TJ's w/ OE style suspension and Rear Detroit Locker

[TJustin]

I need to see if my TJ is abnormal.... Let me explain...

I have Detroits fore and aft in my TJ. The rear is a Super 35 (regretting it btw) and the front is the stock Dana 30. I run a 4" lift with stock style suspension. I have Currie Antirock sway bars at both ends. Here is what the Jeep is doing while wheeling on slickrock...

While idling and making a right hand turn, the inside tire scrubs and the Jeep turns fine, no issues, but when making a left-hand turn rather than having the inside tire scrub, it seems that that the locker binds and actually pulls the front drivers tire off the ground about 4".

I have noticed that when this happens, the tranny and t-case shifters will "rotate" to the right when everything is bound up. I can push in the clutch, and everything will settle; the shifters go back to their normal position, and the driver front tire suddenly drops to the ground.

I talked to Ray Currie about it at the vendor show at EJS last Thursday and he said he had never heard of that before. He went on to explain that it could be that my axle housing is bent or my locker isn't functioning properly.

In my mind this makes sense, but if you read this and get lost, let me know and I'll reword it.

How does your TJ act on the slickrock w/ a Detroit?

 

[Greg]

It's just a side effect of having a Detroit, short wheelbase and coil springs. What you're seeing is the short control arms loading up the suspension and the rear Detroit is pushing the front tire into the air when the rear tires have lots of traction in a turn.

I wouldn't be too worried about it, nothing it wrong... it's just what happens with the parts you've put together. Some things that would make that go away are a selectable locker like an ARB and/or a long arm suspension.

My old TJ had a spool in the rear, but had a TeraFlex longarm suspension with 3" springs... it didn't try to lift front tires like that.

 

[Anchor_Mtn]

drivers front tire lift is very common with a short arm TJ. Long arm it, or live with it.

 

[RockChucker]

that is a common thing. sometimes when making a u turn my front tire will come off the ground too. it is just living with lockers.

 

[rholbrook]

Same here. Drivers front loves the air.

 

[Bart]

TJ are famous for that move. You can google it and see TJs in hard left turns carrying the front tire all the way around. More a short arm thing than a Detroit thing, although the locker doesn't help.

 

[Xploderkid97]

Ive got the same problem... Similar set up... 3.5 inch flex short arms and a selectable rear. But when I do lock it up acts the same way. Its scares me to death on "tip over challenge" type obstacles where its leaning into the direction that the jeep naturally tips.