Cgofort- since your at it, I suggest good diff covers too.

 

Since he already started this thread, and I was wondering essentially the same thing, I would like to chime in and ask at what height lift would you look to start replacing the control arms?
3" lift? 4" lift?

 

Each jeep & lift is different.The higher up a jeep goes, the wheelbase shrinks and the driveshaft angles increase. The height where geometry changes to a point that more parts are needed is 2.5+ inches. Then it's not just arms, but possible driveshafts too. Also by changing aerodynamics, drag drastically drops mpg.

 

With a 3" lift up front, should I change only the lower control arms or lower & uppers?

 

You don't 'have' to change arms on 3" lifts. If your castor angle dropped to a point that your steering feels flighty, then it's a good idea to go with front lower control arms. A combination of both upper & lower arms allows the position of the axel to move forward, lengthening the wheelbase. But at 3", that's not needed.

 

It drives pretty good right now but I was going to install them before I have the front end alignment check so they could dial the caster in exactly if needed.

 

Well, even if the arms only adjust 1* castor for your lift, at least they flex better and look better than the stock arms. But if you don't need it...

 

I have a 4.5" lift and ALL my control arms are stock. I don't run cam bolts or relocation brackets either. My jeep handles just fine with no flighty feeling or wandering. Go figure.

Two things that DID cause my steering to feel flighty was overinflated tires and strong winds on the highway. My jeep catches a lot of wind just because it is so damn big...like a big box going down the highway, lol. That doesn't bother me, I expected to get pushed around by the wind a little. I corrected my tire pressure from 45psi down to 30psi and now my jeep drives good.