Spacer to Spring lift

[Stuckinthesand]

So I was running the 2.5” RC spacer kit for the last 3 years. I had an opportunity to buy a set of 2.5” AEV diesel springs and the bilstein shocks for dirt cheap. Had the springs and shocks put on this morning. Got a 2” lift over the spacer kit that was on it. So in essence this was a 4” lift. Hoping the springs will settle some over the coming weeks. Both my front and rear need track bar brackets as both are off about 3/4”. Ordered the teraflex brackets and those will go on when they arrive. Other than the brackets drives better than stock. Also recommend getting the Clayton front brake line brackets to give the lines a little more flex. It was tight at full droop. 35”s look small now. ?

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[Headbarcode]

So I was running the 2.5” RC spacer kit for the last 3 years. I had an opportunity to buy a set of 2.5” AEV diesel springs and the bilstein shocks for dirt cheap. Had the springs and shocks put on this morning. Got a 2” lift over the spacer kit that was on it. So in essence this was a 4” lift. Hoping the springs will settle some over the coming weeks. Both my front and rear need track bar brackets as both are off about 3/4”. Ordered the teraflex brackets and those will go on when they arrive. Other than the brackets drives better than stock. Also recommend getting the Clayton front brake line brackets to give the lines a little more flex. It was tight at full droop. 35”s look small now. ?

What track bars do you currently have? By brackets, are you referring to axle side relocation brackets for both the front and rear?

If the answers to those 2 questions are stock bars and yes, respectively, that's fine for the rear but not the front. Raising the axle side of the rear track bar will help shift the axle closer to center. Raising the axle side of the front track bar will also shift the axle closer to center, but will cause the track bar to not be parallel to the drag link. That will cause a nasty bump steer.

The optimal setup would be a quality set of front and rear adjustable track bars and a relocation bracket for only the rear. The rear relocation bracket will raise the roll center to offset the added ride height. This improves overall ride and handling by reducing head toss when hitting bumps/dips, lessens body roll in curves/corners, and makes the Jeep feel more planted because the bar is parallel to the ground. And again, it gets the axle back closer to center. The adjustable track bars will fine tune the centering of the rear axle, and fully center the front axle on its own. Aftermarket track bars are also stronger than stock, which in itself will further advance the overall solid and planted feel, since they are the sole connection in control of maintaining the axles position in relation to the frame/body.

 

[Stuckinthesand]

What track bars do you currently have? By brackets, are you referring to axle side relocation brackets for both the front and rear?

If the answers to those 2 questions are stock bars and yes, respectively, that's fine for the rear but not the front. Raising the axle side of the rear track bar will help shift the axle closer to center. Raising the axle side of the front track bar will also shift the axle closer to center, but will cause the track bar to not be parallel to the drag link. That will cause a nasty bump steer.

The optimal setup would be a quality set of front and rear adjustable track bars and a relocation bracket for only the rear. The rear relocation bracket will raise the roll center to offset the added ride height. This improves overall ride and handling by reducing head toss when hitting bumps/dips, lessens body roll in curves/corners, and makes the Jeep feel more planted because the bar is parallel to the ground. And again, it gets the axle back closer to center. The adjustable track bars will fine tune the centering of the rear axle, and fully center the front axle on its own. Aftermarket track bars are also stronger than stock, which in itself will further advance the overall solid and planted feel, since they are the sole connection in control of maintaining the axles position in relation to the frame/body.

I was going to go with adjustable front and rear and my mechanic recommended the teraflex front and rear brackets. According to their description it takes care of the bump steer and such you were talking about. I do want to replace the tie rod and steering linkage in the near future so I figured to do the adjustable trac bars then.

 

[Headbarcode]

I was going to go with adjustable front and rear and my mechanic recommended the teraflex front and rear brackets. According to their description it takes care of the bump steer and such you were talking about. I do want to replace the tie rod and steering linkage in the near future so I figured to do the adjustable trac bars then.

Is your front track bar not parallel with the drag link right now? It should be, unless the drag link has already been flipped.

 

[Stuckinthesand]

Is your front track bar not parallel with the drag link right now? It should be, unless the drag link has already been flipped.

Yes it is parallel. Nothing has changed other than the axles being off centered about 3/4”.

 

[Headbarcode]

Yes it is parallel. Nothing has changed other than the axles being off centered about 3/4”.

So if the axle side of the track bar gets raised, it won't be parallel with the drag link. Ask your mechanic how that will help anything.

I checked the Teraflex product page, and their description of that particular bracket raises more questions than it answers. The claim what it does, without explaining why or how. They don't even provide more than that one pic. Most reputable companies explain exactly what a part does and how it does it, along with a pic of it installed on a Jeep. I'd also ask them what the benefit is of a track bar not being parallel with the drag link.

Not trying to argue or come across as snarky, but just trying to look out for you and your hard earned money.

 

[Stuckinthesand]

So if the axle side of the track bar gets raised, it won't be parallel with the drag link. Ask your mechanic how that will help anything.

I checked the Teraflex product page, and their description of that particular bracket raises more questions than it answers. The claim what it does, without explaining why or how. They don't even provide more than that one pic. Most reputable companies explain exactly what a part does and how it does it, along with a pic of it installed on a Jeep. I'd also ask them what the benefit is of a track bar not being parallel with the drag link.

Not trying to argue or come across as snarky, but just trying to look out for you and your hard earned money.

Appreciate the feedback. Two minds are better than one.

 

[Zandcwhite]

So if the axle side of the track bar gets raised, it won't be parallel with the drag link. Ask your mechanic how that will help anything.

I checked the Teraflex product page, and their description of that particular bracket raises more questions than it answers. The claim what it does, without explaining why or how. They don't even provide more than that one pic. Most reputable companies explain exactly what a part does and how it does it, along with a pic of it installed on a Jeep. I'd also ask them what the benefit is of a track bar not being parallel with the drag link.

Not trying to argue or come across as snarky, but just trying to look out for you and your hard earned money.

I believe it raises the mount and also moves it toward the driver side, thus keeping the axle centered AND keeping the track bar parallel to the drag link. No experience with it myself, but that would work in my mind?

 

[Roky]

The Teraflex bracket is designed to be used with the stock track bar, to center the front axle for up to 2.5” lift. By centering the front axle, the drag link and track bar will stay parallel. I know it says 2.5-3.5” lift but once the axle gets 3/4” off center, the bracket doesn’t really work to center the axle as well as an adjustable track bar, especially with as much lift as you got.

I personally don’t recommend using the front bracket unless you’re flipping the drag link, and wouldn’t recommend that until 4.5” of lift….You can flip the drag link on shorter lifts but I personally don’t like running the amount of bump stop required to make it work ……

Sometimes guys use the front bracket with adjustable front track bar and they don’t or can’t adjust it short enough and that’s when the drag link and track bar get out of parallel…….

 

[Headbarcode]

Appreciate the feedback. Two minds are better than one.

Just for the record, I've had my JLUR lifted to 3 different ride heights across 2 completely different setups. I've never changed the locations of the front track bar, drag link, and tie rod. I've just beefed em up, and the only bracket I used on the front end, was a track bar frame side reinforcement. Since I added adjustable track bars at the first lift height, I was able to keep the axles centered and the front track bar never went out of parallel with the drag link.

On my rear, I added both an axle side track bar lift bracket to raise the roll center and a frame side reinforcement.

Don't worry, I wouldn't do this to you or anyone else...

 

[Headbarcode]

I believe it raises the mount and also moves it toward the driver side, thus keeping the axle centered AND keeping the track bar parallel to the drag link. No experience with it myself, but that would work in my mind?

The Teraflex bracket is designed to be used with the stock track bar, to center the front axle for up to 2.5” lift. By centering the front axle, the drag link and track bar will stay parallel. I know it says 2.5-3.5” lift but once the axle gets 3/4” off center, the bracket doesn’t really work to center the axle as well as an adjustable track bar, especially with as much lift as you got.

I personally don’t recommend using the front bracket unless you’re flipping the drag link, and wouldn’t recommend that until 4.5” of lift….You can flip the drag link on shorter lifts but I personally don’t like running the amount of bump stop required to make it work ……

Sometimes guys use the front bracket with adjustable front track bar and they don’t or can’t adjust it short enough and that’s when the drag link and track bar get out of parallel…….

Whenever I've seen someone use this bracket in the past (maybe 2-3 times), they've ended up getting chased into flipping the drag link.

If teraflex would've done a better job of fully explaining that that bracket can help bump steer if used in conjunction with a flipped drag link, people would be aware of that particular rabbits hole.

 

[Stuckinthesand]

Thank you all. I definitely picked up more knowledge after reading the responses.

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