Long Arm or Short Arm??

geo_mou_tj

geo_mou_tj

New member
Hi there,

I know that this is a many times answered question but guys I want your comments.
I’m not a hardcore offroader but I really want to upgrade my arms (complete kit upper and lower).
I was thinking abt Rough Country’s long arm kit since it’s the cheaper one. What tou guys think abt that??
Is it money worthy or should I go to short arm?


Thnx


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geo_mou_tj said:
Hi there,

I know that this is a many times answered question but guys I want your comments.
I’m not a hardcore offroader but I really want to upgrade my arms (complete kit upper and lower).
I was thinking abt Rough Country’s long arm kit since it’s the cheaper one. What tou guys think abt that??
Is it money worthy or should I go to short arm?


Thnx


Sent from my iPhone using WAYALIFE mobile app
Click to expand...

Welcome to Wayalife. Control arms have nothing to do with offroad capability nor necessary upgrades. If you lift your vehicle and want to return your suspension geometry back to factory, adjustable arms are helpful with that. On a really tall lift, long arms will be a better option for comfort while driving on the road. Here's a thread with a lot of info:

https://wayalife.com/showthread.php/11354-Short-arm-vs-long-arm-lift-question
 
geo_mou_tj said:
Hi there,

I know that this is a many times answered question but guys I want your comments.
I’m not a hardcore offroader but I really want to upgrade my arms (complete kit upper and lower).
I was thinking abt Rough Country’s long arm kit since it’s the cheaper one. What tou guys think abt that??
Is it money worthy or should I go to short arm?


Thnx


Sent from my iPhone using WAYALIFE mobile app
Click to expand...

A lot will depend on your setup. What size lift are you running?
I'm assuming you've done homework and know the reasons behind the LA kit, but short version is you can benefit from the LA kit if you're running a taller lift but the benefits you'll most likely see will be increased stability on the road. I don't think the majority will realize off-road benefits. Is it worth it? I think so. Highway stability improves noticeably.

LOL - ^^ quickdraw WJCO beat me to the punch
 
The control arms on a TJ are very short. I don’t have a TJ and so this is somewhat speculative, but I would think your ride would improve pretty dramatically by going to long arms if you have any kind of lift.
 
Having owned and built up a TJ in the past with both short arms and long arms, what I can tell you is that it really depends on how tall of a lift you're running as to whether or not you need long arms. As mentioned, the TJ arms are really short but they still feel pretty good even up to 3"-3.5" of lift. The problem is of course, to run bigger tires, you need a taller lift especially on a TJ and if you get into the 4" range or taller, you'll want long arms to help improve your ride ON PAVEMENT. Off road, they will do nothing for you to improve flex or otherwise.
 
I’m running a 3.5” lift kit with 35’s. Stock arms... :(
From what you guys are telling me I think that I will go with short arms.
Any suggestions??
(As I mentioned before I’m not a hardcore offroader)

Thnx


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I have Rough Country control arms on my JK and would not suggest using them.

1)They only have a bushing on the axle end of the arm and just a greased joint on the frame end. A lot of grit gets in that grease or between the bolt and metal joint causing it to be squeaky.

2) I also believe (not certain if it’s true) having a bushing on both ends instead of just one end, would create a softer ride being that the bushing would absorb some of the jarring. Being that one end is bolt on metal joint, I think it’s a bit harsher.


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geo_mou_tj said:
Both off-road and on-road ride


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If I were you, I would go after your shocks and springs to improve the ride both on and off-road. Depending on your budget for shocks look at the rancho 9000 XLs, fox or king adjustables. For the springs, rancho and synergy make good quality smooth riding springs. The adjustable shocks will give you the ability to set the ride to your specs based of the surface you are on. The arms as said above with help with vehicle control at higher speeds I.E. highway or fast speeds on dirt roads or desert running. The Long Arms really do make a big difference on higher lifts, but from what Eddie had said, I think you are fine short.


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My long arm kit is way smoother and drives way better then when I had the short arms. But they also they are expensive and it’s a ton of work! With a 3” I would just get new arms to recenter the axles and correct the driveline angles.


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wjtstudios said:
If I were you, I would go after your shocks and springs to improve the ride both on and off-road. Depending on your budget for shocks look at the rancho 9000 XLs, fox or king adjustables. For the springs, rancho and synergy make good quality smooth riding springs. The adjustable shocks will give you the ability to set the ride to your specs based of the surface you are on. The arms as said above with help with vehicle control at higher speeds I.E. highway or fast speeds on dirt roads or desert running. The Long Arms really do make a big difference on higher lifts, but from what Eddie had said, I think you are fine short.


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I have Fox shocks and teraflex springs


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geo_mou_tj said:
Guys a friend of mine gave me the pro comp lower control arms (front & rear)

Any comments??
Click to expand...

If you're really looking for an honest opinion, I'd have to ask why your friend got rid of them. From my experience, ProComp makes junk.
 
Those arms aren't adjustable - something you WANT with as much lift as you have. Also, they use polyurethane bushings and they will squeak like a banshee.
 
I have a 00 TJ that is somewhat of a Mutt but it works for me. I have to drive this Jeep on the highway a lot so this is not the set up I would be running if I was doing serious off roading/rock crawling. If that was the case, i would go with GenRights long arm. The majority of my off-road driving is over-landing with a trailer.

RK rear upper and lower arm
RK front upper arms
Rancho front lower arms
JKS 3" springs
Synergy x-over kit
Skyjacker front control arm geometry correction brackets
Rancho track bars with Synergy bracket
Fox ATS(JK Style) steering stabilizer
Metal Cloak sway bar brackets
Falcon 3.3 shocks(won them at Jeep event)

The Jeep started it's life with me as a Stolen recovery, no fenders, bumpers, wheels, or interior. But most importantly NO RUST on the frame and body. It does have a salvage title out of South Carolina though.

There was a lot of trial and error to get to this set-up. I will briefly tell you some of those and why I decided on what i did. I am by no means an authority on any of this but I am proud of how the Jeep rides.

I originally had all RK arms with Rancho springs and Rancho 9000's shocks. The ride was okay but not very comfortable and it had a nasty bump steer.

I swapped the lower arms with Rancho's new synthetic bushing hoping to get a little more comfort and added Skyjacker correction brackets. Clearance was not an issue for me as I am very deliberate of my line choice when off-roading because I am usually not with a group and have to be self sufficient. This def corrected the bump steer but I was still looking for a better ride.

The Rancho springs were linear so I decided to try RK multi rate springs but I was not able to get a set that kept the Jeep level. The first set had me doing a three inch wheelie, i swapped the front springs and the front was now two inches lower. I gave up on the RK springs and went back to the Rancho's for the time being. Another Jeeper suggested I try JKS TJ springs. So I picked up a set of 3" springs from JKS and these were just what i was looking for. Level ride with small bump compliance that firms up nicely. I was going to try Metal Cloak springs after the RK debacle but the gentleman on the phone at MC would not give me the time of day so I moved on. I have heard a lot of good things about them though. In contrast, RK was very accommodating even though we were not able to get the set up I wanted with their springs.

For the shocks, I am currently running Falcon 3.3 but honestly i do not feel any difference over the Rancho 9000's. Considering the Falcons are almost 4 times more expensive, I would stick with the Rancho's. But the Falcons do look cool.

The rest of my set-up is Used Core 44's Detroit in the Back and tru-trac in the front with 4:10's.
 
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