Questions about rear track bar and tummy tuck

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cdubculvy

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Aug 9, 2019
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Hello folks, I'm back in the TJ game after 5 years off. This is my 4th TJ (5th Wrangler) and with luck, my last!

I scored a beautiful Silver Rubicon with ZERO mods, dual factory tops, 25K miles, in excellent condition. Guy had never even locked the axles (had to test them out before I bought it). I'm excited to make it mine, but I'm trying to keep from messing it up too much. My goal is to run 33's, yes, I'm set on 33's. I've never been happy with anything but 33's and now that I've driven a Rubi with 4.11's and the 6-speed I desperately want larger tires, lot of shifting with 31's. My last TJ had a 2" BDS SL and 1.25" BL combo, even with 33" KM2's it rode excellent. I'd be fine to re-create that as it came out the way I like it. I have one additional requirement for this Jeep that I didn't have for the previous, that is no drilling. My goal is to keep everything bolt on so that I can return it to stock later if I choose. When I say this thing is untouched, I mean it, it's had the battery replaced and that's ALL! If the gears weren't so low I might just leave it alone. Kind of ironic as I really wanted a Rubicon so I could run 33's without a re-gear.

Question 1. I previously ran the OME (2" lift) rear track bar relocation bracket and it centered the rear axle perfectly, BUT, it required drilling. I know lots of folks here recommend the Currie adjustable rear track bar. I don't mind dropping a little coin on it if I HAVE to, but wanted to gather opinions first. I see this $400 hit as a way to avoid drilling that bracket. Is there any other adjustable rear trackbar that will do the job for less? On-road manners are VERY important to me, so I'll pay to play if I have to. Just wondering if I have to go all out just to center up the axle, keep a smooth ride, and avoid drilling. Off-road flex would be nice, but it admittedly takes a back seat to my goals.

Question 2. If I decide to add a 1" BL like I did before, I may want to venture into tummy tucking. Or I may decide to go with 3" springs instead for a more athletic look. I've read about what needs to be done to run a rear CV driveshaft (new spring perch location, shock mounts, track bar position, and even rerouting the exhaust). This sounds horrible to me, but I would love a CV driveshaft. Question is, if I only tuck the T-case a little, or go to a 3" SL, how much pinion angle before this becomes a can of worms? I'm pretty picky about the set-up, don't want to drill (and definitely don't want to weld), so what kind of total lift of the T-case are we talking before things get crazy on the rear axle? By lift, I mean combine spring and T-case raise. If the 3" SL requires less of a pinion angle I would prefer that, I don't mind buying a few adjustable CA's if needed (as long as my ride comfort isn't affected)

NOTE: I have done the BL and MML to correct for vibes previously. I'm prepared to do it again if needed but will try and avoid it for now (didn't like messing with the console and shifters). With the lower T-case on the Rubi, I'm starting to get conscious of the belly and don't want to exagerate it with a BL if I don't have to. I've already ordered 2" BDS springs (loved the ride quality with these) and will start there. I may get a 3/4" front puck and maybe a 1/2" OME rear puck to give a tad bit more clearance if needed. Previously I had 33's on prior to the 1" BL and it looked okay, but not great.

Congratulations if you made it this far. I'll try and keep things shorter in my future posts!
 
Welcome and congrats on finding a clean Rubicon. I don't have much advice regarding your questions. There are plenty of people here to get you answers though.
 
If you want 33s, are picky about road manners, want a raised skid and you are dead set on no drilling then you are backing yourself into a corner.

Regarding the regear, the 6 speed with 4.10 is going to be slightly less awful on 33s than other TJs. 4.56 is really where it should be for that the size.
 
Not looking to regear, I've driven 33's on 3.73's with the 5spd and lived, so I'll be okay, thanks.

Looks like the JKS rear trackbar requires a bracket and drilling. Judging by the function of a relocation bracket, it would appear that any design would require drilling. So I'm limited to adjustable trackbars that work off of the factory bracket, the lowest priced Currie seems to do that. Are there any others?

I guess my concern is if I drill for a certain bracket and in the future go the CV driveshaft route, that may require an angled bracket which may not use the same holes I just drilled, is this something people run into? I'm thinking my best option is the adjustable trackbar to start, if I have other plans later I can always sell it.
 
Just commit to the double cardan rear drive shaft and everything else that accompanies it. 33s ought to have about 4" of spring lift. The rubicon's short stock rear drive shaft starts having trouble around 2.5-3".
 
So it looks like the Currie rear trackbars are all the same with different sized joints depending on application, is this correct? If so getting the one made for stock brackets may be the way to go as it could be modified in the future if needed.
 
Rough Country products are kind of frowned upon over here, but their TB is a solid piece, has factory style rubber bushings at both ends, and a hand dandy adjusting sleeve to make centering the axle super simple. The relocation bracket does serve an additional purpose of correcting the TB's vertical geometry after a lift. If you decide to TT, then you won't have much choice but to use the angled bracket in order for the TB to clear the gas tank skid.
 
Thanks this is good info. Is there an issue with a 2” lift and not using a bracket to raise the TB up (still using an adjustable TB)? I assume it may limit some flex? Would it affect on road behavior?
 
cdubculvy said:
Thanks this is good info. Is there an issue with a 2” lift and not using a bracket to raise the TB up (still using an adjustable TB)? I assume it may limit some flex? Would it affect on road behavior?
Click to expand...

With a small lift such as a 2" lift, I would think the geometry change in the TB would be negligible and not cause any strange handling characteristics, but I've never tried it, so I can't give you any real world advice concerning that setup.
I would, however, suggest you do a MML/BL if you decide on the smaller 2" lift. You will want to try to recover at least 4" of up travel. That will be a bit harder to do on a smaller lift and 33's.
 
Thanks again. I'll look into the rough country. The BL and MML will be in my back pocket if needed. Going to see how it does (looks and vibes) with the 2" and maybe some small pucks and go from there.

Would still love to hear from someone directly who's done a 3" SL or 2" SL plus 1" slight tummy tuck to see just how much pinion angle was needed and what they had to do about it.
 
I have a 3" SL and a 1" TT. I had to use the angled tb relocation bracket to keep the tb from hitting gas tank skid. Had to raise the pinion angle to 14* to match the drive shaft. Also had to cut the lower spring perch to keep the rear shocks from hitting them.
 
To add, I had to increase the rear bump stop extensions to 1.5" to keep the relocation bracket from hitting the bottom of the tub.
 
bobthetj03 said:
To add, I had to increase the rear bump stop extensions to 1.5" to keep the relocation bracket from hitting the bottom of the tub.
Click to expand...

How curved are your rear springs and does this affect your road manners?

Would you have been able to avoid cutting spring perches if you used relocation brackets for the shocks?

No issues with the exhaust?
 
cdubculvy said:
How curved are your rear springs and does this affect your road manners?

Would you have been able to avoid cutting spring perches if you used relocation brackets for the shocks?

No issues with the exhaust?
Click to expand...

My rear springs are slightly curved. I've been running them that way for years, but couldn't honestly tell you if it has harmed my road manners. My rig handles pretty good for my tastes, and I daily mine to work almost every day. I'm running a combination of OME 2" springs and 1" coil spacers to net 3" SL. Relocation brackets for the shocks is one way to gain the clearance, but it reduces shock travel by using them.
 
bobthetj03 said:
My rear springs are slightly curved. I've been running them that way for years, but couldn't honestly tell you if it has harmed my road manners. My rig handles pretty good for my tastes, and I daily mine to work almost every day. I'm running a combination of OME 2" springs and 1" coil spacers to net 3" SL. Relocation brackets for the shocks is one way to gain the clearance, but it reduces shock travel by using them.
Click to expand...

Thanks, you’ve been helpful!
 
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The curved springs in and of themselves is not a problem. There is no reason to specifically fix that.

The problem to fix is when the pinion needs to be raised to the extent that the bump stops no longer line up well enough to do their job. That is when the spring seats ought to be moved.
 
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