Don't buy a mid arm before raising the belly or before the shock outboard. That is real and helpful advice.
Best Adjustable Front Upper Control Arms
- Thread starter zachpeakee
- Start date
Don't buy a mid arm before raising the belly or before the shock outboard. That is real and helpful advice.
Don't buy a mid arm before raising the belly or before the shock outboard. That is real and helpful advice.
Some even more real advice: don't buy and install a midarm, and then decide you should've started with a TJ.
OP
Not at all, seeing how I was looking into them a few hours ago.
It also doesn't help that I'm selling the Sahara, so I know in the back of my head there's going to be some "LJ money" in the bank soon...
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To top it off, the wife didn't technically say 'no'
She just said "please don't just waste all of it on the new jeep..."
Key words ; "All of it"
OP
We need to find a lifted jeep with cyclical harmonic vibes and invite these folks to come try to dial them out. SA arms only. They pay us at the end 1 week if they give up and pay double if giving up is due to not wanting to adjust the control arms ever again.
I volunteer mine and I will stay quiet about the demon version of the vibes.
my jeep came with rockjock adjustable uppers.
Question on adjusting - should they be able to turn by hand or do you have to use a strap wrench or something?
Question on adjusting - should they be able to turn by hand or do you have to use a strap wrench or something?
You should try doing that chasing on a rig with a Rubicon Express long arm especially if they put the rear uppers with the adjustable end at the tcase.
Double adjustables should be able to be turned by hand after the jam nuts are loosened. If an arm cannot be turned by hand, then there is bind between the arms that needs to be addressed through adjusting the other arms.
Or the threads are seized, which is a different issue that should be corrected so that one can know if/when an arm is in bind when turning it by hand.
'05Train
TJ Enthusiast
Me too. They're set and adjusted with zero vibrations. What would cause them to require adjustment once set? Seriously, I'm asking.
I've already spent too much money, and currently have both a TJ AND an LJ in the garage, and the wifes car is parked outside in the driveway.
Please don't tempt me.
I'm actually begging you not to.
If it makes you feel better I have two LJ's and the wife hasn't been able to park in the garage since I met her.
All I know is I'm completely over doing that stuff. When they are good, they are wonderful, when they aren't, nothing less than a dumpster and a few gallons of gasoline is suitable.
I'm saying that lots of folks justify buying junk and touting their shitty habits as superior by using that saying as a crutch to do so. And that usually revolves around the top names known for quality in the industry.
Iffen ya'll think that Rock Jock, Savvy, et al are ripping everyone off by charging high margins on their arms, then hey, that is a great business opportunity for you to show everyone just how dumb they are and how smart you are. Make the same arms, same performance and put them out there at a cheaper price. Otherwise, toss that crutch and stop using it.
This, Right here. Its the REAL American Dream. Find your niche and go after it.
Also, not everone NEEDS adjustable control arms, and I think a lot of manufacturers capitalize on that by offering less than products that work if you don't actually need them. First need is typically an SYE because of rear driveline vibs. In that case, I can see how someone can get that set up one and done, generally (excluding demon possessed rigs). Once you start lifting to 4 inches, putting the currectlync and HD trackbar on, trying to maximize uptravel with whatever shocks you have...you NEED double adjustable everywhere. To not have it is going to leave some compromise, somewhere, not to mention the absolute terrible time you have installing, measuring, removing, adjusting, installing, measuring, removing, etc.
I know from personal experience. With single adjustable Rock Jock lowers, they have an 1"-12 thread. That means each full turn is 0.083." Your finite adjustment range is in ~0.040" increments. That 0.040" is actually useful...when your trying to fit raised links, a Curreclync, RJ trackbar, and 35" tires under factory fenders and factory back wall clearance.
The last one we dealt with, we'd run it down the freeway, hop off, pull into a shopping center parking lot, adjust the uppers 1/4 of a turn, back on the freeway. We did that for several days trying to get the rear adjusted vibe free. Oddly at the end of it, we actually wound up with the pinion angle high. That was the only spot it would work.
Oh no, I'm not saying that the two ends of the spectrum are equal. And more expensive typically does lead to a higher quality product. But, the most expensive option, does not mean it's the best.
For example, the brands you listed (and including your own brands) are not always the most expensive, but are widely considered to be the very top. I think of things more in tiers. Something like good, better, best but really more like cheap, budget/mid-level, and best. Of course, everyone's idea of what is cheap or mid-level may be slightly different. But within those tiers, the most expensive option isn't the best.
Then you also have to look at the application. The best option might be beyond overkill for one build and not another. It's easy for people to waste their money with the belief that more expensive is better when that is not the best option for their use. Should someone with a 2" spacer lift that daily drives their Jeep and never goes off-roads, spend $1400 on a set of RJ arms with JJs, or a new set of stock arms with fresh rubber bushings? The more expensive option is a higher quality product, sure, but it's not better in that case.
I also made the point that I'm not just referring to Jeep parts. It's not a blanket statement that more expensive is better, hence why I said what I said. Look around at the general consumer market at all of the products that get jacked up because of a brand name or a celebrity being associated.
There is a certain aspect of conspicuous consumption involved in a few things...Like Jewelry, Clothing, Watches, and other luxury Items. I believe that can extend to Automotive parts to a certain extent (Factor 55 comes to mind), where people brag about the brand and not really how well it works (bumper jewlery).
I also think that suspension components don't really fall into that category...No one is going to build a mall crawler and say, "look at my control arms," (unless they are that silly gold color from that Marketing company that pretends to make good stuff). If they don't work, the guys that KNOW will very quickly call them out.
We are not in a general merchandise shopping forum, we are in a TJ forum, very specifically.
We are not in a general merchandise shopping forum, we are in a TJ forum, very specifically.
True, my point still stands, hence why that was added as a kind of a caveat.
When pairing a Badlands synthetic winch line ($129.99) with a Badlands thimble ($29.99) that is more expensive than a WRG winch line with thimble at $150. Is Badlands better? A USA Rope 3/8 line is $195 without thimble. Is it better?
This is the most expensive front bumper for a TJ on Extreme Terrain (quick search). Definitely NOT better than the plethora of options for a fraction of the price. And honestly, this one surprised the heck out of me! Who's paying THAT for THAT!?
Nobody is doubting quality brands building legitimate quality products and charging realistic market prices. And by no means am I trying to argue you with on here. But, I think you can see what I'm saying, and have to agree, it can't be used as a blanket statement.