From brycerw@csr.csc.UVic.CA Wed Jan 19 14:20:12 2000 From: Robert Bryce > Rob, do you use the "grease through the cap" $45 spicer joints, or have you > found a cheaper alternative ? I use _the_absolute_cheapest_ U-joints I can find, but usually pick ones with the "grease through the cap" joints. I don't think I have a Spicer U-joint on the truck! Why? I believe that a U-joint is a good weak link to build into the system. If I can get away with breaking (cheap) a U-joint instead of an axle shaft or something, then I'm game for that! This is also why I'm considering going back to stock locking hubs and pitch the Warn Premiums. Warn makes extra strong axle shafts for my axles, but that is high budget stuff. As it is, when I broke a front axle shaft, that cheap U-joint was still 100%. Some may say "but a broken U-joint will take the shaft/yoke with it!". Sometimes, not always. And if it takes the shaft with it, well the alternative was likely going to be a broken shaft anyway. And spare yokes for diff's are real easy and cheap to come by, and easy to replace (I admit, on-board air helps here). Actually, I have yet to actually break a U-joint. The problem with the CV joint is it goes through centering kits, not U- joints. > > > If you know that you won't bind up the U-joints during droop, then > > it shouldn't be a problem. > > I fear the only way to really know this on trail conditions is the hard way ! > (SNAP ;-0 ) Well, you can stretch and cycle the suspension without leaving pavement. That will tell you what the angles are, and if it's binding. Then it's up to you to decide if the angles are too steep for the U-joints to survive a lot of torque load. > > Do you mean too steep for road speed running at normal static height (beyond > reasonable operating range) or too steep to allow the shaft to turn at all > under trail droop ? Well, there's no real load on them when you're in 2wd, just they may be spinning. At normal static height on the highway, my _guess_ is things will be okay - only 'cause I've seen the U-joint angles under some friends' YJ's and TJ's. I'm more concerned about binding (or the inability to handle high torque) while on the trail. I'm basing this on what it took for me to get enough travel out of a CV, let alone a single joint. But my front diff is standard rotation and I'm somewhere around 8.5-9" suspension lift. BTW, I neglected to mention how my truck handles on the street. With the street 33's and the sway bar hooked up, it really isn't _that_ bad, what with the rear Lockright and all. I have no qualms going on 4000- mile trips in this configuration. Any other combination really isn't much fun. No sway bar...bit twitchy, lots of body roll. 36's... like to grab pavement irregularities. 36's aired down w/ no sway bar... it's a real handful. :-) I've also got some vibrations, but I know those are from an unbalanced rear driveshaft (for starters). Not a big concern. --Rob