Iant333

Well, some guy is giving me a good deal on a set of 5 15x8 soft 8's with 4.25 backspacing, how will these be if I mount 33x12.50's on them for my XJ, any steering rubbing?

And also, yesterday while out wheeling, I was trying for a poser shot on a 2 foot stump and while backing off it my tire slipped off and put a nice bend in my tie rod. Its not super bad but you can definately tell its bent up a bit and the wheels look toed in a little bit if you look close. I have a spare tie rod and drag link off a TJ (and im thinking about buying a 1-ton steering kit once I get the money) but if I can get the original one re-aligned properly i'd rather not bother putting my spare on. Do you guys know if you can get a decent alignment with a slightly bent tie-rod or should I slap my spare on there? I'd show you guys a pic but my camera is acting up.

4.3L XJ

Just get a big pry bar and straighten it out. I bent mine badly several times before upgrading my steering. If you bend it back reasonably straight you will not have to realign.

RICZR2

Do you still have rear sway bar...might rub if you do. JMO

Iant333

Both my sway bars came totally off after I did my lift. And yeah I have a some big pry bars, ill see what can be done

xjbones

when my steering bends....i replace it!! if you bend it back into place, you are just making it weaker than it was before......my safety comes before anything.


i have bent my stock steering back only to get home from a trail, but i wouldnt roll that way.

stick to your sig!!!!!!!!!!

grn99

Damaged parts = better upgrades. Fix it by replacing it something better than stock. The wheels should work fine. The only thing you could do to prevent rubbing or other damage is. Bumpstop correctly or adjust the limmit screws on the knuckles. I think thats what they are called? 4.25 is a good offset for 33s. I currently run a 3.75, I wish mine were at 4.25.

Iant333

Yeah, I think im going to get a HD steering setup, Rusty's seems to have a decent one, the bending back is more of a short term fix for a couple weeks. We just got some snow on the ground here so I'm not doing hardly any wheeling till spring again anyways besides puttering around in the snow on some seasonal roads.

4.3L XJ

When getting heavy duty steering set ups, there are some things you should beware of. Rusty's has two designs that I can see for sure, maybe three. The stock jeep is a wishbone set up. Rusty's has an over the knuckle kit that has heim joints, don't get that because on a DD the hiems will wear and get loose. They have a heavy duty that has a drag link that hooks to a tie rod. That system will rotate on a lifted rig and give you very sloppy steering. Their budget $140 system is not shown in the area I want to look at it so I can't tell how it is set up.

If you are on a budget, get the heavy duty ZJ V8 steering. It will perform like factory and is much stronger. Cheaper too!

Iant333

What do I bolt in from a ZJ just the tie rod and drag link?