Steering Joint Upgrade

Wear on your steering system may not show up all at once. You just adapt to it until one day you realize you've got a whole lot of play in the steering wheel; or, worse yet, too much play in the wheels.

Problem
The culprit in sloppy steering is usually the flex- or U-joint that accommodates the angle difference between your steering shaft and the steering box or rack and pinion system. That's particularly true in an older car that's seen a lot of miles and needs some restoration work. It can also show up sooner in a sports car that's been driven hard, and a truck or SUV that has been lifted or fitted with larger than stock tires. In any of those latter cases you've added extra stress to the U-joint, so your steering accuracy can flounder in as little as 4,000 miles.

Solution
Never fear, there is a simple solution. Try replacing the stock steering joint with an aftermarket single-needle bearing unit. Often warranted up to 30,000 miles, this type of U-joint is lubed, sealed, engineered to prevent loosening and adjustment malfunction, and can last as much as ten times longer than non-needle bearing joints. Depending on the application, they are manufactured from steel, stainless steel, or aluminum. The steering assemblies are designed and CNC manufactured to meet or exceed OE requirements.


Just about any type of vehicle can be accommodated with an application-specific combination of telescoping replacement shafts, U-joints and vibration-reducer upgrades. Take, for example, an older Jeep CJ that pre-dates dampening between the steering box and column. This hypothetical, lifted Jeep has vague steering, and every bump of a washboard trail is transmitted through the steering wheel to the driver's hands, arms, shoulders and entire skeletal system.

Simple Installation
The answer, depending on the model year, would be a replacement telescoping shaft assembly with two precision needle bearing U-joints with vibration reducer. The assembly can be installed with conventional tools and the result is positive, safe steering. No more wandering in crosswinds; no more wondering where you're going to end up when the vehicle hits a bump.