mark's91-XJ

when do you need one , like what size lift?
and what does it do for you?

a1racer

you will most likely need to start looking into these when you get above 4 inches of lift.

a1racer

and it helps bring the steering back to an acceptable factory level so you are not getting bump steer or death wobble

mark's91-XJ

thanks a1racer
i was just wondering about it because my steering
feels "whipy" to me. ive got about an 4 in lift, also
could it be do to not enough angle on the front axle?
i think its around 5 deg.

a1racer

have you had it aligned. and do you have adjustable control arms on it.

mark's91-XJ

ya i do ,top and bottom,there sitting at 3/4 of an inch longer then stock.

i havent got it alined yet, i did the tape methed with 1/8 toe in

a1racer

yeah i did that one to but you should still have the thing aligned so the caster can be set right that way it will help with the steering just make sure that they are adjusting at the arms not the little adjustable thing on the back of the lower control arm mount.

BudgetXJ

Be careful with putting a dropped pitman arm on. You want to keep the angle of the Drag link (rod going from Pitman arm to pass knuckle) and the Track bar (driver side frame to pass side of axle) as close to the same as possible. Most times, if you put a drop pitman arm, you have to modify one of the track bar mounts to maintain similar angles. If its off, it will bump steer like mad.

I'll second what a1 said in his last post. The whipy feeling can be caused by incorrect caster. Get it aligned by a pro and go from there. Definitely make sure they use the arms for adjustment too.

bigbadxj

I think after 4" I use one on mine at about 6" and I'm going to get one for the other which will have about 7.5".

BuckB91XJ

Mark go to this guys' website (Google "another freakin' Jeep Cherokee website"). In his Onsite Tech. section. You will find a VERY ACCURATE chart giving upper and lower control arm lengths for a given lift height. I say accurate because I used it to set both my control arms and my son's Jeep's control arms and all is well.
To answer your other question, I'd say 5-6 inches of lift is where you need a dropped pitman arm. My 4.5 inch kit did not come with one but, my son's 6.5 inch kit did come with one. I have installed a BB on my XJ which has me now sitting at 6 inches and I still don't have a dropped pitman arm but, my steering feels fine to me.

mark's91-XJ

thanks guys for the great info

bwebb

Nice site glad you shared it

bigbadxj

Yea it does have a lot of info some a little old but good stuff. Even a stroker build!