- First Name
- Caleb
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- 2021 Bronco/1996 Jeep XJ/1957 FC-150
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Oh Snap!
A Bronco steering write up:
Most common Bronco question other then “what size tires can I fit on what size lift” is, “do I need to upgrade my steering and what do I use?”
Well in this article I will attempt to answer all the common questions.
A couple of disclaimers before we get started: this article will be addressing the two major contenders (broncobuster and 74weld). I know people like to get fiery about their steering camps and I ask that we keep this topic civil, no name calling or such or attacking people. Keep it on track please!
I’m not gonna lie I’m a little nervous posting this due to how angry some steering camps have gotten in discussions before. Let’s keep it civil. I’m not a company guy, I like good products.
Another note is that RC will not be addressed much in this article. Their setup for steering may be adequate for what some people do, but having come from several RC engineering failures in the Jeep world as well as Bronco world, I don’t have faith in their product to trust them with my steering. Both Broncobuster and 74Weld, despite your feelings about either one, have been proven in the steering world to date and can be trusted to make a reliable and proven product as far as steering is concerned.
Last but not least, things break wheeling, it’s the nature of the game. Off-roading provides much more wear and tear on your systems then pavement does. Even if you keep to dirt trails and don’t go crazy, it will be more wear (even if slight). Because of this, you won’t ever have a “bullet-proof” system that will never break. Improper wheeling techniques, improper builds, crazy obstacles and just normal wear and tear from hard wheeling will all contribute to things breaking. Please don’t go into the modification world thinking you can build an unbreakable system. Ultra 4 for example has the best of the best and they break things all the time with how hard they wheel and wear things out. That being said, a proper system shouldn’t be prone to breakage which is why most people upgrade.
Alrighty, now lets steer into the topic…
1: When Do I Need To Upgrade My Steering?
Glad you asked! If you are doing mild wheeling, trails, 1-5 rated trails (using the 1-10 scale system), and you are stock as far as wheels, tires and suspension then you shouldn’t need any upgrades. I’ve been many many miles of off-roading in my Bronco as well as wheeled with hundreds of Bronco’s over the course of almost 2 years. I’ve only seen one tie rod failure on a stock Bronco and it was on the Rubicon on a very difficult obstacle with 4Lo, front locker, bound up on a rock and giving it gas.
I recommend upgrading your steering if you plan on running larger tires, lifting or plan on tackling hard trails (6-10 rated).
2: Why Do I Need To Upgrade My Steering?
When lifting your Bronco, you change the angle of the your tie rods which are what push your tires in and out using the steering rack as a force. Think of tie rods as your arm. If you push on an object, you keep your arms straight right? Well once you angle your arms down, your elbows want to bend and you loose force. The middle of your tie rod is your elbow… it now wants to bend because of the change in force being exerted on it.
Also in your rack, there are two points of contact, one on each side that support the inner workings of your steering. On the driver side, the inner steering component connected to your tie rod is now having a force exerted upwards on it instead of straight in (think of a rod inside a tube. Straight in and out, it’s not applying any force to housing and maybe a bushing is keeping it straight. Now angle the rod and it’s pushing up into the tube it’s traveling inside and applying force to the housing). There is a bushing that “holds” the rod in place but because its only designed to hold it in place in a straight motion, its now flexing due to increased angles and allows the rod to push on a valve inside the rack. This can blow out the valve and you will lose all steering…. This is obviously a simple explanation but its no bueno.
On the passenger side you also have a housing with a plastic bushing in it that holds the steering screw in place. As the steering screw goes in and out its rubbing on that bushing ever so slightly. When the angles change, the forces now exert in an angle motion across the bushing and your steering screw is now a saw… slowly destroying your bushing and now rubbing on your thin, metal housing. This gums up the works with plastic bits and metal shavings. I have seen 3 housings removed in person. Mine was lifted only 300-500 miles before I swapped mine out for an aftermarket housing. My stock passenger housing already had elongation of the bushing and polishing of the housing from my screw rubbing on it. Upgrading this component when lifting will can help prevent steering bind depending on how much you’re lifted and will prevent premature housing failure which will also result in total loss of steering. This failure is much slower and may not be needed if you’re only on a leveling kit or not changing OEM steering angles drastically.
3: Ok, I Just Want To Upgrade My Tie Rods First:
You do you, but I humbly suggest not upgrading your tie rods before bracing the rack internally. Tie rod’s take 15 min to replace and are cheap. If braced, you run the risk of that force going into your driver bushing and loosing all steering on the trail. Not saying it will happen, but it could… Steering Racks aren’t cheap. Neither Broncobuster or 74Weld suggest upgrading tie rod braces first. Some people falsely claim that Broncobuster suggests this but if you watch his earlier videos, you will see that’s not the case at all. In fact, his bushing was his first product to market before the brace. The brace just took off quickly and he became known for that.
4: Okay Then, I Wanna Do Big Bronco Stuff, What’s Next?
Two Options here:
A: Broncobuster: The original implementer of this idea for the Bronco and guy who pushed his Bronco to the limits to prove his design. Does all manufacturing through Braken Machine
B: 74Weld: New to Bronco but not new to making killer products and who test their quality on off-road racing rigs like Loren Healy’s.
-Let’s start with Broncbuster. Broncobuster sells his stuff separately. You can pick up his driver side bushing which is an engineered delrin. I have been running it hard for almost a year and no issues. $349 from his website but its easy to find a discount through people (like myself).
He also sells the passenger housing for $1189. This is high quality, billet aluminum with a hardened steel bushing. I proved mine on a portion of the Rubicon, a week in Moab and countless jumps and thousands of miles with no issues. When I installed it, I noticed an improvement in steering feel after lifting as I originally experienced steering bind when first lifting my Bronco (about 2” lift up front with King).
His tie rod brace sells for $400 and eliminates the tie rod from wanting to bend or snap at those lifted angles.
Please do the driver bushing at a minimum before buying braces.
-74Weld. Sells their stuff as a kit. You can get their Stage 1 kit which is their version of the driver side bushing and passenger housing. This kit retails for about $1000 for the kit. Its very similar to Broncbusters stuff with the exception of some different material being used for their bushings. On the housing they use a impregnated bronze bushing and for the driver side bushing its also an oil, bronze bushing coupled with a plastic bushing. They do not recommend their stage 1 for larger tires and lifts while Broncbuster does.
5: Okay well which one should I get??? Good question, to date, I haven’t seen anyone break either one. The 74weld is cheaper but Broncobuster is the innovator here, both are high quality. 74Weld originally cautioned against using the stage 1 type before they sold it and only offered their housing. Well somehow that changed and now they sell it despite their original article saying it was just a band aid. Not sure what changed their mind but I suspect money was involved. Which is fine, they are a business.
So I say either option is adequate. I’ve seen them both on the trail and never saw any issues. I wouldn’t call this option a band aid as its encapsulating both points of contact on the rack and addressing all the issues of breakage known up to now.
6: So What’s The Next Point Of Failure?
Well it seems that is now the rack motor starting to be overheat. Rarely have I heard of cases where the steering motor goes out. I have never seen this but I have experienced an overloaded steering motor myself on the Rubicon. This only happens in heavy off-roading and with large tires.
7: I Wheel Like A Mad Man And Want The Best Solution:
Cool! Well your only current option is a Hoss 3.0 rack. The Hoss 3.0 is a heavy duty steering rack from Ford. It improves on design like the housing and points of contact as well. The housing is ribbed and also has larger tie rods. The main benefit of the 3.0 is the steering motor, it has 30% improved torque. While you may not feel the difference for regular driving, it allows the motor to work harder without being overcome. The other components of the rack are the same as the 2.0 however such as steering gear and belt. I feel this item is a wear item and curious how long these items will last. This is speculation on my end.
3 options for 3.0:
A: Buy from Ford and program yourself with FDRS and hope you’ll eventually get one from their backorder.
B: Buy from Broncobuster who has an endless supply because he basically bought Ford out. BB includes his Housing, Bushing and Braces all designed for the 3.0. Sells for $3,699 and includes programing for Ford to work on your Bronco. If you break this, let me know. I wanna see the carnage.
C: Buy from 74weld, they offer the 3.0 in their own, billet housing. Its super shiny, looks like art and I’m surprised people wanna get it dirty (not a dig, it’s truly beautiful). The argument about needing an entire billet housing is a whole argument in itself. I’m on the not needed side but hey, maybe someone out there has broke a 3.0 housing? It should be noted they also sell a housing for your normal 2.0 steering as well which does the same job as their stage 1 system for the 2.0. they do not offer a Stage 1 kit for the 3.0, only the entire housing. Get your 74weld 3.0 and housing for a sweet $5,725. And yes, if you break this I DEFINITELY need a pic. I’m not seeing this ever break except for the 3.0 gears wearing out.
Honorable mentions:
Don’t wanna splurge on a BB brace but want added protection? Snag one of the many tie rod sleeves that exist. It’s a cost effective solution for the tie rods if you’ve done your other mods. Downsides are that it makes it harder to adjust alignment and they can still bend with enough force.
Don’t wanna keep the stock tie rods? Many options exist for aftermarket heims. While these are strong, they do require more maintenance and wear quicker then a tie rod end. Not recommended for someone that daily drives unless you are ok with adding heim maintenance to your regular schedule. They need to be kept clean and dry lubed. As they wear, they will begin to have slop and make noise. Proper maintenance will prolong their life however and prevent the slop and noise from prematurely occurring. Of these options, the best I’ve seen is RPG. They use high quality heims that will last longer and articulate better. They also are extremely strong in the off-road world.
Keep an eye out for Wicked Creations, Rock Krawler and Metalcloak as well as Carli Suspension. They have some very nice looking tie rods coming out. Of note are Rock Krawler. These will reportedly be $500, have increased articulation and use a conventional ball joint as well as a higher mounting point for angles. I have a set spoken for when they come out and I’ll report back.
Carli and WC both have double sheer options coming to market. Very strong option and I really like what I’m seeing here too.
Icon also currently has a decent tie rod out. It is currently the tie rod recommended by 74 weld and is simply a beefed up tie rod with OEM style ball joints. A good option and fairly priced at $339. I’ve inspected one in person and it’s just beefed up metal for strength. The ball joint has OEM articulation and the boot honestly feels thin and cheap on the tie rod and ball joint. Curious how long the boots will hold up but otherwise very strong. The OEM boots felt much thicker and stronger side by side.
After bracing a tie rod, the next link on them is their ball joints. Heavier tires will accelerate wear. While they won’t outright give out right away. These other tie rod options give some peace of mind and for the ones that have a higher mounting solution, could help with bump-steer if you are experiencing that. This is all speculation as they are not currently released.
Most people will be very happy with a Stage 1 from 74weld or the equivalent parts from Broncbuster. A 3.0 is not needed in most cases.
I’m aware this is not as in-depth as some people might like but we have a chat below so feel free to comment your experiences! I love hearing from what other people have seen or experienced as it helps all of us learn. Please keep discussion on track and if you’re posting about failures experiences. Please describe how you were configured at time of break (ex. Front locker engaged? Bound up? Trail difficulty? Mileage?)
Lots of factors can come into play.
https://broncbustertx.com/collections/steering-suspension
https://motorsports.74weld.com/bronco-steering/
A Bronco steering write up:
Most common Bronco question other then “what size tires can I fit on what size lift” is, “do I need to upgrade my steering and what do I use?”
Well in this article I will attempt to answer all the common questions.
A couple of disclaimers before we get started: this article will be addressing the two major contenders (broncobuster and 74weld). I know people like to get fiery about their steering camps and I ask that we keep this topic civil, no name calling or such or attacking people. Keep it on track please!
I’m not gonna lie I’m a little nervous posting this due to how angry some steering camps have gotten in discussions before. Let’s keep it civil. I’m not a company guy, I like good products.
Another note is that RC will not be addressed much in this article. Their setup for steering may be adequate for what some people do, but having come from several RC engineering failures in the Jeep world as well as Bronco world, I don’t have faith in their product to trust them with my steering. Both Broncobuster and 74Weld, despite your feelings about either one, have been proven in the steering world to date and can be trusted to make a reliable and proven product as far as steering is concerned.
Last but not least, things break wheeling, it’s the nature of the game. Off-roading provides much more wear and tear on your systems then pavement does. Even if you keep to dirt trails and don’t go crazy, it will be more wear (even if slight). Because of this, you won’t ever have a “bullet-proof” system that will never break. Improper wheeling techniques, improper builds, crazy obstacles and just normal wear and tear from hard wheeling will all contribute to things breaking. Please don’t go into the modification world thinking you can build an unbreakable system. Ultra 4 for example has the best of the best and they break things all the time with how hard they wheel and wear things out. That being said, a proper system shouldn’t be prone to breakage which is why most people upgrade.
Alrighty, now lets steer into the topic…
1: When Do I Need To Upgrade My Steering?
Glad you asked! If you are doing mild wheeling, trails, 1-5 rated trails (using the 1-10 scale system), and you are stock as far as wheels, tires and suspension then you shouldn’t need any upgrades. I’ve been many many miles of off-roading in my Bronco as well as wheeled with hundreds of Bronco’s over the course of almost 2 years. I’ve only seen one tie rod failure on a stock Bronco and it was on the Rubicon on a very difficult obstacle with 4Lo, front locker, bound up on a rock and giving it gas.
I recommend upgrading your steering if you plan on running larger tires, lifting or plan on tackling hard trails (6-10 rated).
2: Why Do I Need To Upgrade My Steering?
When lifting your Bronco, you change the angle of the your tie rods which are what push your tires in and out using the steering rack as a force. Think of tie rods as your arm. If you push on an object, you keep your arms straight right? Well once you angle your arms down, your elbows want to bend and you loose force. The middle of your tie rod is your elbow… it now wants to bend because of the change in force being exerted on it.
Also in your rack, there are two points of contact, one on each side that support the inner workings of your steering. On the driver side, the inner steering component connected to your tie rod is now having a force exerted upwards on it instead of straight in (think of a rod inside a tube. Straight in and out, it’s not applying any force to housing and maybe a bushing is keeping it straight. Now angle the rod and it’s pushing up into the tube it’s traveling inside and applying force to the housing). There is a bushing that “holds” the rod in place but because its only designed to hold it in place in a straight motion, its now flexing due to increased angles and allows the rod to push on a valve inside the rack. This can blow out the valve and you will lose all steering…. This is obviously a simple explanation but its no bueno.
On the passenger side you also have a housing with a plastic bushing in it that holds the steering screw in place. As the steering screw goes in and out its rubbing on that bushing ever so slightly. When the angles change, the forces now exert in an angle motion across the bushing and your steering screw is now a saw… slowly destroying your bushing and now rubbing on your thin, metal housing. This gums up the works with plastic bits and metal shavings. I have seen 3 housings removed in person. Mine was lifted only 300-500 miles before I swapped mine out for an aftermarket housing. My stock passenger housing already had elongation of the bushing and polishing of the housing from my screw rubbing on it. Upgrading this component when lifting will can help prevent steering bind depending on how much you’re lifted and will prevent premature housing failure which will also result in total loss of steering. This failure is much slower and may not be needed if you’re only on a leveling kit or not changing OEM steering angles drastically.
3: Ok, I Just Want To Upgrade My Tie Rods First:
You do you, but I humbly suggest not upgrading your tie rods before bracing the rack internally. Tie rod’s take 15 min to replace and are cheap. If braced, you run the risk of that force going into your driver bushing and loosing all steering on the trail. Not saying it will happen, but it could… Steering Racks aren’t cheap. Neither Broncobuster or 74Weld suggest upgrading tie rod braces first. Some people falsely claim that Broncobuster suggests this but if you watch his earlier videos, you will see that’s not the case at all. In fact, his bushing was his first product to market before the brace. The brace just took off quickly and he became known for that.
4: Okay Then, I Wanna Do Big Bronco Stuff, What’s Next?
Two Options here:
A: Broncobuster: The original implementer of this idea for the Bronco and guy who pushed his Bronco to the limits to prove his design. Does all manufacturing through Braken Machine
B: 74Weld: New to Bronco but not new to making killer products and who test their quality on off-road racing rigs like Loren Healy’s.
-Let’s start with Broncbuster. Broncobuster sells his stuff separately. You can pick up his driver side bushing which is an engineered delrin. I have been running it hard for almost a year and no issues. $349 from his website but its easy to find a discount through people (like myself).
He also sells the passenger housing for $1189. This is high quality, billet aluminum with a hardened steel bushing. I proved mine on a portion of the Rubicon, a week in Moab and countless jumps and thousands of miles with no issues. When I installed it, I noticed an improvement in steering feel after lifting as I originally experienced steering bind when first lifting my Bronco (about 2” lift up front with King).
His tie rod brace sells for $400 and eliminates the tie rod from wanting to bend or snap at those lifted angles.
Please do the driver bushing at a minimum before buying braces.
-74Weld. Sells their stuff as a kit. You can get their Stage 1 kit which is their version of the driver side bushing and passenger housing. This kit retails for about $1000 for the kit. Its very similar to Broncbusters stuff with the exception of some different material being used for their bushings. On the housing they use a impregnated bronze bushing and for the driver side bushing its also an oil, bronze bushing coupled with a plastic bushing. They do not recommend their stage 1 for larger tires and lifts while Broncbuster does.
5: Okay well which one should I get??? Good question, to date, I haven’t seen anyone break either one. The 74weld is cheaper but Broncobuster is the innovator here, both are high quality. 74Weld originally cautioned against using the stage 1 type before they sold it and only offered their housing. Well somehow that changed and now they sell it despite their original article saying it was just a band aid. Not sure what changed their mind but I suspect money was involved. Which is fine, they are a business.
So I say either option is adequate. I’ve seen them both on the trail and never saw any issues. I wouldn’t call this option a band aid as its encapsulating both points of contact on the rack and addressing all the issues of breakage known up to now.
6: So What’s The Next Point Of Failure?
Well it seems that is now the rack motor starting to be overheat. Rarely have I heard of cases where the steering motor goes out. I have never seen this but I have experienced an overloaded steering motor myself on the Rubicon. This only happens in heavy off-roading and with large tires.
7: I Wheel Like A Mad Man And Want The Best Solution:
Cool! Well your only current option is a Hoss 3.0 rack. The Hoss 3.0 is a heavy duty steering rack from Ford. It improves on design like the housing and points of contact as well. The housing is ribbed and also has larger tie rods. The main benefit of the 3.0 is the steering motor, it has 30% improved torque. While you may not feel the difference for regular driving, it allows the motor to work harder without being overcome. The other components of the rack are the same as the 2.0 however such as steering gear and belt. I feel this item is a wear item and curious how long these items will last. This is speculation on my end.
3 options for 3.0:
A: Buy from Ford and program yourself with FDRS and hope you’ll eventually get one from their backorder.
B: Buy from Broncobuster who has an endless supply because he basically bought Ford out. BB includes his Housing, Bushing and Braces all designed for the 3.0. Sells for $3,699 and includes programing for Ford to work on your Bronco. If you break this, let me know. I wanna see the carnage.
C: Buy from 74weld, they offer the 3.0 in their own, billet housing. Its super shiny, looks like art and I’m surprised people wanna get it dirty (not a dig, it’s truly beautiful). The argument about needing an entire billet housing is a whole argument in itself. I’m on the not needed side but hey, maybe someone out there has broke a 3.0 housing? It should be noted they also sell a housing for your normal 2.0 steering as well which does the same job as their stage 1 system for the 2.0. they do not offer a Stage 1 kit for the 3.0, only the entire housing. Get your 74weld 3.0 and housing for a sweet $5,725. And yes, if you break this I DEFINITELY need a pic. I’m not seeing this ever break except for the 3.0 gears wearing out.
Honorable mentions:
Don’t wanna splurge on a BB brace but want added protection? Snag one of the many tie rod sleeves that exist. It’s a cost effective solution for the tie rods if you’ve done your other mods. Downsides are that it makes it harder to adjust alignment and they can still bend with enough force.
Don’t wanna keep the stock tie rods? Many options exist for aftermarket heims. While these are strong, they do require more maintenance and wear quicker then a tie rod end. Not recommended for someone that daily drives unless you are ok with adding heim maintenance to your regular schedule. They need to be kept clean and dry lubed. As they wear, they will begin to have slop and make noise. Proper maintenance will prolong their life however and prevent the slop and noise from prematurely occurring. Of these options, the best I’ve seen is RPG. They use high quality heims that will last longer and articulate better. They also are extremely strong in the off-road world.
Keep an eye out for Wicked Creations, Rock Krawler and Metalcloak as well as Carli Suspension. They have some very nice looking tie rods coming out. Of note are Rock Krawler. These will reportedly be $500, have increased articulation and use a conventional ball joint as well as a higher mounting point for angles. I have a set spoken for when they come out and I’ll report back.
Carli and WC both have double sheer options coming to market. Very strong option and I really like what I’m seeing here too.
Icon also currently has a decent tie rod out. It is currently the tie rod recommended by 74 weld and is simply a beefed up tie rod with OEM style ball joints. A good option and fairly priced at $339. I’ve inspected one in person and it’s just beefed up metal for strength. The ball joint has OEM articulation and the boot honestly feels thin and cheap on the tie rod and ball joint. Curious how long the boots will hold up but otherwise very strong. The OEM boots felt much thicker and stronger side by side.
After bracing a tie rod, the next link on them is their ball joints. Heavier tires will accelerate wear. While they won’t outright give out right away. These other tie rod options give some peace of mind and for the ones that have a higher mounting solution, could help with bump-steer if you are experiencing that. This is all speculation as they are not currently released.
Most people will be very happy with a Stage 1 from 74weld or the equivalent parts from Broncbuster. A 3.0 is not needed in most cases.
I’m aware this is not as in-depth as some people might like but we have a chat below so feel free to comment your experiences! I love hearing from what other people have seen or experienced as it helps all of us learn. Please keep discussion on track and if you’re posting about failures experiences. Please describe how you were configured at time of break (ex. Front locker engaged? Bound up? Trail difficulty? Mileage?)
Lots of factors can come into play.
https://broncbustertx.com/collections/steering-suspension
https://motorsports.74weld.com/bronco-steering/
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