jeep_xj1993

Is the XJ Critical Path Long Arm Lift Kit a good lift? I want to put a 5.5 and run 33-12.50s but idk. The lift says you can run 33s no problem but can I run 35s with no problem if I wanted to?

no rdplz

With some fender trimming and extended bump stops you could run 35's. IRO's kit gets some flak for being a radius arm design and being more of a middle ground lift quality wise. They're not a bad lift, but certainly not in the top tier either. For not much more you can get Serious' set up and have a better quality lift. Just my .02.

Ianf406

Do a quick search (use Google "Cherokee Forum Iron Rock Offroad") and you will find a ton of threads about them.

I have ran their 6.5 LA for alooooong time now. It works well, and is very stout. (Arms are 5/16 where as most are 1/4) I don't take it easy on it... I've broken plenty of almost every other part on the front (on Dana 30 number 3). I have not had a problem. Almost everyone who has them loves them. There are three areas of concern for those that don't...

1. The castor adjustor- people don't think it will stay true. Mine has not moved once and if it does break, I'll just chop it off and put and adjustable joint up there.

2. It only is held to the unibody with 3 bolts on each side. I welded mine on with my frame stiffeners after a few years and no problems with the 3 bolts.

3. The only bolt holding the top axle is a 10mm. (Stock uses two 10mm). I have-not seen one break anywhere but plan on replacing the bushing with a Johnny Joint and running a 1/2 inch bolt through it down the road.

Their customer service is great. In full disclosure, a fellow fourm member just installed his and had some fitment issues- his castor adjustor was to close to his axle housing and the sub frame did not line up to the transmission correctly ( I think his is a 2000) have not heard of anyone else with that problem.

All in all I like the kit more than my skyjacker/rancho/rough Country/Rusty's kit I've had on previous Jeeps. Works great and I haven't had a single problem going on 160,000 miles. It comes with everything you need except SYE/ driveshafts.

Ianf406

I fit 34s on it with no trimming (6.5 kit) needed trimming for 35s/36s.

Atmos

that's not why. it's the caster adjuster we hate. and it's a wristed y-link design. and the company gets a lot of flak because they make a lot of jank *** products and talk them up like they're the ultimate way to get flex and strength. then new jeepers go and see a cheap long arm kit and some almost alloys and think wow could I really get all that flex and strength for that cheap?

it's not just the long arms. it's the way the company describes their products. the descriptions are often filled with half truths. sure you gotta sell your product but it doesn't seem completely honest to me

oh well. I think people are just sick of hearing about it and sick of arguing. just keep in mind their products are very cheap for a reason

no rdplz

You do realize that a y-link and radius arm set up are the same right? Differences in kits are in whether the y-link/radius arm is fixed or adjustable. And yes, that is one of the biggest complaints. Having only 2 points that connect the axle to the body (not including shocks) is a big area of concern for many people. Plus you do run a higher risk of binding with a radius arm set up. Not saying it will happen, but the risk is greater.

I do agree that they build up their products to be more than they really are. I've seen plenty of IRO kits in action and they do fine, but I'd rather spend the money on better materials, which is what I did with mine. The only IRO products I recommend are their steering box spacer and their double shear trac-bar.

If the OP is stuck on a radius arm style, I say go with Serious' stuff. Better materials hands down. Personally, I say go with a quality 3-link like RockKrawler or Clayton, but that's me.

Ianf406

I would just like you to point out a kit that does not say they have the "ultimate ride" or "unbelievable flex"... They all do that. It's called marketing. I would also like to point out that almost everything is cheaper through them. Are their coil spacers/bilsteins/gussets/mounts etc. are all cheap as well.... Does not make them a lesser quality when they are the exact same thing

Atmos, you yourself have talked down on shocks like fox because they are over priced... How is this different? I'll give it to you that I would rather have Rock Krawler joints than the Rubicon Express ones the IRO comes with but I don't think their materials are somehow lesser than everyone else because they are a bit cheaper.

Ianf406

I just don't see how thicker steel, same grade 10/12 Bolts are of a lesser quality material wise than anyone else... If you don't like their design that is one thing... There is absolutely nothing wrong with their materials.

Ianf406

As far as their other products, their trusses are awesome... Their d30 truss is extremely well put together. Super stout, moves shocks out away from the frame and removes bar pins, moves trackbar up to fix geometry, includes adjustable bump stops, moves sway at links up, includes gussets etc. The welds are beautiful and those of my buddies that have the TNT truss/artec truss both wish they would have went with the IRO. I haven't had a single issue with a single one of their products.

XJ0nTons

My friend ask me what long arm kit to get I told him iron rock long arm critical path, it's not a daily but he drives it to work sometimes, everything works well, we built the jeeps for trail and rock crawling, it's well built good welds, thick material, just get what arms you want for what type of wheeling your going to do, jeep speed stuff is way different just keep that in mind

Atmos

It's not the materials. it's the design. fixed lower arms (I assume they use the same ones for all their lift heights?), fixed johnnies, and that dumb caster adjuster. It looks like a cheap kit with a lot of short cuts taken. and I didn't hate on fox shocks for their price, I said they're definitely not worth it when bilsteins are compareable. my beef was with buying a useless 2.0 but that's another debate

and @NoRDpLZ. wristed fixed y-link, whatever you wanna call it. IRO is the only one that I've seen run that setup. it's not your average functional radius arm setup so I have to make a distinction. edited previous post for clarity

jeep_xj1993

im not gonna be doing alot of rock crawling more mudding and LIGHT trail riding i.e. cross over a small tree that fell over or some small rocks. i just want the long arm cause i know its better than a short arm and you get more flex. i just dont want to spend $2500+ on a lift when i can find one cheaper and get the same results.

desertrunner97

I've wheeled with a bunch of guys that have the iron rock crucial path lift. I'm running the coils and leafs from that kit. they perform awesome. i personally don't like the caster adjuster that's why i went with a mid arm setup with a single adjustable upper arm. for the money its a awesome kit.

The only real down fall I've had with Iron Rock is they take forever to ship. took over 3 weeks to ship the lift for my wife's WJ. But there customer support is awesome. We got the lift on besides the track bar that I ordered. It wasn't short enough to center the front axle. One call they had that out same day and sent a call tag for the bad one!

Atmos

the kit will work fine for you. sorry for blowing up the thread

Ianf406

That is what I was referring to and you hear it alot about IRO materials. Don't get me wrong, I don't think they are "the best". If I had to choose the best I would go with RK with their SOLID lower arms and rear coil conversion, full tractions 4 link for Jeep speed or TNT because their belly skid is awesome. I don't think I could ever go with Clayton or BDS at their price point because when you break it down, they have 1/4 arms, high end joints and an average subframe/arm mounts. Their cost has to be like 1/3 of what they charge. I've seen them in person and don't think it's worth the cash... Just my opinion of course.. Almost everybody had a lifetime warranty these days.