There's lots of options for lifting your coil sprung Jeep, but what is the best option for you? In this blog I will help answer that question by discussing the differences in each. This is relevant to several different models of Jeep's, the coil and link design was first released in the XJ (Cherokee), MJ (Comanche), and ZJ (Grand Cherokee) platforms, and then reworked slightly in the TJ (Wrangler) The photos in this write up were taken from the XJ, and ZJ models... Because that's what we have in the shop right now.
Stock-
I'll be honest, the engineers actually did a pretty good job right from the factory with this suspension, on the road it rides nice and smooth, off road it flexes well, and is well suited for light duty wheeling and fire road cruising. If your only plan for your Jeep is cruising backroads that are slightly to rough for your minivan, you will probably be fine with this. I would also include "Budget boosts" in this category, a budget boost is simply adding some spacers to the top of the coil spring to increase ride height; in moderation they work, but should never go over the 2" mark, and you need to keep in mind your shocks will be your limiting factor.
As you can see the control arms are pretty short, and not very beefy since they are just stamped steel, serious off road use, and big tires will destroy these little guys.
Another issue to keep in mind with these control arms, especially if you plan to use them in a lifted configuration, is that the angle of these are designed to provide the best performance AT FACTORY HEIGHT! meaning that if you use these with taller springs or budget boost spacers you will be using them at a much steeper angle than designed, this will result in a rough ride as tires will be trying to shove them straight up rather than in an arc.
Short Arm Lift-
This is your "basic" suspension lift that most guys start out with, it replaces the control arms with tubular pieces which often have flex joints at one end to help them move more freely, longer shocks to allow the suspension to flex further, and longer springs to increase ride height. Because these are designed as a system ride quality normally stays fairly comfortable (Some companies have better springs and shocks) This is a great option for the guy that wants to actually hit some trails, you won't be ready for rock racing, but you'll be able to go play in the woods and have a good time. RC short arm kits
4" suspension at ride height 18.3 degrees
4" Suspension at full droop 33.2 degrees
The issue with this set up goes back to the angle issue I described in the stock setup, although the new control arms help correct this problem to some extent, you are still using the stock location for the mounts, meaning the angles still won't allow for large lift heights; a short arm lift is usually good to about 4-5" of lift. Some guys try to stack budget boosts on top of their 4" lift springs and think they are badasses, really they are dumbasses. Doing this throws your control arm angles WAY off, plus your shocks are going to be to short, and because your angles are to steep it is going to move your tires towards the back of the wheel well, even if it doesn't rub you'll look like an idiot. This is also a good way to rip your factory mounts off the frame or the axle.
Long Arms- This is where you start to play with the big boys, all of those issues above, GONE! You simply cut out all the factory frame mounts, install new cross-member mounts, and install your much longer and stronger than factory control arms. With this setup you can get away with 7-10" of lift, with plenty of adjustment to keep your angles happy, on road ride quality will probably be better than the factory since at ride height your control arms see about 1/4 of the angular movement for the same lateral distance. Sure they may cost a lot more up front, but they are cheaper than buying a BB only to realize it's not enough, then going to short arms only to outgrow them in a year or two, and THEN finally order the long arms that you should have bought in the first place (This is literally what most of us do, we're all idiots)
The Iron Rock Off Road kit utilizes an Iron-Y design which eliminates the upper control arms
So what's the downside to a long arm set up? Other than the cost of the kit, not much. These kits are engineered to perform, they are strong, and flex like crazy. And as you can see in the photos the angular change from ride height to full droop is much less than the short arm lift.
7" Lift at ride height 12.5 degrees
7" lift at full droop 26.6 degrees
Full Custom-
So where do you go from Long arms? What do you do if you want LOTS of suspension travel, and the ability to adjust how your suspension reacts? Rip out all the factory stuff, and throw down some cash on custom links, mounts, and either coil over shocks, or ORI struts, do a BUNCH of calculations, change your design 5 times before settling on the one that will fit your space, and ride characteristics.
This option is not for the guy that just wants to take the kids out and splash through some mud puddles, this is for the guy that is fully committed to the hobby, he's full blown addicted to the feeling of hitting the hard line and making it.
Ahh winter, it sneaks up on us every year, no matter how much we think we are ready for it we are never as prepared as we want to be. Christmas seems to come out of nowhere, and consumes much of our time; and our budgets! Then New Years comes and we all make resolutions that we know damn well we won't follow through on. But then what? What do we have to look forward to after that? It conjures up images of being snowed into our primitive log cabin's huddling around the fire, and hoping to make the rations hold out till spring.
But for the offroader winter means so much more, it means it's time to take care of all the little issues with your rig that you put off to get you through that last trip out on the trails before putting it away for winter. It seems every year we come up with a grand list of upgrades and changes that we need to get done during our winter maintenance. Perhaps it's a faulty wiring harness that has been causing your electric fan to cut out and make you overheat, or you are finally going to make those half doors you've been wanting for a couple of years. Some guys take this time to all out rebuild their rigs, new engines and drivetrains, adding more lift, or maybe even a whole new suspension, or a custom roll cage. For me I have locked myself into a complete new build before spring, and haven't even unstrapped the new Jeep from the trailer from when I bought it back in October!
Whatever the project, this is the time of year that we all swear we are going to get it done, and that we "Won't wait until the last minute like i did last year" But the truth is that the rig is probably sitting in our shop, maybe in some level of disassembly... meaning you put it on jack stands and pulled the tires off before walking away from it. But soon the pressure will be on, as the days get a little longer, and we get that unseasonal warm day we all get the itch, and then we look at the calendar and remember that spring is right around the corner!
Our club has been doing an annual Easter trip to Windrock Park in Tennessee for the past couple of years, and it's been a great way to shake off the winter funk. But that also means that we have all locked ourselves into a solid date to get our shit together! This year the trip is a full week, so that means making sure that whatever you have planned for upgrades better be reliable!
So let this be the reminder to all of you guys like me that have been putting things off, and thinking you still have all the time in the world... GET OFF YOUR ASS, GET IN THE GARAGE, AND GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER!
Off roaders are a strange bunch, most of us dedicate portions of our lives to a pile of parts that isn't worth any where near what we have into it. I paid just $300 for my ZJ, I stopped counting when I passed the $10,000 mark on parts; my "new" one cost me just $50 and I'm sure it will end up costing me WAY more than I told my loving and understanding wife it would cost to get it trail ready. We happily give up our weekends, late nights, early mornings, heck sometimes even holidays just to get our rigs ready to go to the next event.
So why do we do it? Why do we give up so much of our free time? So much of our hard earned money? There's no prize for crawling over a hard obstacle, we certainly don't get paid for that long hot day out on the trail. But damn is there a reward! It seems every time we load up and head out to an event, or just a weekend at an off road park or trail we meet new people, it doesn't matter where you are from, or what you are driving, you WILL find someone that you connect with instantly. Most of my closest friends are people that I've met out on the trail somewhere. Half the time we don't even know each other by name "hey, you're the guy with that wicked WJ on tons right?" and BOOM that's how it starts!
Social media has made it super easy to stay in touch with your wheeling family, hell, I talk to them more than I do my real family! My wheeling family spreads from my home state of Maine, to my current home in Wisconsin, extends to Minnesota, North Dakota, Colorado, and down to North Carolina. We are all from different backgrounds, wheel completely different types of rigs at all different levels. But we are all connected, and wouldn't think twice about lending a hand on any given Sunday to get that new locker installed, or help recover your stuck/broken pile off the trail; sure we would talk crap the whole time, and laugh at how stupid you are... But we know that the next time the tables will probably be turned.
My wheeling family may be mouthy, drink to much, be a bit odd, and certainly be the worst possible influences out there that will almost certainly talk you into hitting a line that you have no business attempting, but they are what makes that 8 hour drive to the trail worth it.
Hello, my name is Jason, and I am an addict... I am addicted to the off road world. Some may say that given the state of the nation that making light of being an addict is in poor taste, and not "politically correct". But anyone who knows me will attest to two things, I really don't give a damn about being PC, and that I am without a doubt addicted to the off road life.
I guess you could say I was born with this addiction, from a very young age I was pushing my toy trucks through "trails' as I got older my toys got bigger, and more expensive! Through my years I have owned many different vehicles from ATVs, snowmobiles, Jeep's, trucks... even a couple of cars... I have never bowed to the brand loyalty that others seem to cling to, I have a mutual respect for the individuality of whatever anyone anyone dedicates their time to building, and crafting into what version of cool they want it to be.
My current rig is a 1994 Jeep ZJ Grand Cherokee that I saved from the scrap yard for just $300, 6 years later and has gone through LOTS of changes! I built it to be what I wanted it to be, for what I wanted to use it for. As a father, and a husband I wanted to be able to cruise the hard trails, hit the hard obstacles, and make it all looks easy all while spending time in the woods with my family.
I'll go into detail about my ZJ in a later post, as once again it is going to go through some significant changes this winter/spring. I will also be going into some of the finer details of another project that I am building for a friend, it's a Jeep J10 with an LS swap, custom suspension, and a full cage!
Stay tuned for some great tech articles, build ideas, and some trip details of some of the great places I've gone!
I'll be honest, the engineers actually did a pretty good job right from the factory with this suspension, on the road it rides nice and smooth, off road it flexes well, and is well suited for light duty wheeling and fire road cruising. If your only plan for your Jeep is cruising backroads that are slightly to rough for your minivan, you will probably be fine with this. I would also include "Budget boosts" in this category, a budget boost is simply adding some spacers to the top of the coil spring to increase ride height; in moderation they work, but should never go over the 2" mark, and you need to keep in mind your shocks will be your limiting factor.
This is your "basic" suspension lift that most guys start out with, it replaces the control arms with tubular pieces which often have flex joints at one end to help them move more freely, longer shocks to allow the suspension to flex further, and longer springs to increase ride height. Because these are designed as a system ride quality normally stays fairly comfortable (Some companies have better springs and shocks) This is a great option for the guy that wants to actually hit some trails, you won't be ready for rock racing, but you'll be able to go play in the woods and have a good time. RC short arm kits
This is where you start to play with the big boys, all of those issues above, GONE! You simply cut out all the factory frame mounts, install new cross-member mounts, and install your much longer and stronger than factory control arms. With this setup you can get away with 7-10" of lift, with plenty of adjustment to keep your angles happy, on road ride quality will probably be better than the factory since at ride height your control arms see about 1/4 of the angular movement for the same lateral distance. Sure they may cost a lot more up front, but they are cheaper than buying a BB only to realize it's not enough, then going to short arms only to outgrow them in a year or two, and THEN finally order the long arms that you should have bought in the first place (This is literally what most of us do, we're all idiots)
I'll be honest, the engineers actually did a pretty good job right from the factory with this suspension, on the road it rides nice and smooth, off road it flexes well, and is well suited for light duty wheeling and fire road cruising. If your only plan for your Jeep is cruising backroads that are slightly to rough for your minivan, you will probably be fine with this. I would also include "Budget boosts" in this category, a budget boost is simply adding some spacers to the top of the coil spring to increase ride height; in moderation they work, but should never go over the 2" mark, and you need to keep in mind your shocks will be your limiting factor. 
This is your "basic" suspension lift that most guys start out with, it replaces the control arms with tubular pieces which often have flex joints at one end to help them move more freely, longer shocks to allow the suspension to flex further, and longer springs to increase ride height. Because these are designed as a system ride quality normally stays fairly comfortable (Some companies have better springs and shocks) This is a great option for the guy that wants to actually hit some trails, you won't be ready for rock racing, but you'll be able to go play in the woods and have a good time. RC short arm kits
This is where you start to play with the big boys, all of those issues above, GONE! You simply cut out all the factory frame mounts, install new cross-member mounts, and install your much longer and stronger than factory control arms. With this setup you can get away with 7-10" of lift, with plenty of adjustment to keep your angles happy, on road ride quality will probably be better than the factory since at ride height your control arms see about 1/4 of the angular movement for the same lateral distance. Sure they may cost a lot more up front, but they are cheaper than buying a BB only to realize it's not enough, then going to short arms only to outgrow them in a year or two, and THEN finally order the long arms that you should have bought in the first place (This is literally what most of us do, we're all idiots)
