need lots of help

[zebrajeep]

ok i have a 4.5" re lift on my 97 wrnagler. i ran 33' fine well i got bored and put 35" on it and i ran in to problems with getting awsome articulation. so i installed 1.75" adjustable coil spacers in the front and the rear. but now it seems as if there is to much angle on the control arms and the jeep seems kinda squirmish on the road.. plus i dont have sway bars. and the way it articulates i just dont like it plus my wheels base feels like it got alot shorter since i installed the coil spacers. so what im thinking to fix this problem is take the spacers out and install the 1.5" body lift and call it a day or cut and sleeve my lower control arms and modify a bracket onto them to build a long arm kit on my jeep. or do i not bother and just take the coil spacers out and install the body lift...and what is so geat to the long arms other then you get more articulation and more hieght and control and stability with out the loss of wheelbase also. please help maybe this is a noob question but i like peoples opinions

[blkTJ]

take the spacers out, intall the body lift, report back.

[blkTJ]

ps. reconnect the sway bars on road and/or get an anti-rock. :2:

[nagal]

x2 on both things blkTJ said.

long arms are good for restoring a softer ride. Do they articulate better? Depends who you ask. The big draw back to long arms is they easily get banged and sometimes hung up on rocks. If you dont do rocks then I dont see a problem.

[zebrajeep]

nee help

yea i do some rocks.. and im wanting to ghet more crazy with it and do some more hairy stuff. so yea the long arms hangin up i dont like.. but do alot of people runa 4.5 " with a body and 35' tires? do they have problems or do i just need to add taller bump stops so it bump earlier? i guess im going to take the coil spacers out and install the body lift today and test it out

[goodtimes]

Yes, alot of people run 4.5" lift (short arms), body lift and 35's. With the appropriate drivetrain modifications, body protection and driver skill, it will work just fine on some of the more difficult trails out there (hammers, etc).

Wheel offset will also play a large role in your tires meeting metal.....

[Dukes69]

x3. you could even try to run the 35's with just the 4.5 inch lift, no spacers or B/L. Just adjust your bumpstops acordingly.

[nagal]

I have the RE 4.5" SA lift and will soon be going to 35". I currently have 33s and plenty of room. I will be doing the BL + MML but that is solely for a flat tc skid.

If you need any help let me know. I am up in Yucca and work in Palm Desert so would be easy to swing by.

[cjdirtbiker]

Since you asked for it...

Sway bars are the answer (after the spacer removal & BL of course)
I run the AntiRock on the center setting and it's still too soft for good road driving. The thing will roll all over the place, especially if there's a bump in the curve. If I was going to use mine on the road a lot I would at least put it on the stiffest setting. Would be nice to have some kind of quick disconnect to easily change the setting - anyone figure that out yet? Oh well, it's a couple of bolts but I'm too lazy to futz with it. The stock rear SB works fine with extended arms. It's all fine for getting from trail to trail, not ideal on city streets.

As the other Chris says, bump stops will keep you from bottoming on your fenders but you'll still have your articulation. TJ's can really twist, can't they?

Oh yeah, I used 4.5" springs (4" in front) with Currie arms and 1" BL. Yeah, it sits too high when empty, but it never is when we're using it. I had this discussion with John Currie. When I first setup my suspension the Currie springs were too soft with all the crap I haul around. My shocks were bottoming out. John says "well we never have that problem with our rigs". I said yeah, you trailer your rigs to the site and rock crawl with them empty. Their spring rate is perfect for that. RE used to have progressive rate springs and the pulled them off the market because the soft coils were always riding on each other. That's the problem I had with the Currie's.

With trail gear and passengers the RE 4.5's ride perfect. Rancho 9000's on the softest setting empty on road, 5-6 loaded and offroad. There's a huge difference in handling with stiff shocks (high damping rate). With a load the stiffness really helps keep it from bottoming out on the bump stops all the time on bumpy trails at speed. No rubbing with 35's articulated either. I think my bumpstops are extended 4" front and rear. I've never been a big fan of Ranchos and they're not gas-charged, but they do work. BTW, they don't work worth a crap upside down!

TJ's are known for driving like jello if you put balloon tires on them and soften everything up for offroad Without swaybars they're downright dangerous in an emergency or evasive manuever. Swaybars are not nearly as critical with leaf springs, they don't roll like the coils do.

---Regards

[bjnrae]

x2 on both things blkTJ said.

long arms are good for restoring a softer ride. Do they articulate better? Depends who you ask. The big draw back to long arms is they easily get banged and sometimes hung up on rocks. If you dont do rocks then I dont see a problem.

Nth Degree LA's don't get caught up at all due to their curved design (Tucked up and out of harms way) I have had no problem what so ever....B.J.

[bjnrae]

Run Antirocks or sway bars on the road. B.J.