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Moving Front Axle Forward

98XJSport

98XJSport

Destiny is the rising sun
Location
Western Maine
I have a 98 XJ on about 4.5" of lift. Im getting ready to trim for 33s, and want to move my axle forward so I won't have to trim the back of the fender as much. I know I need longer control arms to do this, my question is do I need both longer uppers and lowers, or just one or the other?

Thanks
Ryan
 
yes, both.
 
Ok, thats what I thought but had to be sure before I rip into it. Thanks
 
RE, JKS CA's.
 
incase you didnt' know...

i assume you are using stock control arms which when a lift is installed move the axle backward in the normal arc of the control arms. If you plan to use a longer arm in the stock location as your suspension compresses it will move the axle forward and may cause your tires to rub on the front trim/fender. you should cycle the suspension and see if you have enough room forward at full compression to move the axle the desired amount fwd.

hope this helps
 
I think I will, I rub in the back with 31s no trimming when flexed just a bit, and not even close in the front. Plus I want to get a bumper that shouldn't interfere with my wheels unlike the stock wrap-around endcaps. And trimming in the front should definately be easier than the rear.
 
FYI have you considered long arms? When you price adjustable uppers ($180 ish), lowers($200ish), and drop brackets($350ish) you are around what it would cost for long arms. Even more expensive than some. Also if you paln on going bigger then why not do it now? You can get a long arm set up from $400-$900, just depends on what you like.

You can do just adjustable arms but your ride quality will suck with the geometry wrong. I was sitting at about the same lift with adjustable uppers and lowers and it was still a harsh ride. I would really consider long arms for the moeny and time it takes to do the other version. That's my two pennies.

-b
 
lia said:
johnny joints or rubber
bushings
Click to expand...

RE superflex joints, Currie JJs are the norm for adjustable CAs. If you use rubber on both ends they have a tendency to loosen the thread's jam nut and wear on the threads.
JKS uses rubber on both ends for a more dampened ride and a closer tolerance thread to allow articulation and adjustability. A few that are willing to pay the price have been very happy with them, and have lasted several years without threads loosening bushings wearing out ect.
 
I thought when you bought a 4.5 RE (for example) you received new, longer CA's. Doesn't this compensate for suspension angles? I know that most of the RE lifts turn out to be more than the height expected, but it seems common to have to go long arm or at least buy drop brackets. What's up with that?
 
Yes JKSMfg.com Great product. Very durable adjustable control arms. JP magazine used them in the rear of their "no lift TJ" to move the rear axle rearward to avoid over triming the front of the rear fender. They only used lower arms however. Good luck.
 
on the interweb there is a chart that lists a specific upper and lower control arms length for lifted XJs starting from stock height to 10" of lift..

try a google search: control arm length chart (etc)
 
You know, if you move the axle very far forward you are going to open up a can of worms with the steering linkage, trac bar, sway bar mounts, driveshaft length, etc.

HTH

How far are you talking here?
 
Another question if that is OK.

I'm uninstalling my Trailmaster drop brackets. I'm at 4.75" inches in the front and a little over 4.5" in the rear. The reason I'm taking them off is a bang bad on rocks even after shaving about 75" off the drop. I am putting in terraflex adjustable LCAs in place of my Daystar LCAs in the stock brackets.
My first question is at 4.75" in the front , am I still good to run my Factory UCAs ? I know a few people who run stock at this height. I just never asked how it handles. I have real stiff 4" coils in the front so will this help keep me from wandering after I take off the drops. It is a daily driver, but short trips to the store and 1 mile to work means it doesn't have to have wonderful street manners. I will be driving Hi-ways to trails though
Also after the trailmaster install is there anything I will run into going back to regular brackets that I will have to deal with. I didn't put the lift on so I'm not sure what mods they did for install. RE and Trailmaster Drops are supposed to be the same from what I have heard.

Thanks !
 
boise49ers said:
Another question if that is OK.

I'm uninstalling my Trailmaster drop brackets. I'm at 4.75" inches in the front and a little over 4.5" in the rear. The reason I'm taking them off is a bang bad on rocks even after shaving about 75" off the drop. I am putting in terraflex adjustable LCAs in place of my Daystar LCAs in the stock brackets.
My first question is at 4.75" in the front , am I still good to run my Factory UCAs ? I know a few people who run stock at this height. I just never asked how it handles. I have real stiff 4" coils in the front so will this help keep me from wandering after I take off the drops. It is a daily driver, but short trips to the store and 1 mile to work means it doesn't have to have wonderful street manners. I will be driving Hi-ways to trails though
Also after the trailmaster install is there anything I will run into going back to regular brackets that I will have to deal with. I didn't put the lift on so I'm not sure what mods they did for install. RE and Trailmaster Drops are supposed to be the same from what I have heard.

Thanks !
Click to expand...

At that height you will have to lengthen the adj. LCAs to keep the tires off the rear of the fender opening. When you do that however, you are going to point the pinion down if you keep the stock uppers. You "may" either get vibes and/or wear out driveshaft u-joints with the pinion angle out of whack like that.

HTH
 
Dirk Pitt said:
At that height you will have to lengthen the adj. LCAs to keep the tires off the rear of the fender opening. When you do that however, you are going to point the pinion down if you keep the stock uppers. You "may" either get vibes and/or wear out driveshaft u-joints with the pinion angle out of whack like that.

HTH
Click to expand...
Do you know if the ZJ arms or YJ arms are longer ? If not I guess I go adjustables. Thanks
 
Back to the original question... I am running about 2.5" of lift on RE SF fixed lowers and SF adjustable uppers. With 31" All Terrains, I rub the front of the inner fender while flexing, but do not rub anywhere else up front. I get up into the fender enough that the plastic liner is worn through and the metal is shined up a bit. A little extra bumpstop (extended about 1" currently), and that would go away.

sb22.jpg


Dirk Pitt has a good point about interference - my JKS track bar used to rub the diff cover a good bit during even moderate wheeling. I had to reshape the cover to avoid the interference. A stock bar might not have the problem?

Travis
 
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