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Rusty's Tie rod...

18K views 46 replies 18 participants last post by  SirGeorgeKillian 
#1 ·
Anyone use it? Is it any good? My old stock one looks like a pretzel...well it did until I straightened it the best I could.
$100 for a HD replacement seems pretty damn good.
 
#4 ·
I almost bought that, but I read a couple things about it being hard to align and that the TREs wore out pretty quick. What I decided to go with was a tie rod replacement by Iron Rock Offroad. It beefs up the rod, and uses stock TREs. If I ever have an issue with breaking a TRE, I may drill out the ends and tap them for some larger TREs.
 
#43 ·
This what I am talking about.

Description: The Currie Currectlync® heavy duty tie rod and drag link system for TJ, LJ, XJ, and MJ vehicles features, a 1 ¼" diameter forged alloy drag link, and 1 ¼" solid alloy steel tie rod bar that is bored and threaded on the ends. All 7/8" thread tie rod ends with boots are included as well as the Currie heavy duty steering stabilizer bracket. This unit is a direct replacement for the stock parts. No modifications or machining to any part of the vehicle is necessary (on vehicles with no lift, 2 of the tie rod ends must be trimmed to achieve proper adjustment). This unit is rated at 200% stronger than the stock components.
 
#23 ·
on their website they list:
MOOG part # ES3095R
MOOG part # ES3094L

Those are the stock tie-rod end PN's.
MOOG-ES3094L Outer Tie Rod End - Driver Side - 4.0L Made By MOOG
Looks at the pictures, the TRE's are stock.

Which is why I asked - if it uses the stock tie-rod ends, with just a beefy bar in between them, is it really an upgrade?

A solid rod is weaker than a tube...
This is a very misleading statement because its flat wrong. All other things being equal, solid is stronger than tube. As wall thickness of a tube increases, the strength increases...until you reach a solid rod. The benefit of tube over solid is weight. As you approach the center of the cross section of a rod (a circle), the stress the material takes approaches zero at center. This is why eliminating the center section of a solid rod, and making it a tube does not greatly affect its strength, but greatly reduces the weight. But solid is always stronger, all other things being equal. Thats high school physics, nothing fancy.
 
#8 ·
ZJ upgrade is ~$110 total using all MOOG parts. Solid bar tie rod & larger heavy duty (for a wrangler) TRE's

Cost examples, all from Amazon (free shipping, no tax)
Moog DS1312 Steering Center Link Tie Rod End - $58.75
Moog ES2079S Steering Center Link Tie Rod End - $21.06
Moog ES3096L Steering Center Link Tie Rod End - $31.72
Total= $111.53

I know the description is all the same on their site, but you have a standard TRE, an adjusting sleave, and another TRE that is also the tie rod part.
 
#10 ·
The reason I like the ZJ tie rod is because of the bend in it. It creates more clearance between the tie rod and the diff cover, as well as the trac bar upper mount. The Rusty's bar will be approx 3/8" closer to everything else. I don't have a measurement of the ZJ tie rod right now, but I think it's close to an inch.
 
#12 ·
I put that one on last year after bending the stock rod. Works great and held up well so far. Just remember to get the alignment done afterwards

First pic is the rustys rod next to the stock one. The next is the rod on the jeep, also bought their steering stabilizer while i was at it.
 

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#15 ·
The Rusty's looks pretty sturdy. Do they sell the drag link as well? Where are the Rusty's parts made? Thank you.

QUOTE=Mike_3303;1222085]I put that one on last year after bending the stock rod. Works great and held up well so far. Just remember to get the alignment done afterwards

First pic is the rustys rod next to the stock one. The next is the rod on the jeep, also bought their steering stabilizer while i was at it.[/QUOTE]
 
#17 ·
So if I missed it correct me. The zj tie rod is a direct swap into the Tj? Also the drag link is the same on the tj and zj? No additional parts are needed for the swap unless I was to flip the zj tierod to make it higher? Just tryin to get things straight in my head Haha .
 
#19 ·
The rods they bend are just mild steel also, not heat treated hardened steel. The point of the ZJ upgrade is just that it is cheap and easy bolt on - and you have to agree, it is still way stronger then the stock TJ tie rod that you can grab and bow with ease. :)
 
#25 ·
Solid is NOT always stronger....the ONLY way a solid is stronger is if said rod in both cases is made of the same material and same diameter. But, if the hollow rod is made of the same material and weighs the same, it is stronger. There's your college physics for ya bud :)
What is this magical material you speak of that weighs exactly the same whether its a tube of diameter X or a solid rod of diameter X, both of length Y?

Like I said solid is always stronger, all things being equal. You said tube is stronger, which is completely wrong.
 
#27 ·
if they weigh the same, the tube is stronger because in order for the tube to weigh the same it will have to be larger diameter.
But earlier you said tube is always stronger? Now you're saying its stronger if you increase the diameter. By how much?

Thank you for proving my point...solid is stronger than tube - always - all other things being equal.

And physics aside, I have seen WAY more solid tierods bend than DOM ones....could be the junk material they are cast from I dunno.
DOM is stronger due to manufacturering processes, even if it is the same steel used in a solid rod of the same diameter. At that point, it's basically a different material, and the solid isn't the same as the tube.

Btw, I've had really good luck with my solid ZJ V8 tie-rod. And I know several others have had good luck with theirs, up to 35" tires, with some pretty serious wheeling. My point being, I wouldn't prefer a Rusty's tie-rod with stock ends over a V8 ZJ tie-rod with 22mm ends. And the V8 ZJ tie-rod runs about $60-70 from the local parts store.
 
#30 ·
i think 95-98 v8's , and alot of guys that do this mod also use a curry drag link to compliment the sturdy zj tie rod. with the otk adapter you get nearly a perfect end on the zj tie rod, since you are mounting it 180degrees(passenger side on drivers etc.) from how it comes on the zj.
 
#35 ·
Which set up has heavy duty tie rod ends? Is there a Moog ZJ set up with heavy duty ends? Last time I checked Amazon, the parts, including the drag link, were about $260. I believe that includes the connecting sleeves as well. Moog parts have a lifetime warranty, but you have to return the parts at the retail store. I called Moog and they didn't have Amazon listed as a vendor. I called Amazon and they stated that they would honor the warranty, but it would be a hassle to send the part in and wait for the replacement part; however, it might be worth the savings of around $100. O'reilly's won't match Amazon's prices, and they and Napa are the only ones who sell Moog in my area. What about the Crown HD Steering Kit? The only negatives I've read are the cheap nuts and bolts and dust boots. According to Crown, the kit is either made in the U.S.A., Israel, or Taiwan.
 
#36 ·
Which set up has heavy duty tie rod ends? Is there a Moog ZJ set up with heavy duty ends? Last time I checked Amazon, the parts, including the drag link, were about $260. I believe that includes the connecting sleeves as well. Moog parts have a lifetime warranty, but you have to return the parts at the retail store. I called Moog and they didn't have Amazon listed as a vendor. I called Amazon and they stated that they would honor the warranty, but it would be a hassle to send the part in and wait for the replacement part; however, it might be worth the savings of around $100. O'reilly's won't match Amazon's prices, and they and Napa are the only ones who sell Moog in my area. What about the Crown HD Steering Kit? The only negatives I've read are the cheap nuts and bolts and dust boots. According to Crown, the kit is either made in the U.S.A., Israel, or Taiwan.
For the tie-rod only, I've found $60-70 at local auto parts store...you need to shop around & price match where necessary...or use RockAuto.com.

ZJ Tie Rod Conversion

Stock vs. v8 ZJ


V8 ZJ end is about 35% bigger...

If you add a new stock drag link in, the price will be higher obviously...the Crown HD system is just a stock XJ/ZJ/TJ drag link with a V8 ZJ tie-rod...and the price isn't bad for all you get in one package.
 
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