Stock D30 OTK Steering

[whitexj98]

I used RS 3/4 heims on both ends of a modifed Rustys track bar. I milled down (when I had access to a mill at school) a set of high misalignments to fit the axle side and track bar side and used a 9/16 bolt for both ends.

 

[blondejoncherokee]

I run RS 7/8 heims and 3/4" fine thread grade 8 bolts and 1.75" .250 wall tubing for a track bar. and all steering.

 

[831_xj]

Ordered ruff stuffs 1 ton steering and ota track bar set up(25% off woot!)the other day. Hopin to install it this weekend at the ffuunnnnn factory
:thumbup:

 

[Johnnie Walker]

Just saw this.. heard mixed things about RRO, but something to think about.
http://www.rocky-road.com/xj-high-steer.html

 

[clean4drxj]

OTK crap steering won't fix death wobble.

Replacing whatever is worn out will.

There aren't a ton of options for stock d30 that don't result in undesirable side-effects.

WJ is a good option if you are interested in a decent amount of fab-work to keep the drag link parallel and retain full turning radius

Currie is the best bolt-on option, and with a tapered insert for the driver side knuckle the tie-rod can be flipped.

Inverted T can be ok if you can keep the drag link relatively flat, but that is tough to do on an off-road rig. Once you get any angle on it, it will develop a dead spot and no stupid spacer is going to fix it.

How is a 1ton setup crap.. because it didn't work for you? I know aleast 15 to 20 people who have 0 issues with it.

 

[rockclimber]

How is a 1ton setup crap.. because it didn't work for you? I know aleast 15 to 20 people who have 0 issues with it.

its crap for several reasons

1. D30 knuckle steer arms are already weak, reaming them for large taper ends further weakens them
2. using a steering stabilizer hole for the connecting point for a drag link is ****ing stupid
3. the ends most commonly found in the "kits" are cheap junk that won't usually last
4. Inverted T is bad geometry. in no way is not having direct input on the knuckle a good thing. it CAN be made to work OK, but you need to keep it relatively flat, which is difficult on a lifted rig with a d30 knuckle, and requires other extensive modification
5. most of the kits out there call for a much shorter trackbar than drag link, which leads you to bump steer.
6. the amount of fab work necessary to deal with the major issues of "1-ton" inverted T steering is roughly the same as it would take to get you WJ steering but you still end up with tie-rod roll.

you can run band-aid solutions and less than ideal steering on your rig, but others may have higher expectations than you for how their rig handles.

that is why I recommend currie if you want bolt-on, or WJ if you want to fab your own setup. I will always recommend against inverted T, I know the kind of drawbacks it can have and if I can avoid having someone else go through the problems I did, I will.

there aren't a lot of other options for a D30. I'm not a fan of the ZJ tie-rod swap because it moves the weak point to the drag-link, which cannot be repaired or replaced nearly as easily in a trail breakage situation. once you move to d44 or d60 knuckles and you start talking hi-steer arms, etc you have more options.

 

[rockclimber]

Just saw this.. heard mixed things about RRO, but something to think about.
http://www.rocky-road.com/xj-high-steer.html

there are so so many things wrong there, its tough where to start.

 

[XJEEPER]

If you kids can keep your shirts on for a few days, I'll have my "OTK Steering Mod using Currie Steering" posted up. It's a solid option for those who don't want to make the leap to WJ gear, but would like a beefier steering setup than stock, only in an OTK configuration

I did this mod about 5 years ago and I sort of forgot about it, as I sold the steering setup when I migrated to WJ knuckles. The buddy I sold it to contacted me the other day to inquire about the PN of the TRE I used......and the lightbulb clicked on, I never finished the writeup. :doh:

Stay tuned to the Mod Tech forum.......

 

[zachandandy]

Inverted t sucks in my experience. My xj had the rugged ridge setup when I bought it. Tried the spacer band aid and it still sucked. Added the jb4x4 bracket and moved the drag link up to the bracket, leaving the tie rod in the factory location. 1 million times better and no fab other than drilling 3 holes. If you already run inverted t, the parts you have and a $150 bracket and you are good to go.

 

[rockclimber]

Inverted t sucks in my experience. My xj had the rugged ridge setup when I bought it. Tried the spacer band aid and it still sucked. Added the jb4x4 bracket and moved the drag link up to the bracket, leaving the tie rod in the factory location. 1 million times better and no fab other than drilling 3 holes. If you already run inverted t, the parts you have and a $150 bracket and you are good to go.

What did you do for the trackbar?

 

[zachandandy]

Made my own relocation bracket for the axle and it was a re track bar with double shear frame side mount with crossbrace

 

[mayub78]

Way not use ORO, http://www.offroadonly.com/Products/Steering/u_turn.shtml

Is any one using this kit, I'm about to buy only the brackets, and use custom fab tie rod and drag link with heims instead of ball joints.

Comments people??

 

[rockclimber]

Way not use ORO, http://www.offroadonly.com/Products/Steering/u_turn.shtml

Is any one using this kit, I'm about to buy only the brackets, and use custom fab tie rod and drag link with heims instead of ball joints.

Comments people??

driven a few rigs with it.

it sucks. they pay no attention to ackerman with that kit and it leads to strange handling.