New drive shafts?

SD_JKU

SD_JKU

New member
I'm sorry for the neub question but I am finding lots of information that seems to conflict.

Looking to lift my new 16' sport JKU and I've pretty much decided on a three inch lift and 33 or 34" tires. It's a daily driver with a 50 mile round trip commute four days a week. With some, days off / vacation trail riding, camping, exploring. I'm not into rock crawling but I'd like be able to clear some higher obstacles on the trails.

Most manufacturers list their and at the bottom of the description page they say something like "we recommend new driveshafts".

I've noticed two reasons for the drive shaft replacement issue... Exhaust pipe clearance and geometry issues for the change in height. Many people say it's not an issue. They put a spacer in the exhaust pipe area or some thing like that and as far as the geometry goes I keep hearing "I've had my lift for a year and have had no issues."

My questions are. Why do the manufacturers recommend a new shaft? What does a new shaft do for you? Seems the angle is still the same and that still causes strain on the u-joint.

Thanks for your input.

-- Ben
 
Mike_JK_Houston_711

Mike_JK_Houston_711

New member
i recently got a lot of good feedback on WAL on replacing my front driveshaft as i just went to a 3.5" RK lift. if you lift 3" or higher, it changes the angle the jku's front enough to put extra pressure on the boot of the driveshaft. additionally, as you stated, it creates clearance issues with your exhaust and can cause it to make contact. both of these will cause your driveshaft to fail at some point. an aftermarket driveshaft like je reel for example, is stronger (longer in length I believe), and more narrow which causes the exhaust to be a non-issue. sorry, i'm not very technical and just learned a lot of this in the last week or so. hope this helps!
 
cozdude

cozdude

Guy with a Red 2-Door
SD_JKU said:
I'm sorry for the neub question but I am finding lots of information that seems to conflict.

Looking to lift my new 16' sport JKU and I've pretty much decided on a three inch lift and 33 or 34" tires. It's a daily driver with a 50 mile round trip commute four days a week. With some, days off / vacation trail riding, camping, exploring. I'm not into rock crawling but I'd like be able to clear some higher obstacles on the trails.

Most manufacturers list their and at the bottom of the description page they say something like "we recommend new driveshafts".

I've noticed two reasons for the drive shaft replacement issue... Exhaust pipe clearance and geometry issues for the change in height. Many people say it's not an issue. They put a spacer in the exhaust pipe area or some thing like that and as far as the geometry goes I keep hearing "I've had my lift for a year and have had no issues."

My questions are. Why do the manufacturers recommend a new shaft? What does a new shaft do for you? Seems the angle is still the same and that still causes strain on the u-joint.

Thanks for your input.

-- Ben
Click to expand...

Holy shit! 3" of lift is a lot for just 33" tires. Save your money and just do a leveling kit from Evo or even a spacer lift from Daystar if you want to only do 33's.
 
DWiggles

DWiggles

Caught the Bug
SD_JKU said:
I'm sorry for the neub question but I am finding lots of information that seems to conflict.

Looking to lift my new 16' sport JKU and I've pretty much decided on a three inch lift and 33 or 34" tires. It's a daily driver with a 50 mile round trip commute four days a week. With some, days off / vacation trail riding, camping, exploring. I'm not into rock crawling but I'd like be able to clear some higher obstacles on the trails.

Most manufacturers list their and at the bottom of the description page they say something like "we recommend new driveshafts".

I've noticed two reasons for the drive shaft replacement issue... Exhaust pipe clearance and geometry issues for the change in height. Many people say it's not an issue. They put a spacer in the exhaust pipe area or some thing like that and as far as the geometry goes I keep hearing "I've had my lift for a year and have had no issues."

My questions are. Why do the manufacturers recommend a new shaft? What does a new shaft do for you? Seems the angle is still the same and that still causes strain on the u-joint.

Thanks for your input.

-- Ben
Click to expand...

the reasons for a new shaft are exactly as yous stated. If you lift the vehicle 2.5" or more, when the axle droops, the boot will come in contact with the exhaust crossover, tearing the boot. once the boot is ripped, this will lead to premature shaft failure FIRST... so you install your exhaust spacer... now the Rzappa Joints are in a constant state of pinch (as they always have been) and WILL fail with time. Sure some people they last a year, but how long they will last with ACTUAL OFFROAD USE is the question.

Sure "I drive my jeep around 5 miles a week for 2 years, and Ive had no problems and no trails" is valid

but I would take the advice of the guys who are doing 10-15k+/year and Wheeling... $0.02
 
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Wethy

Wethy

Member
cozdude said:
Holy shit! 3" of lift is a lot for just 33" tires. Save your money and just do a leveling kit from Evo or even a spacer lift from Daystar if you want to only do 33's.
Click to expand...


This! What I can tell you is I have a 2dr sport with a 2.5" rubicon express lift and I had the sway bars off a short while ago and it was enough to drop the front axle and tear the boot on the Rzeppa joint at the transfer case. My shocks weren't long enough to make contact with the exhaust crossover but the boot still tore. Because the steep angle it had been sitting at for only 8 months and that was the first time I had disconnected the sway bar links offroad. This is what can/will happen

ImageUploadedByWAYALIFE1464979754.555342.jpg

ImageUploadedByWAYALIFE1464979729.174680.jpg
 
SD_JKU

SD_JKU

New member
Thanks all! I am considering a shorter 2.5in lift but I doubt that helps the geometry issue much. As far as 33s go. With the 3.73 gearing I know 35s will just suck up power and gas mileage without giving me much of an advantage.

Ok. New drive shafts. Both? And what exactly changes on the new ones that fixes the geometry issue? The way I see it the axel and diff need to be rotated a few degrees. Obviously I'm missing something... I just want to understand why the fix is the fix.
 
Last edited:
cozdude

cozdude

Guy with a Red 2-Door
SD_JKU said:
Thanks all! I am considering a shorter 2.5in lift but I doubt that helps the geometry issue much.

Ok. New drive shafts. Both? And what exactly changes on the new ones that fixes the geometry issue? The way I see it the axel and diff need to be rotated a few degrees. Obviously I'm missing something... I just want to understand why the fix is the fix.
Click to expand...

If you get a leveling kit you don't need to address the geometry at all. It's a hell of a lot cheaper, get you some lift, and allows the tires you want to run on a budget.
 
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