When to choose a LCA?

When is the best time to start considering an long arm setup? Is there a rule of thumb on the angle that can be translated in inches of lift?

I currently have a standard 3" lift and purchased everything I need (except new control arms) to bump it up to 6.5"... Should I go ahead and buy adjustable control arms or start considering a Long arm setup?

i would look into a lonmgarm upgrade. most maufacturers offer them. comes with what you need to upgrade to long arms. crossmember and the lower arms. TnT, Rubicon Express, Rockkrawler And a few others. or you can make a 3 link. Look up ghost's and vetteboy's build.

Thanks, I plan on building it myself, so I'll check their builds.

at 6.5" of lift i would consider going with one of the many LA options, or you need to run the RE drop brackets.

-Kyle

at 6.5", you need to either swap to a long arm setup, or look into the Rubicon Express / Trailmaster / Rough Country drop bracket systems...

And is there a major advantage to going one way or the other? They both 'look' just as difficult to fabricate. I'm looking for something that handles 36" tires and a 6.5" - 7.5" lift

Twicepardoned said:

And is there a major advantage to going one way or the other? They both 'look' just as difficult to fabricate. I'm looking for something that handles 36" tires and a 6.5" - 7.5" lift

Click to expand...

more clearance with LA's vs Brackets and arguably a bit better ride.

-Kyle

Twicepardoned said:

And is there a major advantage to going one way or the other? They both 'look' just as difficult to fabricate. I'm looking for something that handles 36" tires and a 6.5" - 7.5" lift

Click to expand...

traditional radius style long arms are atributed to having un-satisfactory unloading issues when on ledges and climbing -

in situations like this -


traditional raidus style long arms are known to drive the front axle out from underneath the jeep - 'unloading' (note - my jeep doesnt have radius arms)

the drop brackets are the 'bolt on' soulution to this issue...

really in a front suspension design - the flatter the arms are to the ground, the better your ride on the street will be... the flatter the arm, the lower the mounts are to the ground, the more they will hang on stuff...

the long arms move the mount back farther on the chassis, allowing for a 'long, flat' arm with decent clearance mounting points...

with 33's and 35's the drop brackets arent that bad, because the back of the tire is almost even with the mount, and so they dont get hit all that much...

pick your poision... at 6.5" of lift - one of the above soultions is definately necessary to keep control arm angles to reasonable levels...

my vote is for long arms, drop brackets seem ghetto and a band-aid fix
and theyre not cheap enough to justify this

xcm said:

my vote is for long arms, drop brackets seem ghetto and a band-aid fix
and theyre not cheap enough to justify this

Click to expand...

well i wouldnt by any means consider them "ghetto" they are good for people whom already have adj UCA/LCA's

-Kyle

XJ_ranger said:

really in a front suspension design - the flatter the arms are to the ground, the better your ride on the street will be... the flatter the arm, the lower the mounts are to the ground, the more they will hang on stuff...

the long arms move the mount back farther on the chassis, allowing for a 'long, flat' arm with decent clearance mounting points...

with 33's and 35's the drop brackets arent that bad, because the back of the tire is almost even with the mount, and so they dont get hit all that much...
.

Click to expand...

I have never heard the term 'unloading'... I assume that when the front wheels drop off and the vehicle becomes suceptable (sp?) to hang ups.?.?.?

From the pictures of different setups I saw I thought the Long arms looked more "in the way". As if I'd end up sliding on them alot. Am I not right?


BTW What am I looking for in that pic?

go with longarms. I just put in the Rock Krawler LA setup. Its the cheapest one out there, and it bolts on. It also has the strongest arms out there (proven) due to the solid stock they use. You can pick the system up for less than $500 shipped. New adjustable LCAs will cost about $200-300, and if you need new UCAs, you might was well go with the LA.

TNT and clayton are also stout setups.