OME lift for TJ Rubicon

[MOAK]

Hello all,
I've been planning upon installing an OME suspension system for quite some time now, and since my TJ is an 04, and tax returns on their way, I cannot think of a better time for this kit than this coming spring. I have already decided upon the "heavy" springs, as we do load up with gear, racks, extra fuel, winch and trailer. My question is, should I consider new lower control arms or just replace all the bushings while I have everything apart? The stock control arms have taken quite a beating over the years, and the tube type are appealing to me. If I do replace them, any recommendations on fixed short arms? I've been looking around and like the looks of the "Warrior" brand arms. Any Ideas or reviews would be appreciated,, Thanks..

 

[njjeepthing]

Currie Arms are super nice, strong, only downside is $$$.
Ran them on mine with the OME and were great.
FWIW I would not buy any warrior product.

 

[Krytos]

There are two downsides to fixed control arms.

The first is that you're handcuffing yourself when it comes to adjusting the angles for your suspension, especially caster. With a 2.5 inch lift like the OME, the angles wouldn't be that big an issue, and going up to 3 inches on stock arms has been done without problems, but if you're upgrading the arms anyway, why not ensure you'll be able to set up your angles correctly?

The second issue is a lack of flex in most upgrade arms. The stock arms are flimsy and thin, but that imparts them with a fair amount of flex. Almost all fixed arms have regular bushings on the ends, that rigidly bolt up to the control arm mounts. This transfers the stresses straight to the mounts, increasing the rate at which they fail. Currie Arms have Jonny Joints at the ends, which allows for the flex and torsional stresses to stay in the arms and not be transferred to the control arm mounts.

Rokmen makes excellent arms, but they are twice the weight of the Curries and it seems like you're already loading up pretty heavily with the gear you'll be hauling.

JKS makes adjustable arms, but they put the flexible bits in the middle of the arm, and I've seen some instances of JKS arms failing at the Joint.

This is the same issue I looked at when I was redoing my suspension, and I kept looking for a good alternative to going with Currie hardware, because of the price. In the end I decided to buy once and cry once and go with the Curries. If you're going in stages to break up the cost, upgrade your front lower and upper control arms first. That's the place you'll benefit the most from the arms' adjust-ability.

Good luck.

 

[marshal]

go rokmen double jointed. dont look back

 

[Inline6]

A while ago, I ran OME springs with stock arms. Things were fine. You will net 3 to 3.5 inches of lift. Depending on what younhave on your jeep.

Thinking since your arms are almost 10 years old it is time to upgrade. Rokmen for the win!!!!!

 

[Jim K in PA]

Another vote for Rokmen double adjustable. I built my own and have 1" shanks on the joints instead of 3/4", but I think the Rokmen will do you just fine. Remember, as you lift, the arms swing down and inward. This shortens your wheelbase. You can regain some of that lost wheelbase by lengthening the arms, but only if you have adjustable flex joints, not fixed.

 

[irish1371]

my 98 had the hd ome lift and i went with the jks arms, never looked back. very nice

 

[Forwardoffroad]

I went with the X flex upper and lower control arms made by rough country. What I like about them is they are adjustable from zero lift to eight inches of lift. I currently have 4" Superlift springs and 33s on my 05 TJ Rubicon. I plan to extend (or at least set it back to factory) my wheelbase as far as possible without messing things up and I am also adding a new tom woods driveshaft with the CV joint so I can remove the drop brackets on my center skid plate. This will add 1.5 inches of clearance and resolve some if not all the vibration from my driveline. I have noticed a big difference in driving my TJ after adding the arms. They have the one flex joint on one end and one rubber (stock type) bushing on the other end. The ride is smother and quieter and I have a ton of flex over what I had. Also if I decide to lower my lift height all I need is a set of springs and not a complete lift kit. I am considering flat fenders and a 2" lift with 35s. LCG set up.

 

[Main Line Overland]

Since you are located in PA, let us know if you need any prices on OME kits or help with the install!

 

[MOAK]

Since you are located in PA, let us know if you need any prices on OME kits or help with the install!

Wow,,, you guys are right in my back yard, I never knew you existed. It's nice to have a retailer so near me that "gets" what We are doing
I have bookmarked your home page and browsed a bit of your information. Thanks for the post..

 

[Bigjerm]

Don't overlook upper control arms. I have 2" of lift on my 06 LJ and I broke 1 control arm and the other had less than an inch of material to go! I replaced them with Rock Krawler. So far very solid and the lifetime warranty is nice.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[thejafe]

Can't go wrong with Rokmen or Currie arms .

 

[TCM]

Rokmen and Currie are the best options for control arms. I have been running JKS arms on my LJ with an OME lift for the past four years and the JKS arms are completely shot. The center joint is worn out and as a result there is a great deal of clunking during breaking or acceleration and the axles are no longer held as rigidly as they should be. It is only a matter of time before they fail and I will be replacing them with Rokmen arms in the next couple of months.