Drop Bracket improves ride at 3"

[9lared0]

I want to lift my 98 cherokee in the near future. I lifted an older that rode like crap and then It rode evenw orse after I lifted it. My 98 is a good ride stock, after I lift it I expect it to get worse, I could go Old Man Emu and I know those are very comfy but I'll probably end up with something stiffer. If i put drop brackets in to lessent he angle of my control arms, will this help at all? if not what should I do. I really don't want the bumpy highway ride in the 98.

 

[Mudderoy]

1998 xj classic. 4.5" Rough Country ($495). Came with a 1" drop for the transmission. Drives as smooth as the day I drove it out of the show room. Well it does buck and bounce, but that is to be expected from a lift. If I can get the cracked exhaust replaced, it will sound smooth too.

 

[PornstaR]

3in is really no need for drop brackets. if you want then go for it but a lot of clearance will be lost and will look funny. Buy good shocks not those rancho junk. Prolly the reason your last rig rode crappy. Dont use hyrdo shocks the foam up when bouncing. Use a gas shock

 

[Cornflake]

drop brackets aren't good for 3 inches. need at least 4-4.5". just go with old man emu for a comfy ride. X2 on good shocks!! skip the hydro's..

 

[BIGSLVRXJ]

Drop brackets are waaaay overkill at 3" man, go with longer LCAs or just go OME and call it a day.

 

[StylerG]

i have the drop brackets with the RE 3.5 (sits at 4.5) with full packs and OME shocks, i also have the HD trac-bar and trac-bar brace from RE, also have the Superflex upper and lower control arms....its all overkill but the other night my wife drove me home just and she was just as comfortable driving it as my stock DD its been worthwhile for the overkill so my wife doesn't gripe. Honestly i enjoy driving it more than my stock one at this point.

 

[anotherjeff]

.....Use a gas shock

Thats about all I'd change on my '00. I got a RE 3.5" with full packs and replacement LCA's the kit I purchased came with RE twin tube shocks, (they're really Doetsch 3000s painted silver). They're not that bad, but I wish I'd got the gas.

 

[jonnyghost]

If your worried about ride on a DD I'd just go with a 2" lift. It's a lot better on the drive line angles, your front axle will only be slightly off center and you can fit 31's if your not hardcore offroading. If you tune up your rear springs while your at it it may ride better than before.

 

[HMGanja]

On my '99 Limited I did my on "budget boost". With new replacement leaf packs from Quadratec (the 7" arch) and 1.75" Daystar coil spacers. This gave me 2" overall lift. And i swear I cant feel any diff. from stock ride. I know you want 3" so all you would have to do is get some 1.5"-1.75" shackles, skip the spacers and get some OME coils. I bet you would love the ride compared to your older XJ. Just my 2 pennies.

 

[yossarian19]

Every drop bracket I've heard of drops the control arm mounting point by 4 inches.
If you only lift the jeep 3", then you wind up with the arms angled UP towards the axle.
Not desirable - gonna ride and handle all wonky.
Lift 4" AT LEAST if you want drop brackets - if you go full 3" OME + spacers +shackles you can run drop brackets and expect the ride to be the same as if not better than the factory.
My 98 is lifted 2.5" or so and handles quite nicely at 80 MPH or in town / on the trail - a little rough over bumps and rough pavement but its a Jeep...

 

[89xj]

i have the drop brackets with the RE 3.5 (sits at 4.5) with full packs and OME shocks, i also have the HD trac-bar and trac-bar brace from RE, also have the Superflex upper and lower control arms....its all overkill but the other night my wife drove me home just and she was just as comfortable driving it as my stock DD its been worthwhile for the overkill so my wife doesn't gripe. Honestly i enjoy driving it more than my stock one at this point.

you have a 4.5 lift so the drop brackets work for you. under 4" and the arms will be pointed/angled up.

 

[Nevada City Sparky]

Agree on a waste of time at 3", but if you Do go to 4-1/2, definately worth it for hwy driving. My RE 4.5 lift handles great with the drop brackets added, although If I were to do it again, I might consider going 5.5 with long arms.

 

[Darky]

I'm gonna be gettin drop brackets for mine (5-6") in a few months. Kind of a waste since I've decided I'm goin long arm in a year or two, but I need some help for my bowed coils and somewhat steep control arm angles

 

[StylerG]

you have a 4.5 lift so the drop brackets work for you. under 4" and the arms will be pointed/angled up.

i stated this because i actually have the RE 3.5 kit, it just sits at 4.5 after several off-road trips and well over a year. So if he purchases the RE 3.5 it might be a viable option for him.

 

[Shogun]

What is the problem with cutting/drilling the brackets to match the lift? That puts the CAs back to exactly stock angles. I would bet that everyones 4-4.5" lift is a little different, along with DBs. So we're really talking about +- 0.5" anyway. I say lift it, measure the result, then match the DBs, a much better fit.

 

[Gojeep]

Every drop bracket I've heard of drops the control arm mounting point by 4 inches.
If you only lift the jeep 3", then you wind up with the arms angled UP towards the axle.
Not desirable - gonna ride and handle all wonky.
...

What do you base that statement on? With the arms pointing up it will ride BETTER than stock NOT worse! Every impact will have more transference into the coils rather than backwards into the body than before. This will give a smother ride.
It is only a clearance issue that I would not do it NOT because of ride and handling which will be better than stock.

I would fit a OME kit with some WJ control arms and have a better ride than stock.

http://www.go.jeep-xj.info/HowtoWJcontrolarms.htm

 

[purplexj]

I've got 3.5" w/drop brackets and gas shocks, rides great.

 

[Yucca-Man]

What is the problem with cutting/drilling the brackets to match the lift? That puts the CAs back to exactly stock angles. I would bet that everyones 4-4.5" lift is a little different, along with DBs. So we're really talking about +- 0.5" anyway. I say lift it, measure the result, then match the DBs, a much better fit.

Part of it is that the relocated upper control arms now use a bracket off the old upper control arm pocket for mounting. Cutting the lower bracket to push the lower arm mount higher will throw off the geometry of the arms.

Lower than about 4" is going to defeat the benefits of dropping the arms.

Those are the RE Drop Brackets and Braces on a 4.5" RE6130 (modified) lift. Note that the control arms are almost flat at that height.

Jim www.yuccaman.com

 

[yossarian19]

Right - thought I knew what I was saying on the drop brackets with under 4" of lift. I think Gojeep has been at it a while longer, though, so... go with him.