I have looked at a lot of kits and setups, these are the only ones I think I would run, and why. I'm not going to go into the ones that I wouldn't run or why, as there are a bunch of them and my reasons are not always .. reasonable.
Just trust me to say the rusty's kit is total crap, and you aren't going to find *true* hardcore jeepers in hardcore rigs running hardcore trails on them, that *keep* them. People buy them for the price, and then spend buy another kit for reliability later.
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Drop brackets maintain a full 5 link, which offers excellent flex (not necessarily the same *droop* as longarms, but better flex as you don't get the binding of radius arms). They are inexpensive, easy to install, true "bolt in" and let you run the arms of your choice. It will move your front axle forward just shy of an inch, which is a huge bonus.
The TNT kit is very good. It is tucked up out of the way, has good clearance, is *very* well built. The crossmember is a pain to install and you often have to remove it to remove your transfercase. Sometimes getting your caster/pinion set right is difficult too, but thats the same with any kit really.
The RK 3 link kit is very strong, offers super flex, doesn't have the ground clearance the TNT kit has (NONE of them do). It has only one upper link, which can be a little scary on the highway in my opinion, but people don't seem to be having problems with it. The one upper link does help to cut down on a lot of the binding other radius arm kits have and may help your housing last longer.
The RE longarm kit has probably the worst clearance, but is very common and easy to get parts for. The crossmember attaches with lots of sheetmetal screws (or at least did last time I looked at one) and required a lot of cutting and grinding to make fit right.
I run drop brackets. I run them with fixed RE lowers and adjustable RE uppers, so I don't drag the threads of a lower over the rocks. I have never hung up on them, rarely hit them, and can use the full travel of a 14" travel shock. I have 6.5" of lift with 35's, and my jeep drives like a civic on the highway. Several times I have considered going to a TNT kit, but I don't see a reason to change what I have - it works really well, and if I *do* damage an arm, a standard RE upper/lower is not hard to find at most major events or wheeling spots to get me off the trail.
Thats pretty much it. Its my opinion, but a lot of people here would probably tell you its a very informed opinion and reasonable advice. You have to live with your decision, so you need to make it - but read what I wrote a couple of times and keep in mind its about as strait forward as you are going to get, and has solid mechanical understanding and experiance behind it.
Cal
