Stock arms vs. upgraded arms
 

I am looking to begin purchasing lift parts for my jeep. It is a 1990 2 door, 4.0, 242 t case, 4wd. It will not be daily driven and will be trailered to the trails when I use it. I wheel on the notheast coast so it is mostly rocky forest trails. I have a chrysler 8.25 with an aussie locker i will be swapping in when i lift the truck. My plan is a 4.5 (ish) lift, then cut the fenders to clear 33 or 35 inch tires. So, looking at all the lift options out there and there are many. My question is about the front control arms. I understand why long arm kits provide a better ride and more articualtion. But, i am not spendiing the money on a longarm kit right now.

So my option then would be:stock arms, fixed upgraded lowers and stock uppers, and adjustable lowers and uppers.

do the upgraded arms really provide better articulation or are they just stronger? do they even provide an better ride on the street? For a rig that is not street driven, are they worth the additional cost?

Basically, if i dont really need the upgraded arms, i can put together parts as opposed to buying the full blown rough country x-series kit I have been looking at and put the extra moey towards armour and recovery gear. And yes i know that by not buying a full kit i will still have to address smaller issue like brake lines and such.

Thank you for any advice you can provide!

The uprated arms are stronger than the u-channel stockers and they provide much more adjust-ability as well as extra clearance to help keep the tires from rubbing on them. Often times the uprated arms are longer to compensate for lift which will bring the front axle back toward the body. I have in the past taken 2 pairs of stock lower arms and cut them so when I welded them back together they were longer and had a bend to them to help suspension droop further before they hit the stop on the axle. I also boxed them while i was at it and they served me well for many years. Just an option