Anyone running adjustable control arms and a 4" suspension lift?

gatertamer

gatertamer

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anybody running that set up?...curious as to what your length is on the rear... center eye to center eye...my spring pads aren't directly beneath my bump stops and 4x4 shop says its close enough as I have no vibes or noise (they just regeared me). i'm using rusty's control arms and I extended them about 3/4 of an inch from stock but it looks like i'm still about 3/4 shy of being under center. is 1 1/2 inches too far?...sorry no pics as there is no good angle to show...and the reason I didn't have shop do it is they wanted an extra $400 I figured if I got some input I could do it for free,....thanx
 
I am running adjustable control arms with a 4 inch lift, but mine came set up for a 4 inch lift. I only had to do small adjustments. All tj's are different and you won't be able to just use someone elses measurements and be dead on. You can try with someone elses and adjust minor from there, but probably not 3/4 inch.

From Currie here is the size they come set up for 4" lift. You can probably start from there and adjust accordingly:

2) Currie control arms come preset for a TJ with a 4” lift, a transfer case slip yoke eliminator kit, and a CV driveshaft. Front upper arms - 15” c-c Rear upper arms - 13 1/2” c-c All lower arms - 15 3/4” c-c
 
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there is the problem I don't know where the axle is supposed to be...does the bump stop have to be directly over the spring pad or can it be a little off? what damage can be done if i'm not centered?
 
With the axle at full bump, the bump stops should make solid contact. The wheel should be centered in the wheel opening. Everything else needs to clear.

At normal ride height, the pinions need to be where the need to be. Everything else needs to clear.

The axles also need to be square to the frame. The middle bolts on the center skid are good reference points.
 
that's odd i'm already at 16 1/2 on my lowers c-c....fronts are directly over spring pads but rears are still a little short
 
gatertamer said:
that's odd i'm already at 16 1/2 on my lowers c-c....fronts are directly over spring pads but rears are still a little short
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The measurements are only transferable if the bump stops are the same, the lift heights are the same, the pinion angles are the same and the belly heights are the same.
 
jjvw said:
At normal ride height, the pinions need to be where the need to be. Everything else needs to clear.
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Rokmen has a visual on this I liked, I think the original source is Tom Woods

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so bump stops don't have to be directly centered on pad....just solid contact is ok?
 
gatertamer said:
do you think 2" extended bump stops are long enough for the 4" lift?
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Bump stop lengths are typically the result of the tire size or the length of the compressed shock. Lift height has very little correlation to the bump stop lengths.
 
gatertamer said:
do you think 2" extended bump stops are long enough for the 4" lift?
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It’s best to cycle your suspension without springs to know, it’s rare that any two TJs will have the same measurements. You want to make sure that the tire doesn’t rub the fender and that the shock doesn’t bottom out (probably other things too like making sure the rear trackbar doesn’t crush your gas tank lines).
 
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My rear control arms ended up being about 15.625”, or about 1/8” shorter than stock. This was due to the wheel rubbing the body when at full flex. Should I cut that I could get it up to about 16.25”, at which point the differential cover will contact my aftermarket GenRight gas tank
 
What jjvw is saying, is that as long as the wheel is centered at full suspension compression, you'll be fine. At 4 inches of lift and short arms, the axle swing will bring the wheel forward some at ride height. It'll look like it's not centered. If the axle swings too far back your rear track bar will hit the gas tank crossmember.
 
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