2coldnpagosa

Newb here, so rather than just toss the question out, I went through 20 pages of searching and still didn't find my answer.

New to me 07 JKUR with 3" Trail Master puck lift and 35's. Came with NGS Shocks and a few brackets but no front or rear end links. Other owner also removed Rubicon e-sway bar and put another on it. Cant find a name other than a sticker that says "made in Canada".
Jeep runs awesome down the highway, no complaints. I'd like to put quick disconnect end links on the front. I ordered one set and the end links for my 3" lift were 10" long !!! Holy cow! My end links measure 5" center-center which by the looks of others Jeeps sitting in the parking lot, is stock length. The sway bar is parallel with frame, or thereabouts so this tells me the 5" end links are the correct length. How can this be when now 2 aftermarket sets tell me I need 10" quick disco end links? Is the sway bar on wrong? This is a 3" lifted JK but with what appears a stock sway bar and end links. If I mount 9-10" end links I'll have a sway bar that angles up 30+ degrees! I sure hate to buy a whole sway bar just to get one that I know is made for this Jeep. I'm tickled at its highway prowess and love it when its unhooked and climbing rocks. Yes, bumpers are on order (thats what that hard clunk was)

Your wisdom is appreciated.

Mr.T

Mine are ~8" long with a 2" lift, and the arm is almost level.

If the links are too short, they can go over-center on full extension -- I've read of that happening with stock front links and longer shocks. Some lift kit instructions move the rear links (which are longer) to the front. The JKS links on mine are adjustable length, but they have to be cut.

Beyond the link not hitting something and not going over-center, there's the angularity of the arm while at the center of suspension travel -- Which is not necessarily where it sits on level ground. The arm on mine is a tad higher at the link end sitting on level ground, and if I remember correctly, it was angled slightly the other way when it was stock.

I believe that the effect of the torsion bar is changed slightly by setting the arm angle up or down a bit, so that one side is gaining leverage (nearer 90 degrees at the link) and the other is loosing leverage (further away from 90 degrees) -- Never experimented with this, maybe TheDirtman or someone else can comment.

TrailBadger

I find this extremely odd that you say there is a 3'' lift yet the link in the image isn't forced down because it's too short etc. In my opinion, your sway bar is in the perfect orientation. here's two images taken from the JKS site about how to adjust the sway bar end links in order to remain within a respectable range.


Image Front Sway Bar Link Adjustment


Image Rear Sway Bar Link Adjustment.

As Mr.T said it appears that someone moved or ordered another rear sway bar link and simply mounted this on the front. Check to see if there was a drop bracket/spacer added at the sway bar's 2 structural frame supports. It could look like a metal shim about 1'' wide and 4'' long. this would drop the sway bar in order to make up for the sway bar link length difference and create the correct orientation of the sway bar..

Edit:

One thing that seems to have changed, as you've said someone removed the factory Rubicon sway system, which by a red button is pressed the sway bar disconnects allowing fluent motion of the bar without the use of quick disconnect pins


Image offered by Quadratec shows how the sway bar is bent allowing for stock sway bar end links. In your image someone swapped this system for more of a straight bar that allows for a longer sway bar end link.

Often you may hear jeepers saying "flip" in reference to the sway bar because the bar is bent down at an angle as to allow for shorter links. But flipping the bar facing up, this would allow for longer links. The bar in your image seems to indicate that the bar is straight without in up or down bends,

karls10jk

You don't truly have 3" of lift, that's why the stock links look relatively acceptable. That big spacer on top of your coil has crushed it. Google "stock jk curb measurements" and see what you've got. My 2.5" lift definitely has longer links than that and needs them.

Another poster talked about flipping the sway bar to allow for longer or shorter links....that information is incorrect. The links may flip forward as Mr. T noted but "flipping the sway bar" is only half of the story. The Rubicon placed the motor in a relatively low spot if you get into nasty terrain. You can rotate the sway bar disconnect piece up, but that will not change the length of the links you need. The motor is the only thing that moves in that instance.


So measure to see your actual lift and go from there. As mentioned- a set of stock rears or JKS 0-2.5" disco's may be a good choice. I ran my JKS everywhere from stock to 2.5" coil lifts (various manufacturers) and haven't had an issue with them being too long or too short.

resharp001

Pardon my confusion…..you say you bought this jeep with no end links, but then follow that up by saying your end links are 5” long, and then have a picture with small end links attached. I’m going to assume that you added those end links, and NOW you want to add quick disconnects. You say that the previous owner removed the rubi sway bar, and if that picture is your jeep, it looks like you now have just the standard manual sway bar. To me, it looks like the sway bar is angled down in that picture, but guessing that is just optical illusion as you say it is parallel with the ground.

A few things to note here. First, the only thing that really matters is actual net lift…..not whatever stated height it. This is real world and every jeep is different with various mods/weight…they all sit differently. Typically with a “puck” spacer, you’re gonna see pretty close to what it is, but this jeep being so old, maybe the springs are a bit saggy. If you say that sway bar is flat, just based on that picture, I’d say it doesn’t look like you have 3” of lift….but only have 1 picture to base that on. I’d measure your actual net lift….here’s a pic to help:



Sway bar link length is not an exact science. There’s no hard and fast rule that for X lift you need X length links….you just need something that is adjustable within a range to place your sway bar where you want it. You sure the heck don’t need to buy a new sway bar. Any of the quick disconnects you’re looking at should be adjustable. Just pick one in a range of what you need. It doesn’t matter what size lift you have….you’re not really buying links per a lift. If you are confident that you need 5” links….or you need 7” links…whatever, you just measure, then search for a length that fits your criteria. You can’t tell people you have a 3” lift and expect them to know exactly what you need. As noted above, preferably your sway bar is angled up just a couple degrees. You obviously are aware that 30* wouldn’t be good….lol.....and it sounds like 10" is too long <that's what she said > So, just measure (from sway bar to the mount point on the axle), and pick something that gets you to where you know you need to be. Don’t worry about lift height.

jadmt

I bet you get some rattling noises up front with that link being loose. I magine in another few miles that nut will completely come off. Also when you bottom out you are going to get a nasty clank as the joust bumper needs replacing.

jadmt

also take a photo of the frame where the swaybar is connected. Some cheaper lifts use a drop down bracket to lower the swaybar instead of including longer links.

Seizer

Sorry to hijack. Karl I intend on lifting my Jeep 2.5" with the MC kit. I bought JKS quick discos 0-2" figuring that I wasn't going to go beyond 2". I'd like to save some scratch and not get the MC end links, and reuse my JKS ones. Do you have any idea if my JKS will be able to adjust long enough for 2.5" lift?

nthinuf

MC's coils are known to be rather tall, unless you have added a bunch of weight you might expect 3.5" or so of actual lift height. (with a steel bumper and 9500lb winch with steel cable, I am over 4.5" with their 3.5" coils.) You may just have to grab a few measurements after the coils go on and see what you come up with.

resharp001

Chris, your jeep is really light, and as mentioned, you're probably gonna net 3.5" out of the MC springs. The JKS links are likely too short (since they make longer ones sold for taller lifts). Again, it's all about actual net lift. If you have a 2.5" lift, but actually net 3.5".....for all intents and purposes you have a 3.5" lift regardless of what your receipts or boxes say Jeeps change with every mod. I'd bet you dollars to donuts that the links you have won't extend long enough to position your sway bar where you need it, and that you'll need the longer links.