Are there any pros or cons to running Crossover steering as oppose to something like the Currie Currectlync?
Crossover steering?
- Thread starter Tjcanuck97
- Start date
There are no pros to running a crossover which just screws up the steering geometry, go with the Currie Currectlync. It's a superb problem-free very heavy-duty steering system.
There are pros and cons to all types of steering as well as many varied definitions for what styles there are. If by crossover you mean the tie rod connected to both knuckles, then that varies from the stock Haltenberger linkage that the TJ came with in stock form. The Haltenberger was developed to break the connection to both knuckles and not suffer the tie rod roll that is inherent to Inverted T which connects the draglink to the tie rod. Crossover connects the knuckles with a tie rod and the draglink attaches to another point on the knuckle like the JK and WJ.
If you were on the 'net when the TJ was introduced or shortly thereafter and paid attention, you may have noticed that it wasn't until a few years before the JK was introduced that Death Wobble became a commonly discussed topic in the TJ world. Inversely, the DW issues with the JK showed up almost from day one and that's due to the crossover steering being much more prone to DW which is exactly why the TJ's steering was developed.
There is nothing special about crossover steering. If you have a specific version in mind, I can walk you through the pro and cons. I build lots of custom steering and have for many years so there isn't much I don't know about it.
Aw, come on now Jerry. Go to this page and tell me which one of them you wouldn't run?
http://justaddrocks.com/Steering Pictures/steering.htm
Thanks for the helpful response @mrblaine. Obviously I'm not as knowledgeable as you on the subject of steering, but I am just trying to make an informed decision before I purchase something that I may end up regretting.
I didn't have a particular steering kit in mind, though the type that I see a lot of people pushing (and buying) would be something like this:
http://www.ironrockoffroad.com/11060.html
There's several manufacturers out there who make kits like that. The names that come to mind are Serious Offroad, Rugged Ridge, Rustys, IRO, etc.
I didn't have a particular steering kit in mind, though the type that I see a lot of people pushing (and buying) would be something like this:
http://www.ironrockoffroad.com/11060.html
There's several manufacturers out there who make kits like that. The names that come to mind are Serious Offroad, Rugged Ridge, Rustys, IRO, etc.
Also, @Tjcanuck97, here's a good diagram that illustrates different types of steering linkages:
Bonus points if someone can name a vehicle that uses each one of these steering system types (besides rack and pinion since that's way too easy).
Bonus points if someone can name a vehicle that uses each one of these steering system types (besides rack and pinion since that's way too easy).
Stick with the widely recommended, proven, and trouble-free Currie Currectlync heavy-duty steering system. It's pretty much bombproof and no one who goes with it ever regrets their decision.
I agree with this. The Currie Currectylnc improves drastically on something that worked well to begin with (the stock TJ steering that is). The stock TJ steering works fine in stock form, and the Currectlync just further improves that by beefing it up substantially so that it can take some serious off-road abuse.
That being said, why bother reinventing the wheel with another type of steering, when there really is no fault in the way the stock steering works?
Those are all iterations of steering I've built. There is no interference of any part with any other part and they all work perfectly. That one in particular is very nice due to the steering assist cylinder attaching directly to the steering knuckle. Also the same way the steering is set up on my crawler.
No kidding? It looks really complicated, but if you built it it's got to be good! Never seen anything like that before. Does it require a sizable lift?
There are a couple of issues that may or may not meet your criteria for good steering. First, they lie when they say that is a bolt in kit, it requires drilling of the knuckles and pitman arm. That is the first strike for me. That clamp at the lower end of the draglink will be a problem if you play in the rocks. If you look at the spaces under the rod ends where they are bolted to the knuckle, there seems to be very small to no gap. That is a problem that will loosen the bolts if that is true. Due to steering axis inclination, one steering arm rises as the other lowers when you turn lock to lock. That means there has to be enough misalignment in the ends to let that happen or the connection gets stressed. I'm also not a fan of single shear straight bolts on the TJ knuckle. The iron is too soft to always keep them tight and they will need to be checked often to make sure they haven't lost torque and are wallowing the holes out.
The upper end of the draglink needs more bend to bring it more neutral. That rod end is in danger of bottoming out at full droop. Also, the rod ends in the draglink only have a lifespan of around 20,000 miles if you use the rig hard. The tie rod ends last longer. To put that in perspective, each end in a version with a longer wear life will run you around 55 bucks so if you do the math, it's easy to tell they aren't using them.
The reason you see clamps on the draglink and not the tie rod is the tie rod is straight so if you bump it and break the jam nuts loose, it won't sag and start dragging on the draglink. The draglink has clamps with splits. You will bump it and turn the draglink on the threads but they won't be loose due to the clamps. It will drop and drag on the tie rod which means you will have to readjust it to fix it which may become annoying at some point.
On a scale of 1-10, I'd give it about a 5.
You don't do that type of steering unless you've outgrown 35's and put some real axles under your rig at which point you are running 37's or larger and enough lift to make them work.
That's what I figured. I assume this is a result of you needing something much stronger than the stock steering design?
Do you have any insight to what the reason was for the Jeep engineers switching from the Haltenberger linkage steering that came stock with the TJ, to the crossover style (not sure what the proper name for it is?) steering that came stock on the JK?
When I chatted with the head engineer he related that the intent was to reduce the vague on center feel of the TJ steering which I've rarely found to be a problem. I think they should have spent more time developing a better steering gear and left the other stuff alone.
I feel the same way. The stock TJ steering doesn't feel bad to me, I've driven it on long highway trips and never found the on center feel to be much of an issue.
Well, I guess the traded improved on center feel for increased death wobble issues.
