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Aftermarket steering?????

M

mtnbker

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Nashua NH
I know this has been asked a thousand times but im so confused what to do. I have a 99 XJ with a RC 4.5' lift that is getting upgraded to a 6" kit with long arms also. It already has the durango steering box upgrade with the RC upgraded track bar. I want to do a beefer steering setup but dont know what kit to go with. I was thinking about this kit http://www.rocky-road.com/xj-high-steer.html but have heard mixed opions. My best friend has the same kit on his YJ and he loves it. Wheels the shit out of the YJ and no problems, and its massive. But mine just has 32" tall tires and its my DD but i do take it out as much as i can. My other thought was the JCR 1ton kit, thats obviously cheaper then the RR kit. Thoughts on either kit or another kit????
Thanks.
Mike G.
 
If you want ultimate strength and a better design and you have about $500 to spend then I vote Bulletproof brand. For a good reliable costeffective upgrade I vote Curry or one of the other 1 ton type upgrades.
 
go with Ruffstuff DIY steering kit with 7/8" hiems. and if you cant weld go with Currie .
 
Last edited:
They have a few different options, that is one of them.
if you go currie, you wont have to relocate your track bar axle side.
 
You'd be right at the limit of the Currie kit with a 6" long arm lift. I'm at 5.5" with the Currie setup and my driver's side TRE is pretty much maxed out when I'm at full droop. I flipped the driver's side OTK, but you can't run OTK on the passenger side without a lot of work. Currie says their steering is designed for 4" lift. It's basically an exact copy of stock setup, just much beefier.
 
JCR/Serious have the dead spot that is usually masked by a poly spacer. I recommend a crossover type steering setup. WJ, or ruffstuff.
 
Skip the currie. Go with a crossover setup. I have the iron rock offroad kit with a 6.5" lift and love it. Not really expensive. Only a little drilling needed to bolt it on. And it is pretty beefy.
 
JWheeler said:
Skip the currie. Go with a crossover setup. I have the iron rock offroad kit with a 6.5" lift and love it. Not really expensive. Only a little drilling needed to bolt it on. And it is pretty beefy.
Click to expand...

YA i did see that kit and was also wondering about that too. So no thoughts about the RRO kit???
 
mtnbker said:
YA i did see that kit and was also wondering about that too. So no thoughts about the RRO kit???
Click to expand...


It looks like a good kit but is expensive compared to others. And I like to be able to get replacement joints and stuff locally if something wears out or breaks. Most other kits use generic heim joints or tie rod ends that can be gotten at most parts stores. Not sure about the rro one.
 
Keep the Iron Rock offroad kit as an option! beefy , and awesome, no tie rod roll, no dead spot. I paid more in alignments in a year than this kit cost me. I'm say 4 years or so in, and havent had to touch a thing. only bad is it will rub the tire on stock backspacing.
 
rustys now offers a crossover steering kit with heims thats otk with a track bar and otk bracket included installed it on my buddies 6.5" xj and it works awesome
 
I run ruffstuff one ton.
Their taper was sub par on the larger rod end and couldn't get the cotter through. They sent me another. Also they don't offer a poly spacer. I ordered a couple jcrs.
Would go crossover if I did it over again.
 
Any inverted Y (RuffStuff, JCR Offroad, Serious, whoever else) is going to have the same basic problem when set up the way most folks try to use it. Tie rod roll. The drag link will apply some downward force on the tie rod & the tie rod will roll on the ball studs before pushing / pulling the wheels. It creates a dead spot that grows with drag link angle.
JCR sells poly spacers that limit the amount the tie rod can roll. They wear out eventually and are a band-aid fix for a misplaced design.
I say misplaced because an inverted Y on a Dana 44 with high steer under an XJ with 4" lift and a drop pitman arm (what I'm going for is "very low drag link angle") could work really nicely.
On a Dana 30 and being run under the knuckle with a 5" lift and stock pitman arm... less so.
Nothing really wrong with the inverted T setup. I'd consider keeping it. Or go with a Teraflex knuckle (or WJ swap) and run a true crossover system. Or, if the inverted Y will work for you, run it.
Personally I'd avoid heims or single shear bolts in steering, but that's me.
 
yossarian19 said:
Any inverted Y (RuffStuff, JCR Offroad, Serious, whoever else) is going to have the same basic problem when set up the way most folks try to use it. Tie rod roll. The drag link will apply some downward force on the tie rod & the tie rod will roll on the ball studs before pushing / pulling the wheels. It creates a dead spot that grows with drag link angle.
JCR sells poly spacers that limit the amount the tie rod can roll. They wear out eventually and are a band-aid fix for a misplaced design.
I say misplaced because an inverted Y on a Dana 44 with high steer under an XJ with 4" lift and a drop pitman arm (what I'm going for is "very low drag link angle") could work really nicely.
On a Dana 30 and being run under the knuckle with a 5" lift and stock pitman arm... less so.
Nothing really wrong with the inverted T setup. I'd consider keeping it. Or go with a Teraflex knuckle (or WJ swap) and run a true crossover system. Or, if the inverted Y will work for you, run it.
Personally I'd avoid heims or single shear bolts in steering, but that's me.
Click to expand...


you have your Ys and your Ts crossed.

what serious, JCR, etc sell is inverted T

what came OEM on XJs is commonly referred to as Y-link, its technical term is haltenberger.


best bang for the buck is going to be ZJ tie-rod... Currie is the best bolt-on option, but at 6" of lift you aren't going to get away with stock "low-steer" WJ is the best option. There are kits on the market or you can source your own parts.
 
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