Ripa777

I'm contemplating Teraflex long arm vs short arm 2.5" for my JKUR .... Pls educate which u would pick for ur JK. $$$ diff is gonna kill me ... Just want it done right the first time. Thx

TheDirtman

It is due to axle shift during articulation while the axle moves along a longer flatter arc.

TheDirtman

I don't like the teraflex due to the very short upper arms that create a lot of pinion change during articulation. I am really not a fan of most long arm kits that are offered sans the genright which is crazy expensive. None of them really hit the mark with geometry and have their little quirks and drawbacks such as limited up travel on 3 link rear set ups or low hanging brackets that get hung up on rocks. Its really an issue with the JK and not the manufacturers that are just trying to offer a kit that is simple to install without removing cross members or the fuel tank.

GJeep

I was talking about of the CG of the body, not of the whole Jeep.
We want the body to have its CG as low as possible above the roll center, and adding weight at the bottom of the body lowers its CG.

On the other hand, adding any weight to the body, increases roll momentum.
The lower the added weight is, the lesser its effect on roll momentum.

That’s exactly what I've been saying from the beginning... so what’s the arguing for?

TheDirtman

Thats not what you said in your original statement, its just like you to talk out your ass showing you know very little about suspensions and then go off on some tangent that has no relation to the JK like your box photo then lie about what you said instead of admitting you were wrong.

Your comment that a 4 door is more capable off road is another bunch of bs, the only way a 4 door had the advantage over a 2 door is in climbing over steep ledges and that is iff the break over angle is not too much that the 4 door gets hung up. Carrying gear and people is the other benefit you get with the 4 door.

A 2 door is lighter, breaks over obstacles easier, has better visibility, turns quicker and if you push the axles out with a stretch increases approach and decline angles. Doing the same on a 4 door would lengthen a wb that is already too long and will cause more hang ups on break over.

Having a lot of weight above the roll center on the jeep will increase the likelihood of roll in off calmer situations or during steep climbs and decent as the weight shift and coil unloading will be more extreme, I don't care where the weight is, the coils will unload and push the jeep over if the force of the body roll overcomes the counterforce of the axles and wheels.

JKZinger

Exactly right!

T&ERun

This thread is unbelievable. There is so much bad information. Everyone needs to listen to what Dirtman is saying. Any weight that you add to the body of a Jeep will hurt COG, easy physics people. I'm not saying you shouldn't add things (winch, armor, lights, etc), just don't say that it is helping your COG.

And, coming from someone that has 4 doors, the 2 doors are a better platform to wheel with. If I had to do it all over again I would go 2 door. Don't get me wrong, I love my 4 door, but after modding it and wheeling it for 4 years now (and wheeling with 2 door guys), you quickly see the advatages of the shorter platform. And as Dirtman said, if you stretch a 2 door, look out, BADASS.

Increasing the length of the control arms on ANY Jeep, truck, SUV, etc, will make it ride better. On a stock height vehicle will it be noticeable, probably a little. Will it be noticeable on a 3-4" lifted vehicle, yes. As Dirtman stated, the angle of the arms change the arc that the axle moves when going up and down. The longer the arm, if attached on the same plane compared to shorter arms, will lessen the arc the axle travels. The smaller the arc, the better the ride. The longer arms can be moved up (attached) on a higher plane (ex: high clearance longarm from EVO) to a certain point with you still ending up with a better arc travel for the axle.

TO THE OP:

If you have the money and want to spend it, go straight to the long arms. I would suggest EVO over TF. I also would suggest EVO high clearance kit over their regular long arm kit (more difficult to install). I believe you can upgrade to the HCG kit later by just replacing the rear frame brackets and reusing the same rear arms (not totally positive on this, so make sure you ask them first). You can always change to a higher spring later if you want. Doing the longarm conversion WILL make your Jeep ride better. If not enough, then get your coils.

mhockey9090

After reading some of these post, I can't wait to get my 2 door stretched.

GJeep

If a 2-dr is so much better than a 4-dr, why stretch it and make it nearer to what a 4-dr is...

GJeep

I thought you won’t slip back into your habit of personal attack & foul language, but you did.

That’s what I was saying all along. If you were less eager to attack and more attentive to what I said, and what I replied to, you could have understood my post. You wouldn’t have contradicted my words, then repeated what meant...

Your attitude doesn’t deserve a serious and elaborated reply, so just this, which shows that while you post as if you know everything, you don’t:

On a very slippery, muddy, narrow and curving mountain trail, a 4-dr gives better handling & stability than a 2-dr.
On slippery desert sand dust on an inclined rocky trail, a 4-dr gives better handling & stability than a 2-dr.
A 4-dr has better directional stability, so on freeways & highways it needs much less constant steering correction.
A 4-dr is less prone to oversteer to the degree of throwing its tail around.
There are more examples, which disprove your claim that “the only way a 4 door had the advantage over a 2 door is in climbing over steep ledges”.

Enjoy your cult of followers who’ll buy everything you say, even when it’s based on prejudice.
End of my discussion with you.