Currie HD Steering

[BigDaveZJ]

Finally getting around to this when I realized Pam uploaded the pics a while back, LOL.

The stock ZJ steering leaves a lot to be desired. As you put on bigger tires and more lift, more stress is put on the parts and the angles become worse. While the Currie system doesn't really address any of the angles, it definately addresses the strength. And frankly, if you're going to be doing anything involving the angles, you should probably just ditch the Dana 30 anyways and start looking into 44's or 60's as the steering options are much better with the more heavy duty axles.

I ordered my setup from Summit Racing. Good response time, had the stuff quicker than I expected. My experience was under promise, over deliver. I like that.

Here's how Currie describes the product:

The Currie heavy duty tie rod and drag link system for TJ, XJ, and MJ vehicles features a 1 1/4" diameter forged chrome moly drag link, 1 1/4" chrome moly bar stock tie rod that is bored and threaded on the ends. All 7/8" thread tie rod ends with urethane boots, and jam nuts are includeds, as well as the new heavy duty steering stabilizer bracket. This unit is a direct replacement for the stock unit - no modifications or machining to any part of the vehicle is necessary.

Here's how I describe the product:

BEEF


The Currie tie rod and drag link are noticeably larger than the stock V8 steering, showing in this picture:



Here is everything the Currie setup comes with:



Installation is pretty straight forward. On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd say maybe a 3 or 4. Not many tools are needed, just your basic sockets and ratchets (can't remember the size of the castle nuts off-hand) and a pickle fork or the like is VERY helpful in getting the old stuff off.

If you're reading this, I'm assuming you have a basic idea of how to remove the steering stuff, if you don't, I'll give ya the basics. Pull the cotter pin out of the castle nut, take off castle nut, use pickle fork or the like to remove the tie rod end from the knuckle's and pitman arms. Air tools can be a big help here too getting the old castle nuts off. You'll also need to remove the steering stabilizer. That's usually the fun part. REMEMBER, do NOT hit the bolt itself when doing this. Take your BFH and hit the draglink on the outside of where the pressed bolt goes through. PB Blaster might help you out a bit too.

Here we have everything removed from my ZJ:


Note that my swaybar is missing. It is NOT required to remove your swaybar for this, I just haven't had mine on for a few years. Remove swaybars at your discretion, your Jeep WILL drive like crap without it.

Installtion is pretty cut and dry. Just bolt stuff up where you took stuff off. Make sure you put the new cotter pins in once the castle nuts are on. When the new steering is in place, it should look something like this:


I had not installed the new steering stabilizer bracket at this point, but that's pretty easy. Be sure to check for any clearance issues with the bracket and the stabilizer. My first attempt yielded the SS rubbing on the tie rod, and attempt #2 yielded some small dents in the oil pan after some hard-core baja action.

Once everything is in place, be sure to grease your new TRE's (tie rod ends). In this picture, my beautiful assistant is doing just that:


Now there's a 99.9999999999% chance the steering portion of your alignment is WAAAAAAAAAAAY off. No big deal, it's an easy fix. I'm going to briefly touch on how to do an alignment in your driveway/garage/barn. If you don't feel comfortable in your skills on this, get it "good 'nuff" and then take it to a professional alignment shop.

You'll notice several adjustment collars on the steering. One on the tie rod, one on the drag link. The one on the tie rod will adjust your toe, and the one on your drag link will center the steering wheel properly. A helper is always nice for this part too.

I usually start with the toe first. Find a spot on the front of the tire that's easy to measure from. Put a tape to it, and measure to the same spot on the tire on the other side. Now go to the SAME EXACT SPOT on the backside of the tire and measure that. Adjust the sleeve on the tie rod until the front is about 1/8" less than the back. You'll have to measure a few times to get it right, but it's pretty easy. Once the toe is set, tighten up the adjustment collar on the tie rod and move on to the draglink. Have your helper get in the Jeep and watch the steering wheel. Rotate the adjustment collar on the drag link until your helper says it's right. Then check to make sure your helper isn't a moron. Tighten up the collar and take 'er for a spin.

BUT REMEMBER, you just totally messed with your steering. Take it easy at first. Don't jump right out onto the Autobahn. You may need to make a few small adjustments to both adjustment collars. I find that improper toe is my most common cause of death wobble, so tweak it a little bit if you get some wobbly action going on.

Again, don't be afraid to take your rig to a reputable alignment shop to have them fine tune it if need be. Ask around on your local boards for a good spot to go. If you're in Denver, Astro Automotive is a great shop for an alignment.

Also, be sure to grease the TRE's when you're doing your regular maintenence.

That about covers it for the Currie HD Steering setup. It's not a bad idea while you're under there to check for cracks in the mounting tabs on the steering box either. I found a few here recently and will also be upgrading my steering box so I can have a completely uber bling steering setup for my kickass Dana turdy!!!!


EDIT:

After having the steering on for a while, I feel I can comment on the strength of it. I bashed it in Moab, and had some more fun in Colorado. I was certainly more confident on what my steering could handle and was not afraid to use the tie rod as a front diff skid. Confidence really is a good word for what the Currie HD Steering gives you. All the joints are still tight, and the adjustment collars have held. I took the ZJ through the imfamous Golden Crack in Moab with no issues. This obstacle puts more stress on steering components than any other I've encountered and the Currie HD Steering took it in stride.



I'll update this as I use the product more. I plan on putting through a lot more stress this coming summer, hopefully with the addition of a PSC 621MR box!

[AprilzWarrior]

Another Comparison shot...

From a ZJ I built.





AW

[Cue-Ball]

I have to agree, I was VERY impressed with it when I actually saw one in person.

[ELLLLLIOTTTTT]

nice pic AW, i guess thats all that was left in your account after you got the Currie steering.

[AprilzWarrior]

nice pic AW, i guess thats all that was left in your account after you got the Currie steering.

You wish. I intsalled that on Lawrence's ZJ. before it was sold. UGH.

[ATL ZJ]

How much does the currie stuff go for anyways?

[BigDaveZJ]

How much does the currie stuff go for anyways?

MSRP is $399.99. I think Summit had it for $349.

[TheOtherSide]

Hey BigDave...

Any new feedback? My Spicer stock replacements are now worn after 1 year...

I want to be sure the TRE's don't wear out too quick. Also... Are these TRE's specific from Currie only?

Thanks in advance... may just be ordering this stuff late this week!

Kelly

[Jim311]

Not hating on the Currie by any means, but has anyone else had similar experiences like this? My friend has had problems with his Currie setup twice.

[OverkillZJ]

What actually broke there, close up?

[Jim311]

What actually broke there, close up?

Tie rod broke near the TRE, which caused the tire to stick out at a goofy angle, which caused the ujoint to bind/break and destroy the inner/outer axle shafts. Brake line got ripped off. Bent one of the RE longarms. All of this in the middle of a fuckin' river. Made for one shitty recovery, that's for sure.

[Zjeeper]

looks like where the inner tie rod meets the collar. pretty common as the tie rod necks down into the threaded end. at least thats what ive seen break on other set ups

[OverkillZJ]

Ahhhhh, so once again, just moved the weak point

Looks like if that's the case, Currie didn't do anything wrong atleast, and even though the TRE's are much beefier than stock, they still break the same way eventually!

[Zjeeper]

it could always be worse



had to be winched up a 8 foot rock ledge with a broken tre, cracked knuckle and a broken ball joint

a few min after that sled was booty fabbed the whole knuckle ripped off

and yes, thats an XJ

[nate]

The Currie steering is beef, but it's still the crappy inverted Y setup. I like the T setup using the Chevy 1/2 ton TREs. That's how my Dodge is setup from the factory (inverted T). Just makes more sense to me.

[OverkillZJ]

Inverted Y is better street driving by far, no rotation of the link when you begin to turn (no play).

It's meant to be a beefier stock replacement, which it hella-is.

[TheOtherSide]

Any feedback on how long the TRE's last before starting to show wear? I don't think I'm going to do the 1-ton steering, but I really don't want to buy the Currie stuff if the TRE's last just as long as the Moog & Spicer.

For me, it's not the strength of the steering components... I'm a pretty light duty wheeler, I just don't want the stuff to wear out in a year.

Thanks in advance!

[CurtP]

Any feedback on how long the TRE's last before starting to show wear? I don't think I'm going to do the 1-ton steering, but I really don't want to buy the Currie stuff if the TRE's last just as long as the Moog & Spicer.

For me, it's not the strength of the steering components... I'm a pretty light duty wheeler, I just don't want the stuff to wear out in a year.

Thanks in advance!

What kind of grease are you using and how often do you grease your joints? I've used both Moog and Spicer over the years and never had them wear out that fast - sounds like a lubrication issue to me.

[nate]

The tie rod doesn't rotate on my Dodge since the draglink is angled a bit to the top of the tie rod.

The 1/2 ton TREs seem to last a while. I put about 1500 trail miles on the Jeep last year and maybe 500 road miles.

[OverkillZJ]

I think this thread was really to talk about the Currie HD steering, which both Dave and I have had good luck with. Dave hasn't had a chance to really abuse his yet, but I had no problems with mine for the 2 years I beat the crap out of it, and sold it in almost perfect condition.

Anything can break, and this certainly grants you a lot more forgiveness than a stock setup, is what I'd consider stronger than PSC's setup, and is kinder on the street than crossover if you're doing a lot of street option.

If you want to talk about other options, I'd suggest opening another thread to keep this clean and on topic.

[TheOtherSide]

What kind of grease are you using and how often do you grease your joints? I've used both Moog and Spicer over the years and never had them wear out that fast - sounds like a lubrication issue to me.

I use the red Pennzoil grease.... lube them every oil change (6000 k's). So I'm not thinking that's the issue, but that is a very good point.

[CurtP]

I use the red Pennzoil grease.... lube them every oil change (6000 k's). So I'm not thinking that's the issue, but that is a very good point.

[off topic]Might want to consider using a better lube - I'm not sure what you can get off-the-shelf that is good. I've been using Lubrication Engineers for some time, but I don't recall which series it is off the top of my head. Might want to drop a line to Dirk to see what AMS has to offer. One thing that that you must do (and this goes back a little on-topic) with any new TRE/balljoint/etc is flush the joint with the grease you're going to use long-term. Changing brands and/or series of grease require flushing too. Mixing greases is a very bad thing, and cross-contamination could be what's causing premature failure.[/off topic]

I've been eyeballing the Currie setup for some time and almost bought it awhile ago. But back then, everyone seemed to bad-mouth the inverted-Y setup and was recommending cross-over/high steer. Has that opinion changed, or is it safe to say that a DD/pavement pounder that sees some hard offroad pounding every once in awhile would be better served with the Currie, and a rig that's mostly offroad should have crossover (but should avoid the Currie)? Or, is the Currie strong enough even for most dedicated rigs too? The TRE's on the 5.9 are original, and at 150k, they're pretty worn out - noticed it the other day when I was installing the new OME SS. I'm trying to decide between the Currie, OEM replacement parts or crossover.

[nate]

I use Marine Grease. I forget the brand. It's green and sticky.

[Rubber Chuck]

Hey Dave......Any updates on the Currie system? I need to do something with my steering and it seems Currie is the way to go......just curious on your long term usage??
Thanks

[HuskerZJ]

stupid noob question...this setup is part # CE9701? I found it on summit and it didn't say anything about fitting a ZJ. I was pretty sure they're the same but we all know what happens when you assume