Metalcloak Game-Changer Suspension, 2.5" Fox Edition

Ddays

Ddays

Hooked
QuicksilverJK said:
I will run mine till something finally breaks and upgrade as necessary.
Click to expand...

Not looking to jump on MC but why suggest a kit that you yourself are looking to, in your own words, "upgrade as necessary"?
Why not start with the "upgraded kit"?

OP, I would suggest a kit that uses Johnnie Joints on the ends of the control arms. EVO, Currie, Clayton are a few that do.
 
QuicksilverJK

QuicksilverJK

Caught the Bug
Ddays said:
Not looking to jump on MC but why suggest a kit that you yourself are looking to, in your own words, "upgrade as necessary"?
Why not start with the "upgraded kit"?

OP, I would suggest a kit that uses Johnnie Joints on the ends of the control arms. EVO, Currie, Clayton are a few that do.
Click to expand...

I was stating that for his needs that he laid out I am sure MC would be more than sufficient. I also pointed out the lack of grease joints being in my opinion the only shortcoming. So if something breaks than I will likely go to a JJ at that time for that one reason.


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kpig

kpig

Member
I ran the Metalcloak full game changer kit on my last JK. I went through 2 sets of shocks before replacing the 6 paks with Rancho 9000 then Fox. Went through 2 sets of rear springs, 3 duraflex bushings separated, which caused a lot of for aft play. I did the regrease procedure after about a year. Phone rep said they were not separated and that the retaining washers just scored the rubber. Nope, 3 were completely separated. I could see the metal ball through the disintegrated rubber. One was even missing a retaining washer altogether. I ended up replacing them with good ole bonded rubber clevite bushings before selling.

Now I am running Johnny joints with real good luck. They have been tight after about a year of running. All I do is squirt some grease into them periodically, which is so much easier than removing each arm every year for service. If you are going to be doing some basic trails, the MC kit should be fine, but if you have any intentions of doing some harder trails, you would be served better with the Evo Enforcer. I have experienced Evolander do some crazy stuff with only lower front arms (johnny joints) and the rest stock arms with only about a 3” lift.

Metalcloak has very good customer service, but so does Evo. This is just my 2 cents. Take it for what it’s worth, probably not much, but I quickly outgrew the Metalcloak kit and now run arms with Johnny Joints. I got my money’s worth out of the Metalcloak kit which was about 2 1/2 years.

The community here can be tough, but they know what works when run hard. We are just trying to share our experiences, so others can spend their money wisely for whatever is the intended purpose.

Good luck.


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J

jeep203

New member
QuicksilverJK said:
Currie, Evo, Synergy, probably a couple others. Like I said, Metalcloak will be just fine for what you are planning. I'm on their 3.5 with 37s and the ride is great. If you want their lift you will be fine, I will run mine till something finally breaks and upgrade as necessary.


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Click to expand...

I appreciate the JJ recommendation and I plan on sticking with them.
 
J

jeep203

New member
kpig said:
I ran the Metalcloak full game changer kit on my last JK. I went through 2 sets of shocks before replacing the 6 paks with Rancho 9000 then Fox. Went through 2 sets of rear springs, 3 duraflex bushings separated, which caused a lot of for aft play. I did the regrease procedure after about a year. Phone rep said they were not separated and that the retaining washers just scored the rubber. Nope, 3 were completely separated. I could see the metal ball through the disintegrated rubber. One was even missing a retaining washer altogether. I ended up replacing them with good ole bonded rubber clevite bushings before selling.

Now I am running Johnny joints with real good luck. They have been tight after about a year of running. All I do is squirt some grease into them periodically, which is so much easier than removing each arm every year for service. If you are going to be doing some basic trails, the MC kit should be fine, but if you have any intentions of doing some harder trails, you would be served better with the Evo Enforcer. I have experienced Evolander do some crazy stuff with only lower front arms (johnny joints) and the rest stock arms with only about a 3” lift.

Metalcloak has very good customer service, but so does Evo. This is just my 2 cents. Take it for what it’s worth, probably not much, but I quickly outgrew the Metalcloak kit and now run arms with Johnny Joints. I got my money’s worth out of the Metalcloak kit which was about 2 1/2 years.

The community here can be tough, but they know what works when run hard. We are just trying to share our experiences, so others can spend their money wisely for whatever is the intended purpose.

Good luck.


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Click to expand...

Thanks for your input.

As for the community; tough is why I posted. I help run a medium sized millwork shop and if you know down and dirty manufacturing, you know it's, at best, tough. I didn't post here to have you guys validate my opinion, I posted here to avoid mistakes. So, again , thanks.

Question for all: The control arms; my impression is that they primarily keep the axles in the optimal spot. My intention with replacing all the arms was to be able to have the perfect geometry for the lift I intend. How does 3" of lift, with the EVO Enforcer lift, not require all arms to be replaced? Also, with a 3" lift, won't I need to replace my drive-line? (or exhaust spacers but that seems a band-aid to me). This Jeep is brand spanking new, I want to do this right and without major negative impact. With that, is the advice to wait until the stock drive shaft's CV joints to fail before replacing ill-conceived? Certainly seems counter intuitive to me.
 
Exodus 4x4

Exodus 4x4

New member
jeep203 said:
Thanks for your input.

As for the community; tough is why I posted. I help run a medium sized millwork shop and if you know down and dirty manufacturing, you know it's, at best, tough. I didn't post here to have you guys validate my opinion, I posted here to avoid mistakes. So, again , thanks.

Question for all: The control arms; my impression is that they primarily keep the axles in the optimal spot. My intention with replacing all the arms was to be able to have the perfect geometry for the lift I intend. How does 3" of lift, with the EVO Enforcer lift, not require all arms to be replaced? Also, with a 3" lift, won't I need to replace my drive-line? (or exhaust spacers but that seems a band-aid to me). This Jeep is brand spanking new, I want to do this right and without major negative impact. With that, is the advice to wait until the stock drive shaft's CV joints to fail before replacing ill-conceived? Certainly seems counter intuitive to me.
Click to expand...

If it’s a JKU, no you don’t need anything more than the lower control arms. The adjustable lower control arms that come with the Enforcer kit are all that is necessary to correct the geometry on the front. I’ve run into some circumstances where it would’ve been nice to have upper control arms on the front to adjust the caster some more, but it wasn’t completely necessary. If you were in a JK, yes I’d recommend you add adjustable rear upper control arms at the very least.

You should replace your front driveshaft with either Adams or JE Reel. They’re both good but I’m more partial to the JE Reel these days. You’ll find a lot of “experts” on the internet that will tell you to get a 1310 driveshaft so it’ll break before any axle shafts or ring & pinion will. I’ve seen enough axle shafts break before driveshafts to confidently tell you that is bullshit. Buy a 1350 and don’t worry about breaking your driveshaft. If you ever break an axle shaft, replace it with a stronger one.


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WJCO

WJCO

Meme King
jeep203 said:
Question for all: The control arms; my impression is that they primarily keep the axles in the optimal spot. My intention with replacing all the arms was to be able to have the perfect geometry for the lift I intend. How does 3" of lift, with the EVO Enforcer lift, not require all arms to be replaced? Also, with a 3" lift, won't I need to replace my drive-line? (or exhaust spacers but that seems a band-aid to me). This Jeep is brand spanking new, I want to do this right and without major negative impact. With that, is the advice to wait until the stock drive shaft's CV joints to fail before replacing ill-conceived? Certainly seems counter intuitive to me.
Click to expand...

Anytime you lift a vehicle, the geometry changes, period. No way to overcome that. While a long arm lift gets you closer to the factory control arm angles, it's still not the same. However, even with a short arm lift, if you keep it under 4 inches, you can still have a decent ride. Adjustable arms will allow you to put the caster angle back pretty much where the factory had it. A lot of lift kits come with longer front lower arms only and this lets the bottom of the axle pivot forward enough to get your caster back in spec, without affecting anything else nor needing the upper front arms. And yes it would be ideal to upgrade your driveshaft before it fails.
 
J

jeep203

New member
Exodus Jeeps said:
If it’s a JKU, no you don’t need anything more than the lower control arms. The adjustable lower control arms that come with the Enforcer kit are all that is necessary to correct the geometry on the front. I’ve run into some circumstances where it would’ve been nice to have upper control arms on the front to adjust the caster some more, but it wasn’t completely necessary. If you were in a JK, yes I’d recommend you add adjustable rear upper control arms at the very least.

You should replace your front driveshaft with either Adams or JE Reel. They’re both good but I’m more partial to the JE Reel these days. You’ll find a lot of “experts” on the internet that will tell you to get a 1310 driveshaft so it’ll break before any axle shafts or ring & pinion will. I’ve seen enough axle shafts break before driveshafts to confidently tell you that is bullshit. Buy a 1350 and don’t worry about breaking your driveshaft. If you ever break an axle shaft, replace it with a stronger one.


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Click to expand...

I am in a JK, JKUs won't go well on the trails I've driven in my Xterra, the WB is larger on the JKU than on the Nissan and the trees are a-plenty. You say rear UCAs "at the least" for the JK. What would you do, optimally?
 
Exodus 4x4

Exodus 4x4

New member
jeep203 said:
I am in a JK, JKUs won't go well on the trails I've driven in my Xterra, the WB is larger on the JKU than on the Nissan and the trees are a-plenty. You say rear UCAs "at the least" for the JK. What would you do, optimally?
Click to expand...

I missed that you were in a JK, not a JKU. I prefer to add adjustable upper and lower rear control arms on 2 doors. In no way does it have to be done, but it’s just what I prefer because it offers more adjustability.


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QuicksilverJK

QuicksilverJK

Caught the Bug
Completely agree with exodus on driveshaft recommendation. A lot of people don't understand that a 1310 driveshaft is actually weaker than your factory CV driveshaft. If you can swing it than I say upgrade to 1350s now and don't look back.


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rubiDave

rubiDave

Active Member
Exodus Jeeps said:
If it’s a JKU, no you don’t need anything more than the lower control arms. The adjustable lower control arms that come with the Enforcer kit are all that is necessary to correct the geometry on the front. I’ve run into some circumstances where it would’ve been nice to have upper control arms on the front to adjust the caster some more, but it wasn’t completely necessary. If you were in a JK, yes I’d recommend you add adjustable rear upper control arms at the very least.

You should replace your front driveshaft with either Adams or JE Reel. They’re both good but I’m more partial to the JE Reel these days. You’ll find a lot of “experts” on the internet that will tell you to get a 1310 driveshaft so it’ll break before any axle shafts or ring & pinion will. I’ve seen enough axle shafts break before driveshafts to confidently tell you that is bullshit. Buy a 1350 and don’t worry about breaking your driveshaft. If you ever break an axle shaft, replace it with a stronger one.


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Click to expand...

What are your thoughts on the rear driveshaft for a JK 2-door w/ a 3 inch lift? Replace or use the factory shaft?
 
BaddestCross

BaddestCross

Active Member
rubiDave said:
What are your thoughts on the rear driveshaft for a JK 2-door w/ a 3 inch lift? Replace or use the factory shaft?
Click to expand...
Replace it with a 1350. The rear driveline angle gets really steep on the 2 door and the factory shaft will fail. Not immediately...I drove mine for a bit over a year. The boot tore fairly quickly, but the joint itself was still hanging in there. The front actually started making noise before the rear did on mine, but it was a ticking time bomb. Just replaced both of mine a few weeks ago.

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

stitch1

Member
I run a Metal Cloak lift and like it a lot. I can understand why some of you would shy away from them. They are a much younger company and not all of their products are home runs. I wasn't sure I wanted to try a progressive coil or dual rate again after having a different brand and not liking them on my TJ. However, I don't have any complaints yet with this kit.

I run their cheap RockSport shocks on their 3.5" lift. I've only been running it about 6 months so far. On road feels good. No harshness going over railroad tracks or the many potholes of the midwest. There is less body roll compared to stock and it doesn't take a nose dive every time I brake.

Off-road they do as you would expect a system to do. They offer good flex. Not to the levels that you coilover guys have but good none the less. I don't do desert runs (no deserts to be had) but we have tons of gravel roads and this system is much smoother compared to stock or a few of the other "big name" brands I have ridden or driven in. AEV, RE, Tera.. I couldn't find anyone local that had an Evo lift. Before I bought my lift I was very interested in the Evo springs. With plush in the name they got to be good, right.

If I wasn't happy with this setup I would probably try the Evo stuff. But at this point I have no reason to make a change. So far the only real issue I have had is with different brand's draglink. If it continues to be an issue that will get replaced.
 
DWiggles

DWiggles

Caught the Bug
So to sum up, we have guys that run metalcloak that arent happy and wanting to upgrade, we have guys that run metalcloak recommending Johnny Joints, We have guys running evo, recommending evo, guys running metalcloak wishing they had evo, and guys running metalcloak who couldnt find evo but didn't like AEV, RE, or TerrorFlex (ALL of which equipt notoriously HARD springs) evo comes with Johnny Joint control arms, AND we know evo tests their products to hell and back... Metalcloak well, doesnt. they think 30mph on a dirt road is "Hard Driving"; meanwhile evo is running there parts 100MPH++ through the burning desert :cheesy: (old timers will get the reference) and some of the toughest offroad trails on the planet... the evo enforcer stage 2 kit is STILL cheaper, and STILL replaces what is necessary PLUS the added bonus of the rear uppers.

... Seems the choice at this point should be easy... :thinking:

The enforcer stage 3 is what you want if you want all the bells and whistles. Nice to have, sure. But NECESSARY? FAR from.
 
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