Control arms

[Orange01z28]

Any issues with their arms making noise? I've been told that they will get noisy over time?

Not on mine

However my Jeep makes so many noises in general who knows ?

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[Wheelin98TJ]

The front end has their 1.5" leveling kit...but the lift was well over 2", not 1.5...rear end is 2.5" ride right...the leveling kit and ride right kits include the same components, except the front springs are supposedly shorter...

Ok, I understand now.

Clayton lift heights are measured on a Rubi, so they're 1" taller on a non-Rubi.

I'm surprised you're not happy with the Clayton parts. I have the 2.5" Ride Right on mine and I think it rides and drives great.

 

[bleda2002]

RK makes 2 kinds of joints. Johnny joints and rotating dual durometer bushings (like metal cloaks), the jj will ride marginally worse and make more noise than the adventure(dual durometer) joints.

No hate on JJs they flex a little better, but ride a little worse and require regreasing. The dual durometer gives up a tiny bit of flex for a better ride and significantly less maintenance (no regreasing just replace when it's dead in 50k or so miles)

 

[hickman785]

Ok, I understand now.

Clayton lift heights are measured on a Rubi, so they're 1" taller on a non-Rubi.

I'm surprised you're not happy with the Clayton parts. I have the 2.5" Ride Right on mine and I think it rides and drives great.

Yeah I don't get it...everyone loves their products...but mine has rode awful since I installed those parts and I've had the components checked by multiple shops to ensure they are correct..doesn't make since, but my jeep absolutely beats me to death everywhere I go

 

[Wheelin98TJ]

Yeah I don't get it...everyone loves their products...but mine has rode awful since I installed those parts and I've had the components checked by multiple shops to ensure they are correct..doesn't make since, but my jeep absolutely beats me to death everywhere I go

What shocks are you running?

 

[hickman785]

What shocks are you running?

Currently stock...I had changed to the Falcon 3.3s, but I got rid of those things as fast as I could...I had them before the Clayton kit was added, while the Clayton kit was on and for a while after it was removed and it felt like someone had welded my shocks into a fixed position... absolutely no shock and bump absorption at all from those shocks...now I'm considering with Bilsteins, Fox or Rancho 9000

 

[Wheelin98TJ]

Currently stock...I had changed to the Falcon 3.3s, but I got rid of those things as fast as I could...I had them before the Clayton kit was added, while the Clayton kit was on and for a while after it was removed and it felt like someone had welded my shocks into a fixed position... absolutely no shock and bump absorption at all from those shocks...now I'm considering with Bilsteins, Fox or Rancho 9000

I have Bilstein 5100 shocks paired with my Clayton lift.

They do ride a little on the firm side, but I think it rides really good. Many people that ride in it say it doesn't ride like a lifted Jeep.

 

[bleda2002]

Do you have shock extensions by chance, or checked that your shocks are long enough and that the bump stops arent hitting? Is the rough ride on or off pavement?

Failing that you sound like you are looking for like a rolly floaty ride which means you need soft springs and progressive dampening. Control arms arent going to make it any softer than it already is and the clayton arms are already using rubber joints so they're going to be about as isolating as anything else. Most people are looking to add weight and reduce that rolly floaty feeling so we love our clayton stuff, but it sounds like thats not you so i'd be looking for probably synergy springs as they're some of the lowest spring rates around.

 

[Clayton Off Road]

I have the Rancho correction brackets in the front and they made a huge difference. Im most looking at rear control arms, but I may just do all 8 at once. Definitely won't do Clayton. I have the front end components to their ride right kit now and absolutely hate it.

Hey Cory,

What were the issues you were having with the components you have? Typically we don't see any issues when it comes to our control arms and track bars, and are always happy to help diagnose any problems if something is wrong.

 

[Clayton Off Road]

I had the 2.5 ride right kit with the front leveling kit and the jeep rode horrible. This kit was put together by Clayton after telling them what I was looking for. The kit absolutely beat me to death. They advertised the front part of the kit as being 1.5", it isn't, it's well over 2". When I spoke with them about addressing the front lower control arms either with adjustable LCAs or correction brackets, they told me it was a waste of time because the LCAs won't affect ride quality. I finally ignored them and added some correction brackets and the ride significantly improved. Of course if their kit actually raised it only 1.5" instead around 2.5", I probably would have never needed those brackets.

I will give them credit as having the strongest rear springs on the market, because with around 700 pounds of weight on them, they did no squat at all.

I've already removed the rear end components and the ride improved a lot. I damn near had to cut the sway bar links off due to the poor design of them. The other components won't stop coming loose, meanwhile none of my other suspension components ever come loose.


Soon I'll be removing the front end components for a different brand and Im fully confident the ride quality will improve dramatically.

Cory, usually we only see harsh ride quality complaints if there is some sort of bind occurring from installation issues, or too firm shocks that don't work with the weight or height of the vehicle.

I can confidently say, especially in the JL/JT line of products, that we have almost never heard of somebody getting a harsh ride from any of our systems. While our springs do sit taller than advertised, it is only about .5" in the rear, and about 1" up front as this is where we remove around half of the factory rake for a more level look. When it comes to the leveling kit the system is designed to perfectly level out a Rubicon model but does provide a little bit more height to a Sport/Overland model.

While our entry-level systems only utilize front upper arms and track bars in order to be cost-effective and take care of the most important aspects of the suspensions geometry, of course adding in more or all eight adjustable arms will net a better result as you are correcting geometry in each location and eliminating any bind from twisted up factory bushings. The front uppers are, however, most crucial when it comes to on-road driving and steering/handling.

The only conclusion I can come to if adding in geometry correction brackets on the lower arms eliminated a harsh ride is that there was some bind occurring somewhere, either from components being tightened in the air before the vehicle was on the ground under its own weight, or shifting the front axle to try and make both front upper arms the same exact length which will cause a lot of problems.

Ben from JK Gear and Gadgets on YouTube recently made a pretty cool video going into depth about how to properly install kits with self-centering bushings like ours and explains in a lot more detail mistakes to watch out for, I'll leave a link below to check out!

The purpose of this post is only to try and help and we are always available by phone or email if you would like us to work with you further.

Here is the video I mentioned just to get a better idea of what I was talking about:

 

[Stratus109]

I have a 2" lift on my JT...Icon in the rear, Clayton(for now) on the front...I'm looking to upgrade to all adjustable control arms. I'm considering Metalcloak, Rock crawler and Teraflex. My only concern is on road ride quality. I have no concern for flex at all, unless more flex leads to better on-road ride quality. Any suggestions or opinions on which may be better for ride quality or another brand suggestion?

Get drop brackets. I have an unused set with hardware. Pm me if u want a cheap set to try.

 

[Scratch]

I really like the teraflex ir arms. They ride quiet, comfortable, and No maintenance.

Also get the drop brackets

 

[hickman785]

Get drop brackets. I have an unused set with hardware. Pm me if u want a cheap set to try.

Already have a set of those. They made a huge improvement.

 

[TheTrailGeek]

I'm installing Core front lower control arms tomorrow. JJ's on both ends.

How do you like the Core setup?

 

[Rusty PW]

How do you like the Core setup?

I like it. Think for black Friday sales. I'm getting the rest of the arms.

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