Calgary Jeep Association
4x4 Related Groups => Tech Talk => Topic started by: after6queers on February 17, 2009, 09:20:39 PM
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I am looking for some opinons on long arm lifts for Jeep TJ's.
I am currently considering the RCD 6" Long Arm Lift does anyone have it?
If not can anyone make a good suggestion on lifts? Price and ease of installation or cost of install?
Where to buy?
Also those with the 6" lift what tires are you running?
Does anyone have any pics?
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Any long arm kit is going to require some good knowledge to install and shops usually charge probably around 2-2.5 days for an install.
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I would look into a clayton long arm.
Clayton is the only off the shelf suspension I'd recommend to anyone, or run on one of my own jeeps.
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I am going to have to disagree with Bnine *gasssppppp!!!* ..
I have never run nor seen a Clayton Long Arm kit....but from personal experience, I really liked the Full-Traction long arm lift and ran 37" MTRs no problems with it.
A person can also drop the belly without removing links or control arms (compared to RE) which is a big bonus for me!
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Its not bolt in but how about the Poly Performance weld on kits... Set it up exactly how you want it. No bushings or forks on the control arms... real Johnny joints on both ends, adjustability out the whazoo.
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It's mostly going to be about personal preference and what fits your budget.
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FT is a nice kit, its only the joints and bushings that Im not a huge fan of.
Hence the Clayton recommendation.
Poly is great, but requires a lot more fabricating skills then most others. If thats possible for you, it is the best kit form option out there right now.
IMHO there's really no such thing as personal preference when it comes to suspension. There's folks that know good products, and folks that dont.
Then there's folks that always recommend what they run, because they run it. Then label it as personal preference. When really, its just a proprietary recommendation based on limited exposure to varying products.
my two cents
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deep man, deep.
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My take on it is this....
Any suspension will work fine for that average wheeler..hell, stock will work fine. It all epends on how hard you plan to wheel your rig. Bill, you are a wild man, with mad fab skills so your view is going to be alot more "hardcore", if you will.
A bolt on kit such a as RE, BDS, FT, RK, Clayton, Kevin's, Fabtech, RCD, Procomp, Teraflex, Rusty's, Skyjacker, Nth Degree, Superlift...these are all more than enough for the the average weekend wheeler.
Like I said, most will choose based on price, ease of installation, and availibilty.
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My biggest beef with running something like Rubicon Express is how quickly the joints and bushings were completely destroyed. I didn't really wheel my stuff THAT hard... but when I pulled my arms off the bushings were hammered. I think that getting the best quality you can up front is going to pay off in the long run... even if you are just lifting to mall crawl. The ease of maintenance and higher initial quality of some lifts (Clayton, Poly, Full Traction) really pay off in the end over some of the lower end stuff (even the middle of the road stuff like RE).
Don't you think that sometimes having lower quality equipment is what turns someone off a sport? If you want to get into cycling are you better served to go get a bike from a box store like Canadian Tire or WalMart or by going to a dedicated bike store and have them set you up something that is going to stand up and perform at a level that lets you enjoy the sport?
Of course the individual can buy anything they want based on budget or their perceived needs... but if they come asking for advice I'm always going to recommend getting the best they can afford because, in my opinion, it will just make their experience that much more enjoyable.
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To be honest with you, when i was wheeing, I had more fun when my rigs were less capable..because it was more of a challenge. When you have 10" of lift, frt & rear lockers, boggers and all the lastest, greatest whizzy crap, it no longer is a challenge. I'd rather have difficulty getting thru a trail than walk all over it...it's just more fun.
That's just me though. Everyone is different and has different opinions. And that's why there are so many diffeent manufaturer's out there. I mean, can you imagine if we all drove Rubi's with Clayton lifts? BO-RING!!!
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I totally agree with that... Wheeling a near stock rig is a hoot. I would recommend it to anyone.. there is no reason that you need a ton of whizzy stuff to have a blast. If you're going to plan an upgrade tho.... getting something good quality is the way to go in my opinion.
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I agree...within budget. Take Steve Jueco's Jeep for example.
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ROFL... Steve's jeep is the reason I'm so gun shy about what seems at first like cheap parts. Nothing I bought from that jeep worked out very well for me. Now I've quit trying to cut corners and I'm pretty happy.
The 2 things I learned from that are be careful with used parts and sometimes it's just cheaper to buy the right stuff in the first place.
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Thanks for all the help...my first rig was a YJ and I was as cheap as I could be because I had absolutely no money. Now I have some money (some money) being the key word and I want to make sure that I get what I pay for. If I pay for crap I expect crap but if I pay for something good and so on. I will do some more investigation.
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hahaha! I warned you about that...mind you, I was too late!
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Thanks for all the help...my first rig was a YJ and I was as cheap as I could be because I had absolutely no money. Now I have some money (some money) being the key word and I want to make sure that I get what I pay for. If I pay for crap I expect crap but if I pay for something good and so on. I will do some more investigation.
And thats the whole point. Buyer beware, specially with long arms.
If you were looking a cheap short arm, I'd either pass it over, or make a small recommendation on what joints to run on your arms. The expense is small, the risk is minor.
You are looking for long arm advice. A long arm suspension is a major investment. And no matter what anyone says, all long arm companies will pimp themselves as the best.
All shops will pimp their deepest discounts as the best.
Their are long arms out there that can run you close to 10,000$ installed, and honestly, I wouldnt run them on my worst enemies jeep.
The kit you suggested is over 3000$. It has questionable rod ends, poly bushings in the arms and a very questionable steering kit included in it.
I worked with suspensions on jeeps for quite a while now.
I can either sit here and tell you sure "thats fine" or I can tell you the truth and point you in another direction. The budgets are all similar except a couple choice brands that I dont recommend anyways.
The difference always comes down to quality of components. They are either making a 1500$ margin on a 3000$ lift, or an 800$ one. Unless you know the difference between parts, how are you going to know what you are getting for your 3000$.
Would that suspension work for your. Sure.
Is there considerable better quality, lower maintenance, stronger, better handling suspensions available for the same kind of money. Sure.
You just need to know what to look for.
Im not here to push my style on anyone. If I were, I would tell you they are all junk and only I could build you a good suspension. That simply isnt the case. There are suspensions out there that will meet your needs. Its just that some are better then others, and when it comes to long arms, most of them are in the same price range.
And dan, once you can go over it all, you just get to build to go faster :):) It never gets boring silly.....:):):)
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:)
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I have rtan a few Long arms on all my vehicles from dodge 2500, 3500, and now mY JK. I have tried a few kits from Full Throttle (GARBAGE!!!), Fabtech and now BDS. I have owned 2 BDS long arms now and LOVE THEM. The long arm on my Mega Cab 3500 has been used and abused. I run the truck for work and it see's the worst of all conditions. I have yet to break a part on it. They are easy to install and any decent off road shop can install the kit in only an hour or two more than a regular kit. The long arm I am running on the MegaCab now is an 8", the JK is the BDS 6.5". You pay alot more for the long arm but it is worth the extra money.