i was looking at control arms for my 2013 2 door jk and came across these
Rusty's Front Control Arm System - JK Wrangler - JK Wrangler & Rubicon ('07+) - Jeep Control Arms & Accessories - Jeep Suspension
and was wondering if they are any good?
is there an advantage to these over others?

 

There are gobs of arms out there and tons of threads on them. Rusty's is alright but not a lot of JK's use them. Joints are really the most important thing to look at when choosing arms and choose the joints that are right for you and what you are doing with the jeep.

 

so the design itself is nothing special?
i understand the joints are important to function but moving the upper from the frame to the lower control arm seems like it may help. sorry if this sounds dumb i just dont understand.

 

You will find that there is not much love for Rusty's on the internet in the JK world. Before I knew anything about all of the great companies that are out there I had heard of Rusty's. When I bought a very used TJ I got the Rusty's 3" lift for it, and I really can't complain about it. If I was buying again today I would still consider it, but would be inclined toward a couple of others as well. The arms you show look nice, I would be concerned that one mounting point on each side of the frame takes all the stress. That location could be reinforced or even replaced with a beefier bracket, and who knows it may be strong enough from the factory.

 

I've had synergy, metalcloak, and the custom arms I have now.

Only reason I moved from one to the other was small reasons, probably personal.

The synergy were awesome, easy to adjust and install. I'd recommend them. The metal cloak were just as easy to install, not as easy to adjust, just takes a few more minutes per side. The bushings were super nice, quiet, but require some attention depending on your climate and mileage.

I ended going with custom arms for nice beefy wall tube with big ole johnny joints. The ride is a bit tougher than with the MC arms, but not too much. My Jk is not driven daily so I was able to pick something that worked more for me.

For most people, synergy are a win win. Lowers run a few benjis but worth it.

 

I don't really care for the radius arm setup.
You blow one of those bushing you probably can't drive far.
It least with a 4 link you can limp out on 3 links if you break and arm or bushing.
I run MC on both my jeeps. Close to 5 years now on the original bushings.
I know folks say that being able to adjust arms on the rig is important, but how often are folks adjusting arms!!??.
I did mine when I put them on the jeep years ago and haven't touched them.

 

^ This right here....




.

 

Exactly what they said ^^^ A radius arm setup on a JK would put a lot of stress on the already week control arm mounts. This style of arm is always in a bind in any articulation and puts a lot of stress on your bushings. They are good for large amounts of vertical travel, like moving quickly over washboards.

 

Add the fact its a radius short arm.

 

I use the regular Rusty's front lower arms. I'm fairly happy with them, especially the price. The tubes are beefy, like everyone else's, The body end bushings are stock TJ control arm bushings so they're available anywhere. The axle end joints are ok but you need to lube them frequently, especially if you play in the mud or water. The joints are rebuildable, just don't wait to long to do it. The joints use a common thread if you need to replace them with whatever brand you wanted when the Rusty's joints wear out or if someone has a spare while out wheeling. For the average Joe I think they're fine. Definitely not the best arms out there but also not the worst.

Oh yeah, what he said about the short radius arms. Not the best way to go.