Are these Rough Country control arms any good or should I steer clear of them?

[AndyG]

ok with that said, im gonna go clayton short arm. which kit would you reccomend?

I run the all Girro overland kit- really happy . It is single adjustable but I was ok with that - not thrilled but they don’t/can’t unthread much is a good point. The next single adjustable build I do will have a spare double arm to dial in pinion and caster and then it will hang on the wall.

Why did I choose them? Just wanted to try the Girro joints- and liked the idea of less maintenance- it has performed great on the road and off.

I run the savvy upper front kits in all rigs regardless- it’s killer.

The white rig has zj steering, ome springs, a mild tuck- Totally glad to give you a full rundown of the build.

With the Clayton you do have the option to go to a Johnny joint now or later- And I do think the girro flex enough if you combine them they aren’t hard on the brackets under severe use.

Appreciate that you are taking feed back guy. I can tell from where you work that you’re absolutely no stranger to quality.

I know I jabbed you a little....look, I respect Rough Country in some ways, they have a few things I run....but the savings don’t work out in the long run on their TJ control arms.

Sort of like the old saying “ if you think a professional is expensive, wait ‘til you hire an amateur”

This Black LJR is all savvy aluminum- and built for 35’s all the way

They both drive so good you can’t pick one over the other-I say that because I believe that control arm bushings play a considerable part in the ride and handling equation- any excess axle movement will defeat good steering typically.

The 33 inch tires on the white rig have taken me pretty much to the limits of my nerve- the black one just makes the same obstacles a lot easier- like something sketchy on 33’s is a speed bump to the ljr on 35’s.

On the Winch question I’m no authority (actually I’m not on any question to be truthful )-

First, do what you can afford- and consider what you want to maintain, etc over time and if the rig may “grow” later-

Good control arms are the foundation of all good builds-
At the same time I understand how costly life is these days and how fast it adds up.....and spending a lot on your first move can make you nervous.

 

[JEEPSTEVENANAIMO]

I run the all Girro overland kit- really happy . It is single adjustable but I was ok with that - not thrilled but they don’t/can’t unthread much is a good point. The next single adjustable build I do will have a spare double arm to dial in pinion and caster and then it will hang on the wall.

Why did I choose them? Just wanted to try the Girro joints- and liked the idea of less maintenance- it has performed great on the road and off.

I run the savvy upper front kits in all rigs regardless- it’s killer.

The white rig has zj steering, ome springs, a mild tuck- Totally glad to give you a full rundown of the build.

With the Clayton you do have the option to go to a Johnny joint now or later- And I do think the girro flex enough if you combine them they aren’t hard on the brackets under severe use.

Appreciate that you are taking feed back guy. I can tell from where you work that you’re absolutely no stranger to quality.

I know I jabbed you a little....look, I respect Rough Country in some ways, they have a few things I run....but the savings don’t work out in the long run on their TJ control arms.

Sort of like the old saying “ if you think a professional is expensive, wait ‘til you hire an amateur”


View attachment 547663

This Black LJR is all savvy aluminum- and built for 35’s all the way

They both drive so good you can’t pick one over the other-I say that because I believe that control arm bushings play a considerable part in the ride and handling equation- any excess axle movement will defeat good steering typically.

The 33 inch tires on the white rig have taken me pretty much to the limits of my nerve- the black one just makes the same obstacles a lot easier- like something sketchy on 33’s is a speed bump to the ljr on 35’s.



View attachment 547665


On the Winch question I’m no authority (actually I’m not on any question to be truthful )-

First, do what you can afford- and consider what you want to maintain, etc over time and if the rig may “grow” later-

Good control arms are the foundation of all good builds-
At the same time I understand how costly life is these days and how fast it adds up.....and spending a lot on your first move can make you nervous.

im all for feedback. i dont like to spend money twice and always go for quality over price. ive got lots to read there, ill mull over it this evening. much appreciated. those are some very very nice set up jeeps!!!

 

[AndyG]

im all for feedback. i dont like to spend money twice and always go for quality over price. ive got lots to read there, ill mull over it this evening. much appreciated. those are some very very nice set up jeeps!!!

Buddy the truth is a lot of us made mistakes when we first got into these- we didn’t know the differences in all these products that are on the market and then years later we look back and see people about to do the same thing-

Everyone of us will tell you in a heartbeat that you are not going to spend more money in the long run buying better stuff and you’re going to enjoy it a lot more.

In one way or the other we all have financial limitations so I’m not advocating doing things you can’t afford but figure it out and we can help you usually find a way to get where you want to be.

Andy

 

[JEEPSTEVENANAIMO]

Buddy the truth is a lot of us made mistakes when we first got into these- we didn’t know the differences in all these products that are on the market and then years later we look back and see people about to do the same thing-

Everyone of us will tell you in a heartbeat that you are not going to spend more money in the long run buying better stuff and you’re going to enjoy it a lot more.

In one way or the other we all have financial limitations so I’m not advocating doing things you can’t afford but figure it out and we can help you usually find a way to get where you want to be.

Andy

you guys rock. the jk crowd was not as nice LOL.

glad im in a tj now. the AEV eltist days are behind me haha

 

[DUB]

When I 1st started wheeling in my Jeep I was also cheap. Purchased the RC control arms. I wheel pretty hard. All the bushing sleeves moved out of the arms and they started rubbing the control arm on one side and the bushing sleeves on the other.
I removed them, pressed the bushings back in and sold them. I have to purchase a second set from another source with Johnny joints. No failure since.

Same here. Bought lower rears because I need them fast, bushings pushed to the side and the rubber squeaks against the brackets. Pure garbage!

 

[AndyG]

you guys rock. the jk crowd was not as nice LOL.

glad im in a tj now. the AEV eltist days are behind me haha

Well wait til you get a load of our Savvy crowd ...

In all seriousness we have some great people on here and we have some exceptional experience
in some of the people-

I’ve always looked at this forum as a bunch of good guys that just want their jeep to be enjoyable and are quick to roll up their sleeves and go after their problems.

That creates a lot of people that are very realistic and not just going from trend to trend.

We have a lot of people on here that have JKs , JLs and JT’s, but these are the same guys that have TJ’s and they know how to deal with them.

A TJ is closer to raising a horse, training it and and caring for
it. And being your own ferrier and vet.

The new ones are like getting on a well mannered horse already saddled up whenever you ride.

If you can handle the first category the second is a breeze.

Handling the second offers no guarantee of being able to handle the first.

 

[JEEPSTEVENANAIMO]

OK SO questions. clayton is gonna take fooooorever to ship to me and the shipping is insane.

are these any good?

 

[Andy-WhiteTJ]

No

 

[Rubiconned]

From what I've gleaned from many threads is that the RC lift kits are decent, but the CA joints suck. Some have upgraded to different joints and are satisfied.

 

[mjonesjr84]

From what I've gleaned from many threads is that the RC lift kits are decent, but the CA joints suck. Some have upgraded to different joints and are satisfied.

I've been happy with the RC arms I've had. I've seen their stuff beat on and not had any issues. I know RC's customer support has been top notch with the minor issues I've had.

 

[Rickyd]

Rc shocks are shit,their springs sag horribly and the joints on their arms come loose in a matter of months in street driving. Their rubber bushings are low quality and fail fast.their track bars are shit.

That is my experience.

 

[Camdenst]

Like most here...as I got into my 30s I've adopted the, "buy once, cry once" mindset.

I went metalcloak to save a few bucks, they've been great and absolutely zero complaints, but a part of me thinks I should have went the jj route.

 

[Duck Doctor]

OK SO questions. clayton is gonna take fooooorever to ship to me and the shipping is insane.

are these any good?

View attachment 569244

There were issues with the RE bushings many years ago. I'd keep searching

 

[mjonesjr84]

There were issues with the RE bushings many years ago. I'd keep searching

So just because there was an issue many years ago, someone should abandon a companies product? There have been several issues with Jeeps, yet people still buy them. A company can fix an issue.

 

[Duck Doctor]

So just because there was an issue many years ago, someone should abandon a companies product? There have been several issues with Jeeps, yet people still buy them. A company can fix an issue.

In this case your statement is correct. Many of us had problems with the bushings in RE control arms. Maybe you've had a positive experience.

 

[mjonesjr84]

In this case your statement is correct. Many of us had problems with the bushings in RE control arms. Maybe you've had a positive experience.

I've not had any experience with RE. I just don't like blanket statements like that when it includes "many years ago." Every company on the planet goes through growing pains or issues from time to time and to just completely abandon them is not good form IMO.

 

[Sean B]

OK SO questions. clayton is gonna take fooooorever to ship to me and the shipping is insane.

are these any good?

View attachment 569244

If your still looking I posted a set of used rough country arms, 4 inch springs etc. I was looking for $100 for everything but really just want it out of my garage. You could put joints in them and have something serviceable for fairly cheap. I have the track bar also but would recommend a JKs or Rock Jock.

 

[Camdenst]

OK SO questions. clayton is gonna take fooooorever to ship to me and the shipping is insane.

are these any good?

View attachment 569244

Not sure if private shipping is cheaper and or faster, but clayton is like 25 minutes from me and if be happy to grab them and ship myself if it helps.

 

[Andy-WhiteTJ]

So just because there was an issue many years ago, someone should abandon a companies product? There have been several issues with Jeeps, yet people still buy them. A company can fix an issue.

I said no because they are using a bushing with a solid arm. There is not much torsional flex compared to an arm with a JJ or even the stock control arms which flex more than you think. Those arms can lead to ripping off stock control arm mounts. I've seen it plenty of times.

 

[freedom_in_4low]

I wouldn't mess with anything that had anything except a Johnny Joint, unless you wheel east of the Rockies and have more clay in your soil (like me) and then would use a DDB like Synergy or the Girro. Clevites are good in stock arms, and I've had success using them in aftermarket arms with a flex joint on the opposite end.