Stan i have no clue if it's the control arms or not. I do however need new shocks all the way around and i am honestly tired of the half ass'd 2.5" suspension the PO installed. It's good for how much they are but i'm ready for a better ride all around. I was looking at the Rough Country 4" w/shocks kit for around 5 bills but was hesitant with all the other things i would possibly need like the adjustable control arms losing the transfer drop kit and adding the slip yoke eliminator. Do you have any suggestions as far as a more complete kit elsewhere? I am not an aggressive off-roader i use my jeep mainly for around town driving and when hunting season rolls around to get through a few swampy areas. I don't think i would be looking for a long arm kit. I am more or less looking into something with a nice ride that handles well on and off-road not sacrificing one or the other an in-between kit if there is one?
Thanks for any advice you can shoot my way.
Rough Country is great at the 2.5" kit. That is what I have had for the last 4 yrs. The shocks have finally crapped out on me and it's time for a new kit. I went with IronMan4x4 Fab control arms all around (upper/lower, front/rear) with johnny joints and i will be swapping out the RC kit for an Old Man Emu kit from DPG off road. This time I want to make sure I get the best feeling ride possible and best quality. When i bouht the RC kit, i was on a college student budget and NO manufacturer could beat their price for a simple 2.5" kit. THey included springs, shocks, t-case drop, discos for around $350. The kit flexed awesome, rode better than my tired stock set up and lasted as a daily driver. But within 2 yrs, i could feel it getting rougher and now it's just plain shot.
The question you need to answer is what you want to spend. I would advise against RC if you go for the 4" kit. They don't do too well with the more complicated and complete set ups. For that amount of suspension modification, you want top of the line quality. Now, you can swap out the parts from the RC kit that aren't that great. The control arms would be a start. Anything from Currie, Clayton, IronMan 4x4 Fab or the like will set you up with VERY nice arms and you won't have to worry about it later. Im not sure if RC has a newer version of their shocks or not, but i would ask for their best model shock and compare it to a Bilstein or an OME. RC has come a bit of a ways over the last few years, so they may have improved their shocks. You could just opt to leave out their shocks and upgrade to fox, bilstein or OME.
You asked for complete all inclusive kits:
DPG offroad offers great Old Man Emu set ups for Jeeps. They will allow for fitment of up to 35" tires. They are a bit pricey, however, they allow you to modify and delete parts if you would rather go with a different brand. The draw back is they run JKS control arms without johnny joints and they are a bit expensive. For that amoutn, you can get a beefier set of IronMan arms with JJs. Since I was already running the IronMan arms and i already have a body lift, i will be getting that kit minus those two items. I would suggest you ask for johnny joints on your JKS arms if you go with a DPG kit, otherwise it's a waste of $.
Currie offers 3"kits with fox or bilstein shocks and their control arms. They always have johnny joints.
Clayton is another brand that offeres excellent complete package kits with their brand of control arms.
These full kits do come with a bit of a heavy price tag, but at least warranties and tech support will all be under one roof, so to speak. There are probably other kits out there that do the same, the main components that I look for are the control arms, springs and available shocks with the kit. The control arms should have an option for a flex or swivel joint on both ends otherwise it's not worth it, the springs should preferably be progressive rate and the shocks should be, well, good (like an OME, fox or bilstein).
You could save a bit by swapping out the weak links on a kit like i suggested with the RC kit. RC springs, their top end shocks (or OME, fox or bilstein if their top end ones aren't great) and control arms from good brand.
