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Control arm drop brackets ?

rstickley

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Carencro, La
I have a 98 with a 3" lift. I was looking for a control arm drop kit but the ones I find are all for 4" + lift. Has anyone installed one of these kit with a 3" lift and had good results? Thanks.
 
The only issue I could see is finding a set of upper/lower control arms that can be adjusted that short.
 
I'd run stock arms and go from be about the same as a bone stock xj with sagging springs

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I drove 40,000+ miles and 4 wheeled in both Ouray Co and Moab Ut with a 3 inch lift that included longer lower control arms, but without control arm drop brackets. The vehicle ride comfort and driveability was not compromised. I don't think the benefits will outweigh the costs at only 3 inches of lift.

At 4.5 inches of lift, the ride comfort went to heck and potholes and railroad tracks were sharp impacts to the unibody that reverberated in my kidneys. Control arm drop brackets improved the control arm angles, and the ride comfort as well.
 
The problem is in the ride quality. It sucks. It is a Trail Master lift kit that came with coil springs, lower control arms, sway bar drop brackets, and rear add a leaf, and shocks. It hits hard and jolts the body when going over even cracks in the road. I installed Bilstien shocks and it helped some. The lower control arms are pointed up at a 12 degree angle from the axle. From what I have read, it seams that to get the ride better, this angle needs to be closer to 0.
 
I have to disagree. With 2-3" lift stock arms stock brackets ride pretty much sucked. I can't compare drop brackets because I never ran then.
But going to longer arms upper and lower axle points raised to nearly flat lower arm. Ride improved to better than stock.

I currently could take speed bumps at 45 even square edged side walks. Actually I bump off stuff all tge time just for fun.

Ounce the xj is lifted ride quality is compromised the drop brackets help get the geometry back to livable levels. If lifted 3" geometry is nearly where the engineers wanted it to be.

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They say no more than 6deg anything with a link suspension not just the xj. Who they is i dunno but I read it somewhere and it's working fir me after building cutting apart and redoing my front 3 link a few times.

You may or may not see benefits from investing in different shocks and springs but you will certainly see instant improvement when the geometry is in a happy zone where arms are flat ass possible here suspension works from the center of the arc not near the bottom of it



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The problem is in the ride quality. It sucks. It is a Trail Master lift kit that came with coil springs, lower control arms, sway bar drop brackets, and rear add a leaf, and shocks. It hits hard and jolts the body when going over even cracks in the road.

I suppose ride quality is subjective. I don't know what shocks or what spring rates Trial Master kits use, but my 00 has 3.5" RE springs and DoetschTech shocks, and my 98 has 3" Rusty HD coils and Bilstein 4600. The ride quality is similar and I don't find it objectionable.
 
With drop brackets and a 3 inch lift you may have excessive brake dive due to geometry.... I would try it though. Worse case get a 1 inch spacer...

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I dont think brake dive will change noticably because link seperation at both ends is retained.

Geometry is not subjective like shocks and springs

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Does a bone stock xj with worn springs from living life have brake dive, maybe it has no lift and a baddass winch. Ive drove a few stock jeeps and not noticed brake dive.
Only time I noticed brake dive was when I didnt have enough axle side link seperation on my 3 link

Maybe its springs have not settled since leaving the plant

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Slow thats weird.
Id like to drive it and get a real world comparison to what I have experience with

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It is strange. It's sagged about an inch and the shocks are just run of the mill Gabriels, but the five is very noticeable compared to the iro 3 link with 3.5 inch lift

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