Rough country replacement

[mathew32008]

2004 TJ Wrangler, 3.5" lift, 33 x 12.5 tires on 10x15 rims. I have new new heavy duty steering. ( not rough country )
rough country track bar and control arms.
after new steering installed, now im noticing when I change gears I have to make suttle corrections with steering wheel. when I let off gas jeep moves to right side of lane, when I accelerate it moves to left side of lane.

rough country been on there a few years. im sure bushings are worn.
my driving is mostly highway, and dirt roads. when off road its fields.
I want to replace my track bars and control arms with the best ones suited for my driving that wont wear out in a couple of years. price is not too much concern. just want best quality.

thanks in advance

 

[NashvilleTJ]

2004 TJ Wrangler, 3.5" lift, 33 x 12.5 tires on 10x15 rims. I have new new heavy duty steering. ( not rough country )
rough country track bar and control arms.
after new steering installed, now im noticing when I change gears I have to make suttle corrections with steering wheel. when I let off gas jeep moves to right side of lane, when I accelerate it moves to left side of lane.

rough country been on there a few years. im sure bushings are worn.
my driving is mostly highway, and dirt roads. when off road its fields.
I want to replace my track bars and control arms with the best ones suited for my driving that wont wear out in a couple of years. price is not too much concern. just want best quality.

thanks in advance

What "new heavy duty steering" are you running? Pics of the front end would help.

 

[mathew32008]

Rugged Ridge. Ill have to take a pic. im not driving it today

 

[NashvilleTJ]

Rugged Ridge. Ill have to take a pic. im not driving it today

That may be your problem. That inverted T setup on a stock configuration tends to roll the tie rod as you turn the wheel, or when the suspension cycles. That adds slop to the steering.

 

[mathew32008]

what steering would you suggest. my oem was toast.

 

[NashvilleTJ]

what steering would you suggest. my oem was toast.

Currie / Rockjock. Same configuration as the stock inverted Y setup, but much stronger. A lot of folks here run that setup. Much more expensive than the RR though, so brace yourself.

 

[TheBoogieman]

my driving is mostly highway, and dirt roads. when off road its fields.

what steering would you suggest. my oem was toast.

V8 ZJ is plenty for your needs.

 

[NashvilleTJ]

Good call, Boog. Also a good option for the OP. And much less expensive.

 

[mathew32008]

Im not finding it. even on currie web site. where can it be purchased

 

[NashvilleTJ]

Im not finding it. even on currie web site. where can it be purchased

They call it Correctlync. Search for that and you should see it.

 

[mathew32008]

this ? https://www.rockjock4x4.com/CE-9701

 

[jjvw]

Im not finding it. even on currie web site. where can it be purchased

Currie no longer sells suspension components.

 

[mrblaine]

They call it Correctlync. Search for that and you should see it.

Currie Enterprises hasn't sold suspension and steering bits since John Currie split off and started Rock Jock 4x4 about 4 years ago.

 

[mrblaine]

this ? https://www.rockjock4x4.com/CE-9701

Yes, but very much overkill for your needs unless you are really working it hard. Better to just swap on the V8 ZJ stuff and save some money.

 

[GoldenGorilla]

after new steering installed, now im noticing when I change gears I have to make suttle corrections with steering wheel. when I let off gas jeep moves to right side of lane, when I accelerate it moves to left side of lane.

Aside from the faults in the rugged ridge steering and condition of the rough country components and the suggestion to go to a steering system that works properly with the TJ.

On the quote above.
When you lift the jeep there are a couple things that will change a bit. Because the track bars are at a steeper angle they move more side to side as the suspension cycles and the front and read axle go in opposite directions, even small amounts. Regardless of the lift, when you throttle on it squats the rear axle and unloads the front axle a little bit. This moves the front and rear axles opposite each other tiny amounts. When you throttle off, it will have some engine braking which transfers a bit of weight on to the front axle and off the rear, shifting back the other way. When you a coasting in neutral the steering should track neutral. These weight transfers all have tiny impacts on thrust angle. And because the track bar and drag link in the standard TJ or ZJ V8 steering run parallel, a little bit of steering input is normal for this. But only a little and there should be no dead spot.

It's also very common to have very small variances in the thrust angle in a jeep due to allowed tollerance in the control arm mounts on the frame. This is the angle of the rear axle relative to the overall frame. Mine when stock had a thrust angle of -0.15 degrees (rear axle pushing slightly to the left). But I'll also caution that if you take the measurement on a 4 wheel alignment table 5 times, you'll get 5 answers on this. It'll shift even when they dont touch the rear axle.

I'll also vouch for the ZJ V8 steering upgrade. It can handle some pretty hard wheeling and is much better than the flimsy TJ tie rod. It feels better on the road too. The drag links are the same, so if you have your stock parts still and the ball joint on the drag link at the passenger tire was in good condition, keep using it.

 

[mathew32008]

Currie / Rockjock. Same configuration as the stock inverted Y setup, but much stronger. A lot of folks here run that setup. Much more expensive than the RR though, so brace yourself.

Thanks Nashville, that fixed it. drives better than ever now. still have to get it aligned. but very controlable now.