Looking at various steering options,,, input wanted please

Well as the title suggests, I really want to ditch my stock steering and install something that beefier and of a higher quality than stock.

First a little about my XJ.
I am the second owner of a former company owned 1996 Xj, 2 door. It has the 4 cylinder with a 5 speed and currently has 4.10s in the diffs.

What I have done. gauge cluster swap, hand throttle on shifter, halfway decent CD stereo, 1999 S10 bastard pack rear lift to 6.5 inches, (no shackle, no AAL, no thick overload leaf), front lift consists of 6.5" coils with a CA drop kit to keep the CAs fairly level, new shocks. (installed after lift to get correct size). I used (for now) 2 track bar relocation brackets to keep the track bar parallel with the drag link. I also relocated the rear shock mounts to the top of the axle tube to keep them from harms way. PLUS a whole lot of other small but still significant things. I am also in the process of gathering the items I need to install some 4.88s with a lunchbox style locker for the D30 HP in the front. The rear is currently a C8.25 which suits my needs for now. For sneakers I am currently running a set of 33 x 10.50 x 15 Swamper radials.

This is a DD for me but I wanted it to be a capable off-road vehicle as I live at the bottom of the South Mountain near Carlisle Pa. And I spend time on the beaches of Delaware surf fishing as much as possible.

While doing the front toe and caster alignments when everything was finally done I noticed just how weak and vulnerable the stock steering is on these great vehicles. And now I am asking the members here just what kind of steering setups are being used so I can decide on how to improve this part. Even though we do crawl rocks and whatnot I can't see the need for a full blown 1 ton exotic setup, but I really am somewhat naive in the actual choices as well as the home designed and built setups which I have seen here.

WHEW,,, this reads like a freakin novel but I wanted you to know exactly what is going on so you can steer (haha) me in the proper direction.

Here are a coupla pics of what it looks like so far and if ya want anything else shown ask and I will put it up as soon as I can.

Thanks for any help guys n gals,,I really appreciate it.




:cheers:

Really ,??????

I thought for sure that at least one person would be somewhat cool and help me out a bit. All I am asking for is some assistance in the good and bad (from personal experience) on the myriad of steering setups out there. There are some highly intelligent fabricators here with some excellent setups that I am interested in.

:dunno:

I've had my 1ton setup since forever, not one single issue with it ever. I just grease the TRE's every oil change. If I were to do it again I would change nothing. best part of this is the TRE's can be purchased anywhere.

Frank Z said:

http://www.naxja.org/forum/search.php?searchid=5272867

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I DID do a search Frank,,

And to be honest,, It made my confusion worse. I know how this forum operates and I know the consequences of not "following the rules".

So with that said who is running what style of steering,, and most importantly,,,,,,,,,WHY?

Easiest to get parts for,,I am half decent at fabrication so I do not mind whipping out the plasma cutter and making parts. As a matter of fact I PREFER to make parts.

Oh and Frank,,, since I am not a paying member here,,, your link to me was empty. I guess that is the reason.

:eyes:

I used these guys:
http://bulletproofsteering.com/

It's basically 4 heim joints and two beefy rods..

It works fine. For under the knuckle, I had to cut and re-locate the sway bar links, drill knuckles and pitman arm, and relocate the axle side of the track bar..... if you want to go over the knuckle, I understand you need to trim the shock buckets.

Go with the WJ knuckle/brake/steering conversion, you can use any of the available 1 ton setups (Over the knuckle or under based on your preference) or the standard WJ setup (With a little bit on modding).
You will love it, Brakes alone are worth it, and the steering is a bonus.
There are tons of threads on this here & on other sites.
Good Luck!

clean4drxj said:

I've had my 1ton setup since forever, not one single issue with it ever. I just grease the TRE's every oil change. If I were to do it again I would change nothing. best part of this is the TRE's can be purchased anywhere.

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Did you build the setup yourself or was it a "kit?"

Over the knuckle? Under the knuckle?

Thanks for the reply

:dunno:

I've never run currie, but it seems very popular including jeepspeed guys. If its strong enough for desert racing, it's got to be good.

I like my wj crossover setup, flipped otk

Pony up the cash and run Currie's steering.

96XJ2Door said:

I DID do a search Frank,,

And to be honest,, It made my confusion worse.

:eyes:

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Did you read any of the threads that came up on that search? This exact question was asked last week or so, and it has the exact answers you are looking for, I even posted all my steering setups in it.

When I saw this thread, I almost thought it was making fun of all the other "What steering should I run?" threads. Unfortunately not.

sunburned said:

Pony up the cash and run Currie's steering.



Did you read any of the threads that came up on that search? This exact question was asked last week or so, and it has the exact answers you are looking for, I even posted all my steering setups in it.

When I saw this thread, I almost thought it was making fun of all the other "What steering should I run?" threads. Unfortunately not.

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NOTHING was there Sunburned,,, There was nothing there when I clicked on the link Frank sent me. I know how it is here man. I did do a good search and I read a LOT of different threads on the subject. This is when I decided to create a new thread.

What I am asking for are personal opinions on the different types of steering. What the majority of builders here are doing and how the different types are holding up.

I am NOT asking which steering I should run. I don't need someone telling me that. But I AM looking for solid info concerning the longevity of life, maintenance, replacement components,,trail repair difficulties,,,, just a good overview of what others here are encountering.

And as I said I have damn near every tool under the sun in the shop so fabbing anything isn't an issue.

But the 1 ton stuff is really looking pretty favorable so far. And I really like the aspect of the Chevy parts too.

From what I am reading the steering stabilizer isn't really needed either if everything is set up properly. I like the clean look without it personally.

Bolt ons:
-Run a HD or ZJ tie rod- Cheap works decent
-Bolt on curries- Expensive/ strong/ cant get ends everywhere if unlikey needed
-JCR- one ton under the knukle- strong/ Chevy 1 ton ends/ will have some tie rod roll

Fab:
-JCR over the knucke- takes clerancing buckets/ move sway bar brackets/ less tie rod roll/ will need to move track bar bracket as well as make a new one.
-Fab your own one ton setup from ruffstuff same as above but you weld
-Run the one ton setup above the knuckle- have to move sway bar mounts/ clerance buckets/ but more clearence and less tie rod roll/ will need to move track bar bracket and make a new one.
-Run WJ knuckles- most fab needed ( search on it) but you get the the best IMO but its expensive but you also upgrade to dual piston calipers.

So pick how much work you want to do and how much you want to spend theres more optionsas well, like Teraflex knuckle, heims.... etc but like said this same questuion gets asked weekly....

And yes you are asking what steering to run... people run all the above. I personally have run a posion spyder HD tie rod only, I dont DD anymore and am on 35s.

whitexj98 said:

Bolt ons:
-Run a HD or ZJ tie rod- Cheap works decent
-Bolt on curries- Expensive/ strong/ cant get ends everywhere if unlikey needed
-JCR- one ton under the knukle- strong/ Chevy 1 ton ends/ will have some tie rod roll

Fab:
-JCR over the knucke- takes clerancing buckets/ move sway bar brackets/ less tie rod roll/ will need to move track bar bracket as well as make a new one.
-Fab your own one ton setup from ruffstuff same as above but you weld
-Run the one ton setup above the knuckle- have to move sway bar mounts/ clerance buckets/ but more clearence and less tie rod roll/ will need to move track bar bracket and make a new one.
-Run WJ knuckles- most fab needed ( search on it) but you get the the best IMO but its expensive but you also upgrade to dual piston calipers.

So pick how much work you want to do and how much you want to spend theres more optionsas well, like Teraflex knuckle, heims.... etc but like said this same questuion gets asked weekly....

And yes you are asking what steering to run... people run all the above. I personally have run a posion spyder HD tie rod only, I dont DD anymore and am on 35s.

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Thanks,,
I really appreciate your reply. I guess with that said I will do a bit more research and then make my decision.

I DO appreciate everyones comments and opinions. I was just a bit overwhelmed at the amount of GOOD info and wanted personal experiences to speak.

Have a great day all and keep ur wheels down.

:eyes:

Inverted t < inverted y < crossover < highsteer

souske said:

Inverted t < inverted y < crossover < highsteer

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:wstupid: love my OTK WJ setup

souske said:

Inverted t < inverted y < crossover < highsteer

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THANK YOU!!!

This gives me a really good place to start seriously researching.

The costs I am seeing are all pretty much in the 400 - 600 range from what I have seen for the "kits" so far. I don't mind spending the cash, but I hate wasting any resources (time mainly). So I am really hoping that there is little "trial and error" involved. I like to have all my info tight before I start any project.
:worship:

96XJ2Door said:

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Did you build the setup yourself or was it a "kit?"

Over the knuckle? Under the knuckle?

Thanks for the reply

:dunno:

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it's a banditoffroad 1ton steering prebuilt, I just drill and ream my knuckles.

THe WJ setup is nice but it's not needed for 33's or smaller.

I run currie with the tierod flipped to the top of the drivers knuckle.

Having direct input from the pitman arm to the knuckle is key to avoiding dead spot. Any inverted T setup will have a dead spot.

Currie is the best bolt on option. If you want to go crossover like WJ you need to re-locate the trackbar. Look at what the team naxja/pettycash guys did for the KOH car.