Ok, I want to throw some money at the front end after I replace any loose parts. What is reccomended between all the products out there. From what I'm reading it seems the SSI, stabilizer and 03 track bar are good.

I'm really just trying to eliminate the wander. Do I really need the borgenson shaft or should I just replace the rag join?. Do I need lukes links? What is better for the price, the thuren or the 03 w/ ssi bracket?

 

I'd recommend finding the source of the wander and proceed accordingly.

Track bar is a likely culprit-- check out Thuren's bar.

Luke's links are a band-aid, imo-- better to go with a better design than polish the oem turd.

For VALUE, I'd go with Don Thuren's bar-- a little more expensive, but a much better bargain as far as strength and quality vs dollars spent. JMO-- others will disagree.

So, imo, the first step to tightening up the front end is track bar. Then steering stabilizer. Then possibly a crossover steering conversion, then the steering box and column bushing.

JMO

Justin

 

i put the ssi 03 adjustable trac bar and the steering stabilizer on mine and it took all the wander out. pricey for there set up but it works.

 

That's what I'm hoping for. The wander doesn't bother me until I tow my trailer. It unloads the front end a little and it can get pretty hairy. The wife also has a hard time driving it. So I think I'll go with the SSI route, unless I hear different.

 

stuckey200224, do you get any movement in your trackbar bushings? I installed mine a few weeks ago, and when checking my front end out (had someone work the wheel back and forth with truck running) I noticed over 1/8" of movement in the bushings. I'm pretty sure they're made outta polyurethane, so I can't believe they deflect that much. all bolts are torqued to spec.

 

im not sure i never checked to see. i wouldent worry about 1/8 inch of movement. the bushing has to deflect some even poly bushings flex. its really putting a lot of force on the trac bar when you turn the wheel. its the onlly thing keeping the axel under the truck.

 

mine compresses about that much..........the PCS box made the biggest difference in my trucks handling though. everything I put on it was in sequence, as things went out.

 

Just checked out the front end. All joints, everywhere move in and out slightly but do not move side to side. The only spot I found any slop was in the pitman arm. Is there a performance unit or should I just go stock.

It is normal for the other joints to move in and out right?

 

I agree with Hohn on Thuren's bar. I had one on my '01 and I run one on my '95. This truck had the worst death wobble I have ever experienced when i bought it. The track bar fixed almost all of it. Getting rid of the BFG all terrains helped and poly control arm bushings helped too.

I like Thuren's stuff and it's not priced bad. No bracket required either. Plus he's a great person to do business with.

I run a DSS too and it made a difference.

Demon, I am going to get the PSC box next. I am really looking forward to that and I'm glad that you said it made a huge difference. I think my box is worn out with 210,000 miles on it.

 

I really like the light valve quick ratio. it might be too light for most, be aware of that. but I've got a big bumper being made for the front and a large winch. so my front axle load will increase significantly.

 

I would highly reccomend a Thuren as a replacement, Its built like a tank, its adjustable and to top it all off Don Thuren is a great guy to deal with. Thanks Again Don!!

 

hi
i chose ssi bracket and a 06 track bar .

if you run stock heigth suspension this is the once and dun way !

 

Well I'd like to say that with the luke's link on my trackbar I have eliminated the play for more than 100k miles. So I won't second HOHN's statement of the luke's link being just like polishing the old turd.
I think that too many folks do use luke's links on completely shot joints. I think you should use it as soon as you detect any play in the joint, and then keep at it by greasing it frequently and checking the preload regularly. If the preload is getting too low you need either a washer or a new poly spring.
I'm very happy with mine.

AlpineRAM

 

If you're staying stock height, I'd recommend the Luke's Link. It's cheap and gets the job done well. Yes you're using the factory track bar, but that's just a piece of metal. Not something that'll wear out. You're changing the ends that are important. I put it on my trackbar and it fixed the death wobble for me so I'm a happy camper. That was the first and last thing I've replaced in the front-end. I was getting ready to dump a lot of money into front-end parts too.