Tie Rod and Drag link upgrade?

grungepup

grungepup

New member
So I will start with what go me to this point. I just installed a new set of 33's on my Jeep yesterday, wheels are 17x 9.5 -18. Everything was driving normal. At the recommendation of the tire shop, I took it in for an alignment because my previous tires showed signs of inner wear. Took it to a local chain (Brakecheck) to have them do a quick alignment. (I should have done it myself, but my work space is currently filled with my 325i im working on but that's another story). After about an hour, the tech comes out and tells me that they are unable to complete the alignment because the tie rod adjustment screw won't budge. When I get it back, the steering wheel is now cocked to the left , enough so that my BAS and traction lights come on. I didn't have time when i got it home to mess with it. When I finally got underneath it, I noticed why the adjustment nut wasn't moving, it's already maxed out. GRRRR. While i was loosening the lock down nut, I noticed that the tie rods are shot, very little effort and the whole assembly moves. If I twist it up and leave it there, it will gradually untwist back to "neutral". When I checked the drag link ( I didn't fix the steering wheel yet because I was running out of day light) it's just as loose. So I know I have to replace both the drag link and the tie rod assembly, but my question is, is it really worth the extra $500-600 to upgrade to an HD setup? Looking around I found the teraflex for about $970 and the metalcloak for $730, and there were others in the middle range of the two. I don't plan on doing any aggressive off road driving in the coming future, mainly just overlanding. Is it needed to tackle that upgrade now? or am I able to push that upgrade down the road when I plan to install adjustable control arms, track bars and lift?


TLDR: is upgrading tie rods and drag link needed
 
I wouldn’t run either of those brands if you paid me. The factory lasted how long? Why not replace with OE if you have no plans or heavy offroad use?
 
OverlanderJK said:
I wouldn’t run either of those brands if you paid me. The factory lasted how long? Why not replace with OE if you have no plans or heavy offroad use?
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My knee jerk reaction was to put away my tools and start looking for upgrades, my wife was the one that followed your logic about OE, which I see the point.


I know terrorflex has a pretty bad rap, didn't know about metalclock, but when I do go to upgrade which direction should I be looking at?
 
beside pricing out the cost of the entire tie rod, price out the cost of replacing the ends.

I've bought into "marketing" hype and when it came time to replace ends it was cheaper to replace the whole tie rod with a better option synergy or currie
 
Synergy, Currie and RPM Steering are the main kits we use and recommend. I've personally ran the Synergy and currently the RPM 1-ton kit with a ram and have zero complaints. These kits also allow the replacement of the individual rod ends if needed.
 
I inherited a Synergy tie-rod that the previous owner had ran for about 15k miles on 35s before including it in the axles and lift components I purchased from them. The joints were still rock solid, but one of the boots was damaged. I replaced the boots and have put another 10k on the tie rod with my 33s and the joints are still solid. I bought into the hype and self promotion of Steer Smarts and went with the Yeti draglink. I have no complaints about these parts, but the stock ones were working just fine for me as well before I installed these parts...

Echoeing others sentiments regarding your use case model, I would suggest: 1) check Facebook Market Place, Craigslist, and local off-roading shops to see if they have any "like new" stock parts; 2) check these same locations to see if they have any takeoff aftermarket parts from the manufacturers mentioned as trustworthy in this thread; or 3) bight the bullet and buy new aftermarket parts only after you have exhausted the first options.
 
Old thread, but figured I would provide my input. I just installed a Currectlync Rock Jock (Currie) drag link and tie rod on my 2009 Jeep JK. As per the instructions, I took it to the local alignment shop to see how close to spec my DIY garage alignment was. They puttered around with it for almost an hour! Finally, they came back and told me that they were unable to adjust it to spec because the adjustment nuts were all maxed out. They claimed it was because I had installed aftermarket parts on my jeep. What gives?? Were they just lazy and didn't know what they were really doing?
 
2009YellowJK said:
Old thread, but figured I would provide my input. I just installed a Currectlync Rock Jock (Currie) drag link and tie rod on my 2009 Jeep JK. As per the instructions, I took it to the local alignment shop to see how close to spec my DIY garage alignment was. They puttered around with it for almost an hour! Finally, they came back and told me that they were unable to adjust it to spec because the adjustment nuts were all maxed out. They claimed it was because I had installed aftermarket parts on my jeep. What gives?? Were they just lazy and didn't know what they were really doing?
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Is your Jeep still stock height?
 
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