10
8. I break off zercs all the time on my JJ's though. Bad placement

4. Durability. Joint/bushing condition etc. 1-10
9 but I havent had it for more than a year yet

5. Off-Road Capability. 1-10
8

6. Clearance. 1-10
6.5. Mounts hang low


:cheers:

 

[CumminsJeep]

Thanks guys keep them coming!

 

[bert01xj]

1. What brand suspension do you run?
rough country

2. Short arm or radius long arm?
short arms

3. On a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being more towards on road and 10 being towards off road), do you spend more time with your Jeep on road or off road?
3

4. Are you running sway bars? F/R/none
none

5. If you could change your suspension, what would you change to? (upgrade to long arm? different short arms? brand?)
long arms

6. Ease of Installation. 1-10
7


On road drivability

1. How well does your suspension soak up bumps? 1-10
6

2. Cornering ability. how planted does your Jeep feel? 1-10
5

3. When you have to do a quick maneuver, how well does the suspension respond? 1-10
5

4. Comfort level. 1-10
6


Off-Road Drivability/Capability

1. Articulation. How well does it flex? 1-10
7

2. Bump absorption. Does it soak it up or does your back hurt? Comfort level. 1-10
6

3. Strength. Can it take a beating? 1-10
7

4. Durability. Joint/bushing condition etc. 1-10
3

5. Off-Road Capability. 1-10
5

6. Clearance. 1-10
8

 

[XJLI]

and to add to mine, i ran a ORGS (old school JKS) trackbar before my RK one.. that thing was beat for 4-5 years on a ZJ with 6" of lift when i got it in 06, lasted me til i got the RK one in winter 09/2010.. original rubber bushing and JJ. prob had close to 100k on it. that thing was a tank but eventually the rubber bushing was roasted. i just bought a new one instead of rebuilding the old one.

 

[js_customs]

1. What brand suspension do you run?

mixed brands - RE superflex adj. lowers, ironman adj. uppers, RC drop brackets


2. Short arm or radius long arm?

short arm


3. On a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being more towards on road and 10 being towards off road), do you spend more time with your Jeep on road or off road?

5

4. Are you running sway bars? F/R/none

none

5. If you could change your suspension, what would you change to? (upgrade to long arm? different short arms? brand?)

upgrade to long arm


6. Ease of Installation. 1-10

7 - easy to install, can be a pain to set caster



On road drivability

1. How well does your suspension soak up bumps? 1-10

6

2. Cornering ability. how planted does your Jeep feel? 1-10

7

3. When you have to do a quick maneuver, how well does the suspension respond? 1-10

7

4. Comfort level. 1-10

8 - rides great, rear springs arent broken in yet so bumps can be a bit harsh



Off-Road Drivability/Capability

1. Articulation. How well does it flex? 1-10

8

2. Bump absorption. Does it soak it up or does your back hurt? Comfort level. 1-10

9

3. Strength. Can it take a beating? 1-10

8

4. Durability. Joint/bushing condition etc. 1-10

7 - i've been ok with my superflex joints, but i know several people (who put a lot more miles on their jeep) that have issues with them wearing out fast

5. Off-Road Capability. 1-10

8

6. Clearance. 1-10

3 - it'd be a lot better if i didnt have the drop brackets

 

[kastein]

1. What brand suspension do you run?
Old Man Emu OME934 1" V8 ZJ coils up front (180lb/in rate, give 3.5" on an XJ)
Old Man Emu CS034/035 RA/RB (I forget) 2" HD leafs (give 3.5" on an XJ)
Teraflex 1.5" greasable boomerang shackles
blangin' Gabriel Guardian BRIGHT RED shock absorbers (stock height front, MJ rear w/ custom booger welded shock crossmember)
Chrysler Jeep XJ control arms & bushings (all over 16 years old)

2. Short arm or radius long arm?
stock all the way

3. On a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being more towards on road and 10 being towards off road), do you spend more time with your Jeep on road or off road?
50/50 in this one


4. Are you running sway bars? F/R/none
none atm, broke my front links and have been far too lazy to make decent ones

5. If you could change your suspension, what would you change to? (upgrade to long arm? different short arms? brand?)
I'd upgrade to custom arms built with the ruffstuff not universal 3 link kit, and add more gussets to the LCA brackets on the axle

6. Ease of Installation. 1-10
8 (this is very easy, right?) it was all bolt on except for some really simple gusset welding and junk


On road drivability

1. How well does your suspension soak up bumps? 1-10
10 way too easily, I bottom it out all the time driving fast on potholed roads. Teraflex greasable boomerang shackles made a huge difference here

2. Cornering ability. how planted does your Jeep feel? 1-10
3 I get like 20 or 30 degrees of body roll but that's mostly because I drive like a maniac and have no sway bars

3. When you have to do a quick maneuver, how well does the suspension respond? 1-10
10 I've done things I should never have even tried and it stayed stuck to the road very nicely.

4. Comfort level. 1-10
8 - would be lower if I wanted to ride on a cloud, the bumper and winch improved the ride in the front a lot


Off-Road Drivability/Capability

1. Articulation. How well does it flex? 1-10
5

2. Bump absorption. Does it soak it up or does your back hurt? Comfort level. 1-10
8 - my passengers may disagree but I like how it rides, at least till the axle housing has a party with the frame rail

3. Strength. Can it take a beating? 1-10
10 - haven't broken it since last fall (folded up a set of UCAs) and I've been wheeling like it's indestructible

4. Durability. Joint/bushing condition etc. 1-10
5 demolished the leaf bushings but the fronts are holding up great

5. Off-Road Capability. 1-10
5 kinda sucks but hasn't held me back yet

6. Clearance. 1-10
8 steep angled short arms stay further from the ground than long arms! :moon:


my jeep is a total piece of shit but it goes places a lot of others don't. Replacement control arms are free (how many people on here have a set rusting in the junk pile?) and so are replacement shocks (gabriel guardians have a lifetime warranty... :scottm