Tons are in my not so immediate future. I don't plan on changing the arms if I dont have to. I can fab, I can weld.

That being said. I originally planned on the rough country long arm upgrade and shackle relocation to take my 4.5'' lift into the 6.5'' range with proper front flex, short arms are trash, and have no place on a jeep over 3.5'' of lift (perfect for 3.5 lift or under)

That being said, I've started to look at the critical path 3 link kit, so If the pros could come in and school me on the pros and cons of the iro 3 link vs the rough country 4 link, it would be awesome.

Please don't come in here and say clayton anything, I know they rock, the problem is, so do they and they charge accordingly.

 

Have a link to this rough country 4 link?

Ive seen the iro system in action and it works pretty well, a buddy of mine runs it on his and seemes to love it.

Also, if you can fab... Why not build your own 3 link or radius arms for the front?

 

That rough country isn't a real 4 link.

 

And the iron rock is not a real 3 link either. Why again are short arms trash?

 

They don't flex like long arms.

 

If you can fab I would look at building your own. A lot of companies have kits available to build your own.



Do a lot of research if you go to buy a kit. There are a lot of high quality kits out there, just watch for reviews and ask for pics of how they flex. Also keep in mind ppl will not admit the bought a kit that doesnt flex well, or was poorly designed.

 

He said for anything over 3.5" of lift they are trash.

Factory arms are designed for a certain height. Once you lift far enough, they just don't do the job.

 

those long arm kits are not 4 links. they are radius arms. IRO is not a 3 link either, it is also a radius arm, with one upper link.
a true 3 link will work better than any of the above.
The easiest way to describe the difference is this, grab a paper towel roll with both hands, one on either end. with your arms out straight turn the roll like your axle would articulate. at some point in its range the tube would need to twist to keep articulating. with a radius arm, this is never allowed to happen. the links bind and stop travel.
with a true 3 link, this never happens.
This is also true with a single upper radius arm. But there are other advantages to a true 3 link, like anti-squat. they climb much better, and are more stable.
If you have the ability, fab a true 3 link. That is my next project.
Dont get me wrong the radius arms work very well, but there are better designs to be had.
I hate to post an outside link, but read this. all the info you could want
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showt...ight=totm+link

 

I really appreciate all the responses. Keep them coming, I'm learning more about long arms fast.

 

Clayton offroad makes a bad ***** 3 link. If you are gona either build 1 or buy 1, that's the setup I would run.

 

lol, couldn't help it, could ya?

 

X2

 

So.....drop brackets? I'd rather spend the under $200 for these in the interim (if I already had a decent set of short arms), than end up buying the rc or iro longarms. This is especially so if you're wanting to put full size axles in.

Assuming you already have some kind of aftermarket arms from your original lift, do the $200 drops. When you get your real axles, fab up some real longarms. Not as cool and trendy, but definitely not trash.

 

drop brackets are worse than short arms, there is no reason to give up even more ground clearence vs just doing it right. my .02

 

i like the 4 link over the 3 link, just sems like theres more strength in the 4, if its built rite, you shouldnt need a track bar, that can limit flex. i built a radius long arm out of 2 in sguare tubing with 1.25 heims. it works fine, soon to 4 link the rear. i think the drop brackets defeats the purpose of an offroad vehicle, if its used that way, lowering the arms 4 in ??????? especially short arms . my 02