TJ Build up

now why did you decide clayton and not a OE style 5 link front long arm like the factory uses....

IE Full traction, Teraflex, Superlift, SKyjacker...

is the deciding factor for you guys really the warranty?

Quote from omaha

no i have steel rims cause at the time they where way cheap.

heck get your own steel beadloc kit and have turtle do those too

As for the beadlocks, look into a DIY kit or even some steelies, they do a good job and work. Granted they are heavier and will cause more wear, but if you are keeping it off teh road then you should be good anyway.

Comp corners, now this is my opnion and thats it. I do not see one point in comp cutting unless you stretch the rear back. With We-Rock rules you can go to the max of 3" which is all adjustable within the arms if you wanted to do so. Even then having the rear comp cut with 35s not only looks kinda of dumb, but also serves no purpose at all. Another thing with that that is on my mind. Maybe look into Zack's corners where you can use fatcory flares with it. Yes I understand weld-on flares are stronger and all of that jazz, but they will get scrapped and messed up a lot and will need a lot of attention with paint and aall to keep them not rusting. It would be easier to not run flares at all and then when on the road or for inspection put on your plastics and call it a day...

Quote from omaha

the reason that i have decided to go with that kit is from what i have seen they are strong as hell. i am yet to see or even hear of one of there arms bending.

except for the one that turtle bent from what i heard...

Quote from TheMistaken

As for the beadlocks, look into a DIY kit or even some steelies, they do a good job and work. Granted they are heavier and will cause more wear, but if you are keeping it off teh road then you should be good anyway.

Comp corners, now this is my opnion and thats it. I do not see one point in comp cutting unless you stretch the rear back. With We-Rock rules you can go to the max of 3" which is all adjustable within the arms if you wanted to do so. Even then having the rear comp cut with 35s not only looks kinda of dumb, but also serves no purpose at all. Another thing with that that is on my mind. Maybe look into Zack's corners where you can use fatcory flares with it. Yes I understand weld-on flares are stronger and all of that jazz, but they will get scrapped and messed up a lot and will need a lot of attention with paint and aall to keep them not rusting. It would be easier to not run flares at all and then when on the road or for inspection put on your plastics and call it a day...

i agree, i plan to Run Full aluminum corners with an OE flare...

Quote from omaha

Really? i didnt hear about that.

because no one is going to mention that this super strong kit actually can bend after they all talk it up so much.

teraflex arms are much thicker and round (round is strong than square), use same OE bushings too. I think the clayton is much cheaper though, you know what they say, you get what you pay for.

i understand radius arms are easier to use but that is just not the correct way to do it or mopar would have done it that way originally. they handling characteristics are poorer than a true 5 link setup.

Quote from omaha

is round really stronger? i just cant see how that would be? wouldnt the square be cause of the right angles?

nah dude, round things are much harder to bend that something square.....

look at the VW bug commercial back in the day, thats why its half circle shapped

Quote from Meeper

I hate to say this but i agree with Turtle, the most frustrating thing about this board is everyone asks for advice and never listens to people who have experience....

I wouldn't say everyone does this. Some certainly do but not all.

Omaha, just remember to keep focused on what you want in the end and make sure it retains its practicality. Also keep your "WANTS" and "NEEDS" list sorted out and separate. Don't get bit by the "Bigger is better" bug.

Good luck.

Teraflex 1.75" DOM Tubing 5" of thread adjustment so you can extend you wheelbase a good amount and .281" wall. and you can fine tune adjust them on the car, no taking them off like RE and CLayton. i will admit the Tera rear truss looks like garbage, not much welding surface, so i used blue torch fab unit that was 1/2" thick and i welded the tera truss which i hacked up onto that for best results.

Clayton
Upper Arms
1.50" SQ./0.1250" Wall
Lower Arms
2.00" SQ./0.2500" Wall
Axle Truss
2.50" SQ./0.2500" Wall

tomato, tomoto i guess.

Quote from Slimer

I wouldn't say everyone does this. Some certainly do but not all.

Omaha, just remember to keep focused on what you want in the end and make sure it retains its practicality. Also keep your "WANTS" and "NEEDS" list sorted out and separate. Don't get bit by the "Bigger is better" bug.

Good luck.

i agree, maybe its just the certain threads that catch my eye.

chris do you need shocks for your new setup?

round disipates the force through-out the entire surface versus relying on a 90 degree angle to withstand it. Now once the round arms get dented (if they ever do) then they would be weaker because of the lack of the ability to disipate the force.

Look into a rear shock relocation kit and such like the JKS rear shock mounts. Also look into something like the Clayton High clearance bracket kit for the rear. You want to get everything all figured out and worked out as much as you can before you pt it all together and buy all of the parts.

yeah i would recommend the poly performance rear shock mounting kit also, deff made my jeep handle much better. Especially with the Fox Racing shocks i added. bling bling

I may have bent a clayton arm, but I had no issue getting a new one.... they are not unbendable and with what I did, any control arm would have bent..... there is a reason why so many of us like clayton... and you are the only one who likes tera-flex....

Quote from Meeper

because no one is going to mention that this super strong kit actually can bend after they all talk it up so much.

teraflex arms are much thicker and round (round is strong than square), use same OE bushings too. I think the clayton is much cheaper though, you know what they say, you get what you pay for.

i understand radius arms are easier to use but that is just not the correct way to do it or mopar would have done it that way originally. they handling characteristics are poorer than a true 5 link setup.

Good lord...I'm so tired of hearing arguments over the merits of different suspension designs and how the OE setup is best. You seriously want to hold an auto manufacturer as the pinnacle of design? You're kidding yourself...auto manufacturers balance between 'good' and 'cheap' to get an acceptable level of performance and comfort while keeping the bottom line as low as possible. If it was truly the best then there wouldn't be a billion dollar industry for aftermarket automotive performance parts or YOUR JOB.

What it comes down to is this...what setup is going to work best FOR YOU. Arguing the merits of a 5-link vs a radius arm (3-link) setup for what we use them for is stupid. All things being equal (springrate, shocks, arm length, etc) the ONLY thing different as far as handling is concerned between the two is that with a radius arm setup you gain/lose caster through the range of travel. I'd bet $$ that if you didn't know you couldn't tell me the difference in driving the two if you weren't told beforehand.

I presume by your inference that the 1.75"x.281" wall round tubing is stronger than 2"x.25" wall square tubing that you either A) Failed mechanical engineering or (more likely) B) Never had any mech e classes to even have an educated opinion on the subject. Given equal OD and wall thickness a round tube will have more deflection than a square tube but the square will yield before the round. The difference becomes more apparent when the load isn't applied directly against one of the flat surfaces on the square tube...ie. a diagonal blow takes less force to bend a square link. BUT normally links (esp. those that are mass produced by various vendors) fabbed out of round tube are smaller...usually 1.5" or 1.75" while retaining approx a .25" wall giving them less strength than a 2" square lower. Of course all of this is based on theoretical analysis of 'perfect' tubing with no mfr defects and not damage (dings/dents or rock rash) which could result in weak points that could have a significant effect on the strength.

And for the record...I don't recall anyone ever saying that Clayton's stuff couldn't be bent, only that it was unlikely and that if it was a replacement would be supplied without question. Turtle is the only one that I've seen bend one of their links...and I know of at least 8 sets that get wheeled on a regular basis. The durability and the customer service with the company is enough for me to recommend them.

--Ian