I had a TJ with a 2.5 inch lift that required me cutting out to fit a cam bolt. I was looking at a Pro Comp 2.5 inch lift that looks like it comes with a cam bolt too. I don't like the idea of cutting out for a cam bolt. Is this that big of a deal or should it be fine? Will it effect my ability to upgrade to a larger lift in the future?

 

since I am not mechanically inclined at all, I know nothing about cam bolts, but i keep seeing people ask about them. what are they and why are they evil?

 

Do I need adjustable arms with a 2 to 2.5 inch lift? Is there a lower cos lift with adjustable control arms?

 

Cams look like offset washers. They are a very inexpensive way to adjust the caster a small amount. (notice that you will generally find them in very cheap lifts, but not on higher priced, more complete lifts).

Check the pics in the first post: Notice the lines on both cams. One is straight across, indicating that the cam is ok. The other is broken, indicating that the cam has slipped.
https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/show...t-do-you-think

 

Do not use cambolts. They will cause damage that is not easily repaired. Spend the $200 and get adjustable control arms. You won't regret it and your ride will be smoother.

 

Maybe you should see how it handles with just the stock control arms first. I have a 4.5" Trailmaster lift that uses all the stock control arms and it does not use cam bolts either. My Jeep handles just fine without going to adjustable arms or cam bolts.

Here's the lift that I got....pretty simple, but it works good.

http://www.trailmastersuspension.com...CKS&Active=Yes

 

i completely agree however...
5inch lift with no control arms? that sounds crazy! i mean, ignoring handling, what about your drive shafts? or basic alignment? i mean, do you ever take your jeep past 45 mph?

 

I had some minor "flighty" steering when I first got the Jeep, but later found that my tires were way over inflated by the dealership. They had 45psi in them and it made for a bumpy ride. After I dropped the psi to 30, the handling now is very good, the ride is a lot smoother, and the flighty feeling is gone, no bump steer or anything like that either.

I bought the Jeep with the lift already on it. The front driveshaft on a 4dr is a given with any lift this big...it will eventually need to be replaced, but why replace it if I don't need to yet?
I have driven my Jeep up to 130 kilometers per hour on the highway with no problem, but don't generally feel the need to go over 110 on the highway. It actually even tracks a little better at highway speeds, but overall at any speed, I have no issues....nothing that would cause me to warrant buying adjustable control arms.

Anyways, I feel as though that old saying makes a lot of sense...."If it ain't broke, don't fix it." My rear driveshaft has no problems whatsoever, angle and CV boot are both good and good condition, don't forsee the need to replace the rear shaft. My front driveshaft has the expansion boot torn a little, but the CV boot and joint are still good. I was told by one of the more mechanically knowledgable members on this forum that I would not need to worry about adjustable control arms if I got an aftermarket 1310 driveshaft for the front. It is the rear shaft where pinion angles and such are critical and I would need the adjustable control arms there.

Overall, I am very happy with the way my Jeep performs both on and off road. Maybe Trailmaster just makes really good stuff?

 

Just to clarify, you are sure that you do still have stock ca's? No Cams? No longer/shorter fixed arms? No brackets? And no adjustable arms?

For me, at 3" the flightyness was fairly noticeable, at 4" I definitely needed to adjust the caster. So a 5" lift promoting the use of stock arms just doesn't make sense.

 

I took some pictures from underneath my Jeep so you could see what I got. As far as I can tell, those are the stock control arms...at least they look stock to me. Unless I have some different style of cam bolts, (other than oval washers) if such a thing exists, then I'm pretty positive I don't have those either. Can still see the cutout tabs where cam bolts are supposed to go. I don't think I have drop brackets either, but not really sure how those would look. Maybe you can tell me why my Jeep rides so good like this? Or maybe I'm just not that picky with the way it handles. For me it seems like it handles just fine, the steering is a little sensitive sometimes, but mostly that's only if it's really windy on the highway. I'm happy with it anyways. Even my girlfriend say's the Jeep handles just fine for her. I'm not that mechanically knowledgable, so maybe you can see something I don't?