Long Arm vs. Short Arm...for my specific usage

[2021JeepGladiator]

Hi all!
I would like to hear some honest feedback as per the subject, about long vs short arm, and which kit.

This is for my JT Mojave, which is mainly for my commuting, about 15 miles/w but also as I'm in South Florida where everything is flat, the plan is to go twice a year somewhere in TN-GA-NC...and around there...enjoying mountain and playing some Off road...

I have in mind run on 37 and a 3.5 inches lift kit by Teraflex. Either long or short arm.

I know that long arm is more invasive and is not reversible.

But I want to hear honestly what is the big difference, in term of driveability.

Why teraflex? The only thing I know is that most of the big customshop use teraflex, so I assume they are on top level. There is not really a fair comparison between brand, so all my assumption are based on those big rigs, AMW, rebel etc.

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[kevman65]

First, NEVER assume anything.

Second, if you're not blasting through sand dunes or doing extreme flexing in the rocks, you don't NEED long arms. You may want them though, some people do, without the need for them.

 

[Zachanadandy]

For your use I'd suggest short arms and drop brackets up front. You get 90% of the ride benefits of long arms at a much lower price point and they are easily reversible.

 

[Reddout99]

Mine is my primary daily driver and am running the Mopar 2" lift on 37s with no complaints. We have even taken a long road trip from Nebraska to San Diego and back and it road great.
Sounds like a short arm lift would suit you just fine. Let us know what you decide and post pics when you get the lift installed.

 

[Stan H]

Hi all!
I would like to hear some honest feedback as per the subject, about long vs short arm, and which kit.

This is for my JT Mojave, which is mainly for my commuting, about 15 miles/w but also as I'm in South Florida where everything is flat, the plan is to go twice a year somewhere in TN-GA-NC...and around there...enjoying mountain and playing some Off road...

I have in mind run on 37 and a 3.5 inches lift kit by Teraflex. Either long or short arm.

I know that long arm is more invasive and is not reversible.

But I want to hear honestly what is the big difference, in term of driveability.

Why teraflex? The only thing I know is that most of the big customshop use teraflex, so I assume they are on top level. There is not really a fair comparison between brand, so all my assumption are based on those big rigs, AMW, rebel etc.

Agree with everyone else if no extreme flex and hard trails go with short arms. I have aftermarket tera flex alpine and you would be amazed how far these things flex with short arms to begin with.

 

[PuddleJumper]

why are you lifting first of all? cus 37s fit on a mojave bone stock and ride great. cus mainly what your gonna notice is how ass whatever shock you get to replace the factory Fox is. cus they won't fit on any setup over 2in and even then they'll ride weird. 3.5" lift will pretty much have you lookin at remote resi Kings or Fox Elites for a comparable ride to stock.

 

[darkhorse13]

For your use I'd suggest short arms and drop brackets up front. You get 90% of the ride benefits of long arms at a much lower price point and they are easily reversible.

^^ THIS ^^

For me personally, drop brackets absolutely transformed the front end ride quality for the better. I was happy to go back to OEM front upper/lowers with JKS drop brackets to get a better ride. Makes me regret going 3+ years without drop brackets when I had the JTR.

https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/...acer-and-geometry-brackets.88850/post-1528665

 

[2021JeepGladiator]

why are you lifting first of all? cus 37s fit on a mojave bone stock and ride great. cus mainly what your gonna notice is how ass whatever shock you get to replace the factory Fox is. cus they won't fit on any setup over 2in and even then they'll ride weird. 3.5" lift will pretty much have you lookin at remote resi Kings or Fox Elites for a comparable ride to stock.

I want to use the Gladiator offroading, and 37 with no lift whatsoever, is not really ideal. It wold rub here and there. The plan is either Fox shox 2.5 elite or falcon 3.3. Both adjustable. I don't want just fit some bigger tires, I want it functional.

 

[PuddleJumper]

I want to use the Gladiator offroading, and 37 with no lift whatsoever, is not really ideal. It wold rub here and there. The plan is either Fox shox 2.5 elite or falcon 3.3. Both adjustable. I don't want just fit some bigger tires, I want it functional.

Mine is fully functional with 37s and no lift. It doesn't rub anywhere.

 

[Sweetums]

The JT doesn't really have "short arms" from the factory, I'd call it a mid-arm. Take a look at a TJ's control arms; those cause a much more significant problem with ride quality than the JT/JL control arms. We also run an LJ with 4" of lift and true long-arms from Metalcloak and adjustable King shocks and the ride is great. It's not really a fair comparison, even with the longer wheelbase the LJ is 103 inches while the JT is 137 inches.

I run the stock brackets with the Metalcloak 2.5" Gamechanger lift and the truck rides great; the only thing I would change is moving to a higher quality shock, but doubling the cost of my suspension wasn't in the cards at the time.

 

[2021JeepGladiator]

First, NEVER assume anything.

Second, if you're not blasting through sand dunes or doing extreme flexing in the rocks, you don't NEED long arms. You may want them though, some people do, without the need for them.

Well...as you say NEVER assume, if you go camping in the mountain, offroading, or ending up in any wild trail, you never know what to expect from the rocks. (Not planning any sand dunes). Said that, I'm not planning to build an extreme rig, but I want to improve flexibility, and on road driveability. 2% look, 58% on road smooth, 40%off road performance.

 

[Zachanadandy]

Mine is fully functional with 37s and no lift. It doesn't rub anywhere.

My stock shocks work fine with 2" extensions and 3.5" springs. With the drop brackets and triangulated 4 link rear it rides better than it did stock. Even with the 2" spacer kit it was in to the front bump stops to easily and too often. Now it takes a legit bump, jump, or hit to get there. And with all the extra clearance you can get yourself into trouble quick.

 

[PuddleJumper]

My stock shocks work fine with 2" extensions and 3.5" springs. With the drop brackets and triangulated 4 link rear it rides better than it did stock. Even with the 2" spacer kit it was in to the front bump stops to easily and too often. Now it takes a legit bump, jump, or hit to get there. And with all the extra clearance you can get yourself into trouble quick.

how come you can upload vids and i can't?

 

[Zachanadandy]

how come you can upload vids and i can't?

I know I've tried before and it wouldn't work. Maybe because it's so short? Buddy panicked when the truck started tipping so the video cut off. Door was within 2" of the rock but made it out unscathed. Then had to drive back up it because he's only on 2" and 35s in his Overland and wasn't willing to follow that performance.

 

[PuddleJumper]

My stock shocks work fine with 2" extensions and 3.5" springs. With the drop brackets and triangulated 4 link rear it rides better than it did stock. Even with the 2" spacer kit it was in to the front bump stops to easily and too often. Now it takes a legit bump, jump, or hit to get there. And with all the extra clearance you can get yourself into trouble quick.

you have the extension, so they work fine. The point is that they are a internal bypass shock which means they are designed to operate with ride height at a very specific spot. over or under extending the shock at ride height keeps it out of the bypass and in the soft all the time. This can make it feel oddly floaty and hard bumps will not soak as intended. that is why most lifts with stock mojave shock should be done with extensions.

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