Just have a quick question. I've noticed that if you go higher than 2 or so inches and you have a auto trans you have to change out the drive shafts. And I was wondering for the guys that have done this have you run into any issues with the new shaft installed? I mean I'm going to swap them out any way but just wanted to pick some brains of the ones that have already done it. And what brand would you recommend? I know Tom Woods is probably the best.


Thanks in advance for any input.

 

I'll let you know in a week. I just order front & rear coast 1310 drive shafts from Dave at Northridge.

 

Now take my advice with a grain of salt as this is my first jk. But when I had my 2006 unlimited TJ. I had a 4 inch lift on it with stock drive shafts and adj. rear upper arms and had no problems. Things might be different with a JKU but the JKU has an even longer drive shaft. So I would like that you would be able to do at least a 4" lift with minimal problems

 

Nice. I mean I'm sure there a lot of good drive shafts out there and I have an idea of what I want. But I was looking under my jeep today and noticed that even with a new shaft it looks like the front would still rub the skid with the front sway bar disconnected. I don't know just wondering what others have done.

Thanks

 

are you a 2dr or 4dr?

 

Lots of issues to get a handle on.

The big boot in the middle can contact the corner of the tranny pan. If that boot rips, it will lose grease, but this isn't a huge deal since it's just a slip joint for the two halves of the driveshaft. Keep it greased and you can continue driving on it.
A bigger issue with this is that if you contact hard enough, you can bash in the side of the tranny pan.

The driveshaft below that big boot can contact the crossmember skid. This doesn't appear to be a big deal. It will make some cool marks but that's about it.

The 'fix':
you can trim the skid, add some washers to the bolts to lower the skid, and cut off the metal band that holds the boot on and replace with a zip tie. (or an aftermarket shaft.


The big issue is the angles after the lift causing the boot at the tcase end of the shaft 'pinch'. When it wears through, it will start spitting grease, dry up, get noisy, and finally seize.
The 'fix':
A new shaft.



Some of the factors to consider:
2door or 4door
Auto or manual
Actual lift height
Shock length
Disconnected or not
Axle centered or offcenter
Luck...

In general:
4door rear shafts are pretty safe
2door rear shafts are short and are more likely to fail
Auto front shafts are likely to contact the tranny/skid
Manual front shafts may contact the exhaust


For issues with the new shaft:

Double Cardans need different angles than the stock shafts. Stockers need the pinion and tcase output to be roughly paraller with each other, and double cardans need the pinion pointed up at the tcase output. Up front, you have caster to worry about, so it is a trade-off between caster and proper driveline angles.
If you look around a bit, you will find posts from people that have exploded their tcases. This is thought to be from driveline vibes caused by poor angles.
(too much caster, re-geared, double cardan shaft, freeway speeds, driveline vibes, kaboom)

 

I do have a two door. Any of you guys have new shafts? and if so does the new shaft ever rub the cross member/skid plate on a auto? Whats the diameter of the after market CV shaft? I guess bottom line is New Shafts if I want to do anymore lifting.

 

https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/show...272#post211272


Q: Are new driveshafts needed after installing a lift?
A: You really should consider installing a new rear double cardin U-joint style drive shaft if you have lifted your Jeep JK Wrangler 3" or more and have a 2-door. This is needed because the short rear drive shaft of the 2-doors will be at a steep enough angle that the CV boots will wear out prematurely. However, in order to do this, you will need to buy a set of rear adjustable upper control arms so that you can properly set your pinion angle. 4-Door Unlimited models do not have this problem as their rear drive shafts are very long and a lift will not effect the angle of it too much. As far as the front goes, if you have an automatic transmission, you will need to replace the drive shaft with a double cardin U-joint style unit as well as the diameter of aftermarket shafts will be considerably narrower and will not come into contact with the transmission and/or skid plate. Failure to do this will result in the tearing of the factory drive shaft boot as it makes contact with the transmission. Manual transmissions will not have this problem and keeping the factory front drive shaft will not be a problem.


I have a 3.5" lift and had to replace my front drive shaft after I tore the boot on the tranny pan.....keep in mind I have a 4dr with auto tranny.

 

I have a 2.5" lift on my 2dr manual tranny and I wheel just about every weekend and haunt had any issues yet. It's been about 6 months since the lift, but I'm deffinatley looking into getting new driveshafts because I will be upgrading in the future

 

Yes, mine is still rubbing. Haven't noticed it on the trail, but it definitely has marks from being on the lift at the shop. I need to get around to chopping up that skid.

The shaft is a Woody, no idea what the diameter is.