SYE do i need it?

Hi guys newbie here. I have a 2001 xj that i put a zone 4.5 lift on with 1 inch trans drop and add a leafs and shackels in back. Cut the fwnders and added thw cheap bushwacker look alike flares off ebay from poland that needed a lot of trimming to fit but look prwrty good for the money. Running 33's. Now to the question. It drives fine with a very slight vibration at hi way speeds. Its a dd only off road a few times a year. Do I need a sye? Ive read here some years dont need them. I dont really even know why it does. Any help would be great.

You dont NEED one but you should deffinetly put one in, your ride will be so much smoother. Also if you get an SYE you can take the tcase drop out and gan an inch of clearance!

I would say yes,you need one!The late model t-case is very problematic with vibes.What t-case do you have?Go with an HD kit over a H-N-T!

You don't need one in the sense that something will break if you don't but for ride quality yes you do. Hack-n-tap kits get the job done and you can use a stock XJ front driveshaft from an XJ with the automatic AW4 transmission. This is the cheapest way to do it and some swear by it. The HD SYE is obviously the better option but a properly done hack-n-tap will serve you well especially in a daily driver with light off-road duty. I plan to go this route since my funds are very low and don't look to go up anytime soon. Go for a yoke style hack-n-tap like the one available from Dirtbound Offroad (who is a vendor here on the site) over a flange style since a flange style will require you to source a pricey flange adapter for your driveshaft.

Good luck and welcome to the forum!

Especially since you said you DD your Jeep primarily, I would definitely say get one. You won't regret having one once it is installed.

Nothing wrong with a Hack and Tap, they are plenty strong and do last just fine.

besides the annoying vibes I believe you get longer life in your d shaft joints w better angles..

late models have a rep. For needing them more often than the older models. However mine is an 01 and I had no vibes and no s.y.e. For a year after my lift.

I allways planned on putting one in for peace of mind though.. So when my d shaft joints went bad I went ahead and did it..

if I would've had vibes I wouldve done it right away..
but I DD every day..

since you dd only a few times a year I'd say your prob. Not causing too much stress but you know it's not quite right and should be fixed ..

I am also on 4.5" as well..
for $ reasons I went with the iron rock offroad h.n.t. W the front d shaft to mount in back..

a full hd would be preferrable . P.o.r.c. I think has one for only like $30 more than what I paid for mine. ( no d shaft though)...

for me though I don't beat my rig super hard and I'm not going past 33" tires so I am pretty confident my h.n.t. Is fine.. If I'm ever proven wrong I'll post that up. And go full hd but I don't see that happening

Thanks guys. I don't really have the money now and was worried that I may be damaging something. I will put it in the plans for the future. But my next mod will be a rag top I miss my jk.

I just put a 3" lift on my 01. No noticeable vibes, at least not enough to warrant a tcase drop or immediate sye.

Is a sye better for a DD than A hnt, or no difference?

fallacist said:

I just put a 3" lift on my 01. No noticeable vibes, at least not enough to warrant a tcase drop or immediate sye.

Is a sye better for a DD than A hnt, or no difference?

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To clarify a Hack-n-tap IS a SYE (slip-yoke eliminator) the difference is whether or not you get a Heavy Duty SYE or a Hack-N-Tap SYE. The HD style is better for off-road especially if your rig sees lots of trail duty and you really beat on it. If you only do light trail duty and you do easy wheeling then a HNT will serve you well.

So to recap a HD SYE and custom driveshaft like a Tom Woods is the best option especially for a rig seeing heavy trail use, but for a DD that only sees light to moderate trail duty then a good HNT SYE and rebuilt XJ auto AW4 front driveshaft will do just fine and save some cash as well as be an easier install.

231 transferr case they sell HD sye's for 242 cases they don't you can only get hackntap style sye's