Thoughts/experiences on control arm drop brackets

[gearhead22]

This probably has been discussed a few times, and I know some of it has been touched on buried in other threads I’ve seen.

But I’m genuinely curious how much of the benefits of drop brackets comes from the addition of caster vs lowering the control arm? A lot of people report better stability and such but that could be contributed to the addition of caster that was provided by the bracket. If someone has adjustable control arms and already has a good amount of caster would they really notice much difference by adding the brackets?

does anyone have experience with being lifted, having adjustable control arms and proper caster THEN adding drop brackets and maintaining the same caster? Did you notice a difference?

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[gearhead22]

The drop brackets make the lower control arms more level so when you hit bumps it’s not as harsh. They also reduce brake dive. I noticed a big difference compared to my old lifted wrangler without brackets. The only drawback is if you drop off a large rock or ledge, you could hit the brackets. That hasn’t been an issue for me yet, so I’m very happy with them.

The ground clearance issue doesn’t bother me a bit. I don’t notice virtually any brake dive currently. But it is slightly harsh over bumps, but the bilstein 5100’s I have don’t help in that regard.

 

[Lunentucker]

Opinions vary, but I found the drop brackets to be a huge improvement in ride quality and handling.
If you dive into this thread you'll see that I eventually installed the rear brackets as well.

https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/forum/threads/relocation-brackets-vs-long-control-arms.61582/

 

[gearhead22]

Opinions vary, but I found the drop brackets to be a huge improvement in ride quality and handling.
If you dive into this thread you'll see that I eventually installed the rear brackets as well.

https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/forum/threads/relocation-brackets-vs-long-control-arms.61582/

Did you already have a lift and proper caster prior to adding them?

 

[Lunentucker]

Did you already have a lift and proper caster prior to adding them?

2" AEV lift came on the CPO truck when I bought it.
If I had a new one with just 2 inch lift I'd throw the Mopar extended control arms on it and see how that does before diving into drop brackets.

 

[fourfa]

I started with 3.5” lift springs (Clayton diesel), control arms all around, proper increased caster. Ended up with considerable angle on the front arms and a lot of harshness on washboard roads. Even with my adjustable shocks wide open and tires aired way down

I added drop brackets (metalcloak in my case) and reduced harshness transmitted into the chassis was immediately obvious, even on the street. Reduced brake dive was a nice side effect too.

Reduced ground clearance is real, and I’ve slid on mine a few times now. This happened on the Rubicon:

though ultimately I probably would have made contact in the same spot with or without the drop brackets. Looks like they will hold up to that level of abuse. Absolutely would not take them off - the benefits are too real

 

[1gunboy]

I have a 2” lift on mine and bought Rancho drop brackets only to find that they won’t work with a 2” lift unless it’s a Rubicon. If you have 2” or less, use the Mopar lower control arms. 2.5 or greater lift, use the drop brackets. I drove mine for three years without the extended lower control arms and it wandered a good bit, the new control arms changed the steering feel and reduced that wandering, but the difference was not huge by any stretch. Oddly enough, after lifting it the alignment was fine and tires wore perfectly, I never realigned it, however, after adding the control arms the steering wheel was cocked to the left and it pulled. One would have thought it would be better, as in back to factory specs.

 

[gearhead22]

I started with 3.5” lift springs (Clayton diesel), control arms all around, proper increased caster. Ended up with considerable angle on the front arms and a lot of harshness on washboard roads. Even with my adjustable shocks wide open and tires aired way down

I added drop brackets (metalcloak in my case) and reduced harshness transmitted into the chassis was immediately obvious, even on the street. Reduced brake dive was a nice side effect too.

Reduced ground clearance is real, and I’ve slid on mine a few times now. This happened on the Rubicon:

though ultimately I probably would have made contact in the same spot with or without no the drop brackets. Looks like they will hold up to that level of abuse. Absolutely would not take them off - the benefits are too real

Did you readjust caster after the brackets? Or just throw them on and deal with whatever it was after?

 

[fourfa]

I did one side at a time with the tires on the ground, and adjusted the arms to center on the holes. Ideally that would mean the caster wouldn’t change? I did check again afterward and it was about the same (6 deg ish) and I didn’t notice any change in steering stability or recentering force

 

[gearhead22]

I did one side at a time with the tires on the ground, and adjusted the arms to center on the holes. Ideally that would mean the caster wouldn’t change? I did check again afterward and it was about the same (6 deg ish) and I didn’t notice any change in steering stability or recentering force

I guess I don’t follow how you adjusted the arms to center the holes. Once you disconnect both control arms the axle is going to move to a new position so how do you know it’s in a correct position?

 

[ericw.]

....

Reduced ground clearance is real, and I’ve slid on mine a few times now. This happened on the Rubicon:

though ultimately I probably would have made contact in the same spot with or without the drop brackets. Looks like they will hold up to that level of abuse. Absolutely would not take them off - the benefits are too real

I had similar experience with the drop brackets and removed them after 1 trail ride.

IMO not worth it. Buy once cry once with a good shock/spring setup and adjustable control arms. Understand that there's some trade-offs with lifting a Jeep but the majority of it can be mitigated with quality parts.

 

[fourfa]

I guess I don’t follow how you adjusted the arms to center the holes. Once you disconnect both control arms the axle is going to move to a new position so how do you know it’s in a correct position?

There are four control arms, two on each side. I only removed two at a time, one side at a time. The other side holds the axle in place. All the weight is resting on the springs, not on the control arm ends.

 

[Biggy]

I have a 2” lift on mine and bought Rancho drop brackets only to find that they won’t work with a 2” lift unless it’s a Rubicon. If you have 2” or less, use the Mopar lower control arms. 2.5 or greater lift, use the drop brackets. I drove mine for three years without the extended lower control arms and it wandered a good bit, the new control arms changed the steering feel and reduced that wandering, but the difference was not huge by any stretch. Oddly enough, after lifting it the alignment was fine and tires wore perfectly, I never realigned it, however, after adding the control arms the steering wheel was cocked to the left and it pulled. One would have thought it would be better, as in back to factory specs.

Why will they not work? I have the AEV 2" lift on my Mojave with Rancho brackets and it fits fine.

 

[1gunboy]

When I received the drop brackets they did not have directions on which holes to use for anything other than a Rubicon or trucks with taller lifts, so I called Rancho and they said that I should not use them on my 80th anniversary Sport model as it would add too much caster. I bought them from Summit racing and they accepted the return without question. Summit is a great company to deal with and Rancho was helpful as well. Perhaps the Mojave has taller springs than mine too. As far as physically fitting there is no problem, they will fit fine just fine, but it would add too much caster for a Sport model.

 

[gearhead22]

There are four control arms, two on each side. I only removed two at a time, one side at a time. The other side holds the axle in place. All the weight is resting on the springs, not on the control arm ends.

I get that but every video I watched on install, as soon as you disconnect the one side the axle moves. Once the bracket is installed they all had to move the tire back and forth quite a bit to get the holes to line back up. This is without adjusting the arms at all. But that indicates to me that the axle moved once the control arms were unhooked, which is why they had to manipulate the axle to get things to line back up. Some showed that the control arm was inches away from the mounting hole, and they had to manipulate the axle around to get the control arm lined back up. I don’t see how you could just adjust the control arm since the axle is in a random spot.

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