MC VIDEO: MetalCloak Duroflex Joint Comparison of Flex. What's New to Flex?
This MetalCloak video walks through a head-to-head flex comparison of a range of suspension joints against the patented MetalCloak Duroflex joint. Using a Jeep JL front lower control arm bracket test rig, we measure misalignment angles under equal load, explain why matching joint types on both sides of a control arm matters, and present final scores for each competitor—showing that the Duroflex joint still leads the pack in self-centering articulation and NVH (noise, vibration, harshness) control.
Complete Transcript with Time Stamps:
00:00 The MetalCloak Duroflex joint. It's the groundbreaking suspension joint introduced over a decade ago that has changed the suspension game.
00:10 The MetalCloak Duroflex joint is a self-centering flex joint that offers over 35 degrees of misalignment and unlimited rotational range with basically no maintenance or complex components.
00:24 This joint has set the gold standard for noise, vibration, and harshness dampening for your vehicle and has proven to be a durable, long-lasting product.
00:36 Over the last decade, many companies have tried to emulate the patented Duroflex joint. So we're going to test them to see how they do. Let's get to work and see how they all stack up.
00:50 For our testing, we've taken the dimensions of a factory Jeep JL front lower control arm bracket that would be on your vehicle to test the joints in a real world on your rig kind of condition.
01:02 Using a digital angle finder set to zero on each control arm, we pull until the joints are at the limit or until it interferes with the bracket.
01:10 Each test uses an equal force load to misalign and is measured with a digital pull scale for each run.
01:16 The tested joint score dictated by the angle finder are shown on the chart on the left of the screen for comparison.
01:22 Some of the joints tested have mechanical limitations, while others actually let the control arm collide into the test bracket. Not good.
01:30 Some of the control arms tested have dissimilar joints to try and achieve acceptable results.
01:35 This practice makes a single duty joint on one side to misalign, while the joint on the other side is tasked with trying to dampen all of the noise, vibration, and harshness.
01:47 When using dissimilar joints, just one joint has to deal with nearly 100% of the articulation force, while the other tries to dampen 100% of the vibration.
01:59 This uneven load leads to faster wear and less flex versus using multifunctional joints on both sides of the control arm that flex and dampen and self-center, splitting the force loads so they're distributed equally for maximum longevity and performance.
02:18 So after our testing, we found other manufacturers have improved over the last decade.
02:24 TerraFlex scores a 12.12. Skyjacker is 20 degrees. Synergy is 20.6 degrees. Clayton is 27.8 degrees. Rock Krawler is 28.6 degrees. And MetalCloak is 35 degrees.
02:41 The MetalCloak Duroflex joint is still the gold standard for performance with the most self-centering articulation.
02:48 MetalCloak Duroflex Joint, the gold standard.
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