So Ive got a nice 2 door 2012 JK with a 3" BDS lift with 1" risers on top of the springs and I have the Fox shocks and the basic Fox steering stabilizer...

I've driven a friends JK and I've certainly driven my JK 31,000 miles with upgrades added from when I bought it new, but I no expert who can tell you what's different between the way two different JK's drive, or really tell you in words the difference between different mods I've done etc.

So currently I'm up on 37's and overall I'm happy with the way it handles, the me characteristic I'd like to change is how the front end tends to bob up/down when in first gear and I accelerate or decelerate...is that shock related?

I do take it off-road a lot more than most folks, so I'd like to have it setup to handle rocky trails and have a moderate amount of flex (for lack of a better word)

I am making a concerted effort to keep the cog as low as is practical, but when coming off of an obstacle I do occasionally get a moderate thump of the skid plates bottoming out etc.

Would better/longer shocks help with that?

Am I making any sense here?

matthew

 

It is mainly the screwed up geometry of running a 4" lift on short arms. Shocks are not going to do much for you.

 

First off, thank you for all the time and information you've provided to everyone here, I've tried to read everything I've seen you post and I'm happy you read through my rambling call for help!

I suspected I would hear about the fixed short arms...my mechanic has been telling me that the path I'm headed down is towards long arm's

i am just trying to keep it simple and to keep everything in balance, avoiding overkill or monies spent in the wrong direction(s)

I've been reading up on long arms and it gets overwhelming, even to someone fairly well versed in very technical fields...

I've yet to come across a long arm kit that seemed like the right fit (both physically and build concept wise)

matthew

 

Like dirtman said, your geometry is f*cked. You are getting quite a bit of squat it sounds like. Nothing short of a well engineered long arm kit will help.

 

I think it's due to the CG (Center of Gravity) simply being 4+ inches higher. The higher the CG, the more leverage to compress the springs. The nose should dive more while braking as well.

If you exaggerated the situation with a really high CG, imagine how much easier it would be for the same force applied to the CG to tilt fore and aft on the springs.

Stiffer shocks would delay the effect, and stiffer springs would lessen the effect, but you may not want either of those due to the side-effects. Haven't thought though why longer arms would help this, but would like to understand it.

 

It happens due to the orentaion of the control arms being pointed down instead of flat when you lift the jeep. The more angle you put in the control arms the more energy is transfered due to acceleration to the coils which compress them and force the rear end to squat when accelerate, the oppisite happens when you brake, weight is transfered from the rear of the vehicle to the front cmpressing the front coils and causing brake dive. The flatter your lower control arms the more the weight transfer will be absorbed by the arms into the body instead of the suspension.

 

I've had my eye on the Clayton long arm kits...

They offer bolt in long arm kits, either 3.5" or 4.5"

Keep in mind that I've got the Dynatrac pro rock axles (only in that I believe they've varied their geometry a little bit)

Plus I am on 37's

Which would be more appropriate, 3.5" or 4.5" or none of the above?

matthew

 

Do you really want your axle held on by just two points at the frame?

 

Second dumbest question, how many points hold it on with the factory suspension?

matthew

 

There are 4 on the factory suspension. You may want to look up radius suspension design in your reseach, it has been debated to death already on the forums.