Kryptonite Centerlink vs. PPE

D-MAX Mafia

Hood down, smoke up!
Nov 4, 2009
1,112
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Phoenix
Ya mine must be the uca drop bracket lift. It has some supports that attach to the centerlink. It seem to help a ton in 4wd not darting all over the place. You think this will be troublesome though a?

You should not get any center link twist with the lift you have. If it has the drop down steering bracket with the 2 heim joint supports it will be very solid.
 

Chevy1925

don't know sh!t about IFS
Staff member
Oct 21, 2009
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Ya mine must be the uca drop bracket lift. It has some supports that attach to the centerlink. It seem to help a ton in 4wd not darting all over the place. You think this will be troublesome though a?

Well just do me a favor and look at how the upper control arm is mounted. if its not in the stock frame location your on the right track. the braces your talking about are not cognito braces are they?

You should not get any center link twist with the lift you have. If it has the drop down steering bracket with the 2 heim joint supports it will be very solid.

eh not from what ive seen on some trucks. i dont know what it is about those lifts but even the newer style with the updated centerlink drop and secondary pivot locations, some still have toe issues even with everything new. ive not been able to actually see one in person but ive watched some vids of different trucks on other forums launch in 4wd with high hp and all new steering parts (sleeves and the whole nine yards) and they still toe in a decent amount. i dont like those lifts and there is a reason pro comp came out with there knuckle lift.

Bonestock, makes sure all your steering componets have no slop and you put some sleves atleast on the outer tie rods. there isnt much more you can do to the centerlink than that. If you get bored with a GoPro, put it under your fender facing at the centerlink. should shine alot of light on us on what is happening
 

Bonestock

Active member
Aug 9, 2010
1,358
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Worland Wy
Thanks will do. I have the ppe sleeves already and have pulled with this kit quite a few times and no toe in that I can feel in the steering or see on the videos. But then I added more hp and try to launch in 4wd and its like trying to jump on a bull for the first time. I do have some issues going on right now in the front end that may be leading up to this. I am going to replace the centerlink with either the ppe or sd centerlink here in the next week or so. Happy bday to me! Also I will be changing upper ball joints, idler and pitman along with the new weld in brace for the idler pivot.

My lift you had to chop off the factory mounts for the upper control arms and mount their drop brackets to lower the upper control arm for lift. Then they have 2 pretty damn stout connections that appear to be heim joints from drop uca to centerlink itself. This seems to be much better than the cognito braces. Procomp said I would not be able to use cognito braces with this kit due to its design.
 
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Chevy1925

don't know sh!t about IFS
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Oct 21, 2009
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Thanks will do. I have the ppe sleeves already and have pulled with this kit quite a few times and no toe in that I can feel in the steering or see on the videos. But then I added more hp and try to launch in 4wd and its like trying to jump on a bull for the first time. I do have some issues going on right now in the front end that may be leading up to this. I am going to replace the centerlink with either the ppe or sd centerlink here in the next week or so. Happy bday to me! Also I will be changing upper ball joints, idler and pitman along with the new weld in brace for the idler pivot.

My lift you had to chop off the factory mounts for the upper control arms and mount their drop brackets to lower the upper control arm for lift. Then they have 2 pretty damn stout connections that appear to be heim joints from drop uca to centerlink itself. This seems to be much better than the cognito braces. Procomp said I would not be able to use cognito braces with this kit due to its design.

the point of pro comps heim joints is to stop centerlink rotation but like i said, i have little faith in their design. let us know how the centerlink fixes your issue! if your truck is that violent on take off, i can tell you its a toe issue, dirt will hide it better as the tires never have the traction asphault gives.
 

Bonestock

Active member
Aug 9, 2010
1,358
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Worland Wy
I hear ya. Right now I think I have a bent bracket for the idler arm pivot assembly. I know my tires are not sitting correct. I will address all of this and get back in the next couple of weeks.:cool:
 

super diesel

<<<< Under Pressure
The A arm mounts (rubber or what ever you kit comes with) also can cause some flex and the further everything gets away from the frame where it all mounts to, the more pronounced it becomes. This can cause some bucking as the tires lash back and forth from gaining and loosing traction. I built some ball joint (adjustable) limiters to help hold the A arms from flexing forward some years ago. I would not recommend this for every day driving though.
 

smarquis

Triple Turbo LBZ
Jul 15, 2010
188
0
0
Las Vegas, Nevada.
Subscribed. I need a new centerlink, already have all of the support parts (I think), but my centerlink definitely has some play in it. I just need to get my steering tightened up, and want to do whatever is necessary to do so while maintaining the best suspension action.
 

Subman

Old Geezer
Jun 27, 2008
3,233
10
38
80
Madras, OR, Pahrump NV
Any of you guys that are going to be in Phoenix for the race on the 10th if you want to ck out the Kryptonite full race frontend that I have on Whiteout come on over to the pits. I'll be parked next to the Max'd Out trailer.
 

2005LLY

New member
Sep 18, 2011
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So if I buy the centerlink and have it installed an get an alignment, will I have issues with my tires wearing odd on a truck I drive everyday? If I rotate the tires regularly will that help? I have cranked front end and want to launch.. But within a year or 2 I'd like to buy a 4" kit when I have the money. Then my angles would be flat and no worries on the front end correct?
 

Alliance1289

New member
Apr 26, 2011
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I have about $150 in mine and a shitload of time. Horrible picture but you get the idea.
 

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Chevy1925

don't know sh!t about IFS
Staff member
Oct 21, 2009
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The thing to remember with any centerlink upgrade is it will have no flex they do not allow for stock geometry to be retained thru the suspension cycle while at full and even 1/2 crank you will wear tires way faster cuz the centerlink being stiffer will cause more tire scrub and if you have not gone thru and upgraded every component in the steering rack the new centerlink will wear out everything. I would do this last in a front end build and only on a sled puller or quarter queen, you would be very surprised what you can accomplish with the right parts in the right order. Then decide to throw a centerlink in. Oh btw the centerlink will only make an existing problem worse if you are experiencing sreering wobble or lack of feel and responsivness out of the wheel look into tie rods not sleeves pit man and idler arm bracket idler arm pivot assembly and poss new unitized wheel bearings super easy super cheap stuff compared to the steering rack:coolspot

umm no. much more to it than that sparky :thumb:
 

streetwise

New member
Dec 8, 2009
101
0
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Springfield OH
Anybody have any experience with these? They use the factory outter tie rod end but heim joint inner:confused: http://www.pure-performance.biz/

I have this on mine with 6" procomp knuckle lift. Ackerman angle is a little off so itscrubs a little still working on dialing in alignment. It is strong,no bump steer. I have launched it a couple times and it seems to be good. I will be beating on it more in the next few weeks. I installed the pure kit and the lift at the same time The truck had cranked t-bars and crank it up center and sleeves prior to this install.
 

Bonestock

Active member
Aug 9, 2010
1,358
1
38
Worland Wy
Centerlink

I have launched the truck in 4wd and it is pretty much straight as an arrow now with no trouble. lowered the 6" lift to 4" to get cv angles straight. :D
 

Chevy1925

don't know sh!t about IFS
Staff member
Oct 21, 2009
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Chevy1925 if there is such a great amount more to be said on the subjuct please elaborate so we all can share in the joy of your knowledge! Im not an electrician btw

its been explained many times over, most of which by me. a quick search will give you your answer.
 

Chevy1925

don't know sh!t about IFS
Staff member
Oct 21, 2009
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I have seen your expanation and agree with most of what you say and thats allright, i am just not in agreement w/ you as to where the benifits of the centerlink truely shine and where the cons stick out like a sore thumb. Notice how many members have this item installed but have had some other issue arise regaurding tire wear steering and corresponding part failure? The brace kits that are offered in the after market are incredible! They extend service life of existing parts/design they noticeably enhance the steering and will never affect warranty or tire wear or factory alignment specs and yes the bracket and rod end do for all intents and purposes eliminate the dreaded rack roll. Best of all the pitman idler suppt kits are easy! Fast and affordable. It is the first mod i make and i firmly believe no gm ifs owner should go with out it!

what are you talking about? i dont like straight centerlinks that utilize the factory tie rods directly off the end of a straight centerlink for the very reason they mess up the ackerman angle and cause tire scrub. my kit does not work that way, nor does the kryptonite, nor SD's new centerlink. the brace kit DOES NOT WORK FOR ME. ive stated this over and over and others who have tried to follow me in a lifted truck with minimal back spaced wheels have found the same. a lowered truck should handle much better than my lifted truck. leverages and angles play much bigger roles here. the braces work for most but start pushing the truck in power/lifted/off roading and its not long they start to show they cant handle it. Ive never said "cognito braces dont work for everyone out there in the GM world"
 

Chevy1925

don't know sh!t about IFS
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Oct 21, 2009
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1925chevy i am only broadining the perspective a little and audi a4 should out corner any truck really but i have gone toe to toe with moded euro cars like s4 audi and never come off their bumper following down twisty backroads 80+ and i run a bracket kit and run 35s i also set suspension up pretty good for a novice but really believe a good driver can get in a piece of crap with the right parts and smoke the fastest cars out there being driven by less than excellent drivers- cheers- btw if any one out there really wants to slam a full sized gm thru some corners get some sway bars ft and rear youll see what sports cars fear some good shocks help too like qa1 or fox bilstiens something gas

you havnt broadend anything. all you have done is say you disagree with me on certain points and yet none of them disagree with my statements or facts for previous post till now. glad you got a truck to corner like a sports car but thats not what we are talkin about

I never singled out straight centerlinks they are too old school to mention. What i am talking about has not changed. I BELIEVE. The brecket kit work very well for street/tow...I BELIEVE the centerlink needs to have some torsional give or movement(not ft to bk) during full crank turning and especially over rough roads and off road while turning at full crank. Has anyone put any thought into the stock centerlink actuall acting as a shock absorber during a side impact like hitting a concrete curb moving out of the way of an emergency vehicle? Or how bout when your rig slides to the downhill side of an icy road or off road trail and the front tire experiences a side impact you will be suprised to see where the sheer stress exits once you beef up that centerlink and that is why I BELIEVE solid centerlinks should stay on purpose built track rigs

once again, i never disagreed with this. please point out where i say in any thread because apparently all this BS on here stemed from it.

And no, flex should NOT be present in the centerlink. the tooth pick tie rods will bend/flex before the centerlink ever would. if GM were so smart to make these things bend for "sliding into a crub from ice", why in the hell do we need cognito braces or any kind of brace to begin with?
 

Chevy1925

don't know sh!t about IFS
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Oct 21, 2009
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I know you never dis agreed with this. OK. 1925 you seemed to be a little biased. Your ways not the best for me or bobby over there or maybe even little suzie so not everyone has your needs thats why the forum is here right? It almost seems as though you have something personal With cognito idk. I praised your knowledge chevy1925 in previous posts but i dont have to agree with you. Your cup seems a little full today cheers and again i dont dis agree with you dude i just dont believe your set up is the perfect one way be all no better than way nor do i believe you sir are the final word authority on the subject

well boss, you jump on here and start makin claims of disagreement and post no facts to back it and some kinda irrelevent info on a lowered gas truck playing with audi's. give me some facts and data that poves running something other than what i am currently is better. there is one of two reasons 99% of the people out there are not running what i have. 1 is, its not sold in the states anymore due to cognito sending out a letter to Mac, and 2 is when you could buy it, no one wanted to spend the money. At this point, SD and Kryptonite are the next best option for one of the strongest steering setups out that still allows you to DD it without tire scrub or ill-affects on driving. You wanna go with just cognito braces? cool, i never said you couldnt. this is based on facts and basic steering knowlege, not what i "believe". ive never had an issue with cognito and you pullin the card of "well you must have something against them" is BS. Unfortunatly, in the realm most of us are in, a stock centerlink with cognito braces and tie rods doesnt work because cognito braces still allow flex and will bend. Cognito makes some of the best lift kits when you get down to it but they are high priced. Ill push one of their kits all day but it dont fit everyone. Same reason i wont push anyone into a fabtech lift even though ive had one on my truck for the last 6 years and 90k, fabtechs setup out the door sucks for those who want the best ride, used 4wd hard off road, and want to keep bumpsteer to a min.

sorry you dont like my post buddy but im bring fact, your bringing what you "feel" or "believe". And i never said my way was right, once again, your puttin words in my mouth. I stated factually, what was the best setup.
 

Chevy1925

don't know sh!t about IFS
Staff member
Oct 21, 2009
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Again i say your cup is too full dude. My truck run on 35s and still puts audis thru the ringer and the facts you say you speak of seem to be based solely off your experiences as well. And maybe some info you got comfortable enough to regurgitate good for you. What you think cuz my avatar says 2 day member and 5 posts you think ive not been around the block? I love guys like you. I got some oceanfront property in az if you are interested !maybe we be close enough to let the trucks talk as for this subject it dead no more worthless words you can have the last one i hope some good thoughts and ideas came from all this banter Peace to all but prius owners ha

Haha wow. Again you assume and post no facts.