3 Link Rear Suspension?

[JeepMonkey]

I'm going to upgrade my suspension lift to a 6" long arm kit in the near future and I'm wondering if anyone has ever used a 3 link type? The 4" that I have now is a standard 4 link version. Anyone have any pro's or con's they can share about the 3 link? The kit that I'm looking at in particular is from Full Throttle for 97-04 TJ's. It advertises better than stock steering and improved highway travel. Much greater articulation in the rear because you don't have to use a track bar.

Thanks!

	Track bar A track bar is a component of a car suspension system that provides lateral location of the axle. While the purpose of the rear suspension of an automobile is to allow the wheels to move vertically with respect to the body, it is undesirable to allow them to move forward and backwards, or from side to side. It is this latter movement that the track bar is designed to prevent. It is a simple device, consisting of a rigid bar running sideways in the same plane as the rear axle, connecting one end of the axle to the car body or chassis on the opposite side of the vehicle. The bar is attached on either end with pivots that permit it to swivel upwards and downwards only, so that the axle is, in turn, allowed to move in the vertical plane only.

[Bounty__Hunter]

Improved highway travel? Or improved highway ride? Suspension travel is generally related to offroad use as the suspension movement is pretty limited onroad. Never heard of Full Throttle, do you have a link?

Standard TJ suspensions are 5-link, the track bar being the 5th link on each end. I like the ideas of a 3-link due to eliminating the track bar. You run into problems with oilpan clearance on the front and exhaust routing on the rear. I'd research how each 3-link kit addresses these problems.

	Track bar A track bar is a component of a car suspension system that provides lateral location of the axle. While the purpose of the rear suspension of an automobile is to allow the wheels to move vertically with respect to the body, it is undesirable to allow them to move forward and backwards, or from side to side. It is this latter movement that the track bar is designed to prevent. It is a simple device, consisting of a rigid bar running sideways in the same plane as the rear axle, connecting one end of the axle to the car body or chassis on the opposite side of the vehicle. The bar is attached on either end with pivots that permit it to swivel upwards and downwards only, so that the axle is, in turn, allowed to move in the vertical plane only.

[JeepMonkey]

cool thanks. I think their front set up is still the standard four-link. I'll look for a link, but I was actually reading it out of 4-WheelDrive magazine.

I just looked online and the name wasn't full throttle. It was Full Traction I think. Although now I don't know for sure. Name doesn't matter that much right now. I'm just more interested in the pros & cons.

[88Wrangles]

I know people here don't really support them, but I would do a search on pirate4x4.com

There's enough info on that kind of stuff over there to keep you reading for days on end....and more than I would want to summerize and type in here.


Hope that helps a little.

[TwistedCopper]

Some folks just use one UCA on long arm kits to keep the axles from twisting during extreme articulation because it's hard (or near impossible) to maintain caster with a lot of wheel travel. That's a cheap guy's 3 link.

	Caster Caster angle is the angular displacement from the vertical axis of the suspension of a steered wheel, measured in the longitudinal direction. It is the angle between the pivot line (in a car - an imaginary line that runs through the center of the upper ball joint to the center of the lower ball joint) and vertical.

[currupt4130]

pirate is a great place to look if your looking for suspension design, those guys thrive on that stuff. check out full traction (www.fulltraction.com) theyre longarm kits utilize a three link rear and eliminate the track bar which is one of the downfalls of the tj's, the track bar. w/o the track bar the axle stays centered and causes less stress to joints. the three link is a triangulated upper which attatches to the top of the axle and two lower links. i know not many people here support pirate, but for suspension design, thats the place to research and ask serious questions.

	Track bar A track bar is a component of a car suspension system that provides lateral location of the axle. While the purpose of the rear suspension of an automobile is to allow the wheels to move vertically with respect to the body, it is undesirable to allow them to move forward and backwards, or from side to side. It is this latter movement that the track bar is designed to prevent. It is a simple device, consisting of a rigid bar running sideways in the same plane as the rear axle, connecting one end of the axle to the car body or chassis on the opposite side of the vehicle. The bar is attached on either end with pivots that permit it to swivel upwards and downwards only, so that the axle is, in turn, allowed to move in the vertical plane only.