Metalcloak vs Rock Krawler short arm lift on 06 LJ?

[06lj]

I don't mean to bash peoples decisions but there are just too many issues with that lift. I hate to see somebody spend good money on bad parts. A 2 inch lift will not fit 33's, flat fenders will not clear 35's, and there is a lot more to fitting 37's than high lining. Anybody making those claims is just a shady salesman. They list their shocks as 14.4" and 15" compressed length. With 2 inches of lift that would be less uptravel than stock. I also have issues with their "Abuse Proof Warranty". Their actual warranty states: "This limited warranty does not apply to normal wear and tear, malfunctions or failures that result from abuse, improper assembly, neglect, alteration, improper maintenance, crash, misuse or collision.".

 

[JMT]

The best thing to do is understand what you are doing and why. We don’t always do that and have to go back later when we do, or depend on other respected opinions. In the end you want to spend your money wisely or experiment. Some of us have done some of both. It’s ok what the OP is doing. Just be happy with your lift and wheel it. See how it goes.

 

[Just Chillin]

They list their shocks as 14.4" and 15" compressed length. With 2 inches of lift that would be less uptravel than stock

Thank you. Someone on here actually looked into the details. I will go make some measurements. They have not shipped yet. I can still have them swap them.

Let's look at some more details. Here is the Johnny Joint:

And here is the Krawler Joint:

It has a similar design and uses jam nuts instead of snap rings to hold it together. They both are rebuildable with replacement guts.

Anyone have any experience on one failing or wearing out before the other.

 

[Just Chillin]

You’ll be fine, but your adjustable arms will basically be stock length with 2” lift and you won’t/can’t get anymore articulation.

As far as articulation goes, I was told that with this kit ( longer springs, longer shocks, longer brake lines, better control arms) that I would have more down travel then stock. Is this just BS?

 

[Apparition]

Thank you. Someone on here actually looked into the details. I will go make some measurements. They have not shipped yet. I can still have them swap them.

Let's look at some more details. Here is the Johnny Joint:

View attachment 281331
And here is the Krawler Joint:

View attachment 281332

It has a similar design and uses jam nuts instead of snap rings to hold it together. They both are rebuildable with replacement guts.

Anyone have any experience on one failing or wearing out before the other.

Interesting to see some new joints.

The ones from Ballistic look nice but I don't know how they stack up to a johnny joint.

https://ballisticfabrication.com/

 

[jjvw]

As far as articulation goes, I was told that with this kit ( longer springs, longer shocks, longer brake lines, better control arms) that I would have more down travel then stock. Is this just BS?

Stock shock travel is about 7.5".

Long ago, I was getting 9" of shock travel with nothing more than 2" lift springs and longer front brake hoses. Stock arms will handle it at the expense of a slightly shortened life.

 

[JMT]

As far as articulation goes, I was told that with this kit ( longer springs, longer shocks, longer brake lines, better control arms) that I would have more down travel then stock. Is this just BS?

With that length shock you will get more down travel, but you will lose factory up travel. If it were me I’d be trying to maintain factory travel bias of 50:50. It’s not uncommon for people to say you don’t need uptravel, just down travel. However, then you’re sacrificing ride quality and having to add a lot of bumpstop to fit that larger tire.

 

[mrblaine]

Please don't get fixated on the 2 inches of lift. It is not about the lift, it's all about articulation and travel. Stock arms are not going to cut it.

I'll trade a pair of lockers for articulation and travel all day long. There are only 2 reasons to move away from the stock arms. Adjustability and strength. That's it.

 

[Just Chillin]

I'll trade a pair of lockers for articulation and travel all day long. There are only 2 reasons to move away from the stock arms. Adjustability and strength. That's it.

You have seen how much fun I have been having getting elockers! First damaged stators, then 30 and 27 spline on the same unit. Those are going back and ARBs are on order.

 

[Just Chillin]

Back to the question of Metalcloak vs Rock Krawler (understanding that folks on here recommend Currie kits).

The Krawler joints I showed above are very similar to the Johnny Joints. However, Metalcloak goes in a different direction.

Their joint (called a Duroflex joint) has a similar metal ball to the joints above, but they completely case it in some kind of rubber-like material

It is greased (special grease) and then it is inserted into the arm with a snap ring similar to Johnny Joints.

The rubber slips on the surface of the arm for rotation, and the material compresses for angular movement.

Interesting design, they say you don't have to do it often, but it would be a bummer to remove all 8 arms to grease them. They say it provides exceptional vibration isolation.

 

[rasband]

Back to the question of Metalcloak vs Rock Krawler (understanding that folks on here recommend Currie kits).

The Krawler joints I showed above are very similar to the Johnny Joints. However, Metalcloak goes in a different direction.

Their joint (called a Duroflex joint) has a similar metal ball to the joints above, but they completely case it in some kind of rubber-like material

View attachment 281431

It is greased (special grease) and then it is inserted into the arm with a snap ring similar to Johnny Joints.

View attachment 281432

The rubber slips on the surface of the arm for rotation, and the material compresses for angular movement.

Interesting design, they say you don't have to do it often, but it would be a bummer to remove all 8 arms to grease them. They say it provides exceptional vibration isolation.

Of the two designs, I’d favor the RK joint. MCs will likely eventually have the ball separate from the rubber. That makes rebuilds easier since you just replace the whole joint inners.

With the JJ style you will need to service them with grease (and note if the RK are anything like JJs the zerk won’t work). However they won’t tear themselves up, they’ll just creak.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

Back to the question of Metalcloak vs Rock Krawler (understanding that folks on here recommend Currie kits).

The Krawler joints I showed above are very similar to the Johnny Joints. However, Metalcloak goes in a different direction.

Their joint (called a Duroflex joint) has a similar metal ball to the joints above, but they completely case it in some kind of rubber-like material

View attachment 281431

It is greased (special grease) and then it is inserted into the arm with a snap ring similar to Johnny Joints.

View attachment 281432

The rubber slips on the surface of the arm for rotation, and the material compresses for angular movement.

Interesting design, they say you don't have to do it often, but it would be a bummer to remove all 8 arms to grease them. They say it provides exceptional vibration isolation.

In my personal opinion MC makes more bullshit claims than a carnival barker does.

@rasband my Johnnie Joints haven't needed to be serviced/taken apart for greasing in ten years.

 

[rasband]

In my personal opinion MC makes more bullshit claims than a carnival barker does.

@rasband my Johnnie Joints haven't needed to be serviced/taken apart for greasing in ten years.

I’m hoping after my first service my experience going forward mirrors yours.

 

[ThunderheadTJ]

In my personal opinion MC makes more bullshit claims than a carnival barker does.

Why do you dislike MC so much? Have you had many of their products that failed?

 

[Mike_H]

In my personal opinion MC makes more bullshit claims than a carnival barker does.

@rasband my Johnnie Joints haven't needed to be serviced/taken apart for greasing in ten years.

Yours might not have needed grease in 10 years. Mine have needed grease 2x THIS year. Location matters.

 

[jjvw]

Why do you dislike MC so much? Have you had many of their products that failed?

I've seen multiple failures where the ball tears from the rubber from people who wheel their Jeeps and make use of their articulation. It's a dumb design. One of the reasons to change to a high misalignment control arm is to get away from the reliance on the elasticity of a bushing.

Never mind their hypocrisy of putting a heim joint on their track bars and their deception about what their fenders do.

 

[jjvw]

Yours might not have needed grease in 10 years. Mine have needed grease 2x THIS year. Location matters.

About three years, 30-40k miles of daily driving, for me. That isn't a complaint. I have many things that need grease far more often. And then there's my fancy shocks that need rebuilding every few years.

 

[Mike_H]

About three years, 30-40k miles of daily driving, for me. That isn't a complaint. I have many things that need grease far more often. And then there's my fancy shocks that need rebuilding every few years.

I'd be happy with that. I'm hopeful the different grease works. I'll find out soon enough. Heading out into the woods this weekend to play on the trails and look at fall colors.

 

[TRE3TOP]

Everybody here seems to love Savvy. Just hope they send you all the correct parts and you don’t need any help from the company, because good luck apparently…

 

[rasband]

Everybody here seems to love Savvy. Just hope they send you all the correct parts and you don’t need any help from the company, because good luck apparently…

They’ve always made my messed up orders right. Just remember you probably read 5 times more negative experiences than positive, because the internet.