88pioneer Posted August 8, 2011 Share Posted August 8, 2011 I've dealt with suspensions before, but never long arms. I'm leaning towards a 3 link setup for better trail performance, but I was wondering if anyone had opinions on either. Note I plan on driving it to and from the trail head. Thanks in advance :cheers: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
banshee Posted August 9, 2011 Share Posted August 9, 2011 Couple questions first How high are you going? How much $$ are you willing to invest? And lastly how much articulation are you going for? your answers will affect my answer… B… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88pioneer Posted August 9, 2011 Author Share Posted August 9, 2011 Looking at going about 5-5.5 inches, with a SOA rear with a FSJ main leaf. Looking for as much articulation as possible, and I wanna do this one right, so I'm willing to drop a pretty good amount on them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SW86 Posted August 9, 2011 Share Posted August 9, 2011 this weekend my Rock Krawler 3 link is going on. ill have plenty of pics and thoughts on the arms once its done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88pioneer Posted August 9, 2011 Author Share Posted August 9, 2011 That will help a lot, as I was looking at rock crawler for either the 3 or 4 link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Motion Offroad Posted August 9, 2011 Share Posted August 9, 2011 The nice thing about the RK triple threat (4 link) kit is that you can run it as a 4-link on the road, spend about 5 mins yanking 2 bolts and run it as a 3-link offroad. The kit was developed to allow you to have more confidence on the road with the 4-link setup, but still have the offroad performance that we've all grown to love with the 3-link. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnkyboy Posted August 9, 2011 Share Posted August 9, 2011 As far as flex I doubt you will see any difference between a 3 and 4 link on a full bodied truck. The arms may have a ton of flex but within the confines of the truck there isn't enough room to build a suspension that can use the full potential. You will run out of shock before either style binds. FWIW my technically short armed MJ has out flexed an MJ with the Rock Krawler 3 link kit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garvin Posted August 9, 2011 Share Posted August 9, 2011 Articulation depends on a lot more than the control arms. The spring rates make a HUGE impact in how much the Jeep will flex. With a long arm kit (vs drop bracket short arm), you get a better pinion angle on articulation plus more clearance. If you build the suspension right, the 3-link will out flex the 4-link (due to binding). I chose the 3-link due to many factors, one being better articulation. If you're looking on a off the shelf kit, go with the RK 4-link. As Motion Offroad said, if you get into binding issues, you can just remove one of the uppers and then have your 3-link. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnkyboy Posted August 9, 2011 Share Posted August 9, 2011 I doubt you could flex either enough to bind in a stock body truck,there is no shock that will fit an MJ with enough down travel to bind a 3 or 4 link. I'm sure on a buggy or similiar there is a difference but I don't think you would see any difference in flex on a full body MJ. at 42" of flex my short arms still have some flex left in them so I can't see how you could bind a 4 link long arm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue XJ Posted August 9, 2011 Share Posted August 9, 2011 42" of flex or axle droop while it remains parallel to the ground? Your steering doesn't bind or your track bar doesn't bind or your coils don't fall out? I think your measurement is useless. It ony takes three points to make a plane, the fourth is just an unneeded constraint. Bushings have enough slop to give when they start to bind. Plus any long arm suspension will ride better on road than a short arm with the same amount of lift Edit- I vote for the rock krawler 3 link, I've had mine for about 6 years and have no complaints. After 6 years I'm just needing to rebuild the joints, I think it was $6 per joint to rebuild. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnkyboy Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 42" of flex and yes at that height my coils are about to fall out and my trac bar won't let it go any further. Here it is on a ramp 730 RTI@30 degrees. my truck is 115" WB so thats 42" I have flexed it higher with my forklift but 42s the highest on a actual ramp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Comanche County Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 The nice thing about the RK triple threat (4 link) kit is that you can run it as a 4-link on the road, spend about 5 mins yanking 2 bolts and run it as a 3-link offroad. The kit was developed to allow you to have more confidence on the road with the 4-link setup, but still have the offroad performance that we've all grown to love with the 3-link. Yup, like he said, this is a great choice. Like everyone else said, the shocks are your limiting factor. I have the Rock Krawler triple threat on my MJ and it would probably flex twice as much, but my shocks limit the travel and the long arms never realize their potential.....shocks my friend, shocks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue XJ Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 42" of flex and yes at that height my coils are about to fall out and my trac bar won't let it go any further. Here it is on a ramp 730 RTI@30 degrees. my truck is 115" WB so thats 42" I have flexed it higher with my forklift but 42s the highest on a actual ramp. Lifting a tire 42" off the ground doesn't mean you have 42" of flex. I'm assuming you have 10-12" of travel shocks on your rig, so your suspension isn't 'flexing' much more than 10-12". Plus a lot of that travel is taken up by the opposite rear corner compressing. Nice looking jeep though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnkyboy Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 No matter how you measure flex I can get higher on an obsticle than most long armed trucks and I'm not maxing out my arms which was my point. If I'm not maxing out my short arms then there is no way a 4 link long arm is gonna flex less then a 3 link with the amount of flex your gonna get with an off the shelf LA kit. So in a debate of 3link vs. 4link flex doesn't come into play since both will flex further then the rest of your suspension can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
89eliminator Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 also, flex isnt the end all defining factor of a properly working suspension. i think a properly balanced (front to rear) is more important. but anyways, i built my own 4-link with trackbar and have nothing but positive feedback. just make sure the arms have a good flex joint or heim in them and you are good to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Comanche County Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 I think the best measure of a suspension is one that keeps the truck level and under control. So you don't get killed, or worse, damage your MJ in a rollover! :smart: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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