MetalCloak

[Roving.Grenadier]

Earlier this year I stopped by MetalCloak near Sacramento, CA on the invitation of one of the owners (our kids go to the same school and we connected in the pickup line of all things). Several weeks passed and they asked if I could drop off my rig for some scanning, and then just a few weeks ago they informed me they had prototype items to install and test.

They just posted in the Ineos Grenadier Owners - USA Facebook group a few videos of my rig trying to flex lol, but what is really encouraging is the components they are testing that HOPEFULLY help with the woes experienced lately with lifted Grenadiers. They mention some armor at some point too!

 

[WanderingSniper]

For those of us not using FB can you give some information? I’m a fan of their work in general.

 

[Roving.Grenadier]

For those of us not using FB can you give some information? I’m a fan of their work in general.

For sure! From what I know, it looks like we'll be seeing some adjustable control arms, trailing links/arms, bushings, etc coming down the pipe soon. The FB link only shows video of my rig on their lift and flex machine, and not any of the parts they are developing. I am hoping this week when I get it back, I can take pics and I'll post them here.

 

[Zenbox]

Following...

 

[undert0e]

For those not familiar, Metalcloak is a huge name in the aftermarket Jeep suspension world. Being a Jeeper in a previous life, they were always on my radar. Looking forward to seeing what comes from this. Thank you @Roving.Grenadier for supplying your rig. Now you need to convince them to get on the forum.

 

[Shroomy]

Following along as well.

 

[Roving.Grenadier]

For those not familiar, Metalcloak is a huge name in the aftermarket Jeep suspension world. Being a Jeeper in a previous life, they were always on my radar. Looking forward to seeing what comes from this. Thank you @Roving.Grenadier for supplying your rig. Now you need to convince them to get on the forum.

I was thinking that! I'll let them know to register and get on here!

 

[Roving.Grenadier]

Snagged this from their Instagram

 

[Roving.Grenadier]

Tried to upload the video but file was too large

 

[Psignore00]

Can’t wait to see everything

 

[angstorms]

Hopefully they also build a update bracket to fix the Caster issue

 

[Beowulf]

Any updates?

 

[Scott-Tx]

Following

 

[Roving.Grenadier]

The adjustable control arms, front and rear track bars, and spring spacers are available as of yesterday on the MetalCloak website!

The CV, shocks, longer brake lines, armor, etc are still on the drawing board for down the road.

I have the production set on my rig as of a few days ago, hit the trails yesterday, and loved having the lift. No more tapping the rocks!

 

[Beowulf]

Any hints at swaybar disconnects

 

[WanderingSniper]

Will we be able to extend the castor from the current 2 degrees?

 

[Kujo]

angstroms, what is the “Caster issue”?

 

[C-Mack]

Not a suspension expert here at all but I don’t think these adjustable arms sole benefit is to correct caster or pinion angle issues on the front axle. The pinion and steering knuckle kingpin axis/angles are fixed relative to each other due to the axle being one solid unit. So any adjustment of either the upper or lower links to tilt the axle forward or aft is only going to reduce pinion angle or decrease caster or vice versa so it will always be a trade-off of protecting the pinion angle to save a CV joint or gaining or losing caster at the same time. In other words, whatever you do for caster the opposite is going to happen to the pinion angle and vice versa.

I think the arm adjusters will help to maintain a somewhat close to stock caster/pinion angles over a greater range as you lift the vehicle but what they won’t do is allow you to change the pinion angle relative to the caster as again those are fixed dimensions. That said, a benefit of these new arms will be the increased flexibility at the pivot points due to the bushing designs so that may add some additional flexibility or articulation to the axles overall. However, that may create tire clearance issues or binding at different points beyond the stock limits which could create new downstream issues needing attention or modifications… no free lunch so-to-speak.

 

[angstorms]

You see when you lift Jeep they also run into caster and pinion angle issue, companies like metal clock developed brackets to help you adjust this, it move control arm off the factory positions, here is example for JK Wrangler HD Control Arm Pro'lignment Kit - https://metalcloak.com/jk-wrangler-hd-control-arm-pro-lignment-kit.html

 

[C-Mack]

Don’t disagree you can add plates and all sorts of things to restore caster but even just going off those drawings my point remains your pinion angle has now changed as well which could cause a driveline vibration due to sharper angles involved depending on the style of driveshafts (u-joint) you are running (less so with CV style). So no free lunch as correcting one problem can lead to some compromises in other areas of the suspension or driveline to watch out for.

I would also think adjustment plates like that change fundamental design elements such as the “instant center” or swing of the 4-link front axle and how it interacts with the unchanged rear axle geometry could create odd handling behavior as the two axles go about their business and react to inputs differently. Maybe not a big issue if you are building a rig optimized for technical trails or hardcore off-roading but worth understanding the physics at play if you are relying on your rig for daily driving as well.

Not saying modifications can’t be beneficial but a solid understanding of the stock geometry and the impact any changes may have to it may be the difference between a safe and predictable handling rig after the modifications.