Anyone Install Redneck Ram?

[J0E]

Belt-driven power steering pumps are stronger, which is why your 03 TJ didn't flinch at larger tires with low air pressures. The downside to that type of power steering delivery is the parasitic loss to engine power.

Electrohydraulic steering doesn't rob power from the engine, but it's weaker. All to help meet Cafe standards. That leaves us no choice but to spend thousands on a PSC steering kit, which is just a run of the mill belt-driven power steering pump fed steering box with the addition of a hydraulic ram assist. It's crazy, these circles we're forced to run. ?

Cheers, buddy!

But if I can live with the limitations of weak turning support, how much input pressure can I apply to the steering wheel without risking a catastrophic break (broken sector shaft or something else so it won't steer when towed to the trail head)?

Next build gets a PSC steering kit, I won't get a penny more when I sell this next year if it's good a PSC steering kit,

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[Old Jeeper]

Belt-driven power steering pumps are stronger, which is why your 03 TJ didn't flinch at larger tires with low air pressures. The downside to that type of power steering delivery is the parasitic loss to engine power.

Electrohydraulic steering doesn't rob power from the engine, but it's weaker. All to help meet Cafe standards. That leaves us no choice but to spend thousands on a PSC steering kit, which is just a run of the mill belt-driven power steering pump fed steering box with the addition of a hydraulic ram assist. It's crazy, these circles we're forced to run. ?

Cheers, buddy!

Thanks for the insight…

 

[Old Jeeper]

But if I can live with the limitations of weak turning support, how much input pressure can I apply to the steering wheel without risking a catastrophic break (broken sector shaft or something else so it won't steer when towed to the trail head)?

Next build gets a PSC steering kit, I won't get a penny more when I sell this next year if it's good a PSC steering kit,

You ain’t nothing yet…wait till your first trip to Moab in your EV. Spend half of the day trying to do a 3.5 rated trail. Then the other half of the day trying to get out of the trail and back to the motel only to find all the chargers are full and your overnight charge will be all tomorrow!

I am on the road for about 3 weeks rolling heavy about 23,xxx lbs, my driving range on my OEM tank of diesel is about 450 mi at almost 10 mpg at 75 mph.

Filled up yesterday @ $3.99.9 gal

EV do that? Ya think?

 

[Headbarcode]

But if I can live with the limitations of weak turning support, how much input pressure can I apply to the steering wheel without risking a catastrophic break (broken sector shaft or something else so it won't steer when towed to the trail head)?

Next build gets a PSC steering kit, I won't get a penny more when I sell this next year if it's good a PSC steering kit,

My semi-educated guess is if our factory steering assist isn't strong enough to turn the aired down larger tires, it's not strong enough to break anything.

Breakage of hard parts, like a solid sector shaft that's over 1" diameter or tie rod ends, is far more likely to occur after the addition of a stronger assist from a PSC kit or that other Boost kit that increases the running pressure of the factory electric pump.

The PSC ram can be damaging if it's not properly aligned with the tie rod. An example is from a recent Litebrite video. Their axle side ram bracket was too short, putting the ram at an angle to the tie rod. That caused the tie rod to bow forward when turning to the left, with the left tire bound up, and resulted in a rod end snapping due to the amplified stress of a jammed tire and weird working angle. The same break could still happen with everything perfectly aligned, if the driver is inattentive to the situation and/or ignores warning signs and keeps heaving the wheel.

The factory electric power steering pump was set to a pressure that Jeep deemed safe. The Boost kit raises that pressure to the point of skating the safety margin. That kit includes a heat exchanger that is supposed to help the safety margin, but only time knows best.

This is just conversation, not meant to be taken as claims that those 2 systems are bound for destruction. PSC is possibly in my Jeep's future. Everything we do to build up our Jeeps capabilities is a process of scaring out the next weakest link for us to beef up.

 

[Headbarcode]

You ain’t nothing yet…wait till your first trip to Moab in your EV. Spend half of the day trying to do a 3.5 rated trail. Then the other half of the day trying to get out of the trail and back to the motel only to find all the chargers are full and your overnight charge will be all tomorrow!

I am on the road for about 3 weeks rolling heavy about 23,xxx lbs, my driving range on my OEM tank of diesel is about 450 mi at almost 10 mpg at 75 mph.

Filled up yesterday @ $3.99.9 gal

EV do that? Ya think?

I'm not for or against ev vehicles in general, just not inclined to own one myself. Just wanting to point out that the 4xe isn't a tesla, in that electric is the only propulsion. The 4xe has the same 2.0 turbo as my 19 JLUR, that'll kick in when the charge runs out.

Your post compells me to mention a recent trip to Windrock Park in Tennessee. I'm very new to offroading, so excitement caused me to forget about stopping for fuel before hitting the trails. I forget the trail number, but I hit the one right behind the general store that begins by crossing a small narrow wooden bridge. It's rated 5/10, is about 6 miles long, and is only intersected by one other trail. I had my wife riding shotgun, and we were loaded up with everything because the park was a detour on our way across the state to our next location.

I didn't realize how low on fuel I was until after we took a break at a stream crossing about half way through. Enjoyment instantly turned to thoughts of running dry and having to walk miles away to the main public roadway, because it was already close to dusk and the general store was about to close. The Jeep was walking through everything with ease, but the "LOW" replacing the miles to empty was haunting me big time.

I knew we wouldn't make it to the far end of that trail, which would've put us deeper into the park, so I started down that one much shorter intersecting trail, thinking it would be the perfect shortcut out. That thought lasted about 10 feet before we both saw a sign warning "extreme difficulty". We got out to scout ahead on foot, and I quickly realized that my Jeep was far more capable than my blossoming experience level. Not to mention, the Jeep was sacked out with all of our crap and not at all helping center of gravity.

Long enough story short, we turned around and spent more time in 4lo by backtracking to the little wooden bridge behind the general store. I didn't even stop to air up. I drove all the way out to the main 4 lane highway and a couple miles more to the nearest gas station with 12psi in the tires. It barely took 15 gallons to neck off the tank, and I was left standing there thinking "damn, I could've finished that trail".

Not the greatest end to my first couple of days on the trails, but we both still had a blast. I've been itching to do it again ever since. We're heading back down again this February, so the first order of business is a redemption run to finish that trail. But not before stopping at a gas station before the park. ?

Cheers, buddy!

 

[J0E]

My semi-educated guess is if our factory steering assist isn't strong enough to turn the aired down larger tires, it's not strong enough to break anything.

Breakage of hard parts, like a solid sector shaft that's over 1" diameter or tie rod ends, is far more likely to occur after the addition of a stronger assist from a PSC kit or that other Boost kit that increases the running pressure of the factory electric pump.

The PSC ram can be damaging if it's not properly aligned with the tie rod. An example is from a recent Litebrite video. Their axle side ram bracket was too short, putting the ram at an angle to the tie rod. That caused the tie rod to bow forward when turning to the left, with the left tire bound up, and resulted in a rod end snapping due to the amplified stress of a jammed tire and weird working angle. The same break could still happen with everything perfectly aligned, if the driver is inattentive to the situation and/or ignores warning signs and keeps heaving the wheel.

The factory electric power steering pump was set to a pressure that Jeep deemed safe. The Boost kit raises that pressure to the point of skating the safety margin. That kit includes a heat exchanger that is supposed to help the safety margin, but only time knows best.

This is just conversation, not meant to be taken as claims that those 2 systems are bound for destruction. PSC is possibly in my Jeep's future. Everything we do to build up our Jeeps capabilities is a process of scaring out the next weakest link for us to beef up.

Thanks, that's my guess too. I scour this form for JL breakdowns and I haven't seen stock steering problems. I found several on the JK forum but the JL is stronger.

You ain’t nothing yet…wait till your first trip to Moab in your EV. Spend half of the day trying to do a 3.5 rated trail. Then the other half of the day trying to get out of the trail and back to the motel only to find all the chargers are full and your overnight charge will be all tomorrow!

I am on the road for about 3 weeks rolling heavy about 23,xxx lbs, my driving range on my OEM tank of diesel is about 450 mi at almost 10 mpg at 75 mph.

Filled up yesterday @ $3.99.9 gal

EV do that? Ya think?

I'm not sure how this EV fork started. My next build (2024) will not be an EV. I'm far more familiar with the HUGE advantages & HUGE disadvantages of EVs than most. We do all our non-wheeling driving in our EV. Our JLR is dedicated to wheeling only, which includes driving to the trailhead.

HUGE EV advantages:

• Free fuel, we charge off our solar
• Never need to stop at gas station, replace brakes, oil, air filter, etc.
• Super efficient under 50 MPH (which is 95% of our driving). On level ground (again most of what we do, shop, etc.) I get 6 M/kWh.

disadvantages:

• Going up the volcano, extended steep climbs. While my JLR on 37's drops from 23 MPG on flat to 16 MPG going up the volcano, the EV quickly drains the battery. It goes from 6M/kWh to .6M/kWh, a whopping 10 fold decrease.
• My JLR shows over 30 MPH in 7th gear going 50 MPH (stock gears). Amazingly, driving to the trail head, 3 hours of crawling in low range, and then driving home, I'm getting combined 20.5 MPG, and that's on 37's with stock gears. I'm shocked at how fuel efficient it is in low range and low speed driving.

My JLR gets 2x the mileage of the JKUR's in my group when wheeling, partly because of my aggressive use of MSS (Manual stop/start). When we stop to look at the line, I use MSS and they keep theirs running. The 2.0 T with 8 speed auto is more fuel efficient than the JK's.

I'll order a new JNUR 12 years after the JM EV debuts.

 

[Old Jeeper]

Thanks, that's my guess too. I scour this form for JL breakdowns and I haven't seen stock steering problems. I found several on the JK forum but the JL is stronger.



I'm not sure how this EV fork started. My next build (2024) will not be an EV. I'm far more familiar with the HUGE advantages & HUGE disadvantages of EVs than most. We do all our non-wheeling driving in our EV. Our JLR is dedicated to wheeling only, which includes driving to the trailhead.

HUGE EV advantages:

• Free fuel, we charge off our solar
• Never need to stop at gas station, replace brakes, oil, air filter, etc.
• Super efficient under 50 MPH (which is 95% of our driving). On level ground (again most of what we do, shop, etc.) I get 6 M/kWh.

disadvantages:

• Going up the volcano, extended steep climbs. While my JLR on 37's drops from 23 MPG on flat to 16 MPG going up the volcano, the EV quickly drains the battery. It goes from 6M/kWh to .6M/kWh, a whopping 10 fold decrease.
• My JLR shows over 30 MPH in 7th gear going 50 MPH (stock gears). Amazingly, driving to the trail head, 3 hours of crawling in low range, and then driving home, I'm getting combined 20.5 MPG, and that's on 37's with stock gears. I'm shocked at how fuel efficient it is in low range and low speed driving.

My JLR gets 2x the mileage of the JKUR's in my group when wheeling, partly because of my aggressive use of MSS (Manual stop/start). When we stop to look at the line, I use MSS and they keep theirs running. The 2.0 T with 8 speed auto is more fuel efficient than the JK's.

I'll order a new JNUR 12 years after the JM EV debuts.

I think on stuff as I drive especially on I 10. Just rolled into Galveston 1102 miles from my place in Port Charlotte Fl. So I got to thinking about having a JLREV and doing 4 week wheeling expedition it was on my mind so I tossed out. You guys good to talk with…

 

[Caymanedge]

Well since I started this thread I thought I would come full circle.
I installed the Redneck Ram set-up about a year ago. I had to ship my box back and forth to West Texas three time in order to get the hose fittings in a place that would function with the 2.0 since they had never done one. Ultimately they bought a new box and set it up. The ram size is critical so pay attention to that or it could leak, like mine did initially. I added a cooler "just because" even though they said I didn't need it.
So, in the last year put 12,000mi on the Jeep, did 21 BOH trails and wheeled from PA to Moab to Colorado to Big Bear. The hydro assist makes a massive difference. I rarely feel any resistance steering compared to the zero steerability without it on the rocks. Occasionally it will give a little resistance, but overall it was an awesome upgrade, especially for the price. The PSC stuff is very nice, but it wasn't available when I went down this rabbit hole and it's 3-4x the cost. FYI-running 37" beadlocks around 10psi off-road.

 

[Jtclayton612]

Well since I started this thread I thought I would come full circle.
I installed the Redneck Ram set-up about a year ago. I had to ship my box back and forth to West Texas three time in order to get the hose fittings in a place that would function with the 2.0 since they had never done one. Ultimately they bought a new box and set it up. The ram size is critical so pay attention to that or it could leak, like mine did initially. I added a cooler "just because" even though they said I didn't need it.
So, in the last year put 12,000mi on the Jeep, did 21 BOH trails and wheeled from PA to Moab to Colorado to Big Bear. The hydro assist makes a massive difference. I rarely feel any resistance steering compared to the zero steerability without it on the rocks. Occasionally it will give a little resistance, but overall it was an awesome upgrade, especially for the price. The PSC stuff is very nice, but it wasn't available when I went down this rabbit hole and it's 3-4x the cost. FYI-running 37" beadlocks around 10psi off-road.

How’s it for interstate driving? I hear it’s nice for resisting crosswinds. I’m just curious since my Jeep is my DD as well.

 

[Caymanedge]

It drives like a Jeep on the highway...

 

[19 JLUR Bright Whit3]

Well since I started this thread I thought I would come full circle.
I installed the Redneck Ram set-up about a year ago. I had to ship my box back and forth to West Texas three time in order to get the hose fittings in a place that would function with the 2.0 since they had never done one. Ultimately they bought a new box and set it up. The ram size is critical so pay attention to that or it could leak, like mine did initially. I added a cooler "just because" even though they said I didn't need it.
So, in the last year put 12,000mi on the Jeep, did 21 BOH trails and wheeled from PA to Moab to Colorado to Big Bear. The hydro assist makes a massive difference. I rarely feel any resistance steering compared to the zero steerability without it on the rocks. Occasionally it will give a little resistance, but overall it was an awesome upgrade, especially for the price. The PSC stuff is very nice, but it wasn't available when I went down this rabbit hole and it's 3-4x the cost. FYI-running 37" beadlocks around 10psi off-road.

I finished up my PSC cylinder assist kit today. It does make a big difference in steering over the stock electric pump. The electric pump could barely move my 37s.
BTW. I have 39in KM3s going on soon and a semi float rear 60 due in January.

 

[Rosco1983]

I am in the proses of I stalling it now and my problem in the clamp on the tir rod hitting the diff cover

 

[1996cc]

I’ve had their system with the factory steel box for a couple years, even swapped it into my current 392. No real issues. I did replace the heims after a year or 2 (don’t remember exact timing). They weren’t totally gone, but had a bit of play. On my last JL, I did turn up the factory pump slightly to help with speed of steering when changing directions quickly, but I haven‘t felt the need to do that with my 392. I had a cooler on my last one and would Like to add one now, but haven‘t done it yet.

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