Suspension system questions

[Halfcab]

Ok, here goes..... I'm running rusty's off-road steel flat fenders front and rear with Logan's metal products bumpers front and rear. I want to run 235/85r16 mud terrains not sure which ones yet or some stock 2015+ Rubicon take offs if I can find some cheap enough. I was told by rustys I could fit 32's with no lift so I would like to stick to 3.5" or less if I can and run a long arm set-up for a better ride...... recommendations?

Let the debate begin

Thanks

 

[old_man]

My recommendation is to get out your tape measure and see what will fit, like the rest of us. The position of the tire in the wheel well will effect how it fits.

Most people will get a set of worn out tires, the size they are looking to run, and mount them up and see how they like the look. Much of this is personal preference

 

[Halfcab]

I wish I knew of someone local that had the Rubicons and adaptors so I could try them on. I'm on the peninsula between sf and sj. Down and out after ankle surgery at the moment so not tomorrow or anything.

 

[Halfcab]

Do any 3.5" or less lifts work well with a long arm set-up

 

[dan1977p]

You haven't mentioned what your intended purpose is. You may not even need long arms for your build. Short arm drop brackets cost way less than new long arms and new crossmember and will give you a good ride on the road as well.

 

[Phil]

A long time ago, Zebaru from Reno had a stock height rig on like 33s and he ended up lifting it 2"-3" to get the frame rails out of the rocks. So, you may want to do the same. Short arms alone or drop brackets if you get in the 4"-5" range.

 

[Halfcab]

More of an expedition style rig than a rock rig. I like the look of the bigger tires and a lower stance. It is my daily daily driver. Still, l don't want brackets hanging down, the cost is a little bit of an issue but I don't mind spending the money for a quality ride. Keeping it as low as possible, I will bump stop it to protect the tires and body, and probably run a little longer shock to get more droop out of it. The other reason to run the long arms on is to protect the unibody.....I like to go a bit fast on and off-road.

 

[Zebaru]

It was ten years ago...

I mostly did the stock suspension thing because I was cheap and i wanted to see if I could make it work. After a few runs, I came to the conclusion that there were quite a few downsides, and no real upsides (besides cost). And, unlike most who go for a small lift, I have aggressive boatsides, a flat belly, completely rebuilt wheel wells, and raised steering - basically everything that a person can do to minimize the downsides of being low. I ended up with 2-3" of lift, and have been wheeling it for ten years now. I can't think of a single thing that is worse because of the lift. If I still wasn't a tight wad, I would probably have gone with long arms and a bit more lift by now, and been even happier...

 

[Ronbo]

Short arms alone or drop brackets if you get in the 4"-5" range.

This.
I ran 3" lift - short arms alone - with 32's for a long time and it worked fine. Especially as a camping rig.

 

[Halfcab]

I'm sure it works well but I'm after an awesome ride. I drove an early Broncos with for a short wb a really nice ride, I want even better than that, in stock form my sport rides better but as we all know lifts equal a worse ride quality at least 80% of the time. And the Broncos had a frame I didn't need to worry about.

Thanks for the input so far.

What brands seem to be the best? I have been looking at rusty's and if I get real stupid the iron rock and link both ends

BDS is looking good if I can get a deal thru a friend back east who is a dealer but still the most $$

 

[831_xj]

Best bolt on long arm option would most likely be the Cavfab 3 link.

I'd stay away from rustys or iron rock... BDS is a bit pricy. A decent priced Y link long armed suspension would be Rubicon Express..

You could fit 235/85/16s on stock height. I've fit 32x11.5s on 15s with stock suspension. Trimmed fenders of course.

Sounds like you're a bit confused on what you actually want to do with it. I would build a bastard pack (depending on condition of your current pack) for about 1.5-2" lift.. Some shackle relocators(may have to go with the no lift relocators). And an MJ shackle or other similar shackle to keep you in the 3" range. Find some soft rate coils at about 3" and use quality shocks to match. OME, Bilstein, Fox. Quick disconnects on the front sway bar, some short arms and a quality double shear track bar.
But that's me

 

[Ronbo]

If you're looking at a mild lift, I'd say Old Man Emu coils and shocks. Once you go big, there's many variables to what people consider a 'nice ride'.

For what it's worth, I've had a few mild lift setups, a 6" RE kit with brackets and currently run long arms with Deaver coils, National leafs and Bilsteins. I also have a stock XJ to compare it to.
I consider my lifted XJ to be a very nice all around vehicle as I've spent time and money on good parts, but it's nothing like the stock setup. And the further you get from stock, the harder it is to keep the original 'ride'.

Just my humble opinion here, but the Poly Performance long arm brackets/arms make the Cavfab stuff look silly - if you're into bolt on stuff.

 

[smokinu]

My current front end setup is on 3.5" with a Logan's front bumper

Drop brackets and cut fenders clear 35s unless you don't bump stop