OOdynamite

Ok, so I'm gonna seem really lame here for a second, but I have a couple questions as to what things on jeeps are...

1. Whats a disconnect do?
2. Whats a long arm and a shot arm?
3. Whats a lower control arm?


Ok I think thats it, thanks for the help everyone.

SeriousOffroad

Sway bar disconnects allow the user to disconnect the sway bar from the axle for increased articulation. Applies to fron axles since most people remove and discard their rear axle swaybars.

Short arm suspensions are basically the same as whats on a stock rig.

Long arms replace the short arms and move the mount aft of the stock control arm location on the unibody frame rail. This allows for a larger arc (range of motion) which increases the amount of wheel travel (articulation).

Lower control arms locate and retain the front axle while the upper arms maintain pinion and caster angle.

billulsund

Using the search function can often be the quickest way to get answers, but rather than just telling you to search I will also help you out.

1. A disconnect is for the swaybar. The swaybar connects the frame and both ends of the axles. It's main purpose is to prevent your vehicle from swaying around corners, however it also reduces flex. Most people just remove the rear swaybar, but with coils in the front it can be dangerous to remove the front so most people install a new swaybar with disconnects. When your swaybar is diconnected you can get a lot more flex, but your vehicle will sway much more around corners making it dangerous to drive on the street. So you would keep your swaybar connected when street driving and disconnected when offroad.

2. Long arms or short arms are the arms that connect the front axle to the frame. A stock xj has fixed short arms. As you lift the vehicle the stock arms become inadequate and you will find the need for either longer short arms, or long arms. Long arms are typically regarded as the best way to go, but are more expensive and if you do not have more than 3" of lift are typically not that necessary. You can use short arms even with tall lifts, but would want to use drop brackets to improve the angle of the short arms for better driveability.

3. A lower control arm is exactly what it sounds like. There are 4 arms attaching the front axle to the frame, 2 that attach to the top of the axle and 2 that attach to the bottom. The ones on top are your upper control arms and the bottom ones are your lower control arms.

If you have any other questions I encourage you to try the search function to look for your answers, but if you cannot find them feel free to ask.

OOdynamite

Thanks for the help guys, I got it now.