Ready to be installed. Those TRE's were a pita to get in due to them being painted from the factory. A wire brush fixed this.

Pretty sure this bracket is different than previous year JK's?? Correct me if I'm wrong.
I base this on the included instructions and pictures from WOL's write-up having a different bracket, which would work witht he included u bolts in the RK included hardware.
It's a 15mm bolt if you were wondering.

Drivers side. Only loosened just enough to get it off but not drop.

Disconnected the steering stabilizer.

Like all things, these were a little bit of a pain to get out.

 

Aesthetically speaking, the RK tie rod is much more appealing to the eye. Not that this matters, but I like form and function haha

More Comparison.


As you can see, the RK looks a lot beefier.
The factory is all steel and is physically heavier than the RK tie rod.

After measuring a few times from several different points i think i decided something like 58 5/8 on center. I took my time with this.

 

I was tightening down this bolt for the longest time before I realized it was just spinning in place.

Couldnt find the appropriate size so had to hold the 18mm nut in place with I think it was an 13/16 wrench?

Then tightened it with a socket wrench and this allen head piece i had to finagle together with an adapter and an extender.

Giving the nuts a final tightening.

This shot is upside down but the finished product looks good.

I had to remove the factory steering stabilizer because the steering stabilizer bracket on the 2012 that attaches to the tie rod wont fit on the increased diameter of the RK tie rod. RK needs to redesign this like many products have been for the 2012. An included bracket that is made for the increased diameter of the RK tie rod would be awesome. Maybe they already sell one?

Anyways, I drove my jeep around for about a half hour with the new RK tie rod and steering stabilizer removed. The jeep feels pretty much the same, my brother said it right away though, the jeep feels a little looser, but still handles just as well. I actually like it a little looser feeling. My toe is fine but somehow my alignment is slightly off. It's pulling a little to the right. I wonder if this is due to the removal of the steering stabilizer, even though it's not a charged shock? Either way, I will have this fixed when i get an alignment job after my lift install is complete!