[natantheone]

Any words of wisdom from yall pros out there before I try and install these new tie rod ends? I have done it several time on actual trucks but never on a SXS. Thanks

 

[AZStrip]

Not a pro but that won't stop me.
Measure the takeoffs and use that to assemble as close as possible. It will make alignment easier.
Blue loctite. Download manual from country cat for torque specs. Good luck.

 

[natantheone]

Thanks man, those are some great tips. Now if it would just stop raining.

 

[Phatcat]

I'm not expert either! I use thumbtacks and string to allign the tires. Put tack in center of each tire front and back. Set rear 6-10mmwider wider than front. Works well for me.

 

[natantheone]

Thanks to everyone who helped out. I ended up doing doing the ole Texas eye ball alignment and it worked out pretty well. I took her for a little ride and everything felt great. The only issue I had was trying to get the rod ends back into the actual rids. The butter they use to help hold the factory tie rods together isnt very strong.

 

[rsx]

I had oem tie rod ends on chromoly tie rods but put one new outer EPI tie rod end on drivers side. Guess which one snapped while rock crawling? The EPI doesn't have the pivot range needed for the articulation the X possesses.

 

[rsx]

You can see indentation on tie rod end body causing failure. Drivers side tire on upswing over boulder. Looks like 0P got American star, anyone else use American Star 4130 tie rod ends and have some feedback on them?

 

[mbrandt1402]

Would a high-misalignment rod end or high-mis rod end spacer work better there?

 

[Hollywood]

You can see indentation on tie rod end body causing failure. Drivers side tire on upswing over boulder. Looks like 0P got American star, anyone else use American Star 4130 tie rod ends and have some feedback on them?

I have heard from enough people that the American Star stuff isn't that great, but I have never used their products.

If Pace still makes them, I would get theirs. I had them on my Wildcat, and they were indestructible. (They were also pretty expensive, but quality parts always are!)

 

[rsx]

American star 4130 tie rod ends arrived today. Body is almost 2mm bigger and about 10* more pivot range than the EPI end. Inside diameter of body where ball pivots is almost 2mm bigger. Threaded area on AS4130 is over 3mm longer.

 

[Gate Crasher]

Thanks for the pics and measurements. Visuals are best.