Am I getting ahead of myself or should I wait for the long arm kits to hit the market.

[JlURT]

I'm trying to build my JLURT and pulled the trigger on a 2.5 RK X factor mid arm kit stage 0, that I can still cancel. Now I'm kind of thinking maybe there is a "better" kit out there, like the long arms kits. I keep hearing long arms give a better ride on and off the highway. I want to build it right the first time and not double down later. I'm really considering canceling that order till I have a better understanding on if I'm making the right choice or not. I'm sure the kit is quality but the question is, is the lift better because it's an long arm which causes the better on and off road ride or is it an different application for different people kind of situation?

A little more info:
I'm going to be running the patagonias in 38x13.5r17 due to the light weight with C rated load. I have my high fenders and stubby bumper. Along with the Falcon 3.3 shocks to control the ride quality to my taste. I also want to keep my COG as low as possible without limiting my suspension as much as possible.

Any helpful info negative or positive will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

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[TroyBoy]

Yeah the long arms are supposed to ride better both on and off road. I can tell you that you will most likely be very happy with the 2.5" RK xFactor. I run that kit and I'm extremely happy with it (Although I only run 35" tires). I assume you are getting aftermarket wheels too. The kit doesn't work with stock wheels because of the way the control arms are bent. Also, make sure you invest in long travel shocks to get the benefit of the awesome flex the RK gives you. I run the Fox 2.0 shocks for a 3.5" to 4" lift.

 

[Martindfletcher]

Yeah the long arms are supposed to ride better both on and off road. I can tell you that you will most likely be very happy with the 2.5" RK xFactor. I run that kit and I'm extremely happy with it (Although I only run 35" tires). I assume you are getting aftermarket wheels too. The kit doesn't work with stock wheels because of the way the control arms are bent. Also, make sure you invest in long travel shocks to get the benefit of the awesome flex the RK gives you. I run the Fox 2.0 shocks for a 3.5" to 4" lift.

I used wheel spacers with stock wheels and 37’s.

 

[bumpit]

On road i cant tell a difference in jk long arms. My buddy has a long arm 2 door jk rubi on 37s and i had a 2 door rubi with xfactor 2.5" with 37s and we wheeled the same stuff. I think mine had a better ride because i had better shocks.

The $$ that a long arm costs not to mention the extra work installing it has not been worth it to me on the jk and I doubt it will on the jl I just ordered but thats just my opinion.

 

[doug_outlawoffroad]

I'm trying to build my JLURT and pulled the trigger on a 2.5 RK X factor mid arm kit stage 0, that I can still cancel. Now I'm kind of thinking maybe there is a "better" kit out there, like the long arms kits. I keep hearing long arms give a better ride on and off the highway. I want to build it right the first time and not double down later. I'm really considering canceling that order till I have a better understanding on if I'm making the right choice or not. I'm sure the kit is quality but the question is, is the lift better because it's an long arm which causes the better on and off road ride or is it an different application for different people kind of situation?

A little more info:
I'm going to be running the patagonias in 38x13.5r17 due to the light weight with C rated load. I have my high fenders and stubby bumper. Along with the Falcon 3.3 shocks to control the ride quality to my taste. I also want to keep my COG as low as possible without limiting my suspension as much as possible.

Any helpful info negative or positive will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

Long arms will perform better all around. If you can wait until January, Rock Krawler should have a JL Long Kit available. Springs, shocks, kit box will all the same, but those arms will certainly be different.

 

[TTEChris]

I have @ROAM long arms and can tell you the difference is night/day. I drive a lot of JL's, including my wife's that has all 8 adjustable "short" arms. Everytime I get back in mine I realize how nice I have it.

 

[bumpit]

What is so much nicer? I found at 2.5 -3.5" of lift on road if I was blindfolded I could tell a difference on road.

I understand the longer the arms the smoother the ride on road but the jk and jl arms arent exactly short like the tj and yj. Legit question as Im assuming im missing something.

Another thing to keep in mind is cost. If your doing your own work or not worried about cost great. If you have to have a long arm put on at a shop it can get costly depending on how it mounts if your in a budget.

I know this is a jk but its a rk 2.5" mid arm xfactor. To give you a idea of how much travel you can get out of them.

 

[TTEChris]

What is so much nicer? I found at 2.5 -3.5" of lift on road if I was blindfolded I could tell a difference on road.

I understand the longer the arms the smoother the ride on road but the jk and jl arms arent exactly short like the tj and yj. Legit question as Im assuming im missing something.

Another thing to keep in mind is cost. If your doing your own work or not worried about cost great. If you have to have a long arm put on at a shop it can get costly depending on how it mounts if your in a budget.

I know this is a jk but its a rk 2.5" mid arm xfactor. To give you a idea of how much travel you can get out of them.

On my JK I actually went from a Metalcloak short arms to RK 3 link long arms(no other changes) At the 4" of lift I was running I actually felt the RK arms rode stiffer, but that probably has to do with the metal joints on the ends vs the Metalcloak duroflex joints. They both flexed extremely well, but the RK long arm did handle better offroad.

 

[bumpit]

On my JK I actually went from a Metalcloak short arms to RK 3 link long arms(no other changes) At the 4" of lift I was running I actually felt the RK arms rode stiffer, but that probably has to do with the metal joints on the ends vs the Metalcloak duroflex joints. They both flexed extremely well, but the RK long arm did handle better offroad.

Im not denying a long arm esp on more than 2.5" of lift will flex better and perform better offroad. I was simply saying on road with 2 quality setups I couldn't tell the difference. Great lookin jk and the flex is awesome but its also got coilovers which im sure you know are a different beast vs reg spring lifts. All I was pointing at was that if your unsure if you need a long arm lift you you more then likely dont need one. When your stepping up to coilovers and long arms your usually wheeling stuff that requires that lvl of investment in time and money. Not knowing the op background I was just assuming by the questioned he asked that he is new to the offroad world.

I see you have good taste in bumpers lol. I was disappointed jcr doesnt make it anymore.

My old 4 door also sporting the dagger

 

[TTEChris]

Im not denying a long arm esp on more than 2.5" of lift will flex better and perform better offroad. I was simply saying on road with 2 quality setups I couldn't tell the difference. Great lookin jk and the flex is awesome but its also got coilovers which im sure you know are a different beast vs reg spring lifts. All I was pointing at was that if your unsure if you need a long arm lift you you more then likely dont need one. When your stepping up to coilovers and long arms your usually wheeling stuff that requires that lvl of investment in time and money. Not knowing the op background I was just assuming by the questioned he asked that he is new to the offroad world.

I see you have good taste in bumpers lol. I was disappointed jcr doesnt make it anymore.

My old 4 door also sporting the dagger

Looks great! I loved JCR's products when they came out. I had their dagger frame chop on the rear of that JK as well.
I had three JK's after that Dozer, and all of them either got Metalcloak or Synergy short arms(When they went to the metalcloak style bushings). I also didn't think there was much of a benefit on road, but at the time it really wasn't a fair comparison due to the change in manufacturer/joint style. My buddy who only had Teraflex lower arms with his EVO bolt on coilover kit purchased my Metalcloak arms and was blown away from the change in ride just by swapping out the arms. They all had around 3-4" lift, except my 2dr which had 2" OME springs.

I have two JL's in the household, my Wife's with full adjustable ROAM short arms, bypass shocks and 2.5" lift, and for comparison(Before I went coilovers) mine with 4" lift and ROAM long arms. If you drove them back to back on your same daily commute you would swear you were in a different vehicle. While both ride/handle nice, the long arms are so much smoother over bumps(Both use the same joints). Her Jeep feels sportier, but mine felt more like an old school Cadillac just gliding over those same bumps(If that makes any sense.) Crappy road imperfections can still be felt in both, and I've all but given up trying to get rid of that in any solid axle Jeep . Well, I could run the tires at 10psi but that doesn't sound safe on road.

Also, not all long arms are equal. While the RK arms offered incredible clearance, they were much shorter than other manufacturers at the time. Back then I didn't care so much about ride quality, and just wanted to build a capable but still semi livable daily driver.

I now want my Jeep to ride like a Mercedes S550 with airmatic suspension on road , and handle fairly well offroad. I realize my hopes are unrealistic, but so far my JL handles/drives better on road than any of my past JK's.

 

[OffRoadWarehouse]

If we are only concerned with ride quality, and not top level offroadability:

Long-Arm lifts are also not going to be necessary for shorter lifts like the 2.5" and possibly up to 3". Adjustable short arms will work fine for ride quality changes (loss of caster) in the suspension and work for even the most picky of customers. Heck! Throw a Teraflex Arm Correction bracket on there if you dont want to invest in any arms.

Once we start talking about 3.5" and above lifts, that's where control arm angle is being more severely affected and a Long-Arm makes complete sense to flatten out those angles.

 

[IPvFletch]

It seems like long arms hold caster better as the front springs compress and uncompress going over bumps, because the angle changes less over that same amount of compression.

I don't see how the longer control arm could enhance ride quality/harshness going over bumps, though. I mean springs and shocks would definitely impact that, but I wouldn't think control arms could.

Off-road it seems like longer control arms will yield better extension when fully uncompressed.

 

[TTEChris]

It seems like long arms hold caster better as the front springs compress and uncompress going over bumps, because the angle changes less over that same amount of compression.

I don't see how the longer control arm could enhance ride quality/harshness going over bumps, though. I mean springs and shocks would definitely impact that, but I wouldn't think control arms could.

Off-road it seems like longer control arms will yield better extension when fully uncompressed.

This theory may be off, but I believe the more parallel the ground the control arms are the better the ride will be since the springs/shocks will be doing most of the work. The more of an angle the arms are down I would presume would be putting force on not only the springs/shocks but now the control arms to the body.. The drop brackets mentioned above do essentially the same thing as a long arm kit for ride quality at the expense of those brackets hanging down. I would rather drag on a control arm than catch on those brackets offroad, but for those that will never go rock crawling the brackets do provide a drastic improvement on ride quality/drive-ability as well.

 

[Rock Krawler Suspension]

Our long arm kits will be out January 1st, the 3.5" Adventure Series Long Arm will be on display at SEMA next week. On Nitto 38x13.50x20's, not aired down, we went 41.5" from ground to bottom of tire on our forklift. The final details are not finished yet, but here's a quick peek.

 

[19JL]

Our long arm kits will be out January 1st, the 3.5" Adventure Series Long Arm will be on display at SEMA next week. On Nitto 38x13.50x20's, not aired down, we went 41.5" from ground to bottom of tire on our forklift. The final details are not finished yet, but here's a quick peek.

I can’t wait for this kit!

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