What should my next upgrade be?

Eddie Greenlee

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ok yall have seen this before, but here are my next upgrades I have been thinking about. What are your suggestions to make my tj more trail ready?
currently I have 97 jeep tj 4.0 with 4" lift, 33" AT, 410 gears, Savvy upper adj. rear control arms. beefed up tie rod. new Rancho shocks , extended brake lines
things to do
1. ford 8.8 install that I already have. ( its just way less expensive than buying a D 44 for me.
2. SYE and drive shaft ( get rid of that transfer case drop kit)
3. Rear adjustable track bar
4. quick discos or currie antirock sway bar.
5. would love to go to 35" tires some day
6. more adjustable control arms. JJ
 
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I would do #4 first. It’s cheap and easy if you get quick discos and will let you articulate much more on the off camber areas of trails. 4,2,1,5,6
But I like to rock crawl so that’s just me.


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That’s tough! I might do number 2 first however, just to get rid of the transfer case drop and clear up some ground clearance. Either that or number 4!
 
ok yall have seen this before, but here are my next upgrades I have been thinking about. What are your suggestions to make my tj more trail ready?
currently I have 97 jeep tj 4.0 with 4" lift, 33" AT, 410 gears, Savvy upper adj. rear control arms. beefed up tie rod. new Rancho shocks , extended brake lines
things to do
1. ford 8.8 install that I already have. ( its just way less expensive than buying a D 44 for me.
2. SYE and drive shaft ( get rid of that transfer case drop kit)
3. adjustable tie rods
4. quick discos or currie antirock sway bar.
5. would love to go to 35" tires some day
6. more adjustable control arms. JJ
Adjustable tie rods? Of this list and your current build I’d zero in on this order:
4 -> 2 -> 6.

At 4.10 gears there is no rush to do the axle swap (at the same time you will probably want to do gearing/lockers). 35” tires would come after the 8.8 in the event you currently have the Dana 30/35 combo. A
 
That’s tough! I might do number 2 first however, just to get rid of the transfer case drop and clear up some ground clearance. Either that or number 4!
Chris is the Advanced adapters HD sye still the best or is shorter better?
 
Adjustable tie rods? Of this list and your current build I’d zero in on this order:
4 -> 2 -> 6.

At 4.10 gears there is no rush to do the axle swap (at the same time you will probably want to do gearing/lockers). 35” tires would come after the 8.8 in the event you currently have the Dana 30/35 combo. A
Ment to say rear adjustable track bar
 
Ment to say rear adjustable track bar
Well I would install the rear trackbar at the same time as the axle swap, as seeing you should weld the relocation bracket.
Chris is the Advanced adapters HD sye still the best or is shorter better?
Not directed at me, but debatable. To help you answer this, is a flat skid/tummy tuck in your future? AA and JB conversions dominate the SYE market.
 
ok yall have seen this before, but here are my next upgrades I have been thinking about. What are your suggestions to make my tj more trail ready?
currently I have 97 jeep tj 4.0 with 4" lift, 33" AT, 410 gears, Savvy upper adj. rear control arms. beefed up tie rod. new Rancho shocks , extended brake lines
things to do
1. ford 8.8 install that I already have. ( its just way less expensive than buying a D 44 for me.
2. SYE and drive shaft ( get rid of that transfer case drop kit)
3. Rear adjustable track bar
4. quick discos or currie antirock sway bar.
5. would love to go to 35" tires some day
6. more adjustable control arms. JJ

Number two and four are going to result in the same thing. If it were my Jeep I would do it in this order:

1. More adjustable control arms (it doesn't make sense to me to do the SYE if you can't adjust your pinion angle)
2. SYE and drive shaft
3. Rear adjustable track bar with angled bracket (should be done at the same time as the SYE)
4. Quick discos or currie antirock sway bar
5. Ford 8.8 install that I already have (unless you are locked or really going to the 35s then the Dana 35 should be fine)
 
Not directed at me, but debatable. To help you answer this, is a flat skid/tummy tuck in your future? AA and JB conversions dominate the SYE market.

X2 to this.

Number two and four are going to result in the same thing. If it were my Jeep I would do it in this order:

1. More adjustable control arms (it doesn't make sense to me to do the SYE if you can't adjust your pinion angle)
2. SYE and drive shaft
3. Rear adjustable track bar with angled bracket (should be done at the same time as the SYE)
4. Quick discos or currie antirock sway bar
5. Ford 8.8 install that I already have (unless you are locked or really going to the 35s then the Dana 35 should be fine)

Yep, now that I think about it, this is the way I would do it too. It totally slipped my mind that if you add the SYE, you need to adjustable control arms to correct the pinion angle. So really you'd have to do the control arms first, then the SYE. So this list is actually the proper way to do it if you ask me.
 
X2 to this.



Yep, now that I think about it, this is the way I would do it too. It totally slipped my mind that if you add the SYE, you need to adjustable control arms to correct the pinion angle. So really you'd have to do the control arms first, then the SYE. So this list is actually the proper way to do it if you ask me.

Good point. Those damn control arms are so expensive tho...


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Good point. Those damn control arms are so expensive tho...


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Yep, they are. But in this game, you’ve got to pay to play. Hence the reason I’m keeping my build mild with the stock control arms.
 
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Any chance you can be talked out of that 8.8 you haven't yet begun to install? It's more work and expensive to get installed than most realize, its pinion is offset to the side so the driveshaft is forced to work through both side and vertical angles, it's wider, and its huge pumpkin hangs lower so it reduces ground clearance.
 
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I’d also throw a winch into the mix before most of those things if you don’t already have one.


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Any chance you can be talked out of that 8.8 you haven't yet begun to install? It's more work and expensive to get installed than most realize, its pinion is offset to the side so the driveshaft is forced to work through both side and vertical angles, it's wider, and its huge pumpkin hangs lower so it reduces ground clearance.
I would love to do the super 35 for sure but by the time i have the dif re-set up and buy a locker and shafts its going to be out of my budget for now.
i may end up just running the Dana 35 for now with my 33s and 410 gears. and do the SYE, and add more adjustable control arms.
Jerry, didn't you try to explain to me one time that the AA HD SYE was all I needed and that the super short ones really didn't add to the overall benefits??
Also as a daily driver & weekend trail rider can i run the currie antisway system or would I be better off with quick discos?
 
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I also have an 8.8 in my garage but I think I’m gonna just go with the Super 35

I think that's a good idea personally. The more I read about the 8.8 swap, the more it seems like a waste of time and money. Especially when you can build a Super 35.
 
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