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Drop Pitman Arm with Adjustable track bar

10K views 33 replies 7 participants last post by  Pressurized 
#1 ·
I know this has been discussed alot and Ive done many searches on it but still have questions. I recently bought an 08 Jk with a brand new RC 4" lift installed by the car lot. I wish I would have known more about lift brands before purchasing this Jeep but it is what it is. Ok first off this lift is obviously junk. After 6 months my front springs have sagged significantly from a bumper and winch I added. Not to mention it handles and rides horribly. But the idiots who put the lift on did not install the front track bar relocation bracket, cam bolts (prob a good thing) or rear coil correction cups. My plan now is to basically build my own lift kit one part at a time using mostly RE parts. Ive already ordered lower control arm relocation brackets to help get my caster close to normal. But now Im looking at an RE adjustable track bar, hoping it will help with a small wobble I have over bumps. My question is when I install this new track bar do I need to install a stock pitman arm or leave the drop pitman arm on?


Steven Avery did it.
 
#2 ·
Nice Hatebreed reference.

Don't mention the word "car" around here

If your from where hatebreed is from I have a track bar if needed.

Scott Tadych did it


***Oh and to answer: "My question is when I install this new track bar do I need to install a stock pitman arm or leave the drop pitman arm on?"

I have no clue, but these guy will. 3....2.....1
 
#10 ·
Ok I get what you and pressurized are saying. Could I run a drag link flip, adjustable track bar and no drop pitman arm? Now the rear stuff is new to me. I didnt know I had to fool much with the rear as far as trac bar goes. My first steps will be on the front, trying to work out the bumpsteer, slight wobble on big bumps and left to right wandering, and just getting better quality parts than this RC junk. I dont have much funds. But I can buy a part or so every couple of weeks maybe. I am about to sell my old 33s for about 500 and was hoping to buy some parts with that. The coils and shocks will be the last I replace. By the way I plan on going 3.5" RE coils. I like the height its at, which is prob about 3.5 maybe less with this coil spring sag.
 
#8 ·
How high are you going to go once you "rebuild" your lift? At 3.5 and above, steering correction can make a big difference in how your Jeep drives. That means both drag link and track bar are relocated. It sounds like you have the drop pitman without the track bar relocation, that is BAD news! Although, I would rather have a drag link flip than the drop pitman.

If you are going to "piece" it together, look around there are some better and more economical pieces... Such as the Superlift track bars. The Dual Durometer joints are much better than the RE joints.

Superlift Suspension 5770 - Superlift Re-Flex Adjustable Front Track Bar for 07-16 Jeep® Wrangler & Wrangler Unlimited JK with 2-6" Lift - Quadratec

Good luck!
 
#11 ·
How high are you going to go once you "rebuild" your lift? At 3.5 and above, steering correction can make a big difference in how your Jeep drives. That means both drag link and track bar are relocated. It sounds like you have the drop pitman without the track bar relocation, that is BAD news! Although, I would rather have a drag link flip than the drop pitman.

If you are going to "piece" it together, look around there are some better and more economical pieces... Such as the Superlift track bars. The Dual Durometer joints are much better than the RE joints.

Superlift Suspension 5770 - Superlift Re-Flex Adjustable Front Track Bar for 07-16 Jeep[emoji768] Wrangler & Wrangler Unlimited JK with 2-6" Lift - Quadratec

Good luck!


So should I go with the track bar relocation and leave the drop pitman or ditch the pitman for a stock one and just run the adjustable track bar. Will the adjustable track bar work well alone or do I also need a drag link flip kit to go alongside the new track bar as well?
 
#12 ·
Drop pitman on a JK is bad juju. The proper steering "correction" methid is to raise the axle side mounting point (via a bracket kit, bolt on or weld on) and flip the drag link mounting at the passenger side knuckle to the top side of the arm using a replacement drag link. The latter can be anything from a stock RHD JK drag link flipped or a dedicated kit. You've gotten enough of an earful about RC, I'll let that dog lie.
 
#13 ·
Yes STOCK pitman arm.

Popular choices
-AEV steering correction (uses stock RHD drag link.
-EVO (uses stock RHD drag link)
-Synergy manufacturing
All 3 require reaming or drilling the passenger knuckle to mount the drag link on top.
- SteerSmarts Yeti (drag link only)
Add Synergy's track bar bracket and swaybar relo tab (drivers side)
The Yeti does not require the knuckle drilled.

Yeti w/ Artec weld on Raised TB bracket
 

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#16 ·
You can go with just the adjustable track bar, but at that height, you will probably experience a little bump steer. But you can try it and see...
 
#17 ·
Same issue here. Just bought a 2008 off a dealer lot that looks pretty but has the RC suspension. Didn't do my homework on the RC crap, but the deal was too good to pass up even with the suspension. It had a new top, wheels and tires (although they're cheapies, too.) At least it's a new kit and appears to have new control arms and a lot of other things that don't come with the lower-level RC kits.

I'm a newbie to anything beyond an old crappy body lift kit I had to remove on a 1991 YJ I owned about 10 years ago. So this will be a learning experience, or I'll be dropping some cash at the local off-road shop.

Honestly, the Jeep doesn't drive that bad, but I think it's only because the kit is new and hasn't had a chance to really throw everything off kilter just yet. I do get some steering wander, but not enough to scare me yet. I'm definitely looking at the above recommendations to trash the drop pitman arm and try something different to tighten things up. I'm not too concerned with extreme off-road capabilities, but I'd like it to still be usable but still highway drivable.
 
#18 ·
Get an alignment done and post the results here... Are the arms adjustable? If it's got a little wander, it probably needs a little more caster.
 
#20 ·
So far I have added a RE adjustable track bar and a front end alignment. These two seemed to help but now its like everything is back to normal. Slight wobble on large bumps and the wandering. All bolts have been torqued to spec. Guess its time to do something about the pitman arm/steering and check CA bushings. I bought some RE control arm brackets, just havent had the time to put them on. Hopefully that will help with the wandering and ride quality. kdubSC be prepared to lose about a half inch or more due to spring sag with the RC coils. Especially if you are running an aftermarket bumper and winch up front. Mine started sagging after about 3 months of buying the jeep with the new lift on.


Steven Avery did it.
 
#22 ·
No plans to load up a winch or heavy bumper, so hopefully the sag won't set in too early. I may take mine by a shop and play dumb (not hard for me to do in this case) and see what they think. If they don't laugh me out of there because of the RC suspension.

The dealership didn't add the lift kit, so I'm not sure how long it's been installed. It looks brand new, but the previous owner only put 4,000 miles on the Jeep since 2011. Aside from it not sagging yet, the lift kit could've been installed for that long if it sat in the garage. It doesn't look like the most recent owner drove it much. Now, the first owner is a different story. I can tell they liked a little rock climbing. I'm thinking they probably had a nicer lift on it, or none at all, and the second owner just wanted the "look".
 

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#33 ·
I had a few minutes this afternoon so I got under the front end and looked around. The main thing I saw was the passenger side tie rod bracket for the steering stabilizer was a bit cockeyed. I loosened it up and straightened it, then tightened it up pretty good. Drove it a few miles and may be the placebo effect, but it seemed to steer better.

If nothing else, it indicates the stabilizer isn't working the wonders they advertise. May be worth the $70 to go back to "stock".
 
#34 ·
I had a Rubicon Express stabilizer that I replaced with a Bilstein... The RE was super stiff and that basically overrides the caster's self centering effect. When turning a corner, I would have to steer it back straight a little... It was too slow to do it on it's own. So while it didn't cause a wander per se, if the wheel was a little left, the Jeep went left, if it was a little right, it went right. While it probably isn't what you are dealing with, it shows that the stabilizer can effect the drive a bit.
 
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