Hey everybody! I need your advice. I have an 01 Xj. I have made a very noobish mistake of getting a cheap lift kit and now have to dump a ton of money to make the jeep ride better than a Model A.

Let me first list what i have done:

Font End

- IRO 200LBS 3" springs
- Adjustable track bar
- Stock Upper and Lower arms

Backside

- IRO 3" leaf packs with lowest leaf removed.
- Longer Shackles
- Adjustable shackle boxes. My shackle angle is about 45%.


Just got Bilstein 5100 shocks all around that are a bit too long for the application. I have about 2.5" of travel left on them at ride height in the front and a little more in the back. As for tire I have 31" K02s.

I tried a set of Rusty's 3" coils with this same setup and the ride was really good but front end sagged and my swaybar links punched holes through my engine bay.... So i am back to the IRO springs and the ride is a tiny bit better with 5100s compared to Hydro junks shocks.

So here is my question. Will a set of adjustable control arms help with the ride quality? And will adding a metal offroad bumper make the ride a bit softer in the front? Why i ask about the bumper? Because at this point it will cost me pretty much the same to keep ****ing with springs and spacers vs just buying an offroad bumper that i want to get eventually.

Any input is very appreciated. Thank you.

Here is the photo of the heep

 

I ran the Rustys 3" coils for a winch/bumper setup for several months without the winch (tube bumper) and the ride wasn't that bad. I'm still using them at 4 1/2" of lift using ACOS up front and ride is very good on and off road with 5100 shocks.


A winch and bumper may help with the ride but the proper length shocks are a must.

 

I think the HD Rusty coils are 180lbs and the non HD are 150-160lbs. Now i have IRO and they are 200. The rider just fills a bit to stiff. But i just wonder if proper arm geometry will help with the ride a bit as well.

 

I have 3.5" RE springs and I can honestly say I hate them. I think they're rated at like 240lbs. I used to have a big heavy bumper on the front of my jeep and it did ride better than it does without it.

Soft springs, good shocks and all good bushings will get you a somewhat decent ride.

Also, what pressure do you run in your tires?

 

How about control arms. Do those make a difference on the ride quality? I see they make a difference on the proper caster and might help with bump steer. But another thing i think they help with is stretching the wheelbase a bit.

Not sure on the tire pressure. Do need to check on that before i hit the trail today.

 

If the lower arms are at a steep angle you with get a stiffer ride because the force is transmitted directly into the body, not absorbed by the springs as much.

 

I ran stock CA's with my Rustys 3" lift for over a year and no problems but aftermarket CA's are stronger and adj. ones you can dial it in for you XJ as far as the lower centering wheel in the wheel well and the pinion angle of ft. driveshaft with the upper.

 

When I put a set of those tires on my F150 the tire shop aired them up to 50psi(max listed on the tire) and they rode terrible until I brought them down to 35psi like they should have been. Check that first.

 

Give us a picture of your control arms. At 3" they shouldn't be bad, especially with 31s. Having weight in the back helps soften the ride, and if you have the 2.5l like me, you will get a bit stiffer of a ride. Arm geometry makes a huge difference in ride and wheeling quality. The more parallel they are with the ground, the easier it is to go over things. So a good option is not to lengthen the control arms, but make them flater. I've seen guys use homemade control arm drops and mid-arms. That's my plan. Bopeep had long arms on a 3" lift I think, so anything is possible.

 

So is this the reason aftermarket LCA's are more of an "L" shape rather than straight? How much would that really help though when the uppers are still straight?

 

That's actually not the reason. Some aftermarket arms are bent to clear the tire are full cut. The bend has zero affect on ride quality or performance. The geometry is based off of the center of the bolts.

To get better ride quality the arms need to stay as close to horizontal as possible. Control arm drop brackets do a great job of that. The downside of them is they hang down low and can get caught on rocks, also they retain the short factory arms. On the other hand, long arms lessen the angle of the control arm by moving the top mount back. This won't give you a horizontal control arm but it significantly decreases the angle, as well as giving you a much larger radius of travel. The large radius of travel helps keep the axle from moving too far forward and back as the suspension cycles up and down. The low angle and large radius also significantly helps the suspension perform. Imagine attempting to climb a small ledge with a long relatively flat control arm versus a short steep on. The long flat one effectively will transfer weight where it needs to go and let the wheel go up whereas the short steep one will want to push the axle back underneath the vehicle.

 

^He is correct^


But I ran a 33x12:50x15" tire with a 3" lift with stock CA's by using the proper wheel BS for clearance. If I might suggest try lowering the tire pressure to about 25-30 psi and see how that drives, I have mine at 28# for highway and 12-15# for off road use with my non bead lock wheels.


If higher psi than those mine rides rough also most of all off road on bad trails. Tire pressure is a major factor in both of these and always air down off road for more traction, better ride quality.

 

Try the tire chalk test for the right psi for your jeep.If you never done it take sidewalk chalk draw a line across the treads of a tire and drive it maybe 50 feet.Check the line you drawed,If its gone in the center lower the psi if its gone on the edges more psi.You keep playing with the psi tell the line is gone fully.And once you figure that psi out stick to it.

 

thank you guys so much for the input.

Here is what i have done to try and mitigate this. The tire pressure was a bit high like 36psi. So i got it down to 26 front and 28 rear. The ride is a bit better over all. However i do still feel like the front is just too stiff. I am currently back to the IRO springs.

My next step is to fit Rustys back on with a 1" RE spacer. When i had the springs in before the front sagged about an inch inch or so. So hopefully with a 1" spacer it will be a bit better. I am still a bit concerned that I will blow out the shocks because i have so little up travel left. However guys at 4wheelparts told me 5100s are hard to blow out and even if i do they will just replace them for me. lifetime warranty WTF i guess.

 

Here are a couple photos.