Has anyone installed a LA system on their JK yet? Rubicon Express website says they are already shipping their 4 inch system. What are the opinions out there about LA systems? I am planning on a 4-inch lift...can't decide if it's worth the dough to shell out for a Long-Arm. Can anyone explain the benefits of them over the standard lift kits? Thanks for the help.

 

The thing, if it is in fact shipping, has only been out for maybe two weeks. Only thing you will see it on is a SEMA Jeep from last year.

 

We have shipped a few long arm kits and we have one left in stock. I have not heard any feedback yet .

David

 

In the Jk any thing more than a 3" lift and you really do need a long arm system because the rear link angels get to steep to work well.

The steeper the stock length link get the more they will try to lift the drive front tire when climbing

As far as what long arm kit is best, Only time will tell


Mike

 

I received my 4.5 inch RE long arm kit over a week ago, but I'm still waiting on the shocks. They had some issues with the shocks apparently so I had to wait and go with an upgrade to get shocks in some decent time. I was told they would be here early next week. According to everyone I've talked to, Rubicon Express has a good rep in the Jeep world plus the ride quality is supposed to be a little better than the shorter arms. And the obvious bonus of more suspension travel with less binding is good too.

Time always tells. I'll post pics and info after I install and get tires and wheels.

 

Less bindings is good, but your installing radius arms front and rear All they do is bind! For a radius arm rig to flex it has to bind

 

Notice I did say less.

 

That is debatable. Long arm kits do not perform as well on steep hill climbs due to the leverage point on the vehicle. The suspension is working on a pivot/pressure point which is farther towards the front of the vehicle and can apply more force or lift on the front of the vehicle.

Because a short arm kit pushes from the rear of the vehicle there are fewer tendencies for the front to start to lift.

The one problem you will start have with a short arm kit is harsher ride quality as you increase the lift size.

 

aside from RE does anyone else have a long arm kit in the works? Isn;t the main advantage increased wheel travel?

 

Actually the effects that you are describing are not caused by a longarm system, more so the way the long arm system is set up. What your describing is caused by to much anti-squat, there lots of websites out there that have calculators for this stuff, But i really dont want to get into cause and effect of suspension geometry. But here is a short outlook.
The reason a short arm kit with a lot of lift has a harsher ride is due to the arc in which the axle moves. You say the longer the links are the more tendancie it has to lift on the front end, which is un-true; it comes down to link angle and seperation of upper and lower links. Basically the steeper the angle the further back the instant center comes, and the furtherback the instant center comes the harder it plants the rear tires and the more it lifts on the nose. The closer the upper and lower links are at the chassis, the more anti-squat which essentially does the same thing. Unfortunatly most suspension companies dont have the luxury of building a system that works ideal in every situation, so to the fact that their building them to be bolted on in existing platform. One of the other problems of a short arm kit with a lift, on a hard vertical climb the rear end wants to fully extend the rear shocks and walk forward, which effectivly increases anti-squat and lift on the nose because the links are not long enough to have the leverage of actually lifting the front end. Some people mistake this for working better that a long arm kit, is their an ideal bolt on system out their unfortunaly i believe that there are systems that work good and i think the RE kit is one of them.