my BIG dilemma : /

okwell ive researched this for a while now, and ive done many searches on drop brackets, lower control arms, and upper control arm lengths. ive ready alot but nobody really had the exact same problem as me. my set up is as follows...

approximitaly i have a 6 inch lift. i have 4.5 inch coils and leafs with 2" spacers and shackles giving me 6 inches. i have STOCK upper control arms and my i dont know what brand my lower control arms are but im guessing that they are for a 4.5 inch lift. they have an articulant angle in the middle of them, their tubular and i wish i knew what brand they are. ( i could measure them if you guys want me to, but do i measure from the bushing to bushing or what ? ) anyway , myproblem is that i have a BAD ride. i mean its just not pleasant. it feels like my suspention is a rock and bumps in the road are horrible to ride over. i know that LONG arms or DROP brackets would greatly fix this and my question is that if i get these...would i have to buy ALL NEW LOWER and UPPER control arms???because then that would get VERY expensive. like i said my upper control arms are stock and my lowers are meant for a 4.5 inch lift i think. so would i have to buy all new ones ??? thanks guys. and sorry for asking but ive been searching and searching but i just cant find what i need. thanks in advance

Your arms will work work out just fine with drop brackets. Your ride will improve and you should have more stable steering. Worse case you should buy new uppers and make sure they are adjustable. Then you can really tune in your caster angle. The stock ones will work onroad, but in most types of wheeling they will fail.

ChuckD said:

Your arms will work work out just fine with drop brackets. Your ride will improve and you should have more stable steering. Worse case you should buy new uppers and make sure they are adjustable. Then you can really tune in your caster angle. The stock ones will work onroad, but in most types of wheeling they will fail.

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well -- the definition of work is in question here...

LCA's for a 4.5" lift in the stock location will more than likely be too long for a DB situation - and the uppers wil be WAY to short...

you wont be able to set the pinion angle correctly and will more than likely distroy a front DS like I did...

read up on my expierence here - http://www.opiebennett.com/upperdrrveshaft.htm

i dont run DB's and dont ever plan to. Im going to keep short arms in the stock location for as long as i can stand to - so that when/if i distroy my XJ, i wont have to remake something else...

all in all - make sure that whatever you do, you can still set the pinion angle properly...

-Ranger

XJ_ranger said:

i dont run DB's and dont ever plan to. Im going to keep short arms in the stock location for as long as i can stand to - so that when/if i distroy my XJ, i wont have to remake something else...



-Ranger

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Great advice from someone who has not run DB's. Follow my advice I have direct expierence with short arms. If you don't like short arms then buy a long arm kit. Either one will take care of your ride problem.

I do like the link, looks like a good write up.

ChuckD said:

Great advice from someone who has not run DB's. Follow my advice I have direct expierence with short arms.

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well just think about it - the LCA's will be way to long and push the axle forward quite a bit - extending the wheelbase and messing with the steering, sway bar, trackbar and DS - thats all im saying...

just take it for what its worth

-Ranger

The alternative to drop barckets would be to raise you axle mounts. The benefit is two fold....better angles, and better ground clearance. And you get to rebuild those flimsy stock mounts. I have done this on my rig, and the results are a much nicer ride. I have not run Drop brackets, but this would accomplish the same thing as far as angles go.

Dan Turner said:

The alternative to drop barckets would be to raise you axle mounts. The benefit is two fold....better angles, and better ground clearance. And you get to rebuild those flimsy stock mounts. I have done this on my rig, and the results are a much nicer ride. I have not run Drop brackets, but this would accomplish the same thing as far as angles go.

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Any brake dive issues?

XJ_ranger said:

well just think about it - the LCA's will be way to long and push the axle forward quite a bit - extending the wheelbase and messing with the steering, sway bar, trackbar and DS - thats all im saying...

just take it for what its worth

-Ranger

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You have a very good write up, look at the number you posted there. The difference from stock to location to DB's is very neglible. Also the same RE LCA's are sold with the 3.5" kit, 4.5" and 5.5" Extreme kit. With DB's you can still adjust the LCA's inside the box like OEM mounts.

ChuckD said:

Any brake dive issues?

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There was before I changed the UCA mounts. Actually, I lowered the frame mount, rather than raising the axle mount. Now I have little to no dive at all. When I sit at a traffic light, and creep up on the guy in front of me, The front of the jeep actually raises ever so slightly. But when coming to a stop at speed, the weight transfer feels a little more solid than stock.

ChuckD said:

Any brake dive issues?

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Actually I believe this eliminated the brake dive he was having. Feel free to chime in Dan.

ryurabbit said:

Actually I believe this eliminated the brake dive he was having. Feel free to chime in Dan.

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Beat ya to it.

The drop brackets are optimized to produce stock steering geometry at 4 inches of lift. Which means with 4 inches of lift you use stock upper and lower control arms and get stock caster angles, as well as stcok-ish ride quality (factoring in that lift springs and shocks are probably stiffer than stock). The brackets drop both the upper and lower control arm mounts equally.

So if you use drop brackets at 6 inches of lift, in terms of control arms it's exactly the same as throwing a 2" budget boost on a stock vehicle. Stock UCAs should be fine, and the extended LCAs for a 4-1/2" lift are probably too long.

so what if i just get the DROP BRACKETS and then use my STOCK LCA's and UCA's ??? would this work??? i mean it would be just like leaving stock arms with a budget boost, and ive seen many people do that and be fine???

Yes, that will work, and your caster issues will be the same as anyone doing a budget boost. I had drop brackets with a 4" lift and I felt they were too close to the ground. I was always getting one hung up on a rock. At 6" of lift you'll have a bit more clearance under them, so you should be fine.

does anyone on here have a 6 + lift with DB and STOCKER Control arms ?

generalleexj said:

does anyone on here have a 6 + lift with DB and STOCKER Control arms ?

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Yes this has been done. I have even seen modified lowers and stock uppers. The DB's will help your ride and improved your steering. Caster plays a big part in your steering, but the arc that your arms follow does also. I only warned you about the uppers because they have been know to fail with or without drop brackets.

Stock control arms are pretty weak, and won't hold up to a lot of abuse. I thought you said you had a 4 inch lift and didn't like the ride??? 6 inches with drop brackets will give you the same ride you have now...crappy. Also your stock steering will barely adjust out far enough and will be weak with the weight and leverage of the bigger tires you'll probably be putting on once you have more lift. And, your track bar won't be long enough, and TRE on it will be maxed out at ride height. You're at the point now, where things get more complicated and expensive to do things right.

Sorry, just re-read your original post and saw you already have aroud 6 inches. The same stuff still applies though.

Steering links kinda look like this?

That XJ belongs to a friend of mine. His steering is all the RE stuff. I've done high steer stuff on mine, made my own draglink, tie rod, track bar, and nothing is in the stock location anymore.

That white XJ is a sweet ride though.