Spongebob
09-15-2006, 03:30 PM
Well, I just got my rig back from Joe Daro at Absolute Offroad. After doing a lot of research and checking out other lift kits I decided that the best lift for me was the 4.0" Rock Krawler X Factor Long Arm kit. There appears to be a lot of debate as to what LA kit is the best for flex, longevity, value, and overall strength. I narrowed my decision down to three: Rubicon Express, Rock Krawler, and TBT Alumiflex. I ultimately opted for the RK kit because of the price, and the fact that the control arms are 2" solid steel and not DOM. I also liked the idea of the optional (and free) weld in cradle for the rear axle. Sure, you need to pay for additional labor to install it, but IMHO it was an expense that was well justified.
I dropped off my Jeep on Monday 9/11/2006 at Absolute Offroad. Keep in mind that Prior to this I spent at least two straight hours talking to Joe about what kind of wheeling that I do and what I expected out of a lift. Joe listened attentively and ultimately recommended the 4.0 kit based on the fact that I wheel with 33" tires with no intention of going larger and it gives me a really good center of gravity. Since I had recently purchased a new exhaust system we decided that the short rear upper arms were the way to go so that I wouldn't be spending money that I didn't need to spend. The kit is upgradeable so that if I do change my mind and want to go to the 5.5" kit or coilovers someday, I can do so without having to purchase everything all over again. At this time, I also decided to go with the Currie HD steering setup as I really didn't like the idea of running the RK setup with heim joints. Granted I have no experience with heim joint steering, but after talking to some other folks that did have experience with it I decided that it would be best to go with the Currie setup.
As far as RK is concerned, the only bad experience was with RK itself. They forgot to ship a couple of heim joints and the shocks. Joe rectified this immediately and RK did a second day air shipment of new joints. Rather than mess with waiting for the RK shocks to show up, Joe installed a set of Procomp's that have just a little more travel. The quality of the RK setup is excellent and has thus far exceeded my expectations. The craftsmanship is awesome and I feel like I got a very strong and dependable kit. The only thing that I can see that may be an issue is the jam nuts on the control arms. They will need frequent retorqueing as they tend to loosen up after driving it for a while. Joe let me know this ahead of time so it wasn't a surprise. This isn't really a big deal as periodic maintenance is to be expected on these kinds of modified vehicles.
All in all, my experience with Rock Krawler, Currie, and of course Absolute Offroad has been great. I wouldn't hesitate at all to recommend any of these services to anyone who is considering a long arm lift.
http://www.virtualjeepclub.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7255&stc=1&d=1158359212
http://www.virtualjeepclub.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7256&stc=1&d=1158359536
http://www.virtualjeepclub.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7257&stc=1&d=1158359536
http://www.virtualjeepclub.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7258&stc=1&d=1158359536
I dropped off my Jeep on Monday 9/11/2006 at Absolute Offroad. Keep in mind that Prior to this I spent at least two straight hours talking to Joe about what kind of wheeling that I do and what I expected out of a lift. Joe listened attentively and ultimately recommended the 4.0 kit based on the fact that I wheel with 33" tires with no intention of going larger and it gives me a really good center of gravity. Since I had recently purchased a new exhaust system we decided that the short rear upper arms were the way to go so that I wouldn't be spending money that I didn't need to spend. The kit is upgradeable so that if I do change my mind and want to go to the 5.5" kit or coilovers someday, I can do so without having to purchase everything all over again. At this time, I also decided to go with the Currie HD steering setup as I really didn't like the idea of running the RK setup with heim joints. Granted I have no experience with heim joint steering, but after talking to some other folks that did have experience with it I decided that it would be best to go with the Currie setup.
As far as RK is concerned, the only bad experience was with RK itself. They forgot to ship a couple of heim joints and the shocks. Joe rectified this immediately and RK did a second day air shipment of new joints. Rather than mess with waiting for the RK shocks to show up, Joe installed a set of Procomp's that have just a little more travel. The quality of the RK setup is excellent and has thus far exceeded my expectations. The craftsmanship is awesome and I feel like I got a very strong and dependable kit. The only thing that I can see that may be an issue is the jam nuts on the control arms. They will need frequent retorqueing as they tend to loosen up after driving it for a while. Joe let me know this ahead of time so it wasn't a surprise. This isn't really a big deal as periodic maintenance is to be expected on these kinds of modified vehicles.
All in all, my experience with Rock Krawler, Currie, and of course Absolute Offroad has been great. I wouldn't hesitate at all to recommend any of these services to anyone who is considering a long arm lift.
http://www.virtualjeepclub.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7255&stc=1&d=1158359212
http://www.virtualjeepclub.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7256&stc=1&d=1158359536
http://www.virtualjeepclub.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7257&stc=1&d=1158359536
http://www.virtualjeepclub.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7258&stc=1&d=1158359536