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LA upgrade kits (recommendations)

R

rosco

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Salt Lake City, UT
I have a 98 XJ that will have a mixed 6.5" lift. It is my DD But I do wheel it occasionally but not the extreme stuff. I will be running 33's (I know, too small for 6.5" of lift)

Anyways, here are some of my thoughts

Y-Links have inconsistent caster angle

3-links put stress on CA mount (I've heard of mount breakage)

What else is out there?

Lets here your recommendations from personal experience
 
Full 4 links are your only other option. I suggest RK 3-link. Just beef up the CA mounts. I would actually prefer making and tough x-member with the same 3 link setup...
 
rosco said:
Y-Links have inconsistent caster angle
Click to expand...

never had an issue with mine either?:wierd:
 
I would do the RK 3 link

what brackets did you hear break? The only thing I could see breaking off would be the lower control arm mounts on the axle end but that could happen with any kit.
 
on the RK long arms you loose 3" of Break over ground clearance over the TNT Y-Link. and the Y-Link is a no weld on unit that is 100% better than the RK center setup. Y-Link is a big step above the RK stuff for practicallity
 
I think this discussion is about to get good....lol...


EDIT: FWIW, I've heard that people who run the RK 3-link are MUCH better looking than TNT Y-link users....
 
JNickel101 said:
I think this discussion is about to get good....lol...


EDIT: FWIW, I've heard that people who run the RK 3-link are MUCH better looking than TNT Y-link users....
Click to expand...

LOL. facts are facts. there is a big difference on center clearance between the TNT Y link and the other long arm setups and the cross member skid assembly is the stoutest strongest design out there. The RK is a great system also but you still need to weld the parts on and buy other parts to make a complete protection package. I Ve built rigs using both and would always rather use the TNT on a custom build
 
Last edited:
rockwerks said:
LOL. facts are facts. there is a big difference on center clearance between the TNT Y link and the other long arm setups and the cross member skid assembly is the stoutest strongest design out there. The RK is a great system also but you still need to weld the parts on and buy other parts to make a complete protection package. I Ve built rigs using both and would always rather use the TNT on a custom build
Click to expand...

These arguments about loss of clearances just seem silly to me.... I wheel every weekend and I have NEVER one time gotten hung up on my lower control arm mounts.. I have also NEVER even hit my arms... I do hit the mounts every now and then. I mean come on it's like a ramp in either direction.... Now that's just me, maybe i'm not wheeling it hard enough but again I have never gotten hung up on the lower mounting system.

As for welding the parts on.. and buying other parts... even w/ that it's still cheaper than the Y-link. I'm also all for building custom and that's what I'm in the process of doing out back (similar to Clayton's design)...

I think the TNT system is nice.. perfect, no.. but no system is otherwise we wouldn't have anything to debate about.
 
uncc civilengineer said:
These arguments about loss of clearances just seem silly to me.... I wheel every weekend and I have NEVER one time gotten hung up on my lower control arm mounts.. I have also NEVER even hit my arms... I do hit the mounts every now and then. I mean come on it's like a ramp in either direction.... Now that's just me, maybe i'm not wheeling it hard enough but again I have never gotten hung up on the lower mounting system.

As for welding the parts on.. and buying other parts... even w/ that it's still cheaper than the Y-link. I'm also all for building custom and that's what I'm in the process of doing out back (similar to Clayton's design)...

I think the TNT system is nice.. perfect, no.. but no system is otherwise we wouldn't have anything to debate about.
Click to expand...

I have seen a few years ago where an RK setup got caught up and the TNT slipped right through (with less lift) granted it might have been a better line for just luck. Hell I run RE drop brackets. LOL
 
If your going to argue about which kit is better, you really need to do more research. The RK is fully bolt on. The bent arms have just as much clearance as the TNT ones. I have NEVER hit my control arm brackets on the RK kit. I've wheeled all over the east coast, even run it in competition and NEVER hit the brackets.

Although I've come to realize that arguing about lift kits on here doesn't do much good, because everyone here thinks TNT is gods gift to XJs. But what do I know, I've never built and wheeled an XJ before.
 
I run drop brackets at 6.5" and am very happy with them.

If I were looking at any form of longarm kit for a DD, I would look TNT as well.
 
x1000 on TnT

got mine on about a month ago and love it. The only other companies i was considering was Full traction and Claytons, but what made me go with TnT is the belly pan, cant beat that the kit is incorporated into a large and pretty beefy belly skid. MUCH better then the stock x-member...

and the fact that its competely bolt in was nice as well, although welding wouldnt have been an issue...
 
rosco said:
Y-Links have inconsistent caster angle
Click to expand...

IMO this is a red herring. You are over-thinking.

The only time the change of the caster curve is actually noticed is at on-road speeds. At those speeds the change in the caster curve is so minimal as to be hardly noticed - if at all. This is provided that your arms are close to parallel to the ground at highway speeds/loadings and/or there is little change in the angle of the arms to ground (small angle theorem and all that).

Unless you get rockcrawling type suspension movement at speeds over say 20 mi/h on high performance street tires you'll never notice it.

Besides, if radius arms are good enough for a TLC FJ80, Range Rover, Discovery or Mercedes Gelaendewagen I'm sure it will be "adequate" for a XJ.

If you are JeepSpeed'ing then you might notice the caster curve change. Buy the correct setup for the job - FullTraction or RE DBs.

HTH
 
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