Control Arms - Metalcloak or Teraflex IR

[Halstem1]

Trying to decide on some control arms to compliment my Mopar lift and provide a platform for upgrades later. I know this is opinion based and I think I know the general forum response but want to ask anyway...

I'm looking for a complete set of control arms. I want no maintenance bushings. Preferably a rubber bushing to maintain the best on road ride quality. I also want something that will allow plenty of wheel backspacing without rubbing. Additionally I want superior corrosion protection since I live in the Midwest and they use heavy salt on the winter roads. Ideally something that is serviceable in the future if bushings need replaced.

I don't want grease fittings or metal on metal joints. I am expecting some additional flex but I am not looking for max articulation. I don't want more than 4.5" of wheel backspacing.

I have it narrowed down to Metalcloak and Terraflex Alpine IR. Is there a strong reason to choose one over the other?

Metalcloak:
Pro: cost less, GREAT performance reviews, zinc claims good corrosion resistance, HIGHLY recommended
Cons: jam nuts to maintain, if corrosion starts unable to touch-up zinc, less OEM look, shipping time

Teraflex:
Pros: OEM look, clamp collars to tighten, faster shipping, supported by teraflex R&D, lifetime warranty(?)
Cons: Cost more by few hundred dollars, sometimes e-coating sucks, less popular so less reviews, newer tech so unsure of longevity, likely less flex although not sure I care for my uses

both claim optimal on-road vibration dampening. Both have zero maintenance bushings. both provide clearance for stock wheels. both offer replacement bushings for future repairs.

Any strong opinions for or against?

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[Headbarcode]

Well, Metalcloak uses a high quality solid bar construction. That smaller profile along with the inward bend of the lower control arms, would probably offer the most tire clearance with stock or cost to stock wheel offsets.

Teraflex uses a heavy walled tube construction, similar to the Synergy arms that i have. If the bends are similar, there's a higher chance of rubbing. I had 315/70-17 BFG KO2's on factory wheels that rubbed the lca's at full lock.

I wanted the same as you, when I was shopping. Greaseless, nvh, and adjustable on the vehicle without jamb nuts. Same wintery road conditions and use of salt, so i wanted to stay away from Johnny joints. I narrowed down to Synergy and Teraflex IR (original ones use the same rubber as factory). I went with Synergy because they have the proven history.

Between Metalcloak and Teraflex, I'd go with the former. Again, proven history and a reputation for outstanding products. Jamb nuts and all. As far as the gold colored zinc. They're mostly out of sight until one gets more intimate with the ground, or when flexing offroad.

 

[4LOWYO]

Before I bought MC arms I watched a video on YouTube by Teraflex where they had to drop the IR arms out of the mounts to tighten up the clamp bolts. Seemed like a hassle to check them periodically. I haven't had issues on my jam nuts loosening up on the MC arms, but I put a paint line on them so I could watch for it.

 

[Halstem1]

Well, Metalcloak uses a high quality solid bar construction. That smaller profile along with the inward bend of the lower control arms, would probably offer the most tire clearance with stock or cost to stock wheel offsets.

Teraflex uses a heavy walled tube construction, similar to the Synergy arms that i have. If the bends are similar, there's a higher chance of rubbing. I had 315/70-17 BFG KO2's on factory wheels that rubbed the lca's at full lock.

I wanted the same as you, when I was shopping. Greaseless, nvh, and adjustable on the vehicle without jamb nuts. Same wintery road conditions and use of salt, so i wanted to stay away from Johnny joints. I narrowed down to Synergy and Teraflex IR (original ones use the same rubber as factory). I went with Synergy because they have the proven history.

Between Metalcloak and Teraflex, I'd go with the former. Again, proven history and a reputation for outstanding products. Jamb nuts and all. As far as the gold colored zinc. They're mostly out of sight until one gets more intimate with the ground, or when flexing offroad.

So, I noticed the smaller profile tubing of the Metalcloak and wondered if that allowed more clearance. I have spoke with people running both and I've been told they will clear 4.5" of backspacing. I had the synergy lower front arms and they definitely had clearance issues at full turn that I don't have with even the stock arms. I was told rock krawler and the synergy both have upward bends to allow increased ground clearance. I believe that MC and Terafex both bend inward to allow tire clearance. but the tube diameter could come into play. This is all on research and haven't actually seen each.

Do you think the gold zinc will hold up to salt? Or do all parts just look like rusty crap after a few years? As I type that, i'm realizing the factory parts don't even hold up to the salt very well. Makes me wonder if the zinc will actually hold up better. Hmmm.

 

[Halstem1]

Before I bought MC arms I watched a video on YouTube by Teraflex where they had to drop the IR arms out of the mounts to tighten up the clamp bolts. Seemed like a hassle to check them periodically. I haven't had issues on my jam nuts loosening up on the MC arms, but I put a paint line on them so I could watch for it.

I agree, I saw the install of the teraflex and cringed a little. You have to install and then basically uninstall to tighten. I never thought about having to check the torque later. Good point.

 

[Roky]

So, I noticed the smaller profile tubing of the Metalcloak and wondered if that allowed more clearance. I have spoke with people running both and I've been told they will clear 4.5" of backspacing. I had the synergy lower front arms and they definitely had clearance issues at full turn that I don't have with even the stock arms. I was told rock krawler and the synergy both have upward bends to allow increased ground clearance. I believe that MC and Terafex both bend inward to allow tire clearance. but the tube diameter could come into play. This is all on research and haven't actually seen each.

Do you think the gold zinc will hold up to salt? Or do all parts just look like rusty crap after a few years? As I type that, i'm realizing the factory parts don't even hold up to the salt very well. Makes me wonder if the zinc will actually hold up better. Hmmm.

Paint them

 

[oceanblue2019]

Trying to decide on some control arms to compliment my Mopar lift and provide a platform for upgrades later. I know this is opinion based and I think I know the general forum response but want to ask anyway...

I'm looking for a complete set of control arms. I want no maintenance bushings. Preferably a rubber bushing to maintain the best on road ride quality. I also want something that will allow plenty of wheel backspacing without rubbing. Additionally I want superior corrosion protection since I live in the Midwest and they use heavy salt on the winter roads. Ideally something that is serviceable in the future if bushings need replaced.

I don't want grease fittings or metal on metal joints. I am expecting some additional flex but I am not looking for max articulation. I don't want more than 4.5" of wheel backspacing.

I have it narrowed down to Metalcloak and Terraflex Alpine IR. Is there a strong reason to choose one over the other?

Metalcloak:
Pro: cost less, GREAT performance reviews, zinc claims good corrosion resistance, HIGHLY recommended
Cons: jam nuts to maintain, if corrosion starts unable to touch-up zinc, less OEM look, shipping time

Teraflex:
Pros: OEM look, clamp collars to tighten, faster shipping, supported by teraflex R&D, lifetime warranty(?)
Cons: Cost more by few hundred dollars, sometimes e-coating sucks, less popular so less reviews, newer tech so unsure of longevity, likely less flex although not sure I care for my uses

both claim optimal on-road vibration dampening. Both have zero maintenance bushings. both provide clearance for stock wheels. both offer replacement bushings for future repairs.

Any strong opinions for or against?

I dislike the Teraflex design. The clamp setup is great on a setup like Synergy which gets you on the vehicle adjustments. But in the TF case it's pointless - you still got to remove an end to adjust. So why go clamp?

Go Synergy if on the vehicle adjustment matters.

Go RK or MC for tried-and-true "big panties needed" jam nuts.

The new updated RK ends hold grease a lot better and longer. They are not the maintenance issue they used to be. All arms shipping now have this new design, which can be retrofitted. You also don't need the special grease any longer.

 

[oceanblue2019]

So, I noticed the smaller profile tubing of the Metalcloak and wondered if that allowed more clearance. I have spoke with people running both and I've been told they will clear 4.5" of backspacing. I had the synergy lower front arms and they definitely had clearance issues at full turn that I don't have with even the stock arms. I was told rock krawler and the synergy both have upward bends to allow increased ground clearance. I believe that MC and Terafex both bend inward to allow tire clearance. but the tube diameter could come into play. This is all on research and haven't actually seen each.

Do you think the gold zinc will hold up to salt? Or do all parts just look like rusty crap after a few years? As I type that, i'm realizing the factory parts don't even hold up to the salt very well. Makes me wonder if the zinc will actually hold up better. Hmmm.

Did you try setting the steering stops on the front to stop contact? It usually doesn't take a lot. It might mean what used to be a tight single turn becomes a two point, but BFD for as much as that happens.

 

[TxJeepers]

Ran Metalcloak front lowers on a JK with great success. Never had an issue with the jam nuts. Adjusted once for the lift, torqued down and never had to address them again. They had lots of wheeling trips and over 40k miles when I sold the Jeep. Good product.

Currently running Teraflex Alpine front lowers on my JL. So far so good with them. Not the IR but I didn't see the cost/benefit/value for my needs. Either way I like the clamp style vs jam nut. It's easier to torque the clamp after dialing them in vs torquing a jam nut.

You can't go wrong with either. Both are maintenance free and should provide years of set it and forget performance after dialed in and torqued.

 

[TxJeepers]

I agree, I saw the install of the teraflex and cringed a little. You have to install and then basically uninstall to tighten. I never thought about having to check the torque later. Good point.

Interesting. I didn't have to do this with mine and the instructions received with the arms from Teraflex didn't say to do this. I dialed in the length and torqued down the sleeve while on the vehicle.

 

[Halstem1]

I dislike the Teraflex design. The clamp setup is great on a setup like Synergy which gets you on the vehicle adjustments. But in the TF case it's pointless - you still got to remove an end to adjust. So why go clamp?

Go Synergy if on the vehicle adjustment matters.

Go RK or MC for tried-and-true "big panties needed" jam nuts.

The new updated RK ends hold grease a lot better and longer. They are not the maintenance issue they used to be. All arms shipping now have this new design, which can be retrofitted. You also don't need the special grease any longer.

Thanks! good info! on vehicle adjustment isn't really too big of a concern to me. I could be wrong but control arms aren't usually something you need to adjust after the initial setup. Is that correct thinking?

and I looked hard at RK. There is a couple features with them that I think just aren't right for my setup. but definitely a great product.

regarding the steering stops, I mostly just didn't want to adjust if I don't have to. I know I can but don't want to. Especially if there are options on the market that will allow full turns at the factory stop. But good idea if I want to run something else.

 

[Halstem1]

Interesting. I didn't have to do this with mine and the instructions received with the arms from Teraflex didn't say to do this. I dialed in the length and torqued down the sleeve while on the vehicle.

so it might just be the rear arms... I'm trying to remember. But at least 1 set, one of the clamp bolts is blocked by something so you have to tighten the one that is accessable and then lower to tighten the other... something like that. I'm going off memory. I was trying not to make that deciding factor since you really only do it once. Athough checking the torque isn't something I thought of.

 

[TxJeepers]

Thanks! good info! on vehicle adjustment isn't really too big of a concern to me. I could be wrong but control arms aren't usually something you need to adjust after the initial setup. Is that correct thinking?

Correct

 

[TxJeepers]

so it might just be the rear arms... I'm trying to remember. But at least 1 set, one of the clamp bolts is blocked by something so you have to tighten the one that is accessable and then lower to tighten the other... something like that. I'm going off memory. I was trying not to make that deciding factor since you really only do it once. Athough checking the torque isn't something I thought of.

Gothca. I didn't do the rears. But how big of deal is that really? A few minutes at best. Maybe do the paint pen line trick for torque checking.

 

[Halstem1]

Gothca. I didn't do the rears. But how big of deal is that really? A few minutes at best. Maybe do the paint pen line trick for torque checking.

Agree, not a big deal. wouldn't rule them out because of it.

since you have ran both, although different platforms, how would you compare quality and on-road manners? About the same?

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