Rear track bar

assuming you're still running leaf springs, I don't think you'll see any improvement. The track/panhard bar would be used to control lateral movement of the axle which the springs are already doing.

Remember, too that the axle doesn't move in a perfect "up/down" motion and a fixed track bar would probably hinder it's movement more than it would help.

That being said, I've never done it-- I look forward to hearing if it works!
 
I think I'd invest in stiffer bushings and stronger shackles before I tried to "re-engineer" something that has worked for years-- maybe try a better sway bar in the rear as well. I've seen a lot of live axle autocross vehicles perform pretty well without needing to add anything beyond springs and a sway bar.

I'm not tryin' to stop you, though-- I'd just try to optimize what's there before introducing new variables into the equation.
 
Shackles and bushing were all replaced already. Springs will get another bump before the next event.

I have a ton of autox experience (event a national tour win), so I'm quite familiar with what a winning car needs for that. If you look at ESP Camaros and Mustangs - they all have panhard bars still...well, the fast ones do at least...

I figure if I can toss one on from a ZJ cheaply, it's worth it to test to see how it reacts. To my knowledge, there have only been 3 other Jeeps that have run in Rally (ever), so there isn't a whole ton of R&D out there for this application.
 
I'm only a casual observer, so my lack of understanding "ESP" is hindering my search:doh:

A quick search of ESP Mustang and ESP Camaro turned up some quick SCCA cars, but they were all coil sprung rears.

I'm all for trying something new and definitely am not tryin' to shoot ya down-- I just can't wrap my mind around the benefit. Now you HAVE to do it so I can see how it works-- keep us posted!:cheers:
 
go to ruff stuff specialtie's site, pick up the trackbar kit. comes with some DOM, two brackets, and a pair of rod ends.

that'll control the axle shift a lot better than some ZJ tie rod end panhard; which would be your best bet for fitment.. the TJ one mounts way different. YJs dont have them in back.
 
The trackbar pushes the axle left and right as it moves up and down; it may control the slop you're talking about but I think you'll start to tear the bushings in the springs up or damage the springs themselves from being forced into lateral motion as they are cycling.
 
How much travel would it take for that to be a noticeable side effect? if I only have 6" of TOTAL travel, and about 3" of working travel when driving, could it be considered negligible?

If this is a real issue, even on a race only xj, let's talk about other solutions. The sway bar is useless for stopping this motion. The shackles I have are a little sloppy - are there better shackles that will help?
 
We had this exact discussion regarding the road race XJ just this weekend and decided to leave it alone. As flat as our leaf pack is (as in totally) there's almost no leverage on it. We've had people tell us we're all going to die without one, but so far it hasn't been an issue. With a higher arch like the rally car is running, I could see it...maybe.

-Matt
 
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