Long arms

OK after being a member here for a long time and on my second JK I'm going to ask a noob dumb question, now before I ask I need to tell you that I don't personally know anybody with long arms because we are not allowed to run long arms until I found an engineer that will give me a certificate for them.
So the question is what are the real benefits of long arms, tell me everything I need to know so I can make a educated purchase, who is running what, pros and cons of different kits, and pic, pics, pics.

Yeahright said:

OK after being a member here for a long time and on my second JK I'm going to ask a noob dumb question, now before I ask I need to tell you that I don't personally know anybody with long arms because we are not allowed to run long arms until I found an engineer that will give me a certificate for them.
So the question is what are the real benefits of long arms, tell me everything I need to know so I can make a educated purchase, who is running what, pros and cons of different kits, and pic, pics, pics.

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There are a ton of ways to build a long arm and different types as well, with a long arm the number one think you get is more articulation(flex you could say) this allows the suspention to ride smother and easier on and off road.
I have a 4.5 rubicon express 4 link long arm
Pros it was all bolt on and was easy to install, plus they have been around for a long time, new joints that are way better then the old ones, rides very nice on the road.
Cons it was just put out lest then a year ago so had trouble finding skid plates.

There are tons of kits there is no best one they all have highs and lows, could be price customer service, could be quality of product. I picked RE for the bolt on and they have been around and i have used them in the passed, my next pick would have been to go with EVO's lift kit from just the reviews it seems like a killer lift.

I have a teraflex long arm and here in Cali it just won't hold up. My bushings started going out within a few months. It is an alright kit but for me it is a regretted purchase.

Yeahright said:

OK after being a member here for a long time and on my second JK I'm going to ask a noob dumb question, now before I ask I need to tell you that I don't personally know anybody with long arms because we are not allowed to run long arms until I found an engineer that will give me a certificate for them.
So the question is what are the real benefits of long arms, tell me everything I need to know so I can make a educated purchase, who is running what, pros and cons of different kits, and pic, pics, pics.

Click to expand...

There's only one real reason why long arm kits exist at all and it's because people lift their Jeeps tall enough to significantly change the geometry of their suspension. Of course, this will adversely change the characteristics of your ride. By relocating your control arm mounts more toward the center of your Jeep and installing much longer arms, you can restore their geometry to being closer to stock. Of all the things it will do, it will give you a much better ride ON PAVEMENT. Fortunately, unlike the TJ before, JK's already come with pretty long control arms right from the factory and because of this, it has been my experience that long arms aren't really worth looking at until you get to about 4" of lift or more.

noroad said:

...with a long arm the number one think you get is more articulation(flex you could say)

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Actually, this isn't true at all.

...this allows the suspention to ride smother and easier on and off road.

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As mentioned above, your corrected suspension geometry provides a smoother ride on pavement or when driving fast in the desert - not more flex.

sean.m.adams33 said:

I have a teraflex long arm and here in Cali it just won't hold up. My bushings started going out within a few months. It is an alright kit but for me it is a regretted purchase.

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Unfortunately, this is something I see all the time and it's the biggest reason why I do not recommend their kit.

wayoflife said:

Unfortunately, this is something I see all the time and it's the biggest reason why I do not recommend their kit.

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I was very uneducated when I had my lift and long arm done and was talked out of the evo products by my local shop because they push fox, synergy, and teraflex. Now that I know better I try to pass it on so people don't waste all the money I did....

I have the Teraflex long-arm kit too. My bushings haven't gone out yet.

After wheeling it, the new rear brackets did lose me ground clearance. It's one of the first things to scrape. Hopefully the brackets can take the abuse.

Unfortunately, the TeraFlex long arm brackets have been known to break and it is the other reason why I typically do not recommend that kit.

http://wayalife.com/showthread.php?4743-TeraFlex-Long-Arm-Bracket-Break&highlight=teraflex+break

A good shop like Off Road Evolution can help mitigate the breaks with additional supports.

wayoflife said:

Unfortunately, the TeraFlex long arm brackets have been known to break and it is the other reason why I typically do not recommend that kit.

http://wayalife.com/showthread.php?4743-TeraFlex-Long-Arm-Bracket-Break&highlight=teraflex+break

A good shop like Off Road Evolution can help mitigate the breaks with additional supports.

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Yeah, I remember that thread. Saw it literally 1/2 a month after I got the kit installed...

wayoflife said:

There's only one real reason why long arm kits exist at all and it's because people lift their Jeeps tall enough to significantly change the geometry of their suspension. Of course, this will adversely change the characteristics of your ride. By relocating your control arm mounts more toward the center of your Jeep and installing much longer arms, you can restore their geometry to being closer to stock. Of all the things it will do, it will give you a much better ride ON PAVEMENT. Fortunately, unlike the TJ before, JK's already come with pretty long control arms right from the factory and because of this, it has been my experience that long arms aren't really worth looking at until you get to about 4" of lift or more.



Actually, this isn't true at all.



As mentioned above, your corrected suspension geometry provides a smoother ride on pavement or when driving fast in the desert - not more flex.



Unfortunately, this is something I see all the time and it's the biggest reason why I do not recommend their kit.

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Exactly the conversation I had with Drew, I will be going with ORE's Long Arms as well.