Long Arm Upgrade Questions (lots)

[1WhiteXJ]

Hey all-
New to , but not new to Jeeping. I am looking to upgrade my short arm suspension to a long arm setup (either 3 or 4 link). I have read quite a few threads by others on long arm kits and have been researching quite a bit. Sorry in advance for all the ?'s.



I know this has been discussed quite a bit on here, but is there any drawbacks to having a 3 link verses 4? Is axle stability or driveability on the highway really an issue? If that were true, why do most manufacturers offer a 3 link kit? I see 3 link as better since there is less potential binding and less opportunity for that other upper arm to contact something you don't want it to...



It looks like quite a few people have (or like) the Stinky Fab setup. My question on that kit is why are the control arms aluminum? That is the only kit I've seen that doesn't use steel arms...


On the Iron Rock 3 link, there seems to be some reviews from people that have issues with the upper arm contacting the driveshaft. Can anyone shed any light on that? Is that a common problem?


On the Clayton 3 link, it looks like the cross member doesn't have as many mounting points to the frame rails as other kits. Should that be a concern or not? Or does anyone know how many bolts attach it to the frame rails?


As far as joints are concerned, half the kits have Heims, and half have Currie Johnny Joints. From what I can tell, the JJ will have a little more vibration damping and reduction of "jolt" when hitting sharp bumps. Is this true? I imagine that Heims are stronger and flex more, but at the cost of a smooth ride?


Some kits have straight arms and some are bent. I've heard some say that bent arms are not as strong because they have a weak point "built in" to them. Is this really an issue if the arms are made of, say, 2" DIA tubes that are 1/4" thick? Do some people complain about their tires rubbing on the straight arms?


OK that's all for now. Thanks for any insight!

 

[4x4JeePmaNthINg]

3 links are great, but only 3 links vs 4 connecting points, don't sweat it.
- set, just guessing but they are aluminum for weight sake and no one else is doing it, awesome reviews to.
-On the vendors portion of naxja, the iro kit had a gentleman working out the drive shaft issue, I believe the revised the upper arm.
-clayton kit = 4 bolts And Welding
- imo jjs do dampen a lot of vibes
A bend in an arm is a fatigue point, but for the most part won't be an issue.
My 2 cents
Tires can and will rub without bends/ proper backspacing

 

[4x4JeePmaNthINg]

3 links are great, but only 3 links vs 4 connecting points, don't sweat it.
- set, just guessing but they are aluminum for weight sake and no one else is doing it, awesome reviews to.
-On the vendors portion of naxja, the iro kit had a gentleman working out the drive shaft issue, I believe the revised the upper arm.
-clayton kit = 4 bolts And Welding
- imo jjs do dampen a lot of vibes
A bend in an arm is a fatigue point, but for the most part won't be an issue.
My 2 cents
Tires can and will rub without bends/ proper backspacing

 

[paulhead]

I got the Cav Fab 3 link, really happy with it.

 

[bajabronco]

You are wondering why aluminum arms vs.steel? When steel bends it stays bent!

This is my BDS lower control arm after hard wheeling! Aluminum arms are lighter as well as they will bend back into shape vs bending under big impact. I bent one of the lower steel arms in my BDS 4 link kit, and when I decided to replace them I went with aluminum ones.

 

[1WhiteXJ]

-clayton kit = 4 bolts And Welding
- imo jjs do dampen a lot of vibes
A bend in an arm is a fatigue point, but for the most part won't be an issue.
My 2 cents
Tires can and will rub without bends/ proper backspacing

I did see in the instructions for the Clayton kit that there is a bunch of welding and since I don't own a welder... and my welding skills are (lets just say "basic"), I am leaning toward a bolt on kit.


Good to know Johnny Joints are good for eliminating vibration. For me, one of the most important aspects for jumping into long arms is for the improved ride on the highway. I spend quite a few hours on the highway getting to and from the trails during the summer.


It seems almost all of these company's kits use huge lower control arms that should be more than strong enough to resist bending. I probably shouldn't be worried about a bend in a control arm... Just a question I guess.



Thanks for the response!

 

[1WhiteXJ]

I got the Cav Fab 3 link, really happy with it.

Paulhead-
This is one of the kits I really have my eyes on. I like a lot about it. I assume you are very happy with the ride quality and components? How long have you been wheeling it? Any concerns or complaints?
Thanks for the response!

 

[1WhiteXJ]

You are wondering why aluminum arms vs.steel? When steel bends it stays bent!

I bent one of the lower steel arms in my BDS 4 link kit, and when I decided to replace them I went with aluminum ones.

So, are you saying that aluminum arms are stronger than steel? or that they have more "give" or flex to the actual metal arm?

 

[paulhead]

Paulhead-
This is one of the kits I really have my eyes on. I like a lot about it. I assume you are very happy with the ride quality and components? How long have you been wheeling it? Any concerns or complaints?
Thanks for the response!

Ride quality is awesome, wheeling it feels great. Even did the wheel alignment with a tape measure and no wobble. No welding and you can remove the center section by itself. Real solid set up just a little pricey. Gotta get it on a sale. I got it on black friday 2 years ago for under $1k. Here's my build thread

 

[bajabronco]

Check this out ..


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1yikfwrg6I

 

[paulhead]

So, are you saying that aluminum arms are stronger than steel? or that they have more "give" or flex to the actual metal arm?

Stinky Fab would be the one I would get if I bought another XJ though. :laugh3:

 

[1WhiteXJ]

That is an awesome build. Very nice!

 

[1WhiteXJ]

Check this out ..


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1yikfwrg6I

Very interesting! Thanks!

 

[1WhiteXJ]

Hmmm. Now looking heavily into the SFR long arms for these reasons:
1. I can use the stock cross member (and my existing TC skid). If I need to upgrade in the future, I can simply get their cross member and TC skid.
2. Apparently the Aluminum arms are stronger and lighter.
3. All joints are Johnny Joints.

4. Nearly same price as CavFab.
Any other thoughts on this?

 

[smokeyyank]

Stinkyfab. Better product all around and Dallas is a vendor.

Ironman would be the only other kit I'd look at. More money but super stout and very well built. IRO makes good stuff stiff that a little easier on the wallet.

 

[4x4JeePmaNthINg]

Hmmm. Now looking heavily into the SFR long arms for these reasons:
1. I can use the stock cross member (and my existing TC skid). If I need to upgrade in the future, I can simply get their cross member and TC skid.
2. Apparently the Aluminum arms are stronger and lighter.
3. All joints are Johnny Joints.

4. Nearly same price as CavFab.
Any other thoughts on this?

cav fab is nice, but maybe paulhead has a pic or two of the inner bolts to fuel rail issues, its about the only complaint ive read on that kit.

something I would compare between kits is $ spent to quality of build/parts and what your getting. 1000$ for arms vs 1000$ for a new x member/arms,fixed end or flex end joints,hardware,adjustability, and how the upper arm mounts.

Youll see certain kits tuck the arms higher into the body with new x member vs the kits using stock x member and add on arms, where parts hang lower. Also your paying for a long arm and you may want to look at the geometry of the kit your buying vs the uses you have for the kit, especially as youve said smooth highway driving is a big selling point for you. Getting a kit with arms as flat as possible to the grounds is key( most vendors build theirs around a certain minimum lift). I think your right on the money to want a kit with JJs at both ends, certainly far better quality than a flex joint and fixed end combo.

calyton,sfr,cav,ironman,iro all good flavors with tweaks to each. heres another kit most never see http://www.froehlichsuspension.com/3-Link-Upgrade-Cherokee-XJ_p_8.html



:cheers:

 

[paulhead]

cav fab is nice, but maybe paulhead has a pic or two of the inner bolts to fuel rail issues, its about the only complaint ive read on that kit.
Youll see certain kits tuck the arms higher into the body with new x member vs the kits using stock x member and add on arms, where parts hang lower.

Yeah that'd be my only complaint but no issues so far.

 

[SlowXj]

I bought the iro 3 link during black Friday when it was a brand new product. Best $625 I have spent!
They fixed the upper arm contacting the pinion yoke with adding a small bend. This is on a 3 inch lift with almost factory bump stop height. The crossmember design isn't one I would design myself but I haven't had any issues. With my low height it sees it's fair share of punishment...
On road ride is awesome! I run very stiff shocks and no sways, but I regularly jump railroad tracks for fun... Haha. The antidive is perfect in my opinion, plus due to the awesome link geometry I am able to crawl through "undercuts" on the trail much easier than before.

Bottom line to this long post is for the money I love the rock link from iro.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

[JonnyCat63]

I'm in the process of installing the IRO 3 link kit on my 99XJ. I haven't, driven it yet, so I can't yet comment on the on/off road manners. Love the removable center section. But I can comment on the quality and value. My wife's 97 has the IRO iron y kit and my 95 has a TNT long arm.

I've used a lot of IRO parts and can tell you the quality and service is great. Can't go wrong with using them. I've purchased on black Friday a couple of times and have gotten good deals. Shipping seems to be a little more than others, but not too bad.

The TNT is a good kit too, radius arm instead of a true 3/4 link. But I like it, good quality and tucks up higher than most. Big belly pan. Little bit of a PITA to install, but not too bad.

I've used IRO's long arm kits, frame stiffeners, track bars, front and rear trusses, and a host of other parts. Great company to deal with, good customer service and tech support.

That's been my experience, YMMV. Hope that helps.

 

[srb531]

had my 3 link on for 5 yrs now, works great on/off road w/ a 6" lift, i used the TNT skid w/ the built in uca mounts. it keeps the uca joints above the bottom of the frame rails, its very heavy duty, also available w/ a tc skid which bolts on the rear of the main skid plate. had a shop custom build the lca s & 3rd link arm.