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Articulation Comparison

M

Monkey55

NAXJA Forum User
Location
SoCal
Hey,

Does anyone know of an articulation comparison chart? i.e. stock suspension with the sway bars disconnected gets X" up travel and X" of down travel. ABC 3" lift get's X" up travel and X" of down travel... And so on??

I searched around and couldn't find any side by side numbers comparing stock to different companies lift kits and different lift heights.

Thanks,
E
 
Way too many variables, it depends on your shocks, control arms (stock? shortarms? longarms? whose?), bushing/joint type, springs, bumpstopping... the list goes on.
 
I totally understand. I'm just looking for something to compare out of the box lift kits.

For example:
Stock suspension gets X number of inches of flex.
RE 3.5" lift kit gets X number of inches of flex.
Rough Country 3" lift kit gets X number of inches of flex.

The the 4" lift kits and so on.

I'm sure I'm not the only who has thought about this.

E
 
kastein said:
Way too many variables, it depends on your shocks, control arms (stock? shortarms? longarms? whose?), bushing/joint type, springs, bumpstopping... the list goes on.
Click to expand...
Exactly.

Monkey55 said:
I totally understand. I'm just looking for something to compare out of the box lift kits.

For example:
Stock suspension gets X number of inches of flex.
RE 3.5" lift kit gets X number of inches of flex.
Rough Country 3" lift kit gets X number of inches of flex.

The the 4" lift kits and so on.

I'm sure I'm not the only who has thought about this.

E
Click to expand...
Did you read the post above you?
Putting any lift on any pair of XJs WILL result is different lift heights. No the same bolt on box lift kit will not yield the same lift on every XJ.
 
some suspension manufacturers will gloat about rti ramp scores compared to a stocker

rti scores mean very little when you are off the pavement though.
 
RCman said:
Did you read the post above you?
Click to expand...

Yes.

Apparently I'm not making myself clear enough. Or, you guys are thinking into this way too much.

RCman said:
Putting any lift on any pair of XJs WILL result is different lift heights. No the same bolt on box lift kit will not yield the same lift on every XJ.
Click to expand...

I disagree with this. I'm not talking about add-a-leafs or spacers or different tire sizes.

If you install a brand new lift kit on similar XJs, you will get very similar results. Of course you will get different heights with different weights, but I'm not talking about that.

You can take a stock XJ, measure articulation, then install a lift kit, measure articulation, then install another lift kit and measure.

Or, you can two XJs that are exactly the same and install two different lift kits and measure the two & compare.

If you take all the variables out, you can have some decent data.
 
You are the one thinking into this way too much.

What does the amount of articulation even matter to you? Do you go to RTI ramp competitions or something?

Are you going to buy a kit because it offers 10" of travel over another because it only offers 9.5"? I'd be more concerned with quality and design of the components over pure articulation.

Look at the IRO or RC long arm kits. They have great articulation...doesn't mean I would put one of those kits on my rig as I'm not a fan of the designs of either.
 
ktm racer 419 said:
some suspension manufacturers will gloat about rti ramp scores compared to a stocker

rti scores mean very little when you are off the pavement though.
Click to expand...

I guess this is partly what I'm getting at. I was thinking about a 3rd party, that has no interest in any manufacture, test.

I know it wouldn't be easy and would take a lot of work, but it's definitely not rocket science.

I'm not asking anyone to do this. I was wondering if anyone has done it.

If I ran a magazine or something of the sort, I would do this. I would take a bone stock XJ, run it through a series of test, then put a lift & and run it through a series of test, take the next manufacture's lift and run it through the same series of test & measurements.
 
Monkey55 said:
I guess this is partly what I'm getting at. I was thinking about a 3rd party, that has no interest in any manufacture, test.

I know it wouldn't be easy and would take a lot of work, but it's definitely not rocket science.

I'm not asking anyone to do this. I was wondering if anyone has done it.

If I ran a magazine or something of the sort, I would do this. I would take a bone stock XJ, run it through a series of test, then put a lift & and run it through a series of test, take the next manufacture's lift and run it through the same series of test & measurements.
Click to expand...

other then bumpstops and other limiting factors, a well balanced(front and rear working together) funtioning lift is more important then how far it flexes/articulates.
 
MoparManiac said:
What does the amount of articulation even matter to you? .
Click to expand...

What does articulation matter to anyone who wheels?


MoparManiac said:
Do you go to RTI ramp competitions or something?
Click to expand...

No, but I always analyze the information, pictures/video, and setup from anyone who publishes it.


MoparManiac said:
Are you going to buy a kit because it offers 10" of travel over another because it only offers 9.5"?
Click to expand...

I wouldn't, but I might if the difference was an 1" or more.

MoparManiac said:
Look at the IRO or RC long arm kits. They have great articulation...doesn't mean I would put one of those kits on my rig as I'm not a fan of the designs of either.
Click to expand...

I totally understand. I'm not factoring in that part of the equation because that would change everything. Plus, I have a pretty good idea of the quality of different manufactures.

I totally understand that all the different variables impact the end result.


For the record, I've had 7 or 8 Jeeps. I've only built 2 XJs though. So, this is not my first time around the block. Currently, I have a bone stock '91 XJ, a built '99 XJ, and a '02 WJ with a 2" budget boost.
 
In short answer form to your question that's already been answered, NO nobody has done anything that extensive. The most that would have been done is from stock to 3" to 6" and different tire sizes along the way. But even that I haven't seen yet mainly because I haven't searched for how well a kit flexes.
 
Monkey55 said:
I guess this is partly what I'm getting at. I was thinking about a 3rd party, that has no interest in any manufacture, test.

I know it wouldn't be easy and would take a lot of work, but it's definitely not rocket science.

I'm not asking anyone to do this. I was wondering if anyone has done it.

If I ran a magazine or something of the sort, I would do this. I would take a bone stock XJ, run it through a series of test, then put a lift & and run it through a series of test, take the next manufacture's lift and run it through the same series of test & measurements.
Click to expand...

The simple answer to your question is......

No. No one has done it.



I'm going to start posting this comment more....

New guys talk about flex, experienced guys talk about stability. New guys talk about how much lift they can get. Experienced guys talk about how little they can get away with.

:)
 
Goatman said:
New guys talk about flex, experienced guys talk about stability. New guys talk about how much lift they can get. Experienced guys talk about how little they can get away with.

:)
Click to expand...

I had a guy in the store the other day looking at lifting a LJ to get 35s on it. Blew his mind when I showed him what AEV does with their Highline fenders. Couple that with an OME lift and maybe some decent control arms...as an alternative to the RE longarm. :) He seemed awfully skeptical when I told him that 'short is the new tall'. :D
 
ECKSJAY said:
I had a guy in the store the other day looking at lifting a LJ to get 35s on it. Blew his mind when I showed him what AEV does with their Highline fenders. Couple that with an OME lift and maybe some decent control arms...as an alternative to the RE longarm. :) He seemed awfully skeptical when I told him that 'short is the new tall'. :D
Click to expand...
Should've pointed out the Lower 40 concept. Even Jeep is getting in on the lower is better movement.
 
Dave92 was the first to give a straight answer and Richard backed it up. That's what I was lookng for.

I'm not a newb, nor am I extremly experienced.

I wanted to see the numbrs because I want to fully unstand what makes a rig more capable or what is not really necessary. I'm not the type of persn that goes along because everyone says that this way is better.

I totally get that "short" is the new "tall.". But, I'm watching, listening, and reading everything I can find on the subject. I also want to know what is gained or lost and WON'T believe it just because someone says it is so.

In fact, I've been toying with the idea of removing my RE 4.5" SF lift and fanbing up some new wheel wells. I've also been thinking about lowering it 2". But before I do anything, I want to know what is gained and lost and why.


I didn't mean for this thread to go in this direction. If there was some comparison chart out ther, then cool. If there wasn't, then fine.
 
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