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RE control arm drop bracket?

DelmarvaXJ

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Naptown
I'm still researching what lift kit is right for me, and is the most cost effective. If I decide to go with either a 3.5" or 4.5" kit from RE, will the RE control arm drop bracket help with ride and preventing death wobble.... I'm worried about clearance issues since the lift is not that high, and the brackets lower the control arm 3" down/ 0.5" forward. I just wanted more opinions on control arm drop brackets lifts of 3.5-4.5 inches, also I might upgrade in height later down the road.... Thanks guys forgive my noob questions...:worship:
 
I am running Re 5.5 front and rear. No drip brackets No death wobble
Its runs great. I would not get them with a small lift like you want to do. I have adjustable control arms on mine I would suggest getting those if you are thinking of going higher later. Also if you are thinking of going higher later just wait then and do it all at one time. Save your self the time and money and just do it right the first time.
 
The drop brackets will make for a nice ride at 4.5" of lift. I would not try to run them with less. I ran at 4.5" of lift without them and thought it was fine - but once I got them it was night and day.

They have *nothing* to do with deathwobble at all. If your components are quality and in good shape, you shouldnt get DW. If adding drop brackets were to "fix" it, you still have a hidden problem somewhere that is going to bite you in the ass later. :)
 
cal said:
The drop brackets will make for a nice ride at 4.5" of lift. I would not try to run them with less. I ran at 4.5" of lift without them and thought it was fine - but once I got them it was night and day.

They have *nothing* to do with deathwobble at all.

Same here cal, I have the 4.5 RE and ran it for over a year. I recently added the drop brackets and it made a big difference, a much better ride.
 
How bad did it ride for you guys with out the drop brackets??
Are you running adjustable control arms?
I went to the adjustables and 5.5 and think its runs better then when I was shorter.
Did you have every thing dialed in?
 
Thanks for the quick responses guys, so anything 4.5" and above is not a bad Idea, I mean RE sells the kit for $262 so it's not too expensive. Thanks again....
 
I have the RE 4.5 kit which I believe is giving me a bit more than 4.5 inches. I did not install it, the previous owner did. It has been on the Jeep for 6 years and still no sag. The problem is that the front alxe needs to be pushed forward a little more. Even with bushwhackers and trimming, I still rub. This I believe is because of the fixed arms. I am considering drop brackets as an option to move my front axle forward. Along with adjustable control arms. I also plan to lift another two inches. Problem is, when I price out those items, I might as well save a little extra and go with the TnT long arm kit.

4.5 inches may even be too much with fixed arms in some cases.
 
I ran at 4.5" with fixed arms. I ran at 4.5" with drop brackets and fixed arms, then 5.5", drop brackets and fixed arms. Now I run 6.5" with 35's, drop brackets, and fixed arms (lowers only).

I have adjustable uppers .. to adjust. I kept fixed lowers so I'm not dragging threads and a jam nut over the rocks.


5.5", 32's, drop brackets, fixed lowers.

85%20lost%20driver.jpg


6.5", 35's, drop brackets, fixed lowers.

RightSide.jpg



Could the axle be a bit further forward? Probably, but it was never a problem. I had new LCA brackets burned on that pushed it forward a quarter inch when I redid my housing, I don't think it was necessary.
 
I did my 4.5" with and without DBs, and I certainly recommend them. As pointed out previously, they have nothing to do with Death Wobble itself, but they certainly do help the ride!

http://www.yuccaman.com/jeep/re_db.html
new_arms.jpg


The red line shows the control arm angle with the original mounts; you have to remember that every bump you drive *into* is going to push up along that line before the tire lifts and overrides the bump. The flatter arm position will allow your tire to climb and drop better, making a better ride and giving better articulation.

Jim www.yuccaman.com
 
I have them on an RE 5.5 kit and love them. Fixed uppers and lowers as well. Rides great on and off road. Here is the best shot I have at ride hieght, you can see my wheelbase is still stock if not a little longer.
DSC00232.jpg


They do help to void off death wobble as they make it much easier to obtain stock caster. Last time I had my jeep alinged it was dead center of all the stock specs.

Because of the better CA angles the tire doesn't travel as far back on droop either which helps alot with tire clearance. Here is my CA angles at very close to full droop.
Chandler0407028.jpg
 
I ran quite a while with a short arm lift and no brackets. When I finally made the change I wondered why I waited so long.

The ride is dramatically improved. Anyone that says they have a 4+" inch lift and short arms and a decent ride is using wishful thinking. I can go from my wife's new minivan to my Jeep and the ride is almost comparable. Before the drop brackets the ride was similar to that of a wheel barrow or a furniture dolly. Every bump was brutal.

They flex well, they ride well, a guy can install them in his driveway and they don't permanently alter your suspension system in a way that long arm kits do. It's a viable compromise and well worth it.

Here's mine crawling the Escalator.....decent droop in the front. Presently at 6.5" and 33s.

escalator800x600.jpg
 
John90XJ said:
I ran quite a while with a short arm lift and no brackets. When I finally made the change I wondered why I waited so long.
My thinking is not wishfull. Every one tells me that mine rides like stk. I have the adjustables and now drop brackets.
Maybe you just needed to dieal your set up in better.



The ride is dramatically improved. Anyone that says they have a 4+" inch lift and short arms and a decent ride is using wishful thinking. I can go from my wife's new minivan to my Jeep and the ride is almost comparable. Before the drop brackets the ride was similar to that of a wheel barrow or a furniture dolly. Every bump was brutal.

They flex well, they ride well, a guy can install them in his driveway and they don't permanently alter your suspension system in a way that long arm kits do. It's a viable compromise and well worth it.

Here's mine crawling the Escalator.....decent droop in the front. Presently at 6.5" and 33s.

escalator800x600.jpg
 
MG2000XJ said:
Would those ca's be the same ones as the fixed ca's on my re 4.5 superflex kit?

I believe so, you might check part numbers on the RE site but I believe they are the same.
 
Since (hopefully) this thread will come up in someone's search I wanted to post up despite the fact that it's three days old by now...

I've got about 5.5" net from my RE 4.5" SF kit. Roll on 31's.

I just installed DB's and like the other posts the change in ride quality is night and day. I ended up getting adj. lowers (have fixed uppers) to make sure I could set the pinon angle just right. My rig is a DD and I drive 40 mi/day at 60+. I could have probably gotten by with the fixed lowers though.

Yuccaman has a great writeup to supplement the RE instructions. Check out his website posted above. (Thanks Yucca!)

Now. This mod is a major b**ch. It took me two 10 hour days by myself. Just be prepared for the time involved here. The metal parts are designed to be stressed when everything is tightened down. Nothing lined up on the driver side initially. That includes the braces. I had to pound down some sheet metal behind the stock LCA pockets and pound down one of the corners on the braces to get it to line up with the bolts holding up the TCase Xmember. As you tighten the bolts the metal bends to pull it all together. Finally, the new RE LCA pocket is narrower than the metal sleave in the RE LCA bushings. When you add the alighment shoe, the LCA is about 1/4" wider than the space it's supposed to go in to. I had to get a 3/8" bolt and a threaded union (like for connecting threaded rod together) to widen the LCA pocket so I could get the RE LCA in there. When that's all done you still have to tighten everything up and align everything using the standard tape measure method. At least I got the TCase studs out OK, otherwise who knows how long the install would have taken.

Aside from that, RE shipped the wrong size washers with the kit. I lost some time because when I got to that part Home Depot was already closed. Check all the parts before you start the install. I didn't. My mistake.

But, it's worth it. I'm going to roll on it for a year and if I don't have any issues I'll probably weld the new LCA pockets and braces up to the frame. For the price, you won't find a better way to spend your precious XJ funds for the value in my opinion.
 
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