Control arms?

[TwistedCU]

The Cherokee is straight as to alignment, steering, and axle being centered. I had a little shimmy when hitting bumps, but the new stabilizer has made that almost completely un-noticeable.

I do have some clunking when hitting speed bumps and when going over obstacles - especially while turning. I think this is due to the fact that I have stock control arms on around 4" of lift.

I have a chance to buy Rusty's offroad upper and lower control arms (fixed length) "bushings in good condition" for $179 shipped. Is this what I need to get everything straightened out? They are for "4-6" lift"

Sould I buy them? Or do you think the problem lies somewhere else?

Help me out here I don't want to waste $180

 

[TwistedCU]

Do I need upper and lower? Would it be smarter to get a set of adjustable lower arms and go from there?

BTW- I realize I will need a new alignment again after installing them.

 

[XJNick]

Hi,

I reused my stock control arms after adding the 3" lift to the cherokee, and it was a stretch (though they seem to work ok). I find it hard to imagine being able to use the stock ones for any larger lift without problems. Then again, the '97 and newer cherokee's control arms may be designed differently.

-Nick :!:

 

[ROGLSTUBB]

Just the lower control arms worked well on my ZJ with 4" of lift. I think they were 3/4 of my DW problem. The other 1/4 was bushings that were inside. Pretty easy to install too.

 

[IcyFridge]

It could have something to do with your trackbar. Are you running a stock trackbar?

I would look into a control arm relocation bracket. It simply lowers the mounting point of your control arms.

Ofc, first check your trackbar. If its a stock one, it might be "stretched" a little bit and every road feedback will be transferred to your front axle/steering.

 

[Bounty__Hunter]

The knocking is usually associated with a loose or worn track bar. Watch the upper end of the track bar as somebody turns the wheel to full lock and then bounces the steering wheel back and forth off full lock.

The Rusty's control arms would be a good choice for anything over 3" of lift. I used new lowers at 3" and would have replaced the uppers for anything higher. This will help lengthen your wheelbase and get the axle stability back where it needs to be.

How many miles are on your XJ? I've seen many control arm bushings shot in the stock arms, inspect them with a flashlight and screwdriver while they're still on the jeep. This could be the cause of the shimmy that you covered up with the new stabilizer.

 

[TwistedCU]

The trackbar relocation bracket was tried, to put it plainly - it is a bad idea for any lift. I relocated the trackbar in the stock mount by drilling a hole and it works well. The trackbar and mount are solid.

I have 60K on the Cherokee, but I figured out what is going on. With 4" of lift, the lower control arms are at a steeper angle and they are hitting the bottom shock mounts. This is why the aftermarket longer arms are angled.

I need new control arms - at least the bottom ones.

The ones I saw for sale also said "a little rock rash" - I didn't see that earlier, so I'm going to pass on those.

I'm looking at Rusty's... tHEY'VE GOT THE BEST PRICES AND THE ONLY THING NEGATIVE i EVER HEAR ABOUT HIS STUFF IS WHEN IT IS USED IN AN APPLICAtion that they were not made for (like a D60 on 8" of lift for example).

sorry about the caps - I don't have time to retype.

I'm hoping this is the last issue I have with the steering/lift components so I can move ahead with tow-points...

 

[agoldxj]

ive got stock uppers and lowers. drop brackets and around 8 inches of lift. no vibes or shimmys when i hit bumps. so i guess im telling you that the drop brackets do wonders.

 

[88Wrangles]

8 inch lift and only 33's??

 

[Bounty__Hunter]

8 inch lift and only 33's??

Not uncommon on lifted XJ's, it takes a lot more lift to fit 33"s than on a Wrangler or other SWB jeep.