What does a track bar do on a vehicle?
The track bar restricts the suspension from moving side to side, which could damage the vehicle. The track bar is made up of the rigid bar which runs on the same plane as the axle. It connects one end of the axle to the car body on the other side of the vehicle.
Why do you need a track bar on a Jeep Wrangler?
What is a Track Bar and Why Would You Want To Upgrade It? A track bar connects the body of your Jeep to the opposite wheel knuckle and acts a centering force for the front or rear axle. Generally, you’ll want to upgrade your track bar or purchase a relocation bracket when you lift your rig to keep all of the suspension geometry aligned.
What are the bushings on a Jeep Wrangler?
The bushings, usually polyurethane, are made to preserve the track bar, allowing some flex between the collar and the track bar. If your bushings are old and dry rotted, they will not be doing any good. The bushings may provide excessive flexing of the track bar and cause the dreaded death wobble. The collars separate the bolt from the bushing.
How do you fix a broken track bar?
Get under your rig and inspect the bar which is attached to your axle and is parallel to your axle shafts. Check for cracked bushings, physical damage, looseness, etc. Maybe you installed a lift and you now realize your Jeep looks laterally offset when looking at it from the front or rear. A longer track bar is necessary to fix this.
Why do I have loose brackets on my track bar?
Loose brackets can even cause a terrible death wobble which we cover more later on. The bushings, usually polyurethane, are made to preserve the track bar, allowing some flex between the collar and the track bar. If your bushings are old and dry rotted, they will not be doing any good.
Is the track bar adjustable on a Jeep Wrangler?
The adjustable rear track bar allows you to center the rear axle side to side. Using a rear track bar bracket with the stock track bar should be close to centered, but depending on the amount of lift and how picky you are it may not be centered enough for you. Additionally, a typical adjustable track bar is also stronger than stock.
The bushings, usually polyurethane, are made to preserve the track bar, allowing some flex between the collar and the track bar. If your bushings are old and dry rotted, they will not be doing any good. The bushings may provide excessive flexing of the track bar and cause the dreaded death wobble. The collars separate the bolt from the bushing.
Can you use a track bar on the front axle?
The front axle cannot use a higher track bar bracket unless you also flip the drag link, as the track bar and drag link need to be parallel or it will cause bump steer issues. To run a flipped drag link you need to run at least 2 inches or more of front bump stop, which means you need to be lifted enough to make it worth while.
Is the rear bracket all about roll center correction?
Yep, the rear bracket is all about roll center correction. It just so happens that if you lift, add a bracket and reinstall the stock track bar, it gets the rear axle somewhat close to center. Most of the time it actually over corrects a little at 2.5″ or below.