Control Arms

I have a question for all you suspension experts out there....
When lifting an XJ, is it reccomended to buy new, longer, control arms?
If so how much lift do you recommend doing this at?
I have 3" of lift and the stock control arms and steering components. I know most kits above 3" come with new arms but I've also heard of guys rolling with like 4.5-5" with stock control arms.
So whats the deal with the arms???
Explanations are appreciated.

Yes it is recommended once you get around 3.5-4" thats why most reputible kits come with new control arms. Maybe its a price thing for those people I dont know but the stock control arms arent meant to be used on a jeep with that much lift. You can run into all sort of problems like death wobble, bad vibes, steering issues etc. Maybe some get lucky and don't but I would assume the jeep still wouldnt handle as good as it would with adjustables or ones meant to be used with the lift. Which brings up another question, what do you want your suspension to be able to do? If you can't afford a quality kit I would try and piece one together using what you already have. Thats my .02.

That right there is a handy chart to have on hand... thanks for the link.

I'm guessing that's a center to center measurement on them?

Stock arms also start hitting the lower shock mounts,most aftermarket ones are designed in some way to eliminate that.