Long Arm vs Mid arm?

[JKDream]

With regards to shocks , 2 local shops told me 4-6" would be too long for a 3.5" kit but I had queried about the aev and bit the RK. I noticed alot of guys run the 4-6" shock with the 3.5 lift. Is there a reason for That? In my mind o would think the coils would pop out or the shafts will seize or maybe bend.

I'm on Rock Krawler 3.5's and 4-6 Fox's. If you want to maximize travel, the longer shocks are the better bet.
My springs don't unseat, and I'm able to use full range of the shock. If I had the shorter versions, I'd lose a lot of downtravel, and gain no uptravel.

 

[17xJKU]

Not to sure if it's a mid arm kit, can't seem to find that info but I do know that the max travel doesn't allow you to move your rear axel by 1" so I'm taking it's not a mid arm IDN * what was the length of your shocks and did you have a stock rear track bar? If you had a choice between the max travel, AEV, Metal cloak what would you recommend. My heart was set on Rock Krawler but you slowly crushed my dreams ☹

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You could also try the JKS adjustable perch mounts like others have mentioned to keep the prints straight, and not have clearance issues. I was thinking of just using the wedges, but now leaving towards the adjustable perch set.

 

[17xJKU]

Anyone know if the jks adjustable perch mounts will have issues with the Metalcloak rear track bar mount?

 

[zombie hunter]

Man I'm sorry - last thing I wanna be is a dream crusher! :crazyeyes: If the RK kit is just a regular length arm kit I would not hesitate to use it. My issues were not with the quality of the kit rather they were with the clearance issues caused by those rear arms. Up in the the front I had zero issues. I've also heard & read good things about the AEV kits but the drop brackets in some of them seem counterproductive to me.

As far as shocks go, at the time I ran Fox reservoirs for a 4-6" lift. They performed just fine. The RK rear track bar gave me the clearance issues shown above. I threw the stock bar back on and that solved those issues but the spring bowing remained until I went to the EVO LA kit. One thing I would highly suggest is to use a shitload of anti-sieze on the arm joints before you thread them in. They proved impossible to adjust after a year and a half on the vehicle.

I'm sorry to throw another wrench into your plans but have you looked at any of the kits that have the Johnny Joint ends? There is a marked difference between them and everything else on the market. EVO, Currie, Clayton, and Synergy all use them. Comparing them side by side with everyone else's ends is eye-opening. I realize you may have availability/import issues but may take another look at those before you pull the trigger?

Lastly, if you decide to go with the RK kit it will perform for you. As noted I had zero issues with the front - it did great. These are from a couple years ago.

I have the RK kit, and although I have my own set of issues with it (mainly the poor powder coating) I will say that you can custom order any length arms from them. I ordered an X-Factor and had the rear arms cut to standard length due to all those clearance issues I knew they had.

Just food for thought

I'm having rust issues with my teraflex goodies 2. I spoke to the agent about the RK goods going rusty and he said he would sort me out if it happend in a year's time. But ya still haven't decided if I'm going for the RK or AEV.

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[Ddays]

I have the RK kit, and although I have my own set of issues with it (mainly the poor powder coating) I will say that you can custom order any length arms from them. I ordered an X-Factor and had the rear arms cut to standard length due to all those clearance issues I knew they had.

Just food for thought

If I was going with a RK kit again that is exactly what I'd do^^

I'm on Rock Krawler 3.5's and 4-6 Fox's. If you want to maximize travel, the longer shocks are the better bet.
My springs don't unseat, and I'm able to use full range of the shock. If I had the shorter versions, I'd lose a lot of downtravel, and gain no uptravel.

Yup, I had really good travel with the kit and those shocks for sure. Eddie did a test with Overlander using the RK triple rate springs and while they didn't give them a 4 star rating one thing Overlander say was that he never had issues with coils unseating from his at then current setup.

You could also try the JKS adjustable perch mounts like others have mentioned to keep the prints straight, and not have clearance issues. I was thinking of just using the wedges, but now leaving towards the adjustable perch set.

The wedges didn't really do anything on mine. If you wanted to continue with the mid arms those perches would more than likely work better

I'm having rust issues with my teraflex goodies 2. I spoke to the agent about the RK goods going rusty and he said he would sort me out if it happend in a year's time. But ya still haven't decided if I'm going for the RK or AEV.

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If the AEV kit uses drop brackets I'd lean to the RK kit and order standard length arms :thumb:

 

[notnalc68]

If the AEV kit uses drop brackets I'd lean to the RK kit and order standard length arms :thumb:

In other words, either go short arm, or long arm, and pass on, “mid arm.”


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[Ddays]

In other words, either go short arm, or long arm, and pass on, “mid arm.”


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Bingo

....

 

[Andy5160]

Bingo

....

Are you playing that game already [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23][emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]


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[Bigjimbo]

Any lift over 3 inches is going to create a bow in the rear springs. As some others mentioned you can use wedges or do it properly and burn on new coil perches. Artec is the route I did when I had my d44, but I also did a truss and rear trackbar mount at the same time.

The mid arms provide more room to adjust axle location. It's not a bad option, more adjustment just needs to be done.

If you don't want to bother with drilling and using a spacer for a DL flip, steer smarts makes a "no drill" flip option called the Yeti XD.

 

[Clutch]

Not true. I have 3” of lift from my JKS coils and no bow. The bow is caused by the longer arms


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[Bigjimbo]

"Any" was too broad. But I have seen the bowing coil issue with both short, mid and long arm kits.

 

[BaddestCross]

The longer arms coupled with the pinion correction is the double whammy. It looks like those coils are pretty long too so that adds to the Slinky effect.

--
Build Thread - Adventures of Fiona - https://wayalife.com/showthread.php?t=47407

 

[fiend]

I have a 4.5” lift with short arms. The Synergy wedges work fine for me. My rear coils aren’t bowed.

 

[17xJKU]

Any lift over 3 inches is going to create a bow in the rear springs. As some others mentioned you can use wedges or do it properly and burn on new coil perches. Artec is the route I did when I had my d44, but I also did a truss and rear trackbar mount at the same time.

The mid arms provide more room to adjust axle location. It's not a bad option, more adjustment just needs to be done.

If you don't want to bother with drilling and using a spacer for a DL flip, steer smarts makes a "no drill" flip option called the Yeti XD.

I don't mind drilling, just was wondering if the rancho or teraflex knuckles are worth the price. I'm actually thinking metalcloak or synergy for DL. Or any other input on brand?

 

[17xJKU]

The longer arms coupled with the pinion correction is the double whammy. It looks like those coils are pretty long too so that adds to the Slinky effect.

--
Build Thread - Adventures of Fiona - https://wayalife.com/showthread.php?t=47407

I set my arms to MC's suggested spec. It does have room to come in more to match factory atm length, but it does give me more clearance for the 37s being back an inch. They are rubbing my stock rear bumper tho now when they travel up far enough. I have another rear bumper here, smittybilt xrc, but I don't care for it, so I never installed it.

 

[zombie hunter]

Not true. I have 3” of lift from my JKS coils and no bow. The bow is caused by the longer arms


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Does the bow affect ride quality/ make your rear look lower than the front or does it just look like crap? For the guys who had the issues with the rear coils did you fit the suspension yourself or was done by a parts shop? What did RK say when you addressed them with the issue?

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[zombie hunter]

In other words, either go short arm, or long arm, and pass on, “mid arm.”


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If I'm not mistaken doesn't the RK kits only come in mid arm and long arm?

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[Ddays]

Does the bow affect ride quality/ make your rear look lower than the front or does it just look like crap? For the guys who had the issues with the rear coils did you fit the suspension yourself or was done by a parts shop? What did RK say when you addressed them with the issue?

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In my case the bowing contributed to the trackbar clearance issues as well as looking like fido's ass. As far as pro or home install, the issues are gonna happen regardless. Measurements are measurements, no matter who is using the ruler. There really isn't anything RK can do in the end. The arms position the axle . Short of changing the arms out not much more than that can be done. Sure small adjustments can be made but in my case the extra length was a pain in the ass and simply not worth it.

If I'm not mistaken doesn't the RK kits only come in mid arm and long arm?

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Several people have noted that the rear arms can be ordered to whatever length you require. Probably worth a call to know for sure.

 

[zombie hunter]

In my case the bowing contributed to the trackbar clearance issues as well as looking like fido's ass. As far as pro or home install, the issues are gonna happen regardless. Measurements are measurements, no matter who is using the ruler. There really isn't anything RK can do in the end. The arms position the axle . Short of changing the arms out not much more than that can be done. Sure small adjustments can be made but in my case the extra length was a pain in the ass and simply not worth it.



Several people have noted that the rear arms can be ordered to whatever length you require. Probably worth a call to know for sure.

Ok awesome . Thanks alot for all your help, will give them a call

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[17xJKU]

Does anyone know where to measure their caster angle from? Lower C or upper near ball joint? I'm getting 2 completely different reading left and right side. On top of me I am getting 5.5, but bottom 4.0. And right side I'm getting 5.8 on top and 5.5 bottom. I'm using an angle finder app on my phone.