Looking for high quality control arms

Alright I have finally narrowed my death wobble down to the WJ LCAs that I am running, specifically the design of the rear bushing. Has to do with the angles/geometry combined with my current OME lift.

At any rate I am now in the market for a full set of high quality control arms. I will be replacing all 4 so I know where I stand for future mods. I am looking for suggestions/recommendations with a high priority on quality. I want rubber not poly bushings, LCA designed to clear axle shock mount on full droop, and if they have flex ends I don't want to be rebuilding them all the time.

I am finding a wide range of price from $150 ish to $400 a pair, price isn't so much of an issue but I don't want to pay 400 for brand A if Brand B is near identical for half the cost... follow. Thanks

JKS.

http://jksmfg.com/i-9056838-cheroke...-2001-front-lower-adjustable-control-arm.html

rubber bushings, rotating thread thing for more flex, and probably the most expensive short arms out there.

how tall is your lift?

id look at fixed lowers and adjustable uppers. im happy with my RE arms. in 6 years ive only tightened the flex joint once... and that was this month.

im not a fan of going full tilt on buying adjustable uppers and lowers unless you find a good deal on some used. at the price of them new, you might as well spend the money and just get long arms.

VAhasnoWaves - The lift is an Old Man Emu 2.5" giving an actual 2" over stock but tired UpCountry package. What is the benefit of fixed lowers and adjustable uppers vs the other way around, adjustable lower, fixed uppers?

XJLI said:

JKS.

http://jksmfg.com/i-9056838-cheroke...-2001-front-lower-adjustable-control-arm.html

rubber bushings, rotating thread thing for more flex, and probably the most expensive short arms out there.

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I am not interested in the most expensive, I am looking for the best quality I can find. Plus the JKS arms are not offset at the front bushing or curved to clear the shock mount.

RE Superflex or Clayton

nrwphoto said:

the JKS arms are not offset at the front bushing or curved to clear the shock mount.

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They are a little. I'd personally recommend the Rokmen control arms, but it appears their price has gone up to where they are in the same range as TNT.

I run Rustys upper and lower adjustable arms. They have worked well and flex well (almost too well, I need to bumpstop). Only thing is, I had to replace both side heim joints with beefier ones after a few medium wheeling trips and 1 trip over the Rubicon. Not saying they are the best or the worst but that's ym experience with them.

Iron Rock Offroad looks to be using OEM XJ bushings. The fixed length arms are 1 1/4" solid steel, so good luck doing them any harm. Adjustables are 1 5/8 OD 1/4 wall DOM with 1 1/4 threaded joints. Beef, Bushings & Budget.

Curious, though, how have you narrowed it down to the design of the oval bushing in your LCAs that is causing death wobble? I mean, people lift WJs all the time and I've never heard of the oval bushing causing DW...

Not sure about the lifted WJ's but I knew someone who developed death wobble in a bone stock WJ due to the control arm bushing sacking out on them.

Interesting but not unique to the WJ bushing. How's the weather down in Auburn today? no smoke but a little overcast up here.

About the same up here. Pretty humid though. PM sent.

JKS, I run a full set with my ome 3.5" lift. Rubber bushings, no bind flex, and they clear shock mounts way better then many arms due to the small OD of the axle end of the arm. No squeaks or clunks well worth the $$

Boost_Retard said:

JKS, I run a full set with my ome 3.5" lift. Rubber bushings, no bind flex, and they clear shock mounts way better then many arms due to the small OD of the axle end of the arm. No squeaks or clunks well worth the $$

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I have the same setup. The control arms are beef, and well designed.
They allow quite a bit of length adjustment. Grease ports are a nice feature too.
And made in the USA :us:

Personally, if I didn't fab my own, I would go with FrankZ at Serious Offroad. Don't know how much he would charge but I would trust my life to his work. I have seen his work for years. He has a well earned rep for doing great work. If you needed something a bit different, I am sure he would work with you.

yossarian19 said:

Curious, though, how have you narrowed it down to the design of the oval bushing in your LCAs that is causing death wobble?...

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At this point pretty much everything on my Jeeps front end is new or replaced in the last couple years. Everything is tight and/or torqued properly with no movement to be found anywhere. And I have had it checked out by a local mechanic I have been taking the Jeep to for the P.I.T.A. repairs for several years. He did a laser wheel alignment and thought it all looked good.

So after inspecting, road testing and plenty of thinking it is that over designed oval bushing at the rear of the control arm. The sleeve for the mounting bolt goes through what I refer to as a web in the bushing. Solid rubber on the top and bottom, but those crescent cut outs in front and behind the sleeve. This design worked fine on my Jeep at factory ride height. But at the angle it currently sits because of the lift it is causing the axle to move back and forth on bumps.

My DW happens when I hit a bump on only one side or if I go over a poorly lined up expansion joint that is at an angle, going onto or off the local bridges. Basically one side hits the joint first. In either case those crescent cut outs in the oval bushings are allowing my axle to move backwards a little and then rebounding. If it hits the right harmonic then DW ensues.

Another factor in narrowing this down is that I have found virtually no one that has had DW appear immediately after installing the OME lift on an XJ. However I have found a half dozen or so people who have had DW appear on their WJ right after a similar OME install. 1 of the few items my XJ and a stock WJ have in common are those LCAs.

So the theory is that at factory angles the oval bushing and suspension works fine dampening road noise and vibration. When you hit a bump the suspension moves up absorbing the impact. However get that LCA at just the wrong angle as you are going down the road and some of the impact when you hit a bump is transmitted rearward instead of up and (again those over engineered cut outs on the oval bushings) allows the axle to move rearward just that fraction of an inch which then amplifies into the dreaded DW.

The simple design and strength of those Iron Rock arms looks appealing especially for the price. The JKS arms sound nice and I already have JKS trac bar and discos but that is quite the premium price for all 4. Not sure I can justify that much more when comparing them to Iron Rock or TnT arms.

Dunno, I sure like my JKS adjustable lower arms. Tough, strong, and work perfect for my needs. Good luck with your choice.

yossarian19 said:

Iron Rock Offroad looks to be using OEM XJ bushings. The fixed length arms are 1 1/4" solid steel, so good luck doing them any harm. Adjustables are 1 5/8 OD 1/4 wall DOM with 1 1/4 threaded joints. Beef, Bushings & Budget.

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I just installed some IRO fixed lowers and adjustable uppers on my OME/Bilstein lift and was very impressed with the beefiness of the control arms.

The front end feels good around town and at highway speeds. It was lifted about 3-1/2 inches over stock.

I put 31-inch Kenda Klevers on the stock rims with stock backspacing. I haven't measured it, but I have no control arm rubbing at full lock. I think the LCAs provide a slight clearance advantage over the stock arms.

Here's a good shot of the arms.



Here's the lift height change, measured from floor to fender flare with stock tires just to determine the difference.



Hopefully this helps.

I run IRO adjustable uppers and RE adjustable Lowers. Both good arms. I would probably go with all IRO arms if I had to do it again. Good product, good support and good price.

When you installed the arms did you torque the bolts down with all wheels on the ground and the body unsupported?