Real advise on 37's

VeruGE*144 said:
How critical is it to upgrade your ball joints. I am at about 50k mile with about 20k of that with 37's. Still running stock. I just checked today and there isn't any play in any of them, I do have a squeak when turning the steering wheel that has been on and off for last year now, I can't really figure out where its coming from. I have been looking at Prosteer ball joints, are they really that good and supposedly will last forever? I also assume I can take them out and install in new axle when that time comes?
I am planning to gusset the c's in next few weeks, should I just get the ball joints done at the same time? I found a guy that claims he can weld the gussets on without destroying balljoints, and by looking at his own build I really believe that he CAN (NecessaryEvil) !!!!! I don't want to spend money if I don't have to anymore...... please chime in
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Im going prosteer next set....im on my third running 37 inch nittos.

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deezus said:
This. I did gussets and sleeves but no truss as i was advised against it, can remember why, but,at the time reasoning sounded right. Im stati g at 37. Im gonna do RCV shafts and Reid knuckles on my my stock axle because when i go with the prorock44 i can re use them. At least thats my plan now....
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The problem with trusses is that more time than not, installing one ends up BENDING the axle. Fanboys will swear that they had theirs installed right but a lot of honest people will admit that theirs bent after installation. That being said, sleeves are waste of money too especially being that your axle WILL still bend and won't prevent breaks. Trust me, I see it all the time. Not sure why you feel the need for orange knuckles especially being that you WILL still hit your tie rod. You would be better served using that money to buy a heavy duty tie rod that can take a hit. Also, while RCV's are decent shafts, they are far from worth the extreme premium or at least, in my opinion. You'd be better off saving the extra $400 you would have to pay and just get a set of chromoly shafts with full circle clips.

Of course, that's just my opinion.
 
wayoflife said:
Up front, you can pull the broken shaft and still drive assuming you weren't going stupid on the skinny pedal and didn't take out your ball joints. Obviously, it'll be harder to get over obstacles without 4WD but that's why you wheel with friends. In the rear, you're not likely to break a shaft - at least, I haven't seen any break. You are likely to bend a flange but that won't leave you high and dry. If you can only carry one shaft, you should carry a driver side front shaft as it's the most common shaft to break. I don't typically carry rear shafts.
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What would you recommend for tie rod? Any idea how strong the factory rod is? I am assuming I should keep one handy at all times. There is no easy fix for that on the trail other than replacing with new.
 
VeruGE*144 said:
What would you recommend for tie rod? Any idea how strong the factory rod is? I am assuming I should keep one handy at all times. There is no easy fix for that on the trail other than replacing with new.
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The factory tie rod isn't exactly anything to write home about. It won't break but it will bend significantly and to the point where it can be a problem. You can pull it back out with a chain and a slight bump backwards so there's no need to carry a spare. Back at home, you can always straighten it back out on with a cheap Harbor Freight shop press. Trust me, I did this all the time.

If you're looking for a replacement, I personally prefer a Currie tie rod. Of all the ones I have run in the past, it has worked the best for me and it's what I still run on Rubicat.
 
VeruGE*144 said:
What would you recommend for tie rod? Any idea how strong the factory rod is? I am assuming I should keep one handy at all times. There is no easy fix for that on the trail other than replacing with new.
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IMG_4122.jpg
There's always the old, factory scissor jack and bottle jack with extensions trick to get you back home.



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wayoflife said:
The problem with trusses is that more time than not, installing one ends up BENDING the axle. Fanboys will swear that they had theirs installed right but a lot of honest people will admit that theirs bent after installation. That being said, sleeves are waste of money too especially being that your axle WILL still bend and won't prevent breaks. Trust me, I see it all the time. Not sure why you feel the need for orange knuckles especially being that you WILL still hit your tie rod. You would be better served using that money to buy a heavy duty tie rod that can take a hit. Also, while RCV's are decent shafts, they are far from worth the extreme premium or at least, in my opinion. You'd be better off saving the extra $400 you would have to pay and just get a set of chromoly shafts with full circle clips.

Of course, that's just my opinion.
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Ok, so what would a better choice for axle shafts be? And yes that is what the shop told me when they did my sleeves and gussets, regarding a truss. I have a Synergy the rod now with a RK drag link. I wanted to go with the RK the rod but couldn't afford it. My goal this year is axle shafts and that new PSC steering box. I was going RCV because they bind less, am I wrong about that? Also will having sleeves installed stop me from running new axles?Thanks E

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deezus said:
Ok, so what would a better choice for axle shafts be?
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Honestly, any chromoly shaft will get the job done well SO LONG AS you make sure to get them with full circle clips. Revolution is a good company that comes to mind but I've run Ten and Alloy USA in the past with no problems.

I was going RCV because they bind less, am I wrong about that?
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LOL!! I know that's part of the big sales pitch but I'd have to wonder when was the last time your axle shaft were bound up and to the point it was a real problem for you on the trail. Of course, if it really is something you experience all the time, I suppose a $400 premium is nothing to address it. I've run RCV's in the past and couldn't stand the way the snap and pop loudly after hard use. RCV will tell you this is totally normal just like they'll tell you twisted splines is totally normal. Don't know what the point of a warranty is if everything that seems wrong is normal.
 
Really good info in this thread.

To the original poster, one thing to consider with 37's is the brakes. I went with 37's with the standard Rubi brakes and while they seemed fine for daily driving, in an emergency stop things got a little hairy. To me it was a safety issue and I purchased the Dynatrac Progrip brakes. It made a very nice difference and I no longer worry about emergency stops.
 
wayoflife said:
I've run RCV's in the past and couldn't stand the way the snap and pop loudly after hard use. RCV will tell you this is totally normal just like they'll tell you twisted splines is totally normal. Don't know what the point of a warranty is if everything that seems wrong is normal.
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I was shocked the first time I heard RCV's popping and making all kinds of nasty sounding racket. Sounded like some old Yugo with bad CV's coming around the corner! [emoji23]
It was otherwise a fairly nice, well built rig too.
Seems a shame to me.
 
bthomas said:
I was shocked the first time I heard RCV's popping and making all kinds of nasty sounding racket. Sounded like some old Yugo with bad CV's coming around the corner! [emoji23]
It was otherwise a fairly nice, well built rig too.
Seems a shame to me.
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:cheesy: You just can't make this shit up. :crazyeyes:
 
bthomas said:
I was shocked the first time I heard RCV's popping and making all kinds of nasty sounding racket. Sounded like some old Yugo with bad CV's coming around the corner! [emoji23]
It was otherwise a fairly nice, well built rig too.
Seems a shame to me.
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Yep, my passenger one has been popping for 3 years. RCV won't warranty them until they grenade. Gonna have a 60 before that happens.


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Jkzinger said:
Yep, my passenger one has been popping for 3 years. RCV won't warranty them until they grenade. Gonna have a 60 before that happens.
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Gotta love that awesome warranty. Worth every penny of that $400 premium for sure! :rolleyes2:
 
Jkzinger said:
Yep, my passenger one has been popping for 3 years. RCV won't warranty them until they grenade. Gonna have a 60 before that happens.


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wayoflife said:
Gotta love that awesome warranty. Worth every penny of that $400 premium for sure! :rolleyes2:
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How loud is the pop? When does it happen? And does it make them perform any less on or off-road? Regardless, the popping is really annoying for such an expensive product. Just trying to figure out why they wouldn't warranty the infamous "pop".


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Mike_JK_Houston_711 said:
How loud is the pop? When does it happen? And does it make them perform any less on or off-road? Regardless, the popping is really annoying for such an expensive product. Just trying to figure out why they would warranty the infamous "pop".
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It's like a really loud SNAP SNAP SNAP and it happens when turning, typically when on the rocks or where there's a lot of traction. RCV will tell you that this is totally normal. It doesn't happen all at once but if you actually wheel your Jeep as hard as you think you do, you will eventually hear it. Totally lame if you ask me especially being that my old school shafts that cost $400 LESS don't make that sound.
 
wayoflife said:
It's like a really loud SNAP SNAP SNAP and it happens when turning, typically when on the rocks or where there's a lot of traction. RCV will tell you that this is totally normal. It doesn't happen all at once but if you actually wheel your Jeep as hard as you think you do, you will eventually hear it. Totally lame if you ask me especially being that my old school shafts that cost $400 LESS don't make that sound.
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who doesn't love the sound of metal on metal. just think of it this way, you are personally machining your own axles. :cheesy::crazyeyes:
 
wayoflife said:
It's like a really loud SNAP SNAP SNAP and it happens when turning, typically when on the rocks or where there's a lot of traction. RCV will tell you that this is totally normal. It doesn't happen all at once but if you actually wheel your Jeep as hard as you think you do, you will eventually hear it. Totally lame if you ask me especially being that my old school shafts that cost $400 LESS don't make that sound.
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Well that's pretty shitty. You'd think they try to figure that out?

And I meant to say "why they wouldn't warranty" not "why they would"...


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