Decent Drag link / Tierod package - Any Advice?
 

I noticed a "popping" sound in the front end of the XJ the other day so I asked the fiance to turn the wheel back and forth while I looked around. After looking for a few seconds it was apparent what was happening. It seems the ball joint for the drag link connection to the pitman arm has "wallowed" out and is needing replacement. Not to mention, a few weeks ago, I tried to adjust my alignment some and couldn't, after exhausting all the techniques, get the tie rod to thread in or out on either end.

So my question is as follows. What would be decent, upgraded, tie rod / drag link set up for my '97 that currently has a 3" lift?

Now, I have hit some of the main mfg's...Rusty's / Rough Country / JKS / etc... and am seriously considering the "over knuckle" steering conversion that Rusty's offers but wonder if that might be a bit excessive, and I've only seen/heard experience about them on "Trucks Cheap Jeep" project.

Bottom line is that I definitely need to replace the drag link and Tie rod but I also know that I should be somewhat concerned about the tack bar and its newly adjusted geometry.

Who's got what, and how do you like it....?

This and this might be a good "package" too but its pretty much the same total price..

id do the V8 grand cherokee tie rod swap and get a stock drag link, all from the JY for about $50....but people have had luck with currie and Rubicon for beefed up steering, JCR too i think....im just doin the conversion

Sounds a little much for a 3" lift. There are pro's and con's to each type of steering that must be taken into consideration. If the Jeep is daily driven or driven a decent amount on the street, then the stock inverted Y type steering is a great option to stick with. I have 1 rusty's product on my jeep and have nothing bad to say about their products, although their shipping is pretty outrageous. Before considering Rusty's give them a call to add shipping to the price.. you might be surprised. Basically if you want the XJ to drive anyone close to stock then their are only a handful of reasonably priced steering kits out there.

-ZJ V8 steering. Drag link and tie rod are both direct swaps. Tie rod is much more stout and the drag link is an upgrade on RENIX era jeeps i think. Cheap and easy to replace worn out parts.
-Crown HD steering upgrade. Heard good things about this set-up but never ran it. Right around the 200 dollar mark IIRC.
-Currie upgraded steering. Beefy set-up, most expensive out of the group but best upgrade i have seen for a daily driver.

IMO any other styles of steering are a little excessive for 3". I run the Inverted T style steering and i wouldnt recommend it for a daily driver. Just my 2 cents

Good Luck
-Mike

Rustys steering has alot of bad feedback. the large Tie-rod they sell has some good reviews, but the crossover steering you posted has been known to be weak.


at $275 you have a rather large market to choose from. I personally have no problems with V8 grand cherokee (zj) steering.

i started out with the rusty's upgraded steering that is posted, but i modified it by sleeving it with some 1 9/16 x .250 wall DOM tubing. it is now strong enough that i can probably lift the front of the jeep using a jack on the tie rod. but as rusty sells it, it is only good for maybe up to 31 inch tires.