Front lower control arms

[skiman747]

My 18 Sahara has a 2.5" - 3" spacer lift. I checked the caster and it is sitting at 1.8. From reading multiple posts it appears that the quickest fix to increase caster and stabilize the ride is to increase the lower control arm length. Wanted something that I could put on and forget about it. Would something like the Rubicon Express or Teraflex Sport lower control arms that are fixed length accomplish enough or do I need an adjustable lower control arm? I believe the above arms are 1/2" - 5/8" longer than stock.

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[word302]

If you're going to go through the hassle just get adjustable arms. Metalcloak or Rock Krawler are who I recommend.

 

[skiman747]

Is it possible to use a drop down bracket for the upper control arm and adjustable lower control arms without a bracket. Would this help or hurt with the geometry?

 

[OnlyOne]

Is it possible to use a drop down bracket for the upper control arm and adjustable lower control arms without a bracket. Would this help or hurt with the geometry?

There are no upper control arm brackets. I would follow the advice of @word302. Just get some adjustable lower control arms.

 

[Dagwood]

Is it possible to use a drop down bracket for the upper control arm and adjustable lower control arms without a bracket. Would this help or hurt with the geometry?

There is a drop bracket for the lower control arms. Yes it would work but the install would not be much simpler than replacing the control arms itself and would hang lower to the point of possible rock hitting it.
You have a spacer lift, buying big dollar adjustable control arms is not necessary. A pair of rough country adjustable control arms would be fine and save you a lot of money.
Cue the echo chamber this forum has become. Flame on

 

[Carlton]

Are you certain the caster angle was measured correctly? 1.8° is awfully low.

I wouldn't risk using fixed arms alone. I don't think they will get you to where you want to be from 1.8°. You could combine longer fixed arms (or adjustable) with geometry brackets to get to where it needs to be. This will give you the added benefit of leveling the arms which results in a better ride and less nose dive.

A set of adjustable control arms will work also. I'd look for a brand that is maintenance free.

 

[oceanblue2019]

My 18 Sahara has a 2.5" - 3" spacer lift. I checked the caster and it is sitting at 1.8. From reading multiple posts it appears that the quickest fix to increase caster and stabilize the ride is to increase the lower control arm length. Wanted something that I could put on and forget about it. Would something like the Rubicon Express or Teraflex Sport lower control arms that are fixed length accomplish enough or do I need an adjustable lower control arm? I believe the above arms are 1/2" - 5/8" longer than stock.

Please confirm the caster as 1.8 seems really low even with that lift. Perhaps you are reading off the 6 degree built in backwards and actually 4.2 degrees? That would make more sense for a 2" lifted Jeep.

If your caster is incorrect above, and is closer to 4 degrees, you can cheaply solve this with a set of the Mopar 2" lift LCA's. They are $70 for a pair and will get you where you need to be.

If you plan to do more mods later you may want to jump right to a good set of adjustable LCA's. Several good brands and reading these forums you can see the pro and con's of the various brands. They are about $400 for a good set.

Installation of either of the above is similar, a bit more involved with the adjustable option but it also allows you to get the caster right where you want it.

Also at >2" lift you may need to look at a track-bar for the front, and a track-bar bracket to raise the rear as the factory ones will have your axles uncentered with that much lift.

 

[xtopherm]

Are you certain the caster angle was measured correctly? 1.8° is awfully low.

I wouldn't risk using fixed arms alone. I don't think they will get you to where you want to be from 1.8°. You could combine longer fixed arms (or adjustable) with geometry brackets to get to where it needs to be. This will give you the added benefit of leveling the arms which results in a better ride and less nose dive.

A set of adjustable control arms will work also. I'd look for a brand that is maintenance free.

What's a good brand of adjustable lower control arms that are a good balance of strength, adjustability, low bind, low maintenance and price?

 

[Carlton]

What's a good brand of adjustable lower control arms that are a good balance of strength, adjustability, low bind, low maintenance and price?

Sort of hard to mark all of those boxes.

Rancho and TeraFlex mark most of those but definitely aren't cheap. Teraflex are 100% maintenance free, but use collars rather than jam nuts which may not be as strong. Rancho uses jam nuts, are grease free, but may need to be rebuilt at some point and time.

Rock Krawler and Metal Cloak have more articulation but require maintenance. Rock Krawler requires the use of 000 grease which only they sell. Their arms get noisy and seize up if not maintained. Not good in areas with winter weather.

Something with a stock like joint is much better and will last longer if you live somwhere with winter.

 

[oceanblue2019]

What's a good brand of adjustable lower control arms that are a good balance of strength, adjustability, low bind, low maintenance and price?

If you really want low maintenance I think the two choices are Synergy and Teraflex as they are both pinch versus jam design, and have maintenance free joints.

Everything else is a jam nut setup which I'd want to be checking frequently as they tend to loosen up, and have joints that need to be kept greased.

 

[OnlyOne]

Synergy.

 

[xtopherm]

Sort of hard to mark all of those boxes.

Rancho and TeraFlex mark most of those but definitely aren't cheap. Teraflex are 100% maintenance free, but use collars rather than jam nuts which may not be as strong. Rancho uses jam nuts, are grease free, but may need to be rebuilt at some point and time.

Rock Krawler and Metal Cloak have more articulation but require maintenance. Rock Krawler requires the use of 000 grease which only they sell. Their arms get noisy and seize up if not maintained. Not good in areas with winter weather.

Something with a stock like joint is much better and will last longer if you live somwhere with winter.

Carleton: that is super helpful. Thanks for that info - sounds like you definitely know what you are talking about. I do live in a wintry area, but (1) I work on my own jeep so I am willing to do the maintenance and (2) I had a 20% coupon for Rock Krawler, bringing one of their premium sets down into the high $200s so I decided to give it a whirl. I will keep the old ones and revert if they end up being a nightmare. Really appreciate the help. Thanks!

 

[word302]

Carleton: that is super helpful. Thanks for that info - sounds like you definitely know what you are talking about. I do live in a wintry area, but (1) I work on my own jeep so I am willing to do the maintenance and (2) I had a 20% coupon for Rock Krawler, bringing one of their premium sets down into the high $200s so I decided to give it a whirl. I will keep the old ones and revert if they end up being a nightmare. Really appreciate the help. Thanks!

You won't be sorry. They're one of the few manufacturers with a lifetime warranty for a reason.

 

[Carlton]

You won't be sorry. They're one of the few manufacturers with a lifetime warranty for a reason.

A warranty is only good if they honor it. When a large group from the Wrangler Forum had issues with their parts rusting near instantly, we were all told the same thing. There response was: There is nothing that we can do about it. Remove the products and get them recoated on your own dime...

 

[word302]

A warranty is only good if they honor it. When a large group from the Wrangler Forum had issues with their parts rusting near instantly, we were all told the same thing. There response was: There is nothing that we can do about it. Remove the products and get them recoated on your own dime...

Look man, I realize you had a bad experience. All I can say is I've had the complete opposite experience dealing with them. I wouldn't expect anyone to warranty their finish, but I would expect it to last a reasonable amount of time. The RK stuff is beyond bulletproof. The service I have gotten from them is incredible. When you call them you actually speak to someone who knows what they're talking about. That in itself means the world to me.

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