advise for best control arms

Ddays

Ddays

Hooked
EDIT: THIS POST WAS COPIED INTO THIS THREAD FROM ANOTHER FOR VISUAL PURPOSES OF JOINTS.


So what started off as me checking my caster settings last weekend turned into a full-on shitshow. I determined that mine was off by 3* (was referencing Eddies Do It Yourself Alignment Thread) and figured what the hell, see if it makes that much of a difference. So I dropped the first LCA and after loosening the lock nut, the end came loose and turned by hand. Awesome.
Dropped the other arm and uh-uh, no way. Had to take the whole arms off. Would not budge AT ALL. So I took it to my buddies garage that does my inspections & asked him if they would be able to loosen it. Yep. Wait right here. 5 minutes later and seeing the black smoke rolling in front of the window I went to look & saw this:

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Yup, he got it out alright, but she's cooked.:mad:

Of course this was on a Thursday & I wanted it so I could finish up this weekend. Looks like Plan B
 

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johansrt8

johansrt8

Member
EDIT: THIS WAS THE ORIGINAL POST IN THE THREAD.

hey guys i will like to know about what control arms are the best at this moment i have a 3.5 Rk on my 2007 but just got a new rubicon 15 that i want to star building looking for a 3.5 lift with 37 stt pros on hutch beadlocks any input will be appreciated


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zimm

zimm

Caught the Bug
The consensus here is anything with a Currie Johnny joint. Evolution you can adjust while it's in place, which is nice. Currie makes nice arms too. I have rock krawler, which were much cheaper, but they're a PITA to adjust.
 
wayoflife

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
What zimm said. From experience, I have found control arms with Johnny Joints on both ends to perform well and last a very long time. Of course, being that they're made by Currie, the control arms they make are great and being that EVO uses them on their arms, I would recommend them as well.
 
aermotor

aermotor

Member
EVO or Currie. I run the EVO front lowers and Currie's everywhere else. Should have just bought all 8 from EVO though.
 
catahoula

catahoula

Caught the Bug
I would consider after going to their site Core4x4. Build as you want, choice of colors, seem to be well built, and affordable.
 
W

Wert7676

New member
I'm going to get some hate for this but stock control arms. I got a 2.5 inch(netted 3.5) aev with the geo brackets. I get 8 inches of axle travel at the bump stops. The limiting factor for me is shock length and spring length. I could get more travel out of stock arms. Id buy a long arm lift but it will not get me more travel. I've seen some broken housing all torsional breaks. Probably caused by poorly adjusted control arms during alignment adding a preload. I burned on a truss just in case.
 
cozdude

cozdude

Guy with a Red 2-Door
Wert7676 said:
I'm going to get some hate for this but stock control arms. I got a 2.5 inch(netted 3.5) aev with the geo brackets. I get 8 inches of axle travel at the bump stops. The limiting factor for me is shock length and spring length. I could get more travel out of stock arms. Id buy a long arm lift but it will not get me more travel. I've seen some broken housing all torsional breaks. Probably caused by poorly adjusted control arms during alignment adding a preload. I burned on a truss just in case.
Click to expand...

The only "hate" your gonna get is for the drop brackets your running. If you like having a lower spot for rocks to get hung up on then keep running them. Otherwise there is nothing wrong with the stock arms. I run adjustable front lowers and rear uppers since I have an aftermarket rear shaft. Outside of those I run stock arms.
 
J

JKDream

Guest
cozdude said:
The only "hate" your gonna get is for the drop brackets your running. If you like having a lower spot for rocks to get hung up on then keep running them. Otherwise there is nothing wrong with the stock arms. I run adjustable front lowers and rear uppers since I have an aftermarket rear shaft. Outside of those I run stock arms.
Click to expand...
He's just trolling.
 
10abadilla/jk

10abadilla/jk

New member
I have to agree with catahoula. Core4x4 has been great with me. And warranties their products. I bought a tier 3 track bar from them that slightly hit my diff cover I sent him pictures with description. He immediately sent me a new track bar. Core4x4 also uses Johnny joints. I am planning my next order for their control arms real soon.

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WJCO

WJCO

Meme King
DK570 said:
Why is a Johnny Joint better than a MetalCloak Duroflex, or Rubicon Express Super Flex?
Click to expand...

I copied some posts from Ddays build thread where you can visually see the difference. Unfortuantely they were posted sooner than this thread so it put them at the very top. If you scroll to the top of this thread, you can see the difference visually, at least between a Johnny Joint vs other style flex joints. They're larger and rebuildable, and they're proven over time.

Maybe this will work:

Ddays said:
EDIT: THIS POST WAS COPIED INTO THIS THREAD FROM ANOTHER FOR VISUAL PURPOSES OF JOINTS.


So what started off as me checking my caster settings last weekend turned into a full-on shitshow. I determined that mine was off by 3* (was referencing Eddies Do It Yourself Alignment Thread) and figured what the hell, see if it makes that much of a difference. So I dropped the first LCA and after loosening the lock nut, the end came loose and turned by hand. Awesome.
Dropped the other arm and uh-uh, no way. Had to take the whole arms off. Would not budge AT ALL. So I took it to my buddies garage that does my inspections & asked him if they would be able to loosen it. Yep. Wait right here. 5 minutes later and seeing the black smoke rolling in front of the window I went to look & saw this:

View attachment 246979

View attachment 246980


Yup, he got it out alright, but she's cooked.:mad:

Of course this was on a Thursday & I wanted it so I could finish up this weekend. Looks like Plan B
Click to expand...

Ddays said:
EDIT: THIS POST WAS COPIED INTO THIS THREAD FROM ANOTHER FOR VISUAL PURPOSES OF JOINTS.

So at 2:00 Thursday afternoon I'm looking for LCA's online that I can still get shipped out the same day so I could have on Friday to do the install this weekend. Looked at EVO, Synergy, Clayton, Currie & a RK end joint so that maybe I could repair what I had. The only thing I could get out that day was a set of Currie LCA's and a RK joint. Both came in Friday. When I opened up the Currie arms & compared them to the RK's I had, well, you tell me what you'd put on your Jeep based on these pics:

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Just for the hell of it I pulled out my RK arms and lined my RK's, RE's & new Curries up end to end.

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These arms are impressive. I priced up a replacement set after I got these and they're not cheap. I'm not going to replace any more now but if any of my RK arms wear out I'm replacing them with arms from a manufacturer that uses Johnny Joints. There'e no comparison IMHO.
Click to expand...

WJCO said:
EDIT: THIS POST WAS COPIED INTO THIS THREAD FROM ANOTHER FOR VISUAL PURPOSES OF JOINTS.



Here's a Johnny Joint. They either come as a fixed Weld on style like an upper axle mount or the type with the threaded section for use with an adjustable arm. Basically, the order of parts that goes in the metal housing is washer, bushing, ball assembly, bushing, washer, snapring. You can see that the housing has a snap ring groove and a hole for a grease zerk. The Johnny joint is a very tight joint, but the ball assembly allows a lot of flex and less binding as the axle moves. They bind less than a polyurethane bushing are are affordable to rebuild.

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F

Fionayeti

Guest
I'm no expert but here''s my limited experience. I would have stuck with the stock arms because they are reliable and provide adequate performance for moderate lifts and light wheeling. But when I boosted the lift of my Jeep from 2.5" springs to 4" EVO plush springs it meant the pinion/castor and axles had to be adjusted. So that means adjustable control arms. I'm not a fan of lower control arm brackets. And it doesn't solve the rear axle issues. I went with JKS control arms because I respect their products. I love the performance of the new arms and the flexibility of the end joints. They're way better than the stock arms. But it also means since there are more movable parts they need constant attention, lubrication, etc. It also means since most joints are more exposed to the elements you can expect them to wear out quickly. More so if you are wheeling hard. My friends run Johnny joint spec'd arms and they've run into problems too, perhaps less than other manufacturers but problems nonetheless. The good thing is that they're rebuildable. But so are most joints. So who's the best? Buy what you can afford, but remember to take care of them.
 
C

cayers71

New member
Metalcloak.

Bucking the trend here - I vote for MetalCloak's control arms and Duroflex joints. JJs have a solid performance history and there isnt nearly as much data on the longevity of the Metalcloak joint, but the Duroflex joint flexes as good or better, rides better, and requires less maintenance. I will know in a couple of years if they hold up as well as the JJs.

I think the Core 4x4 JJ-based arms represent a good value however, so they would be my second choice.
 
notnalc68

notnalc68

That dude from Mississippi
cayers71 said:
Bucking the trend here - I vote for MetalCloak's control arms and Duroflex joints. JJs have a solid performance history and there isnt nearly as much data on the longevity of the Metalcloak joint, but the Duroflex joint flexes as good or better, rides better, and requires less maintenance. I will know in a couple of years if they hold up as well as the JJs.

I think the Core 4x4 JJ-based arms represent a good value however, so they would be my second choice.
Click to expand...

The joint in a control arm improves the ride over a Johnny joint?


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OverlanderJK

OverlanderJK

Resident Smartass
cayers71 said:
Bucking the trend here - I vote for MetalCloak's control arms and Duroflex joints. JJs have a solid performance history and there isnt nearly as much data on the longevity of the Metalcloak joint, but the Duroflex joint flexes as good or better, rides better, and requires less maintenance. I will know in a couple of years if they hold up as well as the JJs.

I think the Core 4x4 JJ-based arms represent a good value however, so they would be my second choice.
Click to expand...

Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. A joint should not flex period. Ride better? I doubt it, you're just looking for things to say about it now. Less maintenance? Johnny joint needs to be greased every once in a while, what's less than that?

Go away metaljoke boy.


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WJCO

WJCO

Meme King
cayers71 said:
Bucking the trend here - I vote for MetalCloak's control arms and Duroflex joints. JJs have a solid performance history and there isnt nearly as much data on the longevity of the Metalcloak joint, but the Duroflex joint flexes as good or better, rides better, and requires less maintenance. I will know in a couple of years if they hold up as well as the JJs.
Click to expand...

Cool story, bro.
 
ob_tj

ob_tj

New member
cayers71 said:
Bucking the trend here - I vote for MetalCloak's control arms and Duroflex joints. JJs have a solid performance history and there isnt nearly as much data on the longevity of the Metalcloak joint, but the Duroflex joint flexes as good or better, rides better, and requires less maintenance. I will know in a couple of years if they hold up as well as the JJs.

I think the Core 4x4 JJ-based arms represent a good value however, so they would be my second choice.
Click to expand...

IMG_0325.JPG
What comes to mind..
 
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