Longer LCAs worth it?

[Punknhed]

installled them on my 23 rubi xr which actually felt pretty good from the factory, seems to be a bit better now. like others have said. I do know this 23 drives a LOT better then my 19 sport ever did.

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[ArmyRN]

I ordered a pair of the Mopar LCAs before my 23 JLU Willys XR arrived. Thought it drove fine without, but since I already bought them I went ahead and installed them. Honestly don't know if I really noticed a difference or not. I'm sure it helped the alignment numbers. No regrets.

I later added a 1/2" spacer lift all around. I'm sure in some small way it helped compensate for the lift.

OP - since you already have them, go ahead and install them (won't hurt anything) and let us know your thoughts.

 

[azjl#3]

My XR drove very good before the Mopar LCAs swap, both local and highway speed. I was just looking for small projects. Honestly it feels a bit better, I still have a slight pull doesn’t bother me. Tracks a bit better. To me it’s not too obvious or that much of a difference. No regrets anyway. You can tell the caster angle difference. If you don’t consider additional lift, the factory LCAs are fine as long as it tracks well to your liking. If you will go taller, adjustable LCAs may be the way to go.

This, same for me, 18 jlur, stock, added 2 inch lift mopar LCA, drove straight as an arrow and returned to center.

 

[JJ_WA]

Thanks, everyone, for you posts. It sounds like I made the right purchase. Now to find an alignment shop that will do a before and after while I swap the LCAs out.

 

[SoK66]

I have a new '23 JT I put a Teraflex 1.5" leveling kit on almost immediately. The stace of the thing was dreadful. With the TF kit installed I could definitely feel the need for more caster, so I went with the longer arms (1/4") out of the Mopar 2" kit. Really inexpensive, like $70 with shipping from a Mopar online dealer. The improvement was readily apparent, very stable, wandering reduced. With me doing the install (not my first rodeo) it was a bargain.

 

[Old Jeeper]

When I ordered my Willys XR in December '22, I read a lot about getting the longer LCAs and the improved handling of the Jeep, so ordered a pair. After nearly 5,000 miles I haven't felt a compelling need to put them on. The Jeep's been handling fine at both low and high speeds, and the very minimal off-roading we did at Yellowstone. Even She who must be obeyed likes the handling when she drives it.

For those who have made the switch, have you felt it to be worthwhile? They've been sitting in my garage, gathering dust.

LOL, the old Long Arm story....just put them under your Jeep and climb vertical walls and drive it like it's a Corvette.

In my TJ days I put Long Arms as the last thing i would add....well, I never added it. WHY? Simple after many trips to Moab, leading runs at the 7+ level, RUbicon, and doing it for years across the SW US & Mexico my TJ with its SHORT arms was never denied any trail and I was the lead Jeep...as I watched the others with their LA's fail and fail again.

WHY? By a stroke of luck in my very early racing days, 1965 an old-timer came over to me and said this: Son, your Corvette has all the HP you need but you are not putting it on the asphalt.. I look up and say: Well Sir what do you suggest I do? Replace that flimsy rear sway bar with a heavy-duty one. So I went home and pulled the rear sway bar off my 427 racing Corvette and bolted it on my 327-powered Corvette. BINGO winners circle was my new home.

The takeaway: I learned that suspension is the name of the game and learned to win at it. So why go Long Arm when Short Arm works?

Suspension is a game of . X or tenths. Everything you do to suspension is based upon tenths of degrees.

Jeep BUILD: Bolt-on parts and replace components. This is what you get when you buy kits and or pay or you do the work.

But Wait there is more:

Part II: The dial-in (Engineering) of the suspension: FEW shops dial in their build because you don't get paid for it. Dial-in takes about the same time as the build did.

The Build is to get you to the trailhead, the Engineering is to be able to run the trail successfully and get back home.

As I understand there is a middle ground on JLs, not a short arm and not a long arm but just in between. That may be a very good idea, long arm is a RADICAL mod, and radical comes with baggage!

Suggest you Look before you leap on this.

 

[The Fixer]

Thanks, everyone, for you posts. It sounds like I made the right purchase. Now to find an alignment shop that will do a before and after while I swap the LCAs out.

No alignment necessary afterwards since you're not touching the tie rod ends or track bar. You will want to torque them to spec with the weight of the vehicle on them but that's it.

 

[Trigger-Rubi]

When I ordered my Willys XR in December '22, I read a lot about getting the longer LCAs and the improved handling of the Jeep, so ordered a pair. After nearly 5,000 miles I haven't felt a compelling need to put them on. The Jeep's been handling fine at both low and high speeds, and the very minimal off-roading we did at Yellowstone. Even She who must be obeyed likes the handling when she drives it.

For those who have made the switch, have you felt it to be worthwhile? They've been sitting in my garage, gathering dust.

How did you accommodate longer arms? Either the front axle had to move forward or replace the frame mounts for the CA. Other wise they are effectively the same length. Adjustable arms will allow for just caster correction.

 

[andy29847]

Thanks, everyone, for you posts. It sounds like I made the right purchase. Now to find an alignment shop that will do a before and after while I swap the LCAs out.

You do not need an alignment shop for this. There are no adjustments required. If you are just curious about before and after caster, an angle finder (I like the little digital ones) can be used to measure at the front differential. One thing to know before you start this job. Getting those control arm fasteners loose is a man's job. Think a big ratchet and a cheater bar.

 

[rickinAZ]

Not a night & day difference, but well north of barely noticable.

 

[zouch]

i went from stock, to the longer arms with the Mopar lift, to adjustable LCAs that allowed me to get out to over 6º of Negative Caster.
each step was minor but clearly noticeable improvement in stability, at the (totally acceptable) increase in the vehicles tendency to track down-slope.

my recommendation to anyone who didn't already have longer LCAs would be to go straight to adjustable arms; the Mopar arms weren't long enough.

 

[dragoneggs]

i went from stock, to the longer arms with the Mopar lift, to adjustable LCAs that allowed me to get out to over 6º of Negative Caster.
each step was minor but clearly noticeable improvement in stability, at the (totally acceptable) increase in the vehicles tendency to track down-slope.

my recommendation to anyone who didn't already have longer LCAs would be to go straight to adjustable arms; the Mopar arms weren't long enough.

Sage advice for anyone doing a significant lift.

 

[JLfromCA]

I installed them on mine I really didn’t notice that much of a difference. Blindfolded I don’t think a person could tell if they had them or not. Having said that, there’s really no disadvantage to putting them on. A little more caster in the wrangler. JL is always a good thing.

 

[rickinAZ]

my recommendation to anyone who didn't already have longer LCAs would be to go straight to adjustable arms; the Mopar arms weren't long enough.

My experience exactly.

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