Massive Speed Wobble!

[Stew!Brew!]

So about 8 months ago I put 2" teraflex spacers on the front end of my jeep wrangler(tj-sport). I followed online instructions and I really feel like I did it correctly, got it re-alligned, never had any problems really. The only problem is that I noticed that sometimes while on a rough turn at 50+ mph I got the slightest type of speed wobble shakes, it usually corrected itself quickly and it didn't worry me. Well I was driving down the I-5 the other day and every time i hit a rough patch of road at about 70-80 mph I would get a couple to a few second of speed wobble. That happened about 4 times. I then I hit a rough patch and got very severe speed wobble, my whole front end would shake like crazy. It basically felt like i was shooting a very strong machine gun holding on for dear life, It didn't stop shaking until I actually stopped the car. I checked the front end, idler arm, anything having to do with the steering components, and they all seemed like they were on there pretty good. Well i got back up to about 65 and it happened again and I had to stop my car again. Luckily I was only about 20 miles from Bakersfield and now my jeep is at a dealership waiting to get checked out. Any idea's if this problem may be because of this lift I did? Or, any type of input on what might be the problem. Also When I bought the car I bought the 7 year 70,000 mi. warranty. Do you think the lift with make this warranty void? thank you ahead of time for any input. The whole experience kind of sucked and was a little scary being that I almost lost control of the car twice, at pretty high speeds.

 

[bigjohnmilford]

I would think any non-factory mods made would void the warranty.

 

[TxBrew]

The ole death wobble. After I put a 3.5" on my YJ I had to put an SYE on it to stop it. Might be an easier fix than that for TJ's ..

http://www.jeepforum.com/

 

[Stew!Brew!]

Yeah I belong to that forum....posted this same post but not too much feedback. Been looking it up online and found that it is indeed a pretty frequent problem. Well I got a new stabilizer bar, and something else done....it was covered by the warranty. I pick it up tomorrow, so we'll see.

 

[AGBrewer]

If you didn't adjust your draglink or put on a lifted steering arm your pitman arm won't be center. So when you hit a bump the steering box is trying to find center again but center isn't straight ahead so it keeps looking back and forth. Did I make sense?

 

[shafferpilot]

Don't take this wrong, 'cause I love a good off-roadin' truck. But the solution is pretty simple: Don't make severe alterations to the suspension of the vehicle that you drive to and from work on a highway with potholes and 70mph+ traffic... and expect it to work. It will NEVER work right no matter how much money you throw at it. Off-road modifications are meant for off-roading at low speed in mud, over rocks, up hills, etc. Highway vehicles are meant for shooting down the express lane at 80mph. off-road vehicles make horrible highway vehicles. Conversely, highway vehicles make horrible off-road vehicles. It's just that simple. If you want that jeep to last through the end of its own loan, ditch the lift and get a project truck for your off-roading. I'm sure a hundred people will tell you that I'm wrong, and your jeep can be made to handle both jobs... But trying to make a vehicle do two completely different things results in a vehicle that is not so great at either.

 

[PeteOz77]

I'm sure a hundred people will tell you that I'm wrong, and your jeep can be made to handle both jobs...

+1

I drove GMC and Chev 4X4 Pickups for 15 years in Minnesota, all of them with lift kits and big tyres. I never went HUGE, but did run 33X12.5X15" Cepek Tires on 10 inch rims on multiple trucks and used both body and suspension lifts. All trucks performed just fine on road and off.

I agree that it's not a great idea to try to build a 4X4 that is great for both, but it's easy to build a 4X4 that is suitable for both.

Now JEEPS.. that might be a different story?

Get a double Rancho steering stabilizer.

 

[etp777]

2" isn't really an extreme lift at all, assuming nothing else. My guess is steering geometry too. Drop pitman arm on there? If not, I'd look at that, and yeah,t he steering stabilizer.

Granted, I ahven't worked on anyt ruck for offroading for 10+ years.

 

[Stew!Brew!]

Well yeah It just so happens that my daily driver is also my off-roading toy for every now and then. Thats why I keep and will continue to keep my modifications simple. I put a new stabilizing arm on, got my wheels balanced and plan on installing new shocks(something I should have done when i lifted it) I drove it home from B-Field today to San Diego and these upgrades made a significant difference, so hopefully it stays A-Ok.