Clayton longarms vs. Clayton 3 link

[AwesomeXJ]

I got it.

 

[MG2000XJ]

I emailed back and forth with Adam at Clayton about their new 3 link and the told me they recommend at 6.5" + for use with the 3 link. He was saying under 6.5" there isnt enough clearance for the arms. There is a kid on JF running the 3 link at around 5.5" and he says it does come in contact but it hasnt been an issue for him. Adam told me they recommend the radius style arms for lifts under 6.5".

JF-

Yeah my upper control arm hits the underbody when the driver side flexes up, no big deal I'm planning on pounding out the tranny tunnel a little bit where it hits. If you are seriously considering claytons 3 link, dont let that scare you away. All in all I'm very impressed with it

Thats the only issue I know of with the 3 link and for a lot of guys, it's a non-issue anyway.

 

[ericfx1984]

The 3link is a little less money than the longarm upgrade. And looks fairly stout.

ok we need to get something straight here... ANY arms that are 28+ inches ARE long arms, weather is be Radius(y link), 3 link or even 4 link...

20-28 is mid arm range, I have seen them in 3 and 4 link... I have read of one guy building a Radius arm setup at around 28"

anything under anything 18-20" long means you have WAY too much lift on short arms

anything that is 18" or LESS is short arms... short arms can be 4 link or 3 link (but I have never seen a short am 3 link setup...)

 

[Gaius]

I much prefer a 3-link, but these long arm 3-links that have minimal separation at the frame end (too long of arms, IMO) will act very similar to radius arms. But these suspension companies make them run to the crossmember so they will be bolt-on, and sacrificing performance.

 

[XJLI]

I emailed back and forth with Adam at Clayton about their new 3 link and the told me they recommend at 6.5" + for use with the 3 link. He was saying under 6.5" there isnt enough clearance for the arms. There is a kid on JF running the 3 link at around 5.5" and he says it does come in contact but it hasnt been an issue for him. Adam told me they recommend the radius style arms for lifts under 6.5".

my buddy has ~5" of lift on his XJ with the clayton 3 link with no issues.

 

[MG2000XJ]

my buddy has ~5" of lift on his XJ with the clayton 3 link with no issues.

Thats good to hear. When I spoke to them Adam said they really hadn't had a chance to get measurements for the exact height needed so maybe it was lower than they initially thought?

 

[FloydXJ]

Radius arms will do just fine. The binding in radius arms will wear out your joints faster (UCA axle end bushings most likely), but do not bind enough to limit the flex. The 3-link may ride a little rougher, as there are no rubber joints in the arms (rubber joints are no longer needed, as the binding is eliminated).

I have been running the Clayton radius arm set up for 3 and a half years with zero issues. And I wheel quite a bit :roll:

 

[DeftwillP]

Nobody has mentioned radius arms unloading!! dead bunnies!!

 

[xcm]

ok we need to get something straight here... ANY arms that are 28+ inches ARE long arms, weather is be Radius(y link), 3 link or even 4 link...

20-28 is mid arm range, I have seen them in 3 and 4 link... I have read of one guy building a Radius arm setup at around 28"

anything under anything 18-20" long means you have WAY too much lift on short arms

anything that is 18" or LESS is short arms... short arms can be 4 link or 3 link (but I have never seen a short am 3 link setup...)

thanks for clearing up that confusion, dont know what we'd do without ya.

 

[ktm racer 419]

ok we need to get something straight here... ANY arms that are 28+ inches ARE long arms, weather is be Radius(y link), 3 link or even 4 link...

20-28 is mid arm range, I have seen them in 3 and 4 link... I have read of one guy building a Radius arm setup at around 28"

anything under anything 18-20" long means you have WAY too much lift on short arms

anything that is 18" or LESS is short arms... short arms can be 4 link or 3 link (but I have never seen a short am 3 link setup...)

my old rock krawler longarms were 26" long. i guess they werent longarms.

my mid arms are less than 20" long i guess i have way too much lift with shortarms

 

[redrider2911]

Just a short statement. Yes, you will not notice the bind induced by a properly built radius arm while driving or even in the amount of flex you get. You WILL notice it when one of the upper 9/16 bolts sheer off at the axle side or you buckle your stock UCA mount the passenger side simply because of the stress caused by the binding. Happened to I believe 3 guys last year at NWFEST. Lucky for them Torx carried spare bolts just for that purpose.

A 3 link will not exactly ride rougher then a radius arm (I consider the "ride" quality how the vehicle feels through suspension travel over obstacles) But, depending on what joints you use you will feel every crack in the road ie. sewer drain lids, the lip at bridge crossings, ect. Thats why I felt it good to offer the option for polly joints at the axle end of the LCAs.

 

[Darky]

I'm running an RK 3 link at 5.5" of lift and it works fine for me. More flex than I need, I'm going to have to limit strap it about 3" short of full flex. It's enough that I flexed it out, pulled the coil and installed my Prothanes that way.

 

[sunburned]

My 3 link has stock style rubber bushings at the the axle end of the LCAs. No fatalities yet, just massive amounts of flex.

 

[ktm racer 419]

You WILL notice it when one of the upper 9/16 bolts sheer off at the axle side or you buckle your stock UCA mount the passenger side simply because of the stress caused by the binding. Happened to I believe 3 guys last year at NWFEST. Lucky for them Torx carried spare bolts just for that purpose.

what upper 9/16" bolts?

and the stock passenger side uca mounts always buckle. imo that should always be reinforced/replaced

 

[AwesomeXJ]

what upper 9/16" bolts?

and the stock passenger side uca mounts always buckle. imo that should always be reinforced/replaced

Stock uca mounts? i'm confused now. the y-link longarms don't mount to the stock uca mounts. whats that got to do with the system?

 

[Darky]

They mount to the stock UCA axle end mounts. The pass side mount is nothing but sheet metal...

 

[redrider2911]

The stock UCA mounts at the axle side use the stock 9/16 bolts in all the radius or y link kits I have seen. Come to think of it they are only 10mm bolts sorry. Closer to 7/16. I was thinking of the lower mounts being 9/16

 

[AwesomeXJ]

They mount to the stock UCA axle end mounts. The pass side mount is nothing but sheet metal...

right right right.... I was thinking body mounts. my bad. :dunce:

 

[AwesomeXJ]

are there some aftermarket mounts that are stronger that i can get?

 

[ktm racer 419]

are there some aftermarket mounts that are stronger that i can get?

i know currie and clayton make some

tnt has a truss that includes a stronger upper mount.

i know the curries use jhonny joints, but the other options might have a rubber bushing option