Short/Mid Arm Vs Long Arm...

[Cleoncini]

Let me preface this by saying I have been trying to research this ad nauseam, with little helpful results. My previous Jeep experience was with a JK and it seemed like it was more of a sure thing to go with a long arm kit come lift time. NOW, with the new JL it seems the mid-arm systems are plenty sufficient. I am asking the forum, I want your opinions.

Who is running a long arm kit, and what brand? Did you run a mid arm set up prior? Was the extra costs worth the differences?

If you're running a mid arm kit, hows the drivability? Do you plan to go Long-arm?

I drive about 20K+ miles a year, and will probably go down to Sand Hollow and Moab at least a few times a year since its only about 4 hours away, so capable and comfortable is king.

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[Cleoncini]

Bueller?

 

[Headbarcode]

Bueller?

Check out the Litebrite YouTube channel. Scroll down to about 6 months ago and you'll see about 4 consecutive videos of them switching to a long arm kit. During those videos they answer a lot of questions.

 

[Cleoncini]

Check out the Litebrite YouTube channel. Scroll down to about 6 months ago and you'll see about 4 consecutive videos of them switching to a long arm kit. During those videos they answer a lot of questions.

I have watched a ton of their videos regarding this. I have even DMed Brittany and Kevin asking these exact questions. They haven't done an actual review on the lift and haven't really explained if this lift was worth the extra like $3000 before install.

 

[Headbarcode]

I have watched a ton of their videos regarding this. I have even DMed Brittany and Kevin asking these exact questions. They haven't done an actual review on the lift and haven't really explained if this lift was worth the extra like $3000 before install.

They usually wait until after a bunch of wheeling before they do a full review.

They did say that because of the heavy amount of hard trails they do and how frequently they do them, the long arm made sense. But if your offloading isn't as frequent and high difficulty focused, it isn't worth it.

They're wheeling has managed to out grow the incredible amount of flex that metalcloak offers. They are aimed at being able to do the type of obstacles that are usually reserved for buggies and dedicated rock crawlers.

If you're looking to do the same, it may be worth the cash. If not, the mid arm system is still way better than the short arms of prior generations.

 

[Cleoncini]

If you're looking to do the same, it may be worth the cash. If not, the mid arm system is still way better than the short arms of prior generations.

Thank you! This is kind of what I was thinking. With how different the JL is vs the JK I have to get old logic out of my head. I was leaning Metalcloak but with old knowledge, it kept me thinking long arm.

 

[oceanblue2019]

Let me preface this by saying I have been trying to research this ad nauseam, with little helpful results. My previous Jeep experience was with a JK and it seemed like it was more of a sure thing to go with a long arm kit come lift time. NOW, with the new JL it seems the mid-arm systems are plenty sufficient. I am asking the forum, I want your opinions.

Who is running a long arm kit, and what brand? Did you run a mid arm set up prior? Was the extra costs worth the differences?

If you're running a mid arm kit, hows the drivability? Do you plan to go Long-arm?

I drive about 20K+ miles a year, and will probably go down to Sand Hollow and Moab at least a few times a year since its only about 4 hours away, so capable and comfortable is king.

I've looked into this a lot.

The JL is already a "mid arm" from the factory. So it's a bunch better than prior short arm setups. So what that means is you can do a modest lift before it drives as shitty as a short arm does from the factory

But, if money is not an issue and you only want to do it once a long arm is the way to go. Not sure anyone can honestly tell you of any real world use case where a long arm will be worse. Perhaps for clearance over certain obstacles.

The only other reason to wait is selection. For the JK both Metalcloak and Synergy have long arm kits so I suspect with time they will also do so for the JL.

Right now you have Evo, RK, and Teraflex available. I'd consider RK a good option, I dislike teraflex, and EVO seems hit or miss the level of service/support you get - good stuff but the post sales support is important as well.

Good luck, have fun, and play safe

 

[Headbarcode]

Thank you! This is kind of what I was thinking. With how different the JL is vs the JK I have to get old logic out of my head. I was leaning Metalcloak but with old knowledge, it kept me thinking long arm.

Yeah, I'm building mine up to handle some harder rock crawling, but not quite what they do. Metalcloak will be just fine for me as well.

 

[Cleoncini]

The only other reason to wait is selection. For the JK both Metalcloak and Synergy have long arm kits so I suspect with time they will also do so for the JL.

Right now you have Evo, RK, and Teraflex available. I'd consider RK a good option, I dislike teraflex, and EVO seems hit or miss the level of service/support you get - good stuff but the post sales support is important as well.

Good luck, have fun, and play safe

I don't remember where I read this, maybe on Metalcloak's instagram, but I swear they said they were not presently working on a long arm kit for the JL. They were very pleased with the Game Changer kit and did not feel like a long arm kit would be more beneficial.

Your comments on EVO, RK and Teraflex are very similar to how I feel. Even being in Utah, I'm not particularly fond of Teraflex and EVO seems like a cluster.

 

[Cleoncini]

Yeah, I'm building mine up to handle some harder rock crawling, but not quite what they do. Metalcloak will be just fine for me as well.

Do you have your shocks planned yet? I know LiteBrite loved the 6 Pak, but for that price you're also in Coilover/King territory.

 

[oceanblue2019]

I don't remember where I read this, maybe on Metalcloak's instagram, but I swear they said they were not presently working on a long arm kit for the JL. They were very pleased with the Game Changer kit and did not feel like a long arm kit would be more beneficial.

Your comments on EVO, RK and Teraflex are very similar to how I feel. Even being in Utah, I'm not particularly fond of Teraflex and EVO seems like a cluster.

Perhaps MC is sitting back. They also have some weird front and rear setups for the JK setup that perhaps eventually they move to the JL. Not spent time figuring out how it works.

The Synergy guys on here have said after they release the stage 3 kit they will be working on a long arm setup so they certainly are going in that direction.

I think EVO makes great stuff but would only want to go that route if having them do the install and it was a big budget build. I think they are so busy that if you are not a big budget project or trying to get things sorted remotely it is a challenge. But this is how they have always been and it works for them.

 

[5280Sapper]

Wheeled with Metal Cloak arms for over 2 years now and i see no difference compared to other store bought long arms... Working with a company Called Impulse Off Road in Murray Utah to develop a legitimate long arm thats doesn't rub and actually has good useable travel and is worth the money spent.

 

[Cleoncini]

Wheeled with Metal Cloak arms for over 2 years now and i see no difference compared to other store bought long arms... Working with a company Called Impulse Off Road in Murray Utah to develop a legitimate long arm thats doesn't rub and actually has good useable travel and is worth the money spent.

Oh good to know, Murray is right down the street! I’ll have to check them out. Thanks for the tip!

 

[Headbarcode]

Do you have your shocks planned yet? I know LiteBrite loved the 6 Pak, but for that price you're also in Coilover/King territory.

I'm liking the idea of the 6-packs because their very short compressed length allows the use of the lower shock relocation brackets. That much less hanging low. Also,, they review well for both crawling and being able to comfortably run through the rutted trails with a bit of speed.

I did question if my Synergy control arms would allow a similar amount of flex like the ones from metalcloak, but fellow member quietpeen proved that to be a non issue.

 

[ClusterHead]

Do you have your shocks planned yet? I know LiteBrite loved the 6 Pak, but for that price you're also in Coilover/King territory.

I've also been researching the various lift companies. At the moment, I'm leaning towards an Icon Vehicle Dynamics Stage 4 or Stage 8.

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