I bought my 01 XJ a couple years ago with a 4.5" lift. It has stock axles and stock steering. I was thinking about upgrading to 1-ton steering but was wondering if it was really worth it with stock axles? And is there anything else I need to upgrade along with it if I pull the trigger on the 1-ton steering? Sorry if these are stupid questions. Im new to the modding scene.

 

Yes, its definitely worth upgrading IF you plan on wheeling it any. The V8 ZJ is a good step up from the stock hollow crap.
My Dana 30 is 100% stock, other than the Lock Right, & I beat the pee out of it with 35s.

 

I would go zj v8 steering its cheap and bolt in,Once you go bigger life or tires i would go the 1 ton or heim joint set up.

 

I'm on 33's and about 4.5" lift, about to go CavFab steering... It's pretty cheap compared to other brands, but looks to be about the same quality. For <$300, i think it's worth it.

 

over the knuckle cross over steering is where you want to be, however until you can get there, these guys are saying it true ... the ZJ steering is strong and bolts up. I am running CavFab OTK crossover with heims on BFG 35's with 6" lift however ran grand cherokee steering for years , no complaints.

 

Just so you know, most if not all 1 ton kits will require you to drill out your knuckle to accommodate the larger tie rod ends of the 1 ton. I think rough country has a thing but i dont trust china.

 

ALL 1 ton kits require reaming of the knuckle. or at least drilling for an insert. its called 1 ton for a reason.

 

Agree with above comments...I just did a JCR 1-ton OTK on my 2001...I only run stock axles and 33" tires, but the stock steering links were just shyt

Some things to note:

1. I drilled out the knuckle and used inserts for the new taper...have to do something like this for the larger rod ends
2. I bought a taper drill bit and drilled out the pitman arm for the new, larger rod end
3. I had to trim back the spring plates and weld in reinforcements to allow clearance for the new drag link
4. I had to relocate the track bar above the axle (and out of the way of the drag link