Discussion: Long Arm Lift Kits VS. Short Arms for Jeep Cherokee, Grand Cherokee, and TJ Wrangler

Lift Kit discussion: How much should I lift, which kit should I purchase? Do I need a Long Arm Kit or should I stay with Short Arms? What's the benefit for the cost?

[@moparich]

I concur. I run a long arm front on a 4" lift and just started cutting for 35s. The long arm is a huge improvement in ride quality. Wife is very happy on the trails

[@kevinsoffroad7265]

Happy Wife, Happy Life. :-)

[@andygullion5182]

I have a 3.5” lifted Rough Country long arm kitted TJ Rubicon. It has Johnny joints at the upper fronts we welded housings in for. The front track bar has a Moog K7252 (3/4 ton dodge) axle end bushing with a larger bolt. It drives like a car on the road with bead locks and 33” tires and pretty unstoppable off road.

[@patricknahmen1275]

kevin you nailed it. I found this out on my own on a 4 inch lift short arm ,829.00 dollars by rough country .i plan on scraping the whole kit, and go with long arms by someone else

[@yellowjacket548]

makes perfect sense.

[@allanwagner4570]

Rubicon express 4.5 in long arm Dana 44 axels Chromoly shafts Detroit E lockers SYE & rear CV drive shaft 33 in tires 4.56 gears 05 TJ yeah baby

[@boychmedia]

all jeep guys should check out CavFab. they sell parts for way cheaper and a higher quality. especially short arms. most brand sell a set of lower or uppers for 300, they sell them for 140 with heims. I have their steering and will be doing a video once I install their control arms. just got them today and they're crazy beefy.

[@brucea822]

not sure which Mfg for the long arm yet, but I want to end up with 35's on my 90XJ is 4-1/2" the correct height?

[@BadmunkyWRX]

I'm doing a low CG long arm build on our 2004 TJ. 2.5" suspension lift and 1" body so I can do a belly up kit. It will be on 33s but is on 31s for now. The front is a radius arm setup. Do you think this will be a problem with a smaller lift? I had a Cherokee with 6.5" of lift and the radius arm long arm kit I used would bind and prevent full stuff and full droop in the front end. But being a smaller lift would I still run in to this problem?

[@KevinsOffroadcom]

I'd check with the manufacturer on that...as well as other customers running the same one. :-)

[@irishcherokee8884]

Kevin, just bought a 2014 JKU Rubi. Company that is going to install 2.5 teraflex lift/tires. They insist I have the sway bar man dissconn . My JK. has factory electronic sway bar release. What do you think. Thx

[@KevinsOffroadcom]

Don't really have enough experience to form an opinion on this per se, but I'd get a 2nd opinion regardless if it were me. I do know that the factory system is not known for it's longevity. Here's an article from JKS's website on the built-in disconect system. Not sure what (if anything) was changed in 2014, but this appears to discuss the 2013 and older units: jksmfg.com/n-7607-jks-new-product-announcement-electronic-swaybar-cable-conversion-for-jk-rubicon.html . Hope that gets you started. :-)

[@ProStuf]

Kevin great video . Question if the price is around the same what are your thoughts between Bds 4” short arm vs Rough country 4” long arm for 2004 Wj thinking on 33s wanted 35 but not sure I can fit them. Thanks

[@KevinsOffroadcom]

Thanks, Ricardo. If the total price is the same, including driveline modifications and installation, then the Long Arm kit is probably the way I would go. :-)

[@ed0985587]

I have a ‘15 JK with a 3” “Zone” (cheaper lift). It has 35x12.5 tires aired down to about 31-32 PSI. I feel a LOT of bumps. I want to be able to take a speed bump at 25mph and have the suspension soak it up or be able to drive it around faster on trails without getting brutalized. How would I achieve this?

[@KevinsOffroadcom]

The main contributing factor of your described ride quality, I'm guessing, is PROBABLY your shock absorbers. There's a HUGE difference between quality shocks and cheap shocks. Fox or Bilstein shocks, valved properly, are excellent choices for soaking up bumps the way you describe.

[@CheetoChop1]

What are ur thoughts on metalcloaks lock n load vs long arms on a 4" rough country lift?

[@kevinsoffroad7265]

We've not owned either, but Metal Cloak makes some really nice-quality stuff, which comes with a premium price ($3k+). Rough Country ($1500-ish) has upped their game measurably in the last 10 years, and my guess is their kit is probably a decent quality for the price...but again, have not experienced either one, so can't recommend one over the other.

[@aaronmact]

Kevins Offroad I see you refer to metal cloak and the cut off around 3.5" I was curious you thoughts as to their short arm kit ( I cant seem to find something longer by them) I was looking to build a daily driver with 265/75/r16. Basically a family jeep, I want it to be fairly capable but not over the top crazy rock crawler. Just something you can hop into every day, but also not have they itch to need more.Would you recommend going with the 3.5 or just going long arm 4 "? Thanks!

[@That_best_Arkansas_guy]

What brand lift do you recommend for a 41/2 lift on an XJ

[@KevinsOffroadcom]

Our customers have had really great success with the Clayton kits, but we don't necessarily recommend one over another. From Rusty's to RoughCountry to IronRock to Clayton, and others...they all have different price-points and quality.

[@moparich]

Happy wife. Got me 35s

[@xthexadvantagex]

What about long arm vs short arm affecting break over angle

[@kevinsoffroad7265]

1) Normally, long arms are installed so that additional lift can be achieved, which negates the ground clearance issue of the mounts. 2) The arms are typically only 30" or so long...their mounting points are not that close to the center of the vehicle where you're most likely to get high-centered.

[@xthexadvantagex]

Kevins Offroad cool thanks

[@Little.R]

People are even running 3.5in lifts with longarms and big tires. The whole idea of keeping it "stock" looking while trying to fit 37s is pretty dumb when you look at all the geometry and how the suspension works. Function > Form.

[@wg4476]

how is the maintenance cost once the long travel suspension is installed?

[@kevinsoffroad7265]

The Clayton LA kit, for instance, uses all the same factory rubber bushings that your factory arms use, so they will last a similar amount of time, but that said, the greater the angle you have on them (short arms with 4", for instance...), the quicker they will wear. So, with Long arm kits, there would actually be less replacement cost on bushings, theoretically. Tie Rod Ends and U-joints will go bad more greater the ANGLE they operate at is...but that is related to lift height, not arm configuration. However, I mention it because if you go from 3" on short arms, to 6" on long arms (increasing lift height by 3"), they are going to wear more quickly at 6" than they would have at 3". There is no component I can think of right now, which will wear more quickly with a long arm versus a short arm, assuming the lift height is the same. Hope that helps. :-)

[@wg4476]

Thank you. I am looking into seeing what it takes to maintain the Tie Rod Ends and U-joints on a Subaru Baja if I were to lift it with long travel suspension.

[@kevinsoffroad7265]

This discussion is specific to Jeep Cherokees, Grand Cherokees, and Wranglers, WG...I don't have a clue what's involved for a Subaru, and my comments probably won't apply. Completely different animal.

[@wg4476]

Awesome. Thank you Kevin for that clarification.

[@Yoder52]

Great video!!! I have a 1998 Zj and I want a long arm kit. Looking for 4-5 inch lift. Fit 32-33’s. Decent on road handling and maintaining rough washboard off-road at high speed. What would you recommend? Thank you

[@joemason517]

Wj and 3 inch?

[@KevinsOffroadcom]

I'd stick with short arms for a WJ with 3" of lift. The frame-mounted brackets for the LA kits hang almost 3" lower, so anything less than 3.5" or so, you're losing overall ground clearance.

[@benvin10365]

I have a 2004 WJ and want a 3" lift. Kevin's answer helped. The question now is which 3" lift kit brands to consider and which to avoid.

[@wbball15]

Kevin, are you still doing seats for WJs?

[@kevinsoffroad7265]

Sorry, we are not.

[@mrgob3820]

Can i get some feed back on any Pros and Cons to a 95 jeep cherokee lifted in the front but not lifted in back????