Synergy Sector Shaft Brace

pastorwug

New member
Anyone install the Synergy Sector Shaft Brace & Track bar brace?
After the carnage on Cadillac Hill this month (Professionaldriver) I was told about this and was wondering if it works as advertised.
Synergy says that it doesn't work with the OEM track bar and requires their track bar as well.

Ideas and opinions?


PPM-8069-200.jpg
Synergy Jeep JK Front Track Bar & Sector Shaft Brace Kit

(1) PPM-8069-01 - Front Track Bar Brace
(1) PPM-8069-02 - Sector Shaft Brace

PPM-8069-01 - Front Track Bar Brace:

Bracket designed to distribute the increased load the track bar bracket encounters on a lifted Jeep
Added track bar bracket thickness prevents the track bar bolt from ovalizing out the stock mount
Bolt on fix for those who already have an ovalized track bar bracket bolt hole
Laser cut and CNC bent from 3/16" high strength steel
Grey powder coat finish for maximum corrosion resistance
Bolt on installation

Sector Shaft Brace:

Modular bracket designed to work in conjunction with PPM-8069-01 Front Track Bar Brace to eliminate drivers side frame flexing and sector shaft deflection.
Integrated bracket design adds strength to both the factory track bar bracket and factory steering box.
Laser cut and CNC bent from 3/16" high strength steel
Grey powder coat finish for maximum corrosion resistance.
High quality grease able bearing
Bolt on installation

IMPORTANT: The PPM-8069 Synergy Jeep JK Front Track Bar & Sector Shaft Brace Kit is ONLY compatible with the 8075 Synergy Jeep JK Adjustable Front Track Bar. Synergy does not guarantee compatibility with any other track bar including the factory OEM trackbar.

:thinking:
 

RanchoRubi

Caught the Bug
It's more money, but since your running 37s, you really would be better off getting psc ram assist.
It will make your steering easier and it takes a significant amount of load off the sector shaft.
 

Sharkey

Word Ninja
It's more money, but since your running 37s, you really would be better off getting psc ram assist.
It will make your steering easier and it takes a significant amount of load off the sector shaft.

^^This. Don't waste your money Pastor. Save up for the ram and do it right.
 

kyleolson

New member
Wug...

I did I mine for a little added strength, because I knew it was going to be a bit for PSC. I did it with my FT track bar and not theirs.
 
Last edited:

tuna

New member
I have done this. I did it with the Synergy track bar because the old one I had didn't clear the new sector shaft bolt which hangs lower with the brace. That should be the only clearance issue requiring the use of their track bar. RSP also make sector shaft braces, but I don't hear about those being installed as commonly as the Synergy.

I'd love a PSC but I also needed to spend that money in other areas of the Jeep first, so the sector shaft brace was my compromise :)
 
Last edited:

Sharkey

Word Ninja
Wug...

I did I mine for a little added strength, because I knew it was going to be a bit for PSC. I did it with my FT track bar and not theirs.

Lol. I'm either seeing things or you just fixed a typo from mug to wug. I do that kind of stuff all the time...fat fingers, skinny phone buttons.
 

JKbrick

Active Member
Have considered doing the piece that bolts to the frame to strengthen the mount but have been told not to spend the $ on the sector shaft part when I asked
 

pastorwug

New member
Lol. I'm either seeing things or you just fixed a typo from mug to wug. I do that kind of stuff all the time...fat fingers, skinny phone buttons.

I've been called a mug many times - thanks all for your input!

Mug - Wug :clap2:
 

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
A sector shaft brace will NOT prevent the break you saw on Brian's Jeep. But, it's your money and really, what do I know.
 

David1tontj

New member
A sector shaft brace will NOT prevent the break you saw on Brian's Jeep. But, it's your money and really, what do I know.

Were you running PSC when you broke your sector shaft Eddie? What's the best thing to do to prevent it? Or is it just a fluke thing and you need to carry a spare?

I imagine a hydro assist of any kind helps quite a bit, but is it just something that still happens no matter what you do?


My ride- 2001 power wheel, 11" plastic tires, upgraded battery, boat sides, custom bumpers, tow hooks, new paint.
 

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
Were you running PSC when you broke your sector shaft Eddie? What's the best thing to do to prevent it? Or is it just a fluke thing and you need to carry a spare?

I imagine a hydro assist of any kind helps quite a bit, but is it just something that still happens no matter what you do?


My ride- 2001 power wheel, 11" plastic tires, upgraded battery, boat sides, custom bumpers, tow hooks, new paint.

Yes, I was running a PSC when mine broke but in all fairness, I already knew it was going to break sooner or later due to a massive hit to the driver side wheel when I was wheeling in Red Bird Indiana and then again a week later again at Hal John South Dakota. Nothing short of a ram assist will really help prevent it but really, if you play hard enough - everything breaks.
 
So after the sector shaft break on my jeep, I've spent a lot of time researching steering boxes, hydraulic ram assist, spare sector shafts, etc. Here is what I've discovered thus far...

Best thing you can do to alleviate the stress on your sector shaft is have hydraulically assisted steering.

If you own a 2007-Mid 2009 JK or JKU, you have a steering box that was manufactured by Delphi. These boxes were made in a few different countries. An easy way to identify these boxes is they're typically not painted, unless you've got a remanufactured box which were sometimes painted black. Some boxes were also cast with Delphi in the side of them. There are spare sector shafts available for these boxes (~$150). There are also rebuild kits available for these boxes.

If you own a Mid-2009+ JK or JKU, you have a steering box manufactured by Nexsteer. This box was made in China and are painted black with no castings on the side of the box. These boxes vary slightly in design from the Delphi boxes. The sector shafts are not interchangeable (as we found out on the Rubicon a few weeks back) and there are no replacements available. So you would be stuck carrying a spare steering box as a trail spare (~$871 w/ dealer core charge). I've heard that you can find them online for a little less, but haven't verified that.

The consensus is, the boxes are interchangeable, but the parts are not.

What I plan to do is locate a Delphi box and have that sent in to PSC to be ported for hydro-assist. This will give me the option of carrying a spare sector shaft, instead of a complete box. So if anybody is looking for a couple of Nexsteer boxes, I know where you can find them. ;)
 
So after the sector shaft break on my jeep, I've spent a lot of time researching steering boxes, hydraulic ram assist, spare sector shafts, etc. Here is what I've discovered thus far...

Best thing you can do to alleviate the stress on your sector shaft is have hydraulically assisted steering.

If you own a 2007-Mid 2009 JK or JKU, you have a steering box that was manufactured by Delphi. These boxes were made in a few different countries. An easy way to identify these boxes is they're typically not painted, unless you've got a remanufactured box which were sometimes painted black. Some boxes were also cast with Delphi in the side of them. There are spare sector shafts available for these boxes (~$150). There are also rebuild kits available for these boxes.

If you own a Mid-2009+ JK or JKU, you have a steering box manufactured by Nexsteer. This box was made in China and are painted black with no castings on the side of the box. These boxes vary slightly in design from the Delphi boxes. The sector shafts are not interchangeable (as we found out on the Rubicon a few weeks back) and there are no replacements available. So you would be stuck carrying a spare steering box as a trail spare (~$871 w/ dealer core charge). I've heard that you can find them online for a little less, but haven't verified that.

The consensus is, the boxes are interchangeable, but the parts are not.

What I plan to do is locate a Delphi box and have that sent in to PSC to be ported for hydro-assist. This will give me the option of carrying a spare sector shaft, instead of a complete box. So if anybody is looking for a couple of Nexsteer boxes, I know where you can find them. ;)

What boxes does PSC use with their complete kit then? When I installed my hydro kit I opted to just buy their box rather than send mine to them and I have heard somewhere that the boxes they use have better/stronger sector shafts in them.
 
What boxes does PSC use with their complete kit then? When I installed my hydro kit I opted to just buy their box rather than send mine to them and I have heard somewhere that the boxes they use have better/stronger sector shafts in them.

Too be honest with you, I'm not sure--I did not ask that question. I will call tomorrow and relay their response.

Anyone else know??
 

David1tontj

New member
Yes, I was running a PSC when mine broke but in all fairness, I already knew it was going to break sooner or later due to a massive hit to the driver side wheel when I was wheeling in Red Bird Indiana and then again a week later again at Hal John South Dakota. Nothing short of a ram assist will really help prevent it but really, if you play hard enough - everything breaks.

So it's not necessarily the setup, more the accidental ramming of a rock that could stress it enough to break. That makes sense as to how I broke mine on my fj40.

And I know stuff will break if you play hard enough- I know a guy who broke a front 60 shaft on the rubicon a couple weeks ago! 😁. Now I'll see if I can do the same with chromoly.


My ride- 2001 power wheel, 11" plastic tires, upgraded battery, boat sides, custom bumpers, tow hooks, new paint.
 
I have this sector shaft brace and while it is a nice piece there are some issues with it. First, I had to extent the flat on the frame side of the swaybar to clear it. Second, by spring rubs it pretty hard at full stuff and there really isn't much I can do about it. I did a little smoothing on the bracket but it still rubs...

I am running this as a stopgap to adding hyro assist. As soon as I can figure out what one, and what all I NEED, I will be ordering something. I added it because the likelihood of a front wheel knock is good when wheeling near home. The hills get VERY greasy and require far more wheel speed than I would like. Often your best traction is near trees and is found in the root ball so smacking the tree is common. (It's just the way it is in the Ohio River Valley.)

If you play in the rocks, or like to make tight technical moves and you're running more than 35s. You will eventually want the help in steering anyway. So if you can afford it just go for the hydro assist. Just my :twocents:
 

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
So after the sector shaft break on my jeep, I've spent a lot of time researching steering boxes, hydraulic ram assist, spare sector shafts, etc. Here is what I've discovered thus far...

Best thing you can do to alleviate the stress on your sector shaft is have hydraulically assisted steering.

If you own a 2007-Mid 2009 JK or JKU, you have a steering box that was manufactured by Delphi. These boxes were made in a few different countries. An easy way to identify these boxes is they're typically not painted, unless you've got a remanufactured box which were sometimes painted black. Some boxes were also cast with Delphi in the side of them. There are spare sector shafts available for these boxes (~$150). There are also rebuild kits available for these boxes.

If you own a Mid-2009+ JK or JKU, you have a steering box manufactured by Nexsteer. This box was made in China and are painted black with no castings on the side of the box. These boxes vary slightly in design from the Delphi boxes. The sector shafts are not interchangeable (as we found out on the Rubicon a few weeks back) and there are no replacements available. So you would be stuck carrying a spare steering box as a trail spare (~$871 w/ dealer core charge). I've heard that you can find them online for a little less, but haven't verified that.

The consensus is, the boxes are interchangeable, but the parts are not.

What I plan to do is locate a Delphi box and have that sent in to PSC to be ported for hydro-assist. This will give me the option of carrying a spare sector shaft, instead of a complete box. So if anybody is looking for a couple of Nexsteer boxes, I know where you can find them. ;)

Looks like someones been doing their homework. Funny how the Chinabox costs way more than a Delphi too. :rolleyes2:

What boxes does PSC use with their complete kit then? When I installed my hydro kit I opted to just buy their box rather than send mine to them and I have heard somewhere that the boxes they use have better/stronger sector shafts in them.

If you buy a new box with their kit, you will get a Delphi.
 

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
So it's not necessarily the setup, more the accidental ramming of a rock that could stress it enough to break. That makes sense as to how I broke mine on my fj40.

And I know stuff will break if you play hard enough- I know a guy who broke a front 60 shaft on the rubicon a couple weeks ago! . Now I'll see if I can do the same with chromoly.

LOL!! Yup, that's about right. Sector shaft braces on JK's are like aftermarket skid plates. Back in the day when earlier Jeeps had their steering boxes mounted onto flimsy frames, a brace was desirable to have as they helped to prevent slop or from having the box tear off the frame. Ask me how I know. Today, the JK frame is really beefy and very ridged and the mounting point very secure. There no longer is a need for a brace but people still think they need one.
 
Top Bottom