Long arms on a TJ

First of all, There is not such a thing as PERFECT wheelbase, or suspension. Every single rock and trail is different.

Longer arms in some fassion eqauls better ride qaulity, more stability, more useable flex.

Wheelbase lenght determines alot of ride qaulity and breakover angle and stability.

Your tj @CasterTroy is allready a billy goat, I dont see any critical drawbacks to longarms without stretch, as said it would be nice.

I am intrigued by the mid arm talk, although I have had my best from dropping mine off with @BUCKEYE PERFORMANCE INC. and saying,,,, Make it Longer!!!

A moderatley longer arm without a stretch sounds very intriguing
 
Jason W. said:
I am intrigued by the mid arm talk
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As am I. Also like learning from those with actual experience whom are willing to share and edumacate the ignorant. HUGE thanks to @DSM Turbos @Jody Treadway and @paradisePWoffrd for comming in and dropped some knowledge bombs.


I would VERY much so like to wheel behind @tlucier (BTW...now that I'm looking at that on my NASA inspired office PC station :rockon:, and not on my tiny phone screen without my old man reading glasses......Are you sure that's a MID and not claytons regular long arm setup? Your arms go all the way to the skid for the front AND rear right? Or am I missing something?) Would LOVE to see how mine behaves on the same obstacles as yours.

Didn't mean to take over @BigClay but I know you well enough to know I wasn't stepping on toes doing so. But it really sounds like the best thing for both of us, would be to start hacking and find a way to stuff more, instead of going longer arms. Well I mean...until we find a pair of LJ frame/tub combos and send them over to PJ to long arm, ton, cage, and LS them :cool: Then we'll be waiting at the top watching Mosteller struggle to get up what we walked (damnit....I did NOT win that last powerball....N/M)
 
CasterTroy said:
As am I. Also like learning from those with actual experience whom are willing to share and edumacate the ignorant. HUGE thanks to @DSM Turbos @Jody Treadway and @paradisePWoffrd for comming in and dropped some knowledge bombs.


I would VERY much so like to wheel behind @tlucier (BTW...now that I'm looking at that on my NASA inspired office PC station :rockon:, and not on my tiny phone screen without my old man reading glasses......Are you sure that's a MID and not claytons regular long arm setup? Your arms go all the way to the skid for the front AND rear right? Or am I missing something?) Would LOVE to see how mine behaves on the same obstacles as yours.

Didn't mean to take over @BigClay but I know you well enough to know I wasn't stepping on toes doing so. But it really sounds like the best thing for both of us, would be to start hacking and find a way to stuff more, instead of going longer arms. Well I mean...until we find a pair of LJ frame/tub combos and send them over to PJ to long arm, ton, cage, and LS them :cool: Then we'll be waiting at the top watching Mosteller struggle to get up what we walked (damnit....I did NOT win that last powerball....N/M)
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Somewhere I have the build sheet ECGS printed for me with part numbers. I looked for it last night and realized I'm just as disorganized in my personal life as I am at work. :rolleyes: Anyway, be careful what you wish for. Based on the pics I've seen of your wheeling trips with @Jason W. ,you probably don't want me in front of you. You guys have way more wheeling experience than me, but I'm willing to listen and learn! :driver:
 
Jason W. said:
What is the true definition of long arm, mid arm, On a Jeep.

What is the control standard on this
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I know some people like to size their links or their axle to frame distance based on planned tire size but that is more realistic for buggies I believe.


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OK, so this thread has been great, lots of good information. So what would be the upside/downside to stretching the rear 5"-7" and leaving the front on short arms or got to a three link midarm? Would that be the way to go?
 
BigClay said:
OK, so this thread has been great, lots of good information. So what would be the upside/downside to stretching the rear 5"-7" and leaving the front on short arms or got to a three link midarm? Would that be the way to go?
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What size tires are you trying to run? You should be okay still with 100 WB and 35s
 
shawn said:
I'll bet every one of them except for Winget has 20" to the belly at RH. A tummy tucked TJ with short arms and 35s is 18" or so. Put long arms on it, and it's 14". Gotta go to 42s to get the ground clearance back, or 38s and a bunch more spring.
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True. But only under the arms. If the Jeep isn't running a ton of lift, the links will be reasonably flat and the arms will be out of harm's way.

You are right that ANY long or mid arm will cause a loss of clearance and that puts us all back to the same argument regarding LA vs belly clearance. I'm pretty sure when I built @thebrotherinlaw's rear 4 link with 5.5" stretch, we ended up with 18" under the @Barnes 4wd flat skid. We used RE 3.5 coils up front and stock JK rears and he runs 35" tires. His lowers do get some rock rash. But they also act as a ramp that then leads to the tire.
 
Jason W. said:
What is the true definition of long arm, mid arm, On a Jeep.

What is the control standard on this
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Hard to say, but stock TJ arms are somewhere around 16-17", and longarm kits are roughly double that. It's been years since I measured it, but I think 30-33" is what I recall.
 
NickMaul said:
It’d probably be cheaper to buy back your old ZJ :D


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thought about it when the last guy had it for sale, but that thing absolutely sucked on the road... plus I like taking my top off (and the jeep's) :D
 
I think a good 3 link on the front from Clayton, or built by someone here would do you well. As for the rear, if your intentions are to stretch I would leave it alone until you do stretch it. It would be wasteful to pay on upgrading it to longarm, only to redo it again later to stretch it.

Would anyone agree that the loss in clearance is negated by the gains of ride and flex? That’s my thoughts on it.
Have the links made from beefy material, some good solid mounts that can take a beating and just hit it a little harder when it is going to hit. Let’s be honest, we are all hitting links and other suspension components quite regularly anyway.

I would have to say a 5”+ rear stretch would be an excellent upgrade that would make the biggest difference in feel and stability. That was my plan with my old TJ but life took over and it just never happened.
 
@CasterTroy @BigClay - you have both already moved the lower links, right?

77GreenMachine said:
Would anyone agree that the loss in clearance is negated by the gains of ride and flex? That’s my thoughts on it.
Have the links made from beefy material, some good solid mounts that can take a beating and just hit it a little harder when it is going to hit. Let’s be honest, we are all hitting links and other suspension components quite regularly anyway.
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Don't forget about the track bar clearance up front and the upper link clearance in the back - that's the reason the kits require so much lift.
 
BigClay said:
OK, so this thread has been great, lots of good information. So what would be the upside/downside to stretching the rear 5"-7" and leaving the front on short arms or got to a three link midarm? Would that be the way to go?
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As I mentioned earlier, I don't own a TJ, but I am planning on buying one soon.

I think the biggest downside to stretching a TJ 5-7" is dealing with the fuel tank.

The upside would be much improved climbing ability on steep hills.

I created this a little while back. It may spark some thoughts on the stretch.

wheelbase list.jpg
 
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tlucier said:
I just found the build sheet. Side note, I think I've got the makings of a hoarder. Damn I need to clean some shit up and get organized. Yep, good eye @CasterTroy. It's a Clayton TJ long arm kit. Part number COR-4805001.
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Do you recall what that all cost, kit and labor?
 
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