Tie Rod & Drag Link

[longfiredragon]

Hello all

I am in research mode. So I thought I would put a new post on what aftermarket tie rod & drag link people are using. And there experience with whatever MFG they went with.

My jeep is a 2021 JLU Willys sport.

Considering all, but looking at Apex & Rusty's.

Thanks

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[Camaroboi13]

Just got Metalcloack’s HD steering setup for mine with the Labor Day sale, gotta wait till Tuesday to install it.

 

[jc1003]

I did the whole Steer Smarts setup and it's great. Also did Dynatrac ball joints.

 

[melendez69]

Likewise... tie rod, drag link, front & rear fat-ass track bars.

 

[dlong1119]

I'm planning to order the CavFab 2.5 ton setup next week.

 

[longfiredragon]

Just got Metalcloack’s HD steering setup for mine with the Labor Day sale, gotta wait till Tuesday to install it.

I was just looking at the MC. They look good, I would put MC right up there, and the normal price isn't too bad.

 

[Camaroboi13]

I was just looking at the MC. They look good, I would put MC right up there, and the normal price isn't too bad.

Agreed. I wanted something better than stock but didn’t want a 4” round fence post bolted to the front either. It’s a nice happy medium.

 

[Cips]

I'm pretty new to this, so what is the benefit of upgrading those components? Does it have anything to do with lifting the Jeep?

 

[longfiredragon]

I'm pretty new to this, so what is the benefit of upgrading those components? Does it have anything to do with lifting the Jeep?

I am not sure how the tie rod & drag link are affected when you lift the jeep. I believe it does do something a little adverse to them but I think it also depends on how high you lift the jeep.

My reason for replacing my tie road & drag link is because I have almost 60K miles and I have done a lot of off roading. Including some pretty hard w trails.

 

[Camaroboi13]

I am not sure how the tie rod & drag link are affected when you lift the jeep. I believe it does do something a little adverse to them but I think it also depends on how high you lift the jeep.

My reason for replacing my tie road & drag link is because I have almost 60K miles and I have done a lot of off roading. Including some pretty hard w trails.

Stronger steering components definitely help with banging off rocks. They also have much better end links/joints than the factory ones so that helps. My reasoning for getting all new components is because I drove 550 miles home from Moab with a pull to the left, so one of those things should fix it

 

[Fleeclan]

I'm pretty new to this, so what is the benefit of upgrading those components? Does it have anything to do with lifting the Jeep?

The biggest thing to remember is that when you lift your rig, you tend to also go with bigger rubber which in turn means more weight and resistance when turning. This is where upgraded tie bar and drag link, as well as ball joints, and steering box brace come in to play. Then you’ll also find it necessary to upgrade the track bars to adjustable track bars as well as at least lower control arms to adjustable arms as well as shocks to accommodate the new height.
It’s kind of an avalanche of necessary upgrades once you lift your rig more than about 2”. Trying to lift and not do the rest will greatly sacrifice the drive quality as well as safety of front end steering components.
I have a mix of stuff. JKS adjustable lower control arms and track bars, Steer Smarts tie bar, drag link and steering box brace, Rock Krawler front and rear adjustable sway bar links (front are quick disconnect) and am running 37x13.50x17’s on Fuel Rincon beadlocks with a 4-4.5” lift, with Falcon quick adjust shocks front and rear. Rides and drives great but took all these upgrades to achieve that end result.
Buy once, cry once is the way to go! Horsepower and ground clearance are two items that don’t come cheap.

 

[kah.mun.rah]

Compared to the JK, the JL tie rod and drag link are a lot beefier. Because of that, replacing them is a lower priority on my mod list. I did replace the track bar with a HD adjustable one however since that is needed to re-center the axle after a lift kit.

 

[ParadigmDawg]

Steersmart. Awesome, no frills and tough.

 

[GavinH]

Been running the MC TR & DL for almost 10k miles with dozens of wheeling trips and don’t have anything negative to say they’ve done their job. Scraped the center TR several times on rocks and it’s taken zero damage other than scratches. Planning to replace these with the GenRight Stage 1 steering kit for JK using my Reid knuckles not theirs imo that’s the best kit you can buy.

 

[RocknJL]

I’m running the RPM 2.5 ton aluminum steering setup. It’s super stout though I did manage to bend a tie rod end last time I was out. They replaced it free of charge no questions asked. Awesome company!

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