Long Arms

[xjmoser]

Im looking at upgradeing my lift and going with longarms. What do you guys think about the RockControl kit($675)?

http://www.rockcontrol.com/Suspension/XJ.htm


I also like the T&tcustoms y-link ($899.95)

[Scrub]

wow that rock control kit looks good and you cant beat that price....

And i really like the Ylink also :)

-Matt-

[Denis]

i like rockcontrol frame sleeve, do they sell the exact same version?

[DBXJ]

ive seen this kit before my friend in redding has it and he's very pleased with it

[kairo]

I dunno Tom. That $700 could be an ARB ;)

Looks like a quality setup though.

[PizzaJeep]

i like the look of it... the most important thing is to be able to get the frame strengthened, and it looks like that xmember does that it a little more... which is good... the more lift and more tire you put on your xj, the more torque and force the nonexistant frame has to put up with.

what kind of joints do you think the arms use??? if its just rubber bushings, you should ask for a johnny joint or superflex joint upgrade... less binding is very good too, otherwise just cut off the rubber and weld some good joints onto it

[xjmoser]

Tony I believe its Jonny Joints.

Im really leaning towards the rockcontrol setup. After its installed im gonna run braces from my rockers the the sleeved rails.

[blackwidow]

i like the rock control set up tom.....but i like the x-member of the tnt system better.......to bad you couldn't get jut the parts you wanted from each one.... :yup:

[kairo]

<hijak>
does anyone know if there's a benefit of long arms vs. adjustable control arms?

</ hijak>

[Scrub]

With long arms you get more atriculation and Even Better Control Arm Angle's plus most of the time you get a nice belly skid

[PizzaJeep]

long arms are the way to go if you have the scrilla.. end of story.... the longarms make for better angles, better stability, stronger, better lateral movement control- they help driveline angles by (depending on which kit) making zero caster angle change as the suspension cycles.. there are millions of benefits to longarms, the only drawback is the money and time involved

[Denis]

With long arms you get more atriculation

not true. in most cases the shock is a limiting factor in flex regardless of short or long arms. if you removed the shocks, then yes, the long arms have a longer range of travel.

[Denis]

long arms are the way to go if you have the scrilla.. end of story.... the longarms make for better angles, better stability, stronger, better lateral movement control- they help driveline angles by (depending on which kit) making zero caster angle change as the suspension cycles.. there are millions of benefits to longarms, the only drawback is the money and time involved

only true 4 link suspesions will keep the caster unchanged throughout travel (Full Traction). radius arms (like RE) will change caster as the suspension travels.

[Zebaru]

There a ton of threads on NAXJA regarding long arms unloading on climbs, and other such stability problems. The hardcore appear favor some sort of mid arm setup, and definitely look down upon anything hanging below the 'frame' a signifcant amount (like the rock control x-member). I have no experience with them of course, but it would appear that if you are willing to do some fabrication, you could put together something better than either of these options.

Given how easy it is to plate the frame, I wouldn't make my decision on that component alone.

[EricsXJ]

Of both kits mentioned, I like the TNT kit the best and have been tempted to upgrade my suspension to that as well. I want to run what I have for at least through this season though, so maybe next year thats what I'll do...

As far as long arms vs short arms, the major drawback to most LA kits is as Zebaru mentioned, the mount hanging down lower than the frame rail. Since it is further back on the frame rail (toward the center of the jeep), it becomes very vulnerable and reduces your clearance. But, most control arms used are beefy enough to take the abuse. Heck, my short arms have their share of rock rash too. Anyway, the TNT kit has the arms mount to the side of the frame rail, not below and I think this is a major advantage they have, not to mention the very nice crossmember / skidplate with a 1" integrated t-case drop.

[PizzaJeep]

very true.. every system is different.. i dont prefer the RE longarm system stock out of the box.. all of the torque is resting on the lower arms... the top connects to the bottom which connects to the belly pan mount.. when i do mine here in the next few months, its going to be a 3 link front and rear probably... that way i have it trianguated, theres no need for a track bar, and the caster stays the same as the suspension cycles- not that it matters much but keeping proper driveline angles while being flexed out is very good for your u joints

scrub is kinda right still on the articulation- true, that shocks (or possibly sway bars) are generally the limiting factor on downtravel of suspension, but the longarm vs. shortarm battle is in the hands of the longarms on this one too... having shortarms and making them flex all the way out will bring the wheel as far down as it can, but also bring it in closer to the center of the frame, effectively making the wheelbase shorter- and by quite a few inches depending on how long your shocks or sway bar will allow your axle to drop. its mathematics, specifically trig- and its the same cocept as bumpsteer which no one likes... when one side drops, the arms pull, and change direction of steering, in this case, with shortarms, it changes the length apart of the front axle from the rear axle...
longarms fix this by having a longer circle of travel to cycle through- its following the path of a larger circumference and therefore keeps the wheelbase more normal for a longer amount of time- you can still get the effects of an axle drop bringing the axle closer to the rear axle, but thats after 5 feet instead of 1 foot of axle drop, longarm vs. shortarm respectively


i ran out of things to say so... period for now till someone else gives me something to go off on a tangent on

[xjmoser]

T&T kit showed up today.

I am impressed with the quality of the parts. They are very beefy :yup:

The only thing I can see right off that I dont like is the fact its not painted. It comes raw metal.

I would think for the $ I paid for this thing it would of atleast been rattle canned.

Ill rattle can it tomorrow and install the cross member after work :D


I forgot my camera today so you have to wait til tomorrow for pics.

[DBXJ]

well tom open tommow so i can swing on by and help if u need it

[blackwidow]

congrats tom....that is stupid that it is raw....you think it would at least been painted some way

[Sauce]

congratulations, if you want a shop biatch to come and help with the install, let me know, i will keep my saturday open for you ;)

[xjmoser]

The belly pan is in. A very big thanks to Eric for his help.

Ill try to post pics tonight.

[xjmoser]

Bolt on my ***

[blackwidow]

lol, yea the thing was nothing but a pain in the A$$! Where do they think it is a bolt on? More like bolt-on with a lot of elbow grease :crazy:

[EricsXJ]

sheesh! All you had to do was bolt on the arms! How hard could that have been? (I thought we did all the hard stuff Wednesday night...)

[xjmoser]

sheesh! All you had to do was bolt on the arms! How hard could that have been? (I thought we did all the hard stuff Wednesday night...)


Thats what I thought. :eek:

[scorpion]

Bolt on my ***

Oh come awn!!! We've had guys compare our install to that of installing our drop brackets. With how you installed it, you now have a subframe which ties your unibody rails together and gives your suspension a worth while foundation to tie into and a bulletproof skid.

Unless of course you were cool with the stock molded sheet metal mounts. :p


The install is a bolt-on install but it's not easy. As you found, you don't need many tools but you did have to invest a little time. I had a friend that took nearly 2 hours to install shocks...guess easy is relative.

You will soon find that the result was well worth the investment.

Matt

P.S. You did need to bolt the arms in too...you didn't forget to do that right? ;)

[blackwidow]

P.S. You did need to bolt the arms in too...you didn't forget to do that right? ;)

Oh so that's what those extra bolts were for tom :yup:

[xjmoser]

Its bad ***!

I underestimated what it would take to put in. There is quite a bit of drilling to go with the bolting ;)


Your right it is well worth the effort it took to install.


Im gonna go beat the crap out of them next week on the rubicon :D and Ill let you know how it holds up. 31s 4" lift, I think its gonna be beat hard. (the only way to beat it) :eek:

[xjmoser]

I swapped my old coils and spacers back in for the rubicon trip. With the arms installed it sure makes it alot simlper.

Unbolted the shocks and track bar and thats it.

I think I need longer shocks to get full use of the arms.

[EricsXJ]

I think I need longer shocks to get full use of the arms.

We could always take off your shocks for the trail :eek: but then I'm sure you'd be dropping coils left and right!

[xjmoser]

We could always take off your shocks for the trail :eek: but then I'm sure you'd be dropping coils left and right!


:yup:

My shocks are about 5"to short in that pic.


Im gonna build a spacer for the trip to give a little more travel.

[kairo]

I can't make it down to the shop this morning :@ nor to bronco canyon. Work interferes yet again :\