Which adjustable front track bar should I buy?

Rubisohoe

Rubisohoe

TJ Enthusiast
Joined
Dec 10, 2019
Messages
179
Location
Myrtle Beach
Pretty much the last thing I need to do to have everything adjustable. Most everything I have now is jks and teraflex. Was going to buy the jks front track bar, but if I can get a cheaper track bar for less that's just as good, I'd rather save the money.

I'm looking at rusty's with the factory style moog joint or the Rubicon Express with helm joint. Both are priced the same and are $100 less than the jks.

Your opinions are greatly appreciated!

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Went with the rusty's bar. I like the factory style and how easy it will be to replace the bushings and tie rod ends with standard moog parts. Plus, I already run a rusty's long arm on my xj and have had a good experience with the brand.
My axle is about 1/4"-3/8" over to the drivers side..
 
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jjvw said:
Heim joints in the horizontal position collect dust and grit. Then they wear out. It's the wrong joint for that location.
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^ This. They don’t have much, if any, protection from dust and dirt. The heim on my RE track bar wore out and started clunking over time. Chased that sound for about a month because I couldn’t duplicate it.
 
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ranger101 said:
^ This. They don’t have much, if any, protection from dust and dirt. The heim on my RE track bar wore out and started clunking over time. Chased that sound for about a month because I couldn’t duplicate it.
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Metalcloak, too.
 
Just wanted to follow up.. So far no clearance issues, the quality is very good, took 3 times to get it dialed in.

Now I just have to go back to the alignment thread to freshen up on how to line up a tj. Only thing I noticed was the steering wheel moved a little, maybe toe needs to be looked at?

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It looks like you have a small scuff on the top of that ARB diff cover. I would look for paint transfer to the Rusty trackbar. ARB diff covers have been known to stick out significantly farther than stock and contact the trackbar.
 
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afusco1222 said:
It looks like you have a small scuff on the top of that ARB diff cover. I would look for paint transfer to the Rusty trackbar. ARB diff covers have been known to stick out significantly farther than stock and contact the trackbar.
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Thanks, I'll have to check it out. I have a forklift at the shop I can cycle the suspension to verify as well.
 
Rubisohoe said:
Thanks, I'll have to check it out. I have a forklift at the shop I can cycle the suspension to verify as well.
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Forklift won't show you the interference. The springs need to come out and the axles fully cycled with a floor jack.
 
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jjvw said:
Forklift won't show you the interference. The springs need to come out and the axles fully cycled with a floor jack.
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This is the correct way.

A less accurate, but easy first step is to have someone jump on the bumper while you watch the trackbar hit your diff cover. If its really bad, like my Rancho, it will hit the diff cover just by someone bouncing on the Jeep. But that will not give conclusive results if it clears. A better and more accurate way to check is to pull the springs as stated above.
 
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jjvw said:
Forklift won't show you the interference. The springs need to come out and the axles fully cycled with a floor jack.
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Well damn! I figured if I drove the jeep on the forks, I could lift each tire up till it bottoms out. But I think I know what you're saying with the floor Jack's. I need to drop one side and raise the other back and forth to see everything.

I'll have to add that to the list of weekend projects that seem to be growing faster than i can knock them out.
 
Fargo said:
This is the correct way.

A less accurate, but easy first step is to have someone jump on the bumper while you watch the trackbar hit your diff cover. If its really bad, like my Rancho, it will hit the diff cover just by someone bouncing on the Jeep. But that will not give conclusive results if it clears. A better and more accurate way to check is to pull the springs as stated above.
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That's good to know, I looked closely at the Rancho as well. Its very similar in design.
 
I loved the Rancho bar. It was stout and the D2 bushings were nice and tight. The Jeep felt great driving it. But I would need nearly 4" of bumpstop to clear my dana 44. It was terrible clearance.
 
Rubisohoe said:
Well damn! I figured if I drove the jeep on the forks, I could lift each tire up till it bottoms out. But I think I know what you're saying with the floor Jack's. I need to drop one side and raise the other back and forth to see everything.

I'll have to add that to the list of weekend projects that seem to be growing faster than i can knock them out.
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No. You need to raise the entire axle as high as it will go. Imagine hitting a speed bump.

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