Metal Cloak vs. Clayton

[M0untainM4n]

I do. She is a little dirty from the ride…

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[Clayton Off Road]

do both the metalcloak and clayton ride as smooth as stock?

We've always heard from our customers that their vehicles ride better than they did stock! The goal is to create a more firm and comfortable ride than the stock suspension provides.

 

[Sasoriza73]

I would definitely recommend a 3.5" kit to clear those tires, especially because you do a lot of rock trails! With that being said, deciding whether to go with the 3.5" Overland Plus Kit or 3.5" Premium Kit would be up to you and what you're looking for out of this vehicle. Usually, the Overland Plus kit is what most of our customers tend to gravitate to due to its performance benefits on and off road, and also the fact that it's maintenance free. The Premium kit is designed for, and is usually used by guys that are looking for the most off road performance possible since the Johnny Joints allow for a little bit more mis-alignment, but do require maintenance every so often. Feel free to give us a call or just ask any other questions you have, always happy to help!

I have a ‘22 JTR and planning to ru 40’s. Some light over-landing and off-roading . What lift do you recommend?

 

[Sasoriza73]

Definitely PM us as we have both a forum member and veteran/military discount available! If you like the height of the Mopar kit then our 2.5" kit would be the way to go

Any discounts for first responders…ie: firefighters?

 

[bleda2002]

I have a ‘22 JTR and planning to ru 40’s. Some light over-landing and off-roading . What lift do you recommend?

I have 39s on a Clayton 2.5 and even with chopped fenders I will just lightly rub unlocked at full flex, for 40s you're gonna want to go 3.5

 

[Camaroboi13]

Any discounts for first responders…ie: firefighters?

Last time I asked that I believe they did say there was a first responders discount.

 

[Clayton Off Road]

Any discounts for first responders…ie: firefighters?

Definitely! Shoot us a PM

 

[Turnswrench]

I went with Clayton for their reputation that's built on real life jeepers. I live in Alaska so as you can imagine getting heavy items here isn't easy or cheap. Clayton went the extra mile to help me get their kit. So quality product and great customer service.

Thank you!

 

[MrClortho]

After a good month of research and advice from a buddy that is by far the most experienced Jeeper I have known (I have been Jeeping for 20+ years), I went with a Clayton 3.5" Overland Plus kit with Fox 2.0s over the others I was researching (ReadyLift, Terraflex and MC). He liked MC too, but ended up going Clayton as well after running a few other brands. He had experience with MC rear coils sagging when loading gear in his JT.

Set a Clayton control arm next to the others and the decision becomes easier...talk about stout. Clayton has the angled from LCA's for tire clearance and a heaver spring rate for loaded rigs that some others don't.

I had all but ordered the ReadyLift 4" with Falcons. I have a 3.5" ReadyLift on my RAM and like it, but at the last minute, switched.

 

[Drooler]

I just put on a MC 3.5” GC. It rides nicer than stock. I got mine with the Rocksport shocks and it’s nice and smooth. The downside to MC is the rear track bar is so beefy, it’s tough to get my new 37” Nitto Trail Grappler spare underneath. It’s pressed hard up against the track bar and hitch, even deflated to 20lbs. The MC guys said to take it to 12lbs and it will fit as they said that’s how their guys run them. I will try that, but I am thinking of swapping it out with a Clayton rear track bar for that cool bend to make room for that spare.

The MC articulation is insane. It’s maiden voyage was the trifecta Poison Spider, Golden Spike, Goldbar Rim trail yesterday. I went with a few friends who had Land Rovers. They told me the MC on the Gladiator made the Golden spike Crack look easy. No tire in the air… the MC articulationhad nearly full time contact on all 4 tires. It was amazing.

Thanks for sharing. Quick question re your MetalCloak rear track bar that you installed in 2021.

Was it a straight rear track bar? Or one with that comes bent (to accommodate a larger tire in the spare housing)?

Reason for my question is because I got a set of 5 38” Patagonia Milestar XTs and want to avoid putting the spare in the truck bed.

@clayton. How does your Rear Track Bar compare to the Metal Cloak rear track bar in terms of ability to accommodate a 37” to possibly 38” tire? Is your “bent” more pronounced and thus able to accommodate a slightly taller tire?

Thanks in advance.

 

[M0untainM4n]

Thanks for sharing. Quick question re your MetalCloak rear track bar that you installed in 2021.

Was it a straight rear track bar? Or one with that comes bent (to accommodate a larger tire in the spare housing)?

Reason for my question is because I got a set of 5 38” Patagonia Milestar XTs and want to

No... it's not bent. It's a straight bar. I wish it was bent... getting the 37s in and out of there requires some windex and a lot of pushing.

 

[hjdca]

I am having a hard time deciding on the joints. Enforcer or Overland. The JT needs as much articulation as it can get off-road.

Here is me from 2020. I ended up going with the 3.5" Overland Plus kit with the Giiro joints. Now 4 years and 50K miles later and running the Rubicon Trail twice and the Big Bear badge of honor trails many times, I am very happy with the kit. The joints are still great and the articulation is great. No sag, perfect firmness, no sqeaking, perfect tracking at high speed. I went with the Falcon 3.3 SP2 fast adjust shocks and they have been bullet proof. The adjustability is much appreciated with the different terrains and loads I run.

1. The rear of these falcon shocks extends to 32.3" and in extreme articulation circumstances, I noticed my rear Clayton coils getting a little loose. Since I 4wheel alot, I ended up installing Teraflex coil clamps for the rear, and I would recommend them for this setup with the long Falcon rear shocks.

2. I also installed the Rock Jock carrier bearing spacer to improve the pinion angle in the rear and I would recommend this also.

3. During the initial installation, I installed Rusty's JL/JT Bow Correction Lower Coil Spring Isolators to replace the stock flimsy isolators. These are great for avoiding any bow for higher lift kits, so, I installed them as a preventive measure. I would also recommend them.

Note: you can click my build link for pics and more info.

 

[Drooler]

No... it's not bent. It's a straight bar. I wish it was bent... getting the 37s in and out of there requires some windex and a lot of pushing.

Thanks. That makes a lot of sense.

I think MC only released their Rear Track Bar with a “bent” in it to accommodate larger tires in the spare housing 2 years ago?? So when you bought yours, what was available back then was the straight rear track bar.

Would love to know if anybody compared apples to apples between the MC “bent” rear track bar and then Clayton “bent” rear track bar. And which one can accommodate a larger spare.

I know it is probably a 1/4 of an inch difference max if any, but every little bit helps when trying to stuff a 38” spare that was originally designed to house a 31” to 33” spare.

 

[M0untainM4n]

Thanks. That makes a lot of sense.

I think MC only released their Rear Track Bar with a “bent” in it to accommodate larger tires in the spare housing 2 years ago?? So when you bought yours, what was available back then was the straight rear track bar.

Would love to know if anybody compared apples to apples between the MC “bent” rear track bar and then Clayton “bent” rear track bar. And which one can accommodate a larger spare.

I know it is probably a 1/4 of an inch difference max if any, but every little bit helps when trying to stuff a 38” spare that was originally designed to house a 31” to 33” spare.

At the time, they had no bent option. I was lucky to get it due to COVID shortages... it took a lot of work to get product. Others said it depends on your tire that you put in there and the Nitto Trail Grapplers were considered a diameter that would fit if goaded into the bottom. IIRC it was mid-range diameter for a 37" tire. I recall seeing a list somewhere in the forum of tires and their ability to fit. 37s were it and anyone who wanted bigger had to cut away the metal retainer for the spare. The real main issue is the distance between the hitch and the bar which is where the squeeze happens for me. Point to note, people used to warn me (including the dealership) that the track bar will get bent or damage to the tire. Neither has ever happened. Just some of the gold rubbed off the track bar.

I wish I could have had a bent bar. It really is a major PITA when I remove it and put it back when I go off-roading. I keep a bottle of windex in my truck for that very reason to make the tire slick enough to fit after airing it down to about 11-13 lbs. Once its down, it can go in without too much fighting.

That said, on my next set of tires, I will probably get one that is smaller by 1/8". I'm not pleased with "Shittos" because they really chunk wildly... but thats for another thread.

 

[Clayton Off Road]

Thanks for sharing. Quick question re your MetalCloak rear track bar that you installed in 2021.

Was it a straight rear track bar? Or one with that comes bent (to accommodate a larger tire in the spare housing)?

Reason for my question is because I got a set of 5 38” Patagonia Milestar XTs and want to avoid putting the spare in the truck bed.

@clayton. How does your Rear Track Bar compare to the Metal Cloak rear track bar in terms of ability to accommodate a 37” to possibly 38” tire? Is your “bent” more pronounced and thus able to accommodate a slightly taller tire?

Thanks in advance.

I'm not familiar with Metal Cloaks track bar, but ours is designed to run a 37" spare tire without any rubbing issues, and some smaller 38s will work as well. However, it is actually not the track bar you are going to start to rub first with larger spares, that space will really only accommodate up to a 37" spare due to the overall circumference of the space, and going any larger with any rear track bar will require airing down.

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