Iron Rock Critical Path Review

[89eliminator]

I don't think that it is fair to mention names. We were encouraged to try the three other kits from well known and reputable suspension companies. All four have excellent products, however, we liked what we saw in the IRO stuff. That is not to say that we might have loved the others as well....we just went with our gut instinct and also wanted to try something that was fairly new to the market. I can tell you this, I have personally used and tested suspension products from RE, Rusty's, Teraflex, Rock Krawler, Skyjacker, Superlift, Procomp, Rancho. I've tried a lot of them and can honestly say that IRO is up there with the best of them. We were pleasantly surprised and look forward to the long term test of the Critical Path.

fair enough. i was just wondering what type of longarm suspension they were (4-link, 3-link, y-link).

 

[Brad M.]

Wow. You seem to be the safety police. That's cool. I commend you for it. If the spare is not bolted down, will I be cited or arrested? It's not. And yes, there are two kids in the Jeep....the third was outside the Jeep, with our dog, playing on the dirt road. I'm surprised he wasn't run down. I am obviously careless and a terrible father. Sorry.:laugh2:
Thanks for bringing this to my attention though. I'll be more careful next time.

:roflmao::roflmao:

Was the dog in an animal safety restraint?? Too bad product reviews like this can't stay on topic...

By the way, that caster bracket looks pretty big. But from what I can tell in the pictures there doesn't seem to be any clearance issues at compression, correct? Looks like it tucks up inbetween the oil pan and frame rail?

 

[PBach25]

:roflmao::roflmao:

Was the dog in an animal safety restraint?? Too bad product reviews like this can't stay on topic...

By the way, that caster bracket looks pretty big. But from what I can tell in the pictures there doesn't seem to be any clearance issues at compression, correct? Looks like it tucks up inbetween the oil pan and frame rail?

We didn't have any clearance issues. However, it LOOKS as if the arms would have hit the lower control arm mounts if we wouldn't have cut them off. We have seen people that left them on and the arms actually cruise right by them, never touching. Only thing that hits are the springs on the unibody frame during full compression.
Yes...the dog was in a seat belt....but the kids were not.:roflmao:

 

[bhorocks]

question is how does it handle speeds? Im 90% decided on the critical path jsut cant bite.. that or the RK kit. i know the RK kit has a huge following right now!

 

[krelja]

I have 2 questions, does the kit weld on at all? It looks like it just bolts through the unibaody which I wouldn't be to happy with. And is the kit considered a radius arm 3 link? Seems like it would put some serious strain on those mounts

 

[Starboard M]

Could you do me a favor and take pictures of the frame side mount.

 

[PBach25]

question is how does it handle speeds? Im 90% decided on the critical path jsut cant bite.. that or the RK kit. i know the RK kit has a huge following right now!

With the front sway bar on, it handles nicely on the highway. I haven't done over 65mph but it is stable at 65. I think the Rough Country shocks are too soft for this application. A more firm shock would be good for highway and off road.

 

[PBach25]

I have 2 questions, does the kit weld on at all? It looks like it just bolts through the unibaody which I wouldn't be to happy with. And is the kit considered a radius arm 3 link? Seems like it would put some serious strain on those mounts

You do not have to weld, per the IRO instructions, however, we ended up welding the lower control arm mounts to the unibody structure.
And....yes, I guess you can consider this a three link, radius arm set up.

 

[PBach25]

Could you do me a favor and take pictures of the frame side mount.

Please be a little more specific and I'll get you some shots.

 

[89jeepxjw]

off-topic but whats the specs on your wheels? brand,size,backspacing, and price?

 

[TheSandman]

IRO makes good stuff, everyone has opinions like everyone has assholes. I had an IRO 4" kit on my WJ and talked to PLENTY of other people who had their kit. Based on the same as the XJ and it worked like a champ.

I bought an RE 7.5" LA kit for my XJ, the more I think about it, the more I wished I would have gone with IRO, would have a little extra cash in my pocket.

Also, wheels look like American Racing Thugs, no?

 

[Starboard M]

Please be a little more specific and I'll get you some shots.

I want to see how the bracket that holds the arm mounts to the frame. No one has explained how sturdy it is. It looks to me like its just 3 bolts per side, which is my main complaint of this system.

 

[jeeperjohn]

Is it just me or is one of the lower control arms installed with the bend facing down and the other up? Is this how the kit recommends? I trust your judgement on the caster adjuster but it does look like a potential failure point. Thanks for sharing your experiences with us.

 

[builder]

I want to see how the bracket that holds the arm mounts to the frame. No one has explained how sturdy it is. It looks to me like its just 3 bolts per side, which is my main complaint of this system.

OMG there's only6 bolts holding it on. everyone who runs is going to die... get over it, the system works and no one is crashing and burning...understand these guys run nothing but rocks and that's where this and all there suspension systems are tested.!!!1

 

[PBach25]

off-topic but whats the specs on your wheels? brand,size,backspacing, and price?

They are the new Mickey Thompson SideBiters. They are 15x8 and 3.75 back spacing. I was hoping for 4 or 4.5 back spacing but in that size, it is the only offering. Our next review will be on the MTZ's and the wheels. Keeping with the budget aspect of the build, we chose this combination because of it's relatively low cost. For an aluminum wheel, that is beautiful, a cost of about $125 is hard to beat, especially now that we see many black aluminums going for over $300.

 

[PBach25]

Is it just me or is one of the lower control arms installed with the bend facing down and the other up? Is this how the kit recommends? I trust your judgement on the caster adjuster but it does look like a potential failure point. Thanks for sharing your experiences with us.

The bends in the arms are more inward, than down. They don't really have a downward arch at all. The picture certainly distorts what they look like and both arms are mounted correctly. Look at the pictures and hold your finger over the upper Y part of the arm. You'll see that the arm is straight. The upper Y section, along with the inward bend, give it an optical illusion of the arm bending upward.

 

[PBach25]

I want to see how the bracket that holds the arm mounts to the frame. No one has explained how sturdy it is. It looks to me like its just 3 bolts per side, which is my main complaint of this system.

I agree here. I also think that nothing can ever be strong enough. The three bolts per side will hold just find and I've seen the guys at IRO wheelin in Moab with this set up. They hit stuff hard, sometimes fast ...and flex the hell out of their rigs. These three little bolts per side seem to hold up just fine. They also drive these rigs on the road quite a bit....no failure. We welded ours recently just for the added security and piece of mind. Personally, I think that all aftermarket suspension brackets, that mount to the frame, should be welded on. This would be one very simple and inexpensive modification that anyone can make after installing the kit.

 

[PBach25]

Also, wheels look like American Racing Thugs, no?

Mickey Thompson SideBiters. Great looking wheel, especially for the cost.

 

[BlueCuda]

While the idea behind that caster adjuster is good I just can't get myself to like it. Since its a 3 link all of force from your brakes are pulling forward on that when you try to stop, just scares me a little .

 

[PBach25]

While the idea behind that caster adjuster is good I just can't get myself to like it. Since its a 3 link all of force from your brakes are pulling forward on that when you try to stop, just scares me a little .

For the guys that don't feel confident in this component, IRO offers adjustable ends instead. They are also working on a new truss system to address the stress that is put on the long axle tube side during braking, etc. A truss of some kind is in our XJ's future. In the mean time, we have already welded our tubes to the diff housing.
(with the factory axles and brake system, I doubt there is much stress here anyway. I'm just happy every time the Jeep eventually comes to a stop:yelclap: )