Long Arm vs Mid arm?

17xJKU

17xJKU

New member
I just installed my Metalcloak 3.5 GC kit, but then read up on long arm kits. Are they worth the money for on road manners and off road smoothness? Or am I better off just doing raised track bar and drag link flip? Jeep drives okay now, but I still have not gotten the alignment done. It's only been 2 days now with the lift on.
 
Mid arms are a gimmick. I ran a RK kit and all it did for me was cause issues in the rear where it pushed the rear axle back an inch. bowed springs, trackbar interference, etc. Better to stick to the standard arms or go all in with the long arm kit.

Make no mistake, most of the gains with the LA kit will be improved stability at highway speeds. And it is a big difference. It's like driving a stock Jeep again. Raising your track bar and doing the DL flip with your kit will really improve your situation though.
 
The long arm kit does make a significant difference for road manors at higher speeds. It also tracks straight and is extremely smooth at higher speeds on rough roads or dirt roads.

One of my favorite upgrades, expensive, but worth it.
 
17xJKU said:
I just installed my Metalcloak 3.5 GC kit, but then read up on long arm kits. Are they worth the money for on road manners and off road smoothness? Or am I better off just doing raised track bar and drag link flip? Jeep drives okay now, but I still have not gotten the alignment done. It's only been 2 days now with the lift on.
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Your PR44 already has the raised track bar bracket. So hold on to your factory track bar. All you need is the RH drag link and spacer/shim for the drag link flip. Which is less than $100. You can probably resale the adjustable track bar and use the factory one in the raised location. Follow the write up on setting caster and you'll be good to go.


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Ddays said:
Mid arms are a gimmick. I ran a RK kit and all it did for me was cause issues in the rear where it pushed the rear axle back an inch. bowed springs, trackbar interference, etc. Better to stick to the standard arms or go all in with the long arm kit.

Make no mistake, most of the gains with the LA kit will be improved stability at highway speeds. And it is a big difference. It's like driving a stock Jeep again. Raising your track bar and doing the DL flip with your kit will really improve your situation though.
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Nah, that does not happen.....:rolleyes2:

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A.J. said:
Your PR44 already has the raised track bar bracket. So hold on to your factory track bar. All you need is the RH drag link and spacer/shim for the drag link flip. Which is less than $100. You can probably resale the adjustable track bar and use the factory one in the raised location. Follow the write up on setting caster and you'll be good to go.


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this. i bought the Synergy spacer. then grabbed a Crown Automotive RHD drag link which can be had for around 50 bucks.
 
BaddestCross said:
Long arms are pointless under 4+ inches of lift on a JK. You'll probably want to do the latter though.

Did you get "mid arms" or did your lift come with adjustable arms? Either way, follow this write-up and don't waste your money at a shop...

https://project-jk.com/jeep-jk-write-ups/basic-do-it-yourself-jeep-jk-wrangler-front-end-alignment


--
Build Thread - Adventures of Fiona - https://wayalife.com/showthread.php?t=47407
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I got the mid arm kit through MC. All arms adjustable front and rear. I am, or used to be a very good alignment tech. Did many high end race cars, Ferrari, Lambo, nascars, ect.. but this lifted stuff is new to me. I think I did gain over 4 inches, but still stock rear bumper, and no rail gaurds. MC has a long arm kit. The rear uses same arms, but has a drop bracket. Fronts do use new frame mount and longer arms. I'm considering do it. I wish I would have known before ordering this kit. Seems like everything I've done to my jeep, I've regretted and wish I went a different route.
 
Nah! Your good. Just takes a little time to get it all adjusted right. As you should well know with all the race car stuff you’ve done. You did all the hard work already. Take some time to get the setup right and enjoy it for awhile. Good looking Jeep man.


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17xJKU said:
I got the mid arm kit through MC. All arms adjustable front and rear. I am, or used to be a very good alignment tech. Did many high end race cars, Ferrari, Lambo, nascars, ect.. but this lifted stuff is new to me. I think I did gain over 4 inches, but still stock rear bumper, and no rail gaurds. MC has a long arm kit. The rear uses same arms, but has a drop bracket. Fronts do use new frame mount and longer arms. I'm considering do it. I wish I would have known before ordering this kit. Seems like everything I've done to my jeep, I've regretted and wish I went a different route.
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I did the same thing - I'm on my 3rd lift and its a Frankenlift. If the MC kit uses the same arms it can't be a true LA kit, at least the rear protion. Be wary of drop brackets as you'll lose ground clearance. Its common to gain more lift than the advertised height. The springs will settle some over time but some never do...
 
A.J. said:
Nah! Your good. Just takes a little time to get it all adjusted right. As you should well know with all the race car stuff you’ve done. You did all the hard work already. Take some time to get the setup right and enjoy it for awhile. Good looking Jeep man.


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Thank you for the compliment! I really like to build things right the first time, but it seems I research and research, buy something good, and then find something better. Like my pr44. I wish I would have gone full float 60s, long arm kit, flat black line-x instead of flat crystal granite... turned out to light colored. Everyone says MC handles great, and my axles will be good, but I want to be better than good. I guess I'll dial it in, ana drive it, wheel it, and see how I feel.
 
Ddays said:
I did the same thing - I'm on my 3rd lift and its a Frankenlift. If the MC kit uses the same arms it can't be a true LA kit, at least the rear protion. Be wary of drop brackets as you'll lose ground clearance. Its common to gain more lift than the advertised height. The springs will settle some over time but some never do...
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Wow. 3rd lift.. It sucks, but sometimes you got to to see what's perfect. I just wish I went long arm now. Looking into synergy long arm upgrade kit, and maybe keep my MC coils.
 
17xJKU said:
Wow. 3rd lift.. It sucks, but sometimes you got to to see what's perfect. I just wish I went long arm now. Looking into synergy long arm upgrade kit, and maybe keep my MC coils.
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Yeah, it sucks, but the last was the best so I'm really happy with where I'm at now. Like a lot of people you start a build in one direction and then see something else and end up going in another. I saw all of Eddie's videos and found this site AFTER my first go round. Sounds like you already made up your mind on the LA kit. When I did mine the Synergy was on my short list too. I ended up with the EVO kit, which is similar

https://www.offroadevolution.com/product/evo-mfg-double-d-long-arm-upgrade-jk-jku/

Both allow on the vehicle adjustment, which is really handy, and they both use the Currie Johnny Joint ends. Both say bolt on but with components like these welding them on makes more sense. Good luck with your choice. :thumb:
 
Ddays said:
Yeah, it sucks, but the last was the best so I'm really happy with where I'm at now. Like a lot of people you start a build in one direction and then see something else and end up going in another. I saw all of Eddie's videos and found this site AFTER my first go round. Sounds like you already made up your mind on the LA kit. When I did mine the Synergy was on my short list too. I ended up with the EVO kit, which is similar

https://www.offroadevolution.com/product/evo-mfg-double-d-long-arm-upgrade-jk-jku/

Both allow on the vehicle adjustment, which is really handy, and they both use the Currie Johnny Joint ends. Both say bolt on but with components like these welding them on makes more sense. Good luck with your choice. :thumb:
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Thanks. That evo kit looks almost identical to synergy. same price too. Maybe next year I'll do LA. Try and sell my MC arms. Would you say the LA made a big difference on road? I want mine to feel good driving on long trips. I do 6 hr trips back home few times a year.
 
Any one out there use MC 3.5 GC kit on JKU and like how it handles on road?

And they don't recommend a DL flip and raised track bar for anything under their 4.5 kit. I wounder if it will make a big difference if i do it. My pr44 already has a raised track bar mount welded on, but i put mine in stock location.
 
17xJKU said:
Any one out there use MC 3.5 GC kit on JKU and like how it handles on road?

And they don't recommend a DL flip and raised track bar for anything under their 4.5 kit. I wounder if it will make a big difference if i do it. My pr44 already has a raised track bar mount welded on, but i put mine in stock location.
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You want your drag link and track bar to be parallel to one another and, ideally, to the ground. If you are going to use the raised track bar mount, then you probably will want to flip your drag link. If you are using the stock track bar location and you’re not experiencing bump steer, then you can stick with the non flipped DL.
 
17xJKU said:
Thanks. That evo kit looks almost identical to synergy. same price too. Maybe next year I'll do LA. Try and sell my MC arms. Would you say the LA made a big difference on road? I want mine to feel good driving on long trips. I do 6 hr trips back home few times a year.
Click to expand...

The biggest difference for handling with the LA kit is on the road. It really is night and day.


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17xJKU said:
Any one out there use MC 3.5 GC kit on JKU and like how it handles on road?

And they don't recommend a DL flip and raised track bar for anything under their 4.5 kit. I wounder if it will make a big difference if i do it. My pr44 already has a raised track bar mount welded on, but i put mine in stock location.
Click to expand...

i had a discussion with them on this, and i completely disagree. at 3 inches, it's time to raise that trackbar and flip the drag ling unless you have high steer knuckles.
 
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