TJ / LJ Suspension and recommendations?

vermonster:
i have had 2, 6" short arm kits that both failed and were miserable to drive in my 05 unlimited rubi. i now have a 6" rockkrawler long arm and am completly satisfied and running 35's no problem. it ain't cheap but worth every dime.

the 6" RK is much to tall and doesn't even equal the flex of a 2.5"sa lift running 14" travel shocks and 35's.... of course it's not a bolt on process but its alot better LCG for most wheeling.

anyone can bolt on 12" travel shocks, the ride suffers without shock relocation which is all you need, not more lift. or a 3000$ LA lift.  
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certainly not too tall. on an lj that added hight creats a much better break over hieght. i can also run 37's no problem for those hardcore spots.
the short arm kits are flexy but are junk. when you run off the factory mounts, things break. i literally only see pavement occasianally where i live so a quality lift is what i was after.

is there a short arm kit 4'' or under that doesn't try to get you to reuse those weak factory uppers? I don't think so. the six inch kits creat to much leverage and make for a bone jarring ride.  

This thread is full of advice about the limitations of the TJ short arm suspension. This thread has tried to steer people in the right direction so they don't have to spend money on lifts that don't work and lifts they won't be happy with.

Thank you for your post about your two short arm 6" experiences. It will help others from making the same mistake. Maybe. (Where's Dustin theses days? LOL)

It's really tuff to talk people out of the big lift thing. But they always come around after they've spent money and got a miserable performing setup.

Six inches is too much lift! Especially for 35s.

You talk about break-over angles without regard to center of gravity. A lower center of gravity is always helping you out on the trail. Should it be compromised for break-over angle?

What about your front trackbar and its miserable angle? The miserable angle of your draglink? Ya these can be fixed too, but more money. These would not necessarily need to be addressed for a 4" Long Arm but would be mandatory for a 6" lift. 4" of lift would be fine for 35" tires.

What? You might grow from 35s and you need the extra lift. Nope. Highline fenders, tube fenders, rear corners would be the correct answer. And 37s or larger need bigger axles, bigger brakes, and on and on.

Ya, six inches is too much. That is if done right, it is way over most people's budget and just simply not needed!  

vermonster:
certainly not too tall. on an lj that added hight creats a much better break over hieght. i can also run 37's no problem for those hardcore spots.
the short arm kits are flexy but are junk. when you run off the factory mounts, things break. i literally only see pavement occasianally where i live so a quality lift is what i was after.

is there a short arm kit 4'' or under that doesn't try to get you to reuse those weak factory uppers? I don't think so. the six inch kits creat to much leverage and make for a bone jarring ride.

I hate to break it to ya but I can run 38.5's on my 2.5" lift.....

to bad the tj axels can't..

O' an yes there are 4" and under kits with both uppers and lowers that no one is likely to bust and the caster can be adjusted to 8 degrees for the smaller tires...

the ride quality exceeds the ride long arms also. especially LA's that have heims instead of bushing....

the arms are made by JKS... anyone who knows as much as they think they know, would know about these and the ride quality they provide on suspension from 0"-4" meets or exceeds a LA lift, one other thing... they don't get hung up on the rocks either like the 6" LA does on the same or lower height obstacle a 2.5" lift on SA's will.

NOW... notice the uppers shorten shorter than stock and lengthen enough to use as a custom semi mid arm.









I know ya ca't argue with ignorance...so anything else ya need to know that ya might think ya already know?

the pics are of cb3's LJ I've been working on. I guess I wouldn't know what I'm talking about since I get paid to do custom jeep mods even though I'd do it for free.  
****************************************
see me at.. robsoffroad.com



looking for how to info to mod your tj?  
check out http://www.stu-offroad.com/index.html
and help support the most helpful jeep site on the i-net...

There has already been a lot said about the disadvantages of a bigger than 4 inch short arm lifts in this thread, so I don't have much too ad. What I will ad is the all too often end result of a poorly planned lift that is way too big and compromises the safety of a Jeep.

Below is a picture of my 06 Rubicon Unlimited laying on its side. This is a direct result of a 6 inch short arm lift. Everything these guys are saying is absolutely true. My COG was way too high and the short arms weren't capable of handling the extra weight of the tires and the forces created by the high COG. The end result was my lower control arms were stretched to their limit and one folded over going around a corner in the dirt. Thank god this happened at 20 MPH instead of 60 MPH out on a road.

 

your last statement really sums up alot about you heh?you must be "the man" since you just told me that you were.
i'm glad you have such a strong opinion on how to do things right, but you really stink at getting your point across in a professional manner.

38's on a 2.5" lift? i forgot you guys don't have mud out there either.  

wicked bummer bro, glad you are okay.  

vermonster:


38's on a 2.5" lift? i forgot you guys don't have mud out there either.



if we don't have mud, you don't know what mud is.... we have the kind that turns a bogger in to a mud ball even spinin em at 100mph.  
****************************************
see me at.. robsoffroad.com



looking for how to info to mod your tj?  
check out http://www.stu-offroad.com/index.html
and help support the most helpful jeep site on the i-net...

Mudb8 knows his stuff.  

Yeah, that's the way to tell them Mud, by the way, hows life been going on here anyway? I see this thread has grown tramendously since the last time I was on here. I wished I had some pics to post of my Jeep. I have yet to get it lifted?  Well, I was able to add the 1.25" body lift with 1" raised motor mounts. However, due to the wife and economy I have not been quite fortunate enough to get the rest..  Good thing she doesn't read this...  
'05 Rubicon, 1.25" JKS Body Lift, 1" Riser motor mounts, 265/75/16 Maxxis Bighorns.

Hey, I'm both new here and a new Jeep owner (2000 Wrangler 4.0). I'm looking to get a 4" lift and 35" tires and- please don't hate me- was about to get one from Rough Country til I found this thread. You guys seem to both REALLY know your stuff and like OME so I was thinking about this one instead:
http://www.rocky-road.com/tjtrailblazer.html
here are my questions- a)just in general, what do you think about it? and b)the main reason I was going after a complete, big name kit is because I'll be doing it myself (I'm new to Jeeps and offroading, not mechanics) so what else would I need/would you recommend? I only ask because there seems to be a lot fewer parts in this kit than the others I've looked at and earlier in the thread, there were comments about OME being suspension kits, not lift kits. I know to get the SLE and CV shaft, but beyond that, I need any help you can offer.

Thanks in advance  

Check out DPGoff-road.com on thier OME suspension lifts. I have been saving for the Ultimate kit but now Im saving for the Super Ultimate kit.  

Thanks, heading over to check it out now. Was there something you didn't like about the kit I posted, or is this just one that you prefer?