Mopar fixed LCA vs adjustable LCA for Rubi XR

[Blacktip]

I am getting my first Jeep this Sat. JLUR XR. I want to replace the front LCA to improve the caster angle and steering feel. No other modifications are planned. It is too much Jeep for me as it is.

I prefer tight steering with good friction and feedback, I came from C7 Corvette. I understand Jeep is not a sports car. I am not after sports car steering feel, I just want to improve steering feel over stock

Is Mopar fixed-length LCA good enough (.25" over stock length)? Is there any additional benefits from adjustable LCA given my stock XR height and no plans for any additional modifications.

Mopar LCA are about $80 and adjustable from other companies are up to $400. So, the difference is big and I don't want to waste money.

Thanks,

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[DesertsJL]

If you are leaving it relatively stock otherwise there really is no gain from adjustable control arms. Only if you plan to modify later on would they be beneficial. I actually have a set here on my shelf that we had on my wifes Rubicon before we added a Clayton 2.5" lift.

 

[Blacktip]

If you are leaving it relatively stock otherwise there really is no gain from adjustable control arms. Only if you plan to modify later on would they be beneficial. I actually have a set here on my shelf that we had on my wifes Rubicon before we added a Clayton 2.5" lift.

Thanks for the reply. The XR comes with 2" lift, so it is not far from your Clayton 2.5" lift. May I ask why the Mopar wouldn't work for you?

 

[Roky]

I am getting my first Jeep this Sat. JLUR XR. I want to replace the front LCA to improve the caster angle and steering feel. No other modifications are planned. It is too much Jeep for me as it is.

I prefer tight steering with good friction and feedback, I came from C7 Corvette. I understand Jeep is not a sports car. I am not after sports car steering feel, I just want to improve steering feel over stock

Is Mopar fixed-length LCA good enough (.25" over stock length)? Is there any additional benefits from adjustable LCA given my stock XR height and no plans for any additional modifications.

Mopar LCA are about $80 and adjustable from other companies are up to $400. So, the difference is big and I don't want to waste money.

Thanks,

Guys are putting Mopar lift lcas on their rubicon to get better caster. However they’re not much good on anything higher than that…. The XR is 1.5” higher than the Rubi, so you won’t benefit from Mopar lcas as much on the XR. I would get adjustables and you can fine tune your caster for the steering feel you’re looking for……coming from a vette, you’ll probably want the caster a little higher than the average dude.

 

[Blacktip]

Guys are putting Mopar lift lcas on their rubicon to get better caster. However they’re not much good on anything higher than that…. The XR is 1.5” higher than the Rubi, so you won’t benefit from Mopar lcas as much on the XR. I would get adjustables and you can fine tune your caster for the steering feel you’re looking for……coming from a vette, you’ll probably want the caster a little higher than the average dude.

Thanks a lot for the advice. Which brand would you recommend for adjustable LCA?

 

[entropy]

Thanks for the reply. The XR comes with 2" lift, so it is not far from your Clayton 2.5" lift. May I ask why the Mopar wouldn't work for you?

Oh it is different. The clayton 2.5 gives at least 3 inches of lift over rubicon. your XR is 1 to 1.5in taller than a Rubicon suspension wise. Maybe just 1inch.

The longer control arms from Mopar will absolutely make it better. Good enough? probably not. You can also adjust caster with upper control arms. Look for adjustable options, it'll be worth it.

 

[Roky]

Thanks a lot for the advice. Which brand would you recommend for adjustable LCA?

Rock Krawler, Metal Cloak, Clayton, are the brands I recommend. But if you’re on a budget, the best of the cheaper versions is Rough County…..

 

[Murphydog]

Give it some time before you purchase anything - I was concerned when I purchased my Rubicon (pre XR) especially as I drove it off the lot. The tires were at 45 PSI which is too high and well above the 37 in the door jamb sticker. I set mine to 35 and am pleased with it.

 

[Djhyper66]

The mopar control arms have a hole to screw in the lines that dangle on them. The aftermarket Lca don’t have that hole to install ,so the wire need to be zip tied to something …. That only thing that bother me about the adjustable control arms vs the mopar ones.

i bought adjustable control arms in July .. there sitting on my living room floor, can’t to find time to install them.

 

[Zandcwhite]

The mopar control arms have a hole to screw in the lines that dangle on them. The aftermarket Lca don’t have that hole to install ,so the wire need to be zip tied to something …. That only thing that bother me about the adjustable control arms vs the mopar ones.

i bought adjustable control arms in July .. there sitting on my living room floor, can’t to find time to install them.

Rubicon express lca's have a bracket welded on so that the stock brake line bolts up FYI. As to the OP's question, smoother suspension travel/articulation is another benefit of almost every aftermarket LCA. They all have some type of flex joint at one end if not both. Rubber bushings bind.

 

[mikem20]

Stock rubis should come with the longer LCA’s from the get go.

It’s a noticeable difference between stock bushings and MC.
the MC feels like it absorbs irregularities a little better, making it feel less sharp of an impact. They articulate well but I wouldn’t buy lowers and expect more articulation alone.

 

[DesertsJL]

Thanks for the reply. The XR comes with 2" lift, so it is not far from your Clayton 2.5" lift. May I ask why the Mopar wouldn't work for you?

We have two Jeeps. My 392 has the MOPAR lower control arms and is running great. I don't plan to change. And yes, the MOPAR arms made a dramatic difference in the handling of the XR.

My wife's Rubicon initially got the MOPAR control arms. She immediately commented on how much better her Jeep handled. After a few wheeling trips we decided to lift her JLR with a Clayton 3.5" and add 37's.

 

[stumblinhorse]

I am getting my first Jeep this Sat. JLUR XR. I want to replace the front LCA to improve the caster angle and steering feel. No other modifications are planned. It is too much Jeep for me as it is.

I prefer tight steering with good friction and feedback, I came from C7 Corvette. I understand Jeep is not a sports car. I am not after sports car steering feel, I just want to improve steering feel over stock

Is Mopar fixed-length LCA good enough (.25" over stock length)? Is there any additional benefits from adjustable LCA given my stock XR height and no plans for any additional modifications.

Mopar LCA are about $80 and adjustable from other companies are up to $400. So, the difference is big and I don't want to waste money.

Thanks,

Going off exactly what you said. All you need is the Mopar 2” lift LCAs. You don’t need adjustable LCAs. But if you are looking for better steering feel I would also upgrade the stock steering stabilizer. The stock SS is on the low end of the quality scale. I can only comment on Fox SS, never had anything else. I have had multiple models of Fox SS on multiple jeeps and all of them were an improvement. The thru shaft TS design works very well and the high dollar version is adjustable to help you tailor the feel. My 392 has the same amount of lift and has 35s as your XR. I did the Mopar LCAs and Fox TS SS upgrades and am very happy with the result. Sorry that the money you save vs adjustable LCAs you will spend on a stabilizer. ..

 

[Birdcatcher]

Let me answer this a bit differently...

First, find out the Alignment spec that your Jeep comes with from the factory (all Jeeps are different, yep, welcome to Jeep build quality).

Longer MOPAR LCAs (24.25") will bring up your caster by 1.5 degrees (on average, every Jeep is different).

Based on your starting point and target state, decide if 1.5 over what you have is sufficient. This will be the first factor to decide if you want fixed or adjustable LCAs.

For reference - This is for a Rubicon (check the Caster range for your Jeep Model)
Recommended Caster between 4.0 and 5.8.
People here like the caster to be closer to 5.8, some prefer it between 6.0 - 6.5, some even like it around ~7.0 degrees. NOTE - Higher caster impacts Pinion angle so do your own research.

I have a JLUR 392 and I have Adjustable Rough Country LCAs. My Jeep came with Caster 3.7 Left, 4.0 right. My LCAs are at around 24.45" and that has brought the caster up to 6.2 and 6.5. The welds/ suspension mounting points on my front axle are .25" off from factory so the left and right caster cannot be adjusted to equal. There will always be 0.3-0.5 degree difference between Left and Right. Fortunately, as per the install shop, a difference of 0.3-0.5 degree Left vs right caster is acceptable on a Jeep with solid axle. But, this issue/ discrepancy is just with my particular Jeep.

Advantage of MOPAR 24.25" fixed LCAs - Very high quality bushes (experts say better than Clayton, Terraflex, other high end brands for normal driving). No maintenance, smooth ride, look like OEM LCAs and are made by MOPAR, so less chances of warranty issues if something goes wrong. However, these will only bump up the caster by ~1.5 degrees approx.

Advantage of going Adjustable - Unlimited adjustment up to 6" lift, future proof! Some very beefy options available if you're into hard core rock crawling.

You can get Adjustable LCAs with standard OEM style bushes, Johnny (or flex) joint, or hybrid.
OEM syle Bushes Advantage - Zero maintenance, smoother ride, last a long time.
Disadvantage - Articulation less than Johnny joint, some claim they bind, maybe some others cons that I am not aware off.

Johnny Joints - Need to be greased routinely for long life, better articulation, do not ride as smooth as OEM style.

You decide what works best for your use case.

Hope this is helpful.

Thanks,
Sam

 

[Birdcatcher]

And last but not least, the primary reason I chose Rough County was because they have the notch to mount the bracket for the brake line. So they are 100% plug and play. Tightening the bolts to 190 ft/lbs is a bi*ch though!
Had I known they come with Johnny joints (RC calls them flex joint), I would've considered other options. I am new to American cars and Jeeps, so was not familiar with these names.
That said, RC is a very respectable mid grade brand, get the job done, I am okay with them, no complaints. Best bang for the buck out there!
I got this Jeep for Grand touring, no plans for extreme off-roading yet. My Jeep 392 is all stock except for these RC LCA's (okay all stock except for Cilajet Ceramic coating, PPF, Door sill protectors, some kick-ass aux LED lights, dead pedal and .... )

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