Going to be going through all the steering and components on my XJ. Planning on doing the ZJ upgrade. All stock Jeep, will be that way for at least the next 5 years until its my turn to get another vehicle. But as I am looking I wonder about the longevity of aftermarket parts. See a lot of bad reviews and generally crappy experiences. Is it just a crapshoot or are there any good brands out there? Would also consider a good aftermarket suggestion such as Currectlync system if it could be installed without any mods. Currently I have no issues as far as driving and steering goes, have thought about just putting it off until I do have issues, but since I'm currently dailying this most of the time I want to try to stay ahead of it.

 

Moog Problem Solver is the best for your daily driver XJ. It's durable and reliable.
The ZJ upgrade with Moog parts is a great, cost-effective choice. The Currie system is overkill for a stock Jeep.
Replacing parts before they break is smart for a daily. You'll get a much tighter steering feel.

 

You are smart to ask the question. I agree with Roberto, above.

If you have to go with another brand I'd go with Delco or Delphi. Ball joints by Dana/Spicer. All those companies have some quality control and certain standards.

I bought some Mevotech "Supreme" control arms (better than the regular Mevotech's). Mevotech tie rod ends and some other parts for another solid axle Jeep G/C this summer and ran into problems. The M-S control arms were ok, but not as good as OEM. But the Delphi control arms i bought WERE very good and better than the Mevotech's when you look at the details. Very close to the OEM's. The Mevotech Supreme outer tie rod ends did NOT have the right bend in them for the Grand Cherokee I was working on. I didn't notice the subtle difference in the bend between OEM and the Mevotech's, until I experienced rubbing on the inner wheel. I ended up inadvertantly warping the wheel when I turned the steering all the way. Cheap parts cost me more than I saved. The Moog outer tie rod ends I bought afterwards HAD the correct bend in them. They work great. That was for a Grand Cherokee, but the point is, it's often not worth it to try to save a few bucks. Can cost ya more in the end.

So, yeah, stick with the brands like I pointed out above, and Roberto suggested. It's not worth your time to save a few bucks and go super-cheap.

 

When I decided to update my steering the first time, I purchased and compared Moog and Proforged tie rod ends. It was only a visual comparison, but my general feeling was that Proforged was better quality. The Proforged were made in Taiwan, and I forget where the Moog were made. I went with Proforged.

For the draglink, I compared Moog and Delphi because Proforged did not offer one. Here, Moog used a slip-fit cover on the ball joint that's built into the draglink whereas the Delphi had a traditional flex boot. Another difference is that the Moog came unpainted while the Delphi was painted. I went with the Delphi draglink.