Question for those that went from 3.5" springs to 4.5" springs on mid-arms

[pokey02]

I have a 2022 JTRD on a Clayton 3.5" lift. The jeep is getting a little work done (Fusion 60s, 40" tires, PSC steering and new driveshafts) and I think I'd like a little more clearance between the tire and fender flare.

I'm contemplating moving to a 4.5" spring while staying with the mid-arms to give a little more clearance.

For those that have made the switch from 3.5 to 4.5" springs - can you tell me how your ride quality changed (if at all)? Do you regret the move?

I've also been casually looking at long arms, but I still have all the diesel exhaust paraphernalia, so long arms in the rear are a challenge. I'll probably stick with the mid arms but am curious about real world feedback on the drive quality with a 4.5" spring.

Edit: I should add that I'm building this for rockcrawling and road trips to the trails. Have several trips planned for next year and the Rubicon the year after.

Thanks!

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[RK Racing]

Just switch to long arms and you will not regret it. The ride is GREAT!!! I have installed two sets myself, and it really is not that hard..

 

[pokey02]

Just switch to long arms and you will not regret it. The ride is GREAT!!! I have installed two sets myself, and it really is not that hard..

Looks good! Is that Rebels' coilover conversion in the front?

Long arms would definitely improve the ride quality - no doubt about that, but completely redoing my suspension setup will need to wait a bit - I need to financially recover from the move to 40s and new axles. LOL.

An intermediate step would be to keep the mid-arms and just jump to a taller spring. But since I have to road trip to all the trails, I was wondering if the drivability is noticeably different.

Of course, I could just keep it as it, use more bump stop and stick with the LCG concept.

 

[RK Racing]

Looks good! Is that Rebels' coilover conversion in the front?

Long arms would definitely improve the ride quality - no doubt about that, but completely redoing my suspension setup will need to wait a bit - I need to financially recover from the move to 40s and new axles. LOL.

An intermediate step would be to keep the mid-arms and just jump to a taller spring. But since I have to road trip to all the trails, I was wondering if the drivability is noticeably different.

Of course, I could just keep it as it, use more bump stop and stick with the LCG concept.

Wife’s 2022 Wrangler (38’s, 3.5” lift but now with a 4.5 lift) & my 2023 Gladiator ride sooooooooo much better on the road and off the road that i would NEVER do a short arm lift again. We have had 6 jeeps before…. A lot of JK’s all lifted and i always wanted to install a long arm kit. I drove a friend‘s friends, long arm Jeep and fell in love instantly a few years ago. I just wanted to give you another view of things.

 

[pokey02]

I'm going answer my own question. Just in case this is helpful to someone at some point in the future.

I moved from Clayton 3.5" springs to RK 4.5" springs after the axle upgrade and 40" tires. The front end linkage was pretty cramped with 3.5" springs. The jeep drove amazingly fantastic though.

Installed 4.5" springs which certainly helped with clearance for all the front end links. The shop also pushed the axle forward and doing that has my Metalcloak control arms at their length limit. The control arm angle isn't ideal (long arms would solve this), but I haven't noticed a big difference in driveability.

All in all, the jeep drives really nice and the extra room for the front end pieces should be good for offroad adventures.

Now I just need to take a road trip and do some wheeling!

 

[Flyin6]

So, I sort of did that. At one point in the past (before long-arm suspension), I added 1" spacers to my 3.5" Clayton springs. I DID NOT like the ride afterward. It was much more active along the roll axis. I played with the Falcon 3.3's to try and wrestle it back in control. My wife even quit riding in it. Because of that, I decided to install the front and rear Iron Rock long arms myself.
My setup has a largish IKamper RTT on a rack, so there is a bit of weight sitting above the roofline. (A factor? Very much so.) I will say that after the long arms, I did not get to drive it much, but I had taken out the spacers, and it felt better. I had to send it off for a Hemi transplant soon afterward.

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