SoCalChuckster

You guys are alllllllll right.....These darn RE kits have absolutely NO flex at all. I had to shell out the extra bucks for the 5.5" kit just so i could do this





In all seriousness though, when i was shopping for my lift kit, i wanted something that was not only handle excellent off road, but also on road...and this kit does just that. I think my JK rides even smoother and more responsive on-road than it did stock.

Chuck

Leave Town

I went for several rides in a JK with the RE lift and it was like butter..

It may not be for the extreme crawler guys, but for some of us it fits right in...

SoCalChuckster

Yeah...i was originally going to get the full traction long arm....but if you've ever been off roading with one then you know how much that squeaking and creaking is annoying. Also i love how the RE kit is designed, with the rear arms mounting on the side of the frame being protected and not under the frame where they can be damaged by rocks.

Chuck

NGINIER

I hope to be getting some good wheeling pics this weekend when I go out again.

Also, about what socalchuck said, I also took into account where the mounting of the arms are located. Breakover angle was very important when deciding what LA to go with. The location of the RE arms really helps and gives you some more usable clearance.

Nice pics Bulldog, I have wheeled with him quite a bit before I got my kit and there were quite a few situations where the side mounting of the arms have really helped with clearance issues.

wayoflife

no need to get all defensive. clearly you are fans of RE and that's great. as i have said many times before, they make great products and for whatever it's worth, i have run several of their products on my TJ and love them. that being said, the whole point of posting this interview was to point out what they themselves admit - their long arm kit was not meant to flex the way a 4-link can and far from being a rock crawler, 4-link setups will significantly out felx a radius arm setup. now, if you're okay with less flex than would a 4-link setup provide, wonderful, i'm happy for you. for me personally, i want the flex as it provides stabitily and traction on the trail.

nice shot! just out of curiosity, what size tires is on this JK (35's or 37's) and is he using the shocks that came with the kit or ones made by another manufacturer. also, if he wheels hard on the rocks (pushing flex to the limit) on a regular basis, has he checked his bushings recently?

wayoflife

as i have said on many occasions, RE is a good company and makes a quality product. from what i could tell, the ride this kit provides on pavement is great and can only assume that it would be good as well on the trail.

again, my only point in posting this at all was to point out that RE themselves are the first to admit that they did not design their long arm kit for RTI scores and that it won't flex as well as a 4-link setup and that's all. for me personally, i'm always looking for way to improve my flex, stability and traction on the trail and knowning i would have a lack of it even on a long arm kit wouldn't be something that i personally would want.

exactly my point. not bad, but nowhere the amount of flex that a 4-link long arm can deliver and honetly, no even as good as what i'm currently seeing with my short arms and evo front coilovers/rear evo lever setup.

wayoflife

hey chuck, those are great shots and yes, your RE kit does have nice flex and i have no doubt that it rides nicely but i should also point out that you do have a 5.5" lift with only 35" tires. this will make your flex look bigger than it would if you had 37's. either way, as i have said time and time again, the amount of flex i'm seeing is just not as much as i have seen with a 4-link setup and they have it without the significant amount of bind being placed on your joints.

yes, an ft kit will squeak if you don't grease them on a regular basis. regular maintenance is a draw back that you will have when using joints that will provide maximum flex and this may not be for everyone. rubber bushing like the kind RE uses will keep quite and not require any maintenance but by its design, they will also limit your flex. and, if you keep on pushing them hard on the trail, they will fail and they are not easily replaceable the way a joint that needs greasing on a regular basis is. but, even at that, if you are looking for something close to being the best of both worlds, teraflex makes a 4-link long arm kit that has rubber bushings as well and is very very quite

wayoflife

and that's great. i'm glad that you are happy with what you got

wayoflife

if long arm clearance is a concerning factor, the teraflex long arm kit has lower control arms that are bent upward and i'm pretty sure they offer more clearance than the RE kit arms.

Red Rock Rubicon

Sounds like Wayoflife should have PM'd the video to whoever wanted it in the first place