Anyone run TBT Alumi-flex Steering or U-turn steering?

I currently have the Rusty's tie rod conversion kit on my Jeep, and it handles terribly on the road. Off-road, it handles great. But I use it daily and there are huge dead spots when turning around corners because of the tie-rod roll.

I miss the way my stock steering handled, but I cannot go back and use it because I am running 35" tires and 8" of lift. That combined with stock steering is not gonna happen. After reading about all the different steering options, the Toys by Troy crossover steering kit looks like the best design overall that I have seen. Anyone else use this setup or know anyone that does? Here is a link to the page describing this product:

http://www.stu-offroad.com/steering/tbt2/steer2-1.htm

I have a long arm setup and have extraordinary flex in the front end, and this setup seems like the perfect option for what I want. I love how the setup still allows for sway bar links to be attached, as that is necessary for me to pass safety inspection where I live.

I have found others that have caught my eye, such as U-turn steering, seen here: http://www.offroadonly.com/products/new/u-turn/
but none have caught my attention like TBT. U-turn steering is definitely my second favorite option, but the price difference really isn't all that great, considering you get $200 back when you buy the TBT setup and return the stock knuckles.

I would love to hear some feedback from those that are running any of these two setups. I like how there is not welding involved in the U-turn installation, but love the track bar and drag link locations on the TBT kit. These setups seem like the perfect fix to get rid of the dead spots in my steering while still having a setup that will be able to take a beating off-road, but still be able to drive me safely down the freeway. Let's hear about your experiences.

All you need is the 1 Ton coversion that either T&T or JCRoffroad offer. If you want to spend 2 or 3 times what these kits go for then your just wasting your money. My 2centseace:

Obviously,since his shop is less than a mile away....I love his tie-rods,he's downsizing to TJ's only and may be moving soon.It's a great kit,Im thinking about it w/ the Tera knuckle!

I don't think I'd trust something as important as steering to a bracket welded to my cast knuckles. Just grab some WJ knuckles from a junkyard. Yeah, you weld on spacers, but they are also then bolted on.

Thanks everyone, but I don't want to hear about what you think is better than these kits, or what I should do instead. If I remember correctly, I asked to hear from those who run these kits or know someone who runs them and what their experience has been with them. Please, no more opinions on the pros and cons of these setups unless you have experience with them.

What more do you want to know?His website is on the level(theses things really can take a hit).

I regularly wheel with my bud (corbinafly) that has the TBT kit. I have to say he beats the shit out of that tie rod and it just keeps coming back for more. I have personaly seen about 3-4" of deflection on the tie rod & its snaps back straight everytime.
Definately a quality kit, although pricey!

A guy I kind of now from a Local message board(mustangs of all things) has a TBT kit on his TJ and really likes it. Here is a flexed out pic.



I bought his old TBT Tie rod from him for my stock setup and it rocks. First time it deflected one of my friends eyes got real big and he yelled "Tie Rod Works" lol

mattyj said:

I regularly wheel with my bud (corbinafly) that has the TBT kit. I have to say he beats the shit out of that tie rod and it just keeps coming back for more. I have personaly seen about 3-4" of deflection on the tie rod & its snaps back straight everytime.
Definately a quality kit, although pricey!

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Yup. Like my bud Matt said. It rocks! Expensive, yes, but it rocks!

Steering is better than my newly acquired stock 99 xj. I don't think I'll ever have to replace the tie rod before I decide to upgrade the front axle. I've been running it for over 2 years now.

Did I mention that it rocks?!!!!1

By the way, you do have to relocate your driver side sway bar link on the axle and relocate the sway bar forward if you want to keep it.

I have been looking around everywhere I can think of in the past week and I can't find this kit. Are the Toys by Troy Alumi-Flex Crossover Steering Kits still available? If so where have you purchased them? Contact information would be greatly appreciated.

The closest thing I could find was the TerraFlex kit but I doesn't have the track bar relocation bracket which I really like.

-Mike

Hmm.



Works great til you gouge it and have the crack propagate through after it flexes a few times.

Yikes!! This is the first I have ever heard of any problems with Aluminum Tie Rods. Thats pretty scary to think that could have happend on the road after wheelin.

Why didnt you get the trackbar relocation bracket and bar? I am assuming this is a TBT kit right?

Not mine - happened on someone else's rig during the NAC-Fest weekend at Rausch Creek. I forget whose it is.

Thanks for the input anyway.

Despite this, does anyone have any contact information to get one of these kits. Or even just for the track bar relocation bracket??

I know Rusty's Off Road makes a kit that moves the track bar but I have seen poor quality with their products in the past and had personal experience with it.

BlueCuda said:

I bought his old TBT Tie rod from him for my stock setup and it rocks. First time it deflected one of my friends eyes got real big and he yelled "Tie Rod Works" lol

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LOL. I had a friend who had this and kept bragging about the springing back of it. He sold it to one of his friends, who bent it the first trip out...... it didn't spring back that time.....

^ See original post. Does anyone have any real experience with these instead of a friend of a friend?

Mine still lives. Scratched and gouged to all hell but going strong after over 3 years now. I'll keep on eye on it though.

There has to be someone out there that knows where to find one of the TBT crossover steering kit??

Try searching a little harder. Typing in Toys by Troy brought in 3 pages of info on the forum. You can email him directly at [email protected] or go to http://www.jeeprage.com/ to order products. I'm sure that this isn't the only place you can order his stuff, but it's a start.