Trying to make a lift decision. I have a 4 door that spends most of its time on the pavement. I have gotten prices on some very complete short arm kits from David at Northridge. I guess a complete set up..8 Currie controll arms, OME long travel kit, JKS front and rear track bars / sway bar links, replacement brakelines and all hardware can be had for about $2200. The ???? is....will I be wishing i did a long arm sometime in the future? I really want to do it right and do it once. I know it all depends on what and how you use your jeep but ..how neccesary are long arms on 4 doors? some seem to be gettin some real nasty flex with just adjustable arms..Ready to buy but cant make up my mind..Any input from you pros would be appriciated. Thanks, Mike

 

How much lift are you wanting? What size of tire are you going to run? what is your budget? What do you use your Jeep for?


I think there have been a few threads about this, you may want to try the search utility too.

 

So are you wanting to build this for driveability on the road, looks or the occasional offrad use? You have to decide which you are building for before anyone can give you specific recommendations.

Also, what size tires are you wanting to run?

There are a lot of quality short arm kits out there that get the job done. I am partial to the ktis that have adjustability, one flex joint such as a Johny Joint and one OME style bushing on one end to keep the quality ride without the transfer of aditional viabrations to the cab, These style arms joined with an AEV type lift is what I am considering. AEV has apprantly spent a lot of time on the spring rates, proper shock valving and positioning of the roll center (referring to the brackets for the track bars).

I do not thave experience with any long arm kits, but am looking into it. I started a thread asking about the teraflex long arm kit, but no response yet. Most people are saying long arm kits are not needed. Then you have to consider the additional cost and the fact that you are forced to make permanent changes upon installation; cutting the old mounts off. I really do not like this aspect. It is difficult to change your mind and go back to a different lift after installation of a long arm kit.

 

The setup you are doing is good; the Currie arms are top quality and everybody likes the way the OME springs ride. The bottom lines is that the TJ really needed longer arms. The factroy blessed the JK with arms that are a whole lot longer thanthe TJ so the JK doesn't really need them. That would be especially true at the amount of lift you'd get with the OME springs. The argument could be made that with lifts in the 5 and 6" area long arms would be better as the shorter arms would be that much further from parallel (to the road). You also have to consider that the longer arms often have bracketry that you can catch on when wheeling. The long arms are supposed to give a better ride on the highway. I would say that for most people long arms aren't worth it.

 

Thank you guys for the input..I am looking to run 35's with the best possible performance on and off road. This Jeeep is a daily driver that sees about 40 road miles a day and two good trail rides every month. I use the Jeep to tow some relatively light eqiptment and materials quite often, which was why I was leaning towards the OME springs. I have been told the HD springs will net me 3 true inches of lift with heavy bumpers front and rear. Any other comparable spring / combos I should look into?..Thanks again guys..I am definately leaning towards some adjustable arms...probably Currie or Clayton

 

Myself, having a 2 door I would say that a long arm kit is much more desirable with the shorter wheelbase. Not wanting a lot of lift I opted for the 3" FT Ultimate and I won't say that I dislike it, but I've been drooling over PiginaJeep's 3" FT long arm ever since he made mention of it. Off-Road all is fine but I still get a fair amount of ass end sway on the highway that wouldn't be there with a long arm kit. Saving my nickels and collecting my time to get it done before summer.