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Control Arms/Ride Characteristics Discussion

6K views 33 replies 13 participants last post by  bblackb8 
#1 ·
So I'm reading a thread about shocks and what's best for the ride and the discussion briefly went to control arms. His thought was that control arms play a very large role in the ride of the Jeep, not just the shocks and springs as I've been led to believe.
If I look at my upper/lower control arms, I guess I'm not sure if they are simply solid and don't adjust or adjustable as I was led to believe. Not knowing the component doesn't help me any.

How do I determine if I have adjustable control arms and if I want a better ride from my Jeep, what control arms should I focus on that would also provide excellent off road manners?

Thanks

Bryan
 
#2 ·
How do I determine if I have adjustable control arms...?
In most cases, an adjustable arm will feature a threaded rod end that screws into a tube. Look for visible threads and a lock nut.


...if I want a better ride from my Jeep, what control arms should I focus on that would also provide excellent off road manners?
Metalcloak. No need to think about anything else.
 
#4 ·
In most cases, an adjustable arm will feature a threaded rod end that screws into a tube. Look for visible threads and a lock nut.




Metalcloak. No need to think about anything else.

Thanks, I'll look into it.
 
#3 ·
So I'm reading a thread about shocks and what's best for the ride and the discussion briefly went to control arms. His thought was that control arms play a very large role in the ride of the Jeep, not just the shocks and springs as I've been led to believe. If I look at my upper/lower control arms, I guess I'm not sure if they are simply solid and don't adjust or adjustable as I was led to believe. Not knowing the component doesn't help me any. How do I determine if I have adjustable control arms and if I want a better ride from my Jeep, what control arms should I focus on that would also provide excellent off road manners? Thanks Bryan
Stick yer head under yer jeep and see if the arms are adjustable or fixed.
 
#5 · (Edited)
Adjustable control arms are just that...you can adjust the length. They come in a couple of flavors; adjustable on one end, or double adjustable (so you don't have to disconnect them to adjust) Good adjustable ca's with johnny joints or metalcloak's duroflex joints can tighten the the steering feel somewhat because you don't have ca's moving in a rubber bushing, but they don't have a huge effect on ride quality....that is mainly shocks. Here's a picture with double adjustables:

BTW: You should get rid of the double steering stabilizer mentioned in your sig line....all it's doing is making your steering pump work overtime.
 

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#6 ·
Waterdog, thanks for the picture. As a matter of fact, I'm doing just that as we speak. That double steering stabilizer is coming off and I'm updating my signature to reflect.

I'll also be looking into metal cloaks at some point. If they don't make a big deal in ride quality I feel I can hold off a bit.

Thanks
 
#7 ·
Control arms don't have much of an effect on ride quality as the shocks do unless it's a stupid tall lift and the arm angles are way excessive. If you're planning on a 4" or shorter lift, just getting good shocks will very likely give you a good ride. Avoid shocks like Rough Country, Skyjacker Nitro, Rancho RS5000, or ProComp ES-3000 or ES-9000 shocks, those are guaranteed to ride too stiffly. Avoid the Rubicon Express Monotube... it rides great on the highway but it doesn't provide good control on rough offroad trails.

Good riding shocks include Zone, Old Man Emu Nitrocharger, Rancho RS5000x, Rancho RS9000xl, etc. I have personal experience with most of those shocks and my two favorites have been the Old Man Emu Nitrocharger and the fairly new Rancho R5000x.

There are others that many feel do a good job and ride well.
 
#8 ·
This is one I have to disagree with Jerry on. I noticed a huge improvement when I put on my metalcloak arms. That was one of the 1st improvements I did. But it did have the original control arms, so maybe it was me
 
#10 ·
The improvement in ride with my Currie arms was huge. Those clevite bushed RC control arm things, the rubber gets hard and they simply are like riding with the axle welded in place. Not to mention all the awful noise they made.

Go Currie/Savvy or go home.

The Currie use genuine Johnny Joints, the go to standard of high end builds, proven track record for many years. They use a hard steel ball that circulates in a poly bushing. They can be rebuilt and can be greased in place, grease zerks all over. The MC, I looked at them, nice, they use an elastometric insert to accomplish the same thing as the ball and bushing in the JJs. Thing is, the game stopper, you supposedly have to remove them yearly to grease them. No way, that killed that for me right there. I think Rockman is another quality brand. Thing is, nearly anything other than Savvy, Currie, MC, Rockman are worse than OEM.

Make your life easy, get double adjustable on the uppers.
 
#11 ·
The MC, I looked at them, nice, they use an elastometric insert to accomplish the same thing as the ball and bushing in the JJs. Thing is, the game stopper, you supposedly have to remove them yearly to grease them. No way, that killed that for me right there.
Wait until your JJ's poly bushings disintegrate and have to be replaced. You will wish you were just greasing Duroflex bushings.
 
#14 ·
Well, if I had to take them out every year to grease them like the MCs then I may as well pop a new kit in. Maybe in some future world with reverse gravity I will do that. Pulling out eight control arms and taking apart 16 MC ends to grease them, I will pass on that.

We can agree to disagree, or not. MC, they are not all that on several things. Nice quality and execution but a rod end on their track bar? And then the greasing of the elastometric, why?

Honestly, I suspect the MC do not actually need grease in normal applications, unless they rotate on the bolt, in which case I will pass on that also.

If I had it to do again, I would get Savvy aluminum arms with JJs. And to hell with the sasquatches.
 
#15 ·
The metalcloak bushing rotates in the arm's housing. It's the outer diameter of the bushing that gets greased. It actually only moves when there is large axle movement. Small movements like on the road the rubber in the bushing flexes instead. The grease is a heavy silicone similar to what one would use with poly bushings. I have re-greased my fronts because my bumper mounted cam picked up some squeeking while wheeling in Moab. I have not done the rears at all yet, and I never heard the noise in the cab either.
 
#16 ·
I would have been happy with JJ's, but I bought double adjustable aluminum MC's. I'm still happy with my decision too. I honestly think you could flip a coin. Both have strengths and weaknesses.

Not only have I seen a UFO, but I have done extensive testing of them at an undisclosed location.
 
#17 ·
Actually, I lived in Phoenix and saw the space ships go over my house.

And, I worked in Rosewell and know that Elvis lives in a Quonset hut on the old airbase, his red Jetstar, TCB, is sitting there parked beside it. And I spoke as well to an old feller who helped gather up the alien bodies for the Air Force. And Sasquatch are feral Neanderthals! :drinks:
 
#21 ·
Your post didn't state if you are talking about a non-lifted or lifted jeep. Non- lifted situation, there's no need to replace because the difference will be negligible. As for a lifted jeep, yes I noticed a real difference replacing my lowers especially in the front for ease of steering (caster back to normal) and suspension travel over bumps. You wouldn't think a half inch, or so, longer control arm would make that much difference in the ride but it did for me. As for quality and cost, less costly varieties will serve most off roaders well and last a long time, but if you really wheel hard or do a lot of rock crawling, banging on the suspension hard and flexing to the max constantly, investing in a better brand is a good idea.
 
#30 ·
To answer your question, yes, my thread was pointed to my 4" lift rig.
 
#25 ·
Well, let me correct my "supposedly" for you. It is fact or at least it was as of the time when I was in the market that annual greasing was recommended. And as I said, I suspect that this recommendation would only be needed in heavy use. I am quite certain I would have been happy with the MC. I do have a new buddy with them installed on his LJ. His front units squeak, I cannot hear it in the cab, but rocking the Jeep while standing outside I can hear it. He has never greased them I suspect. I will have to ask him how long they have been in and what he has done or not done. I do not know that answer. Frankly this would not keep me from buying them. I think they are an excellent product equal to the JJ but is also fact, not bias, not bashing, that they do not have the long track record yet of the JJ.

I am also quite certain that at 62 yo that laying on my back under the Jeep on cold concrete is not that much fun, fact. I can grease my JJs a couple of times a year in 15 minutes, this is not bias, this too is fact. I am also quite certain that pulling eight control arms and disassembling 16 joints to grease them once a year or so is going to net more than 15 minutes, this too is fact.

We can go on with this all night. I recommended the MC as one of the top brands, my expression of my purchase decision is as you say, I would agree a bias, based on my needs. The OP will have to decide his.

Anyways, peace and love or party on or such as that.
 
#29 ·
I have Currie/Savvy arms on the rear, MC arms on the front...I'll be switching the rears over to MC later this year. Are Currie/Savvy bad, or worse than MC? No, but the MC offer a little more cushioning than the Currie arms do.
 
#32 ·
I ran MC arms on the front for a bit before switching to Savvy arms with Johhny Joints. I couldn't tell a difference between the two in ride quality. Though, I don't doubt that those with a full set might feel a slightly smoother ride with MC. Pick one and you will be happy. I believe that shocks and tire pressure will play a larger role in ride quality than control arms.

The biggest (but subtle) change I noticed with MCs and JJs was from the factory arms was that the suspension felt much freer to move when it wasn't being constrained by the rubber bushing.
 
#34 ·
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