JL Steering Gear

OverlanderJL

OverlanderJL

Resident Smartass
Isaacoj760 said:
2019 JL Rubicon Unlimited 37” tires mopar lift, track barss

Jeep wandered like crazy “jeep thing” off the lot. Added 37” and if I aired down to 28PSI it drastically helped the wandering. 3 months later installed mopar lift. No real change to steering or wandering . Took Jeep in to get steering box replaced. Told service manager jeep was wandering and here is the TSB. Very little questions ordered parts and installed.

Now, on trip home felt way tighter. I was a little pissed the dealer messed with my toe and air pressure. Air pressure was 37 psi on way home. I lowered air pressure back to 28 psi like I had it prior to dealer visit. Test drive #2. Let’s just say bump steer and death wobble immediately I then thought must be the toe. But instead aired up back to 37 psi. Better. Then to 40 psi. Now I can let go of steering wheel and tracks straight. Fly over bumpy country roads that caused death wobble and now it’s gone.

For those that get the TSB done we need to reverse our thinking. All we have been doing is hiding the real problem with the steering box. You will have to readjust all the bandaids but the difference is real.
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So you think spring up to 40psi is the cure for bad steering and death wobble? 🤦‍♂️
 

B

BlueRubicon

Member
Isaacoj760 said:
2019 JL Rubicon Unlimited 37” tires mopar lift, track barss

Jeep wandered like crazy “jeep thing” off the lot. Added 37” and if I aired down to 28PSI it drastically helped the wandering. 3 months later installed mopar lift. No real change to steering or wandering . Took Jeep in to get steering box replaced. Told service manager jeep was wandering and here is the TSB. Very little questions ordered parts and installed.

Now, on trip home felt way tighter. I was a little pissed the dealer messed with my toe and air pressure. Air pressure was 37 psi on way home. I lowered air pressure back to 28 psi like I had it prior to dealer visit. Test drive #2. Let’s just say bump steer and death wobble immediately I then thought must be the toe. But instead aired up back to 37 psi. Better. Then to 40 psi. Now I can let go of steering wheel and tracks straight. Fly over bumpy country roads that caused death wobble and now it’s gone.

For those that get the TSB done we need to reverse our thinking. All we have been doing is hiding the real problem with the steering box. You will have to readjust all the bandaids but the difference is real.
Click to expand...
40 psi not the answer. Put the stock wheels and tires back on if you have them, and drive it. I would bet most of your 'wandering' goes away. Drivability is always pretty lousy with big tires. Nothing much you can do. If you want lifted Jeep with big tires you deal with it. All these stupid threads on every Jeep forum is ridiculous. You are dealing with solid axle rig. My front end is all aftermarket, torqued properly and no worn parts. However with 37's at about 51-58mph I always have 'wondering' or wobble, whatever you want to call it. When I put on stock rims and 33's it all goes away. It is the fucking tires. I drove 2000 miles to Utah and 2000 miles back doing 90mph. No wobble or shimmy. Of course it 'wonders' its a fucking solid axle Wrangler. Deal with it. Every tire at a certain frequency gives you something...noise, wobble whatever.
Not picking on you, just commenting on all these posts on this beat to death topic.
 

OverlanderJL

OverlanderJL

Resident Smartass
BlueRubicon said:
40 psi not the answer. Put the stock wheels and tires back on if you have them, and drive it. I would bet most of your 'wandering' goes away. Drivability is always pretty lousy with big tires. Nothing much you can do. If you want lifted Jeep with big tires you deal with it. All these stupid threads on every Jeep forum is ridiculous. You are dealing with solid axle rig. My front end is all aftermarket, torqued properly and no worn parts. However with 37's at about 51-58mph I always have 'wondering' or wobble, whatever you want to call it. When I put on stock rims and 33's it all goes away. It is the fucking tires. I drove 2000 miles to Utah and 2000 miles back doing 90mph. No wobble or shimmy. Of course it 'wonders' its a fucking solid axle Wrangler. Deal with it. Every tire at a certain frequency gives you something...noise, wobble whatever.
Not picking on you, just commenting on all these posts on this beat to death topic.
Click to expand...
I don’t know, my silver Jeep on 40’s had zero shimmy or wobble. If the tires are balanced properly and everything is tight and not worn, you shouldn’t have any shimmy. A speed related shimmy is a tire balancing issue, as you implied. If you have issues maybe you need to have them road force balanced. But it sounds like it doesn’t bother you so might not be worth it.
 

B

BlueRubicon

Member
OverlanderJL said:
I don’t know, my silver Jeep on 40’s had zero shimmy or wobble. If the tires are balanced properly and everything is tight and not worn, you shouldn’t have any shimmy. A speed related shimmy is a tire balancing issue, as you implied. If you have issues maybe you need to have them road force balanced. But it sounds like it doesn’t bother you so might not be worth it.
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That is awesome you are 'wobble' free. I am not worried about it. I have $104 rims that are beat up and out of balance. I use my Jeep to play so I don't care. Yes...it is daily driver too, but I bought the Jeep knowing full well it's not a Cadillac.;)
 

B

BlueRubicon

Member
OverlanderJL said:
I don’t know, my silver Jeep on 40’s had zero shimmy or wobble. If the tires are balanced properly and everything is tight and not worn, you shouldn’t have any shimmy. A speed related shimmy is a tire balancing issue, as you implied. If you have issues maybe you need to have them road force balanced. But it sounds like it doesn’t bother you so might not be worth it.
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Coincidentally...I put on mid arm kit this weekend. Just drove it on highway and pesky little wobble gone!! That means at 32k miles stock control arm bushings were junk. Actually, less miles because Mopar sent new lowers with Mopar lift.
Was the only suspension component that was more or less 'stock', I had not replaced. Funny on 33's and stock tires the 'wobble' wasn't noticeable. I figured it was all the 37's. Live and learn...right?
 

OverlanderJL

OverlanderJL

Resident Smartass
BlueRubicon said:
Coincidentally...I put on mid arm kit this weekend. Just drove it on highway and pesky little wobble gone!! That means at 32k miles stock control arm bushings were junk. Actually, less miles because Mopar sent new lowers with Mopar lift.
Was the only suspension component that was more or less 'stock', I had not replaced. Funny on 33's and stock tires the 'wobble' wasn't noticeable. I figured it was all the 37's. Live and learn...right?
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Drive it too much like that and you’ll know every time something isn’t right. People say “it’s a Jeep it’s not a sports car” (I think you said something like that actually lol) but I still want my Jeep to drive smooth and straight.
 

I

Isaacoj760

New member
BlueRubicon said:
40 psi not the answer. Put the stock wheels and tires back on if you have them, and drive it. I would bet most of your 'wandering' goes away. Drivability is always pretty lousy with big tires. Nothing much you can do. If you want lifted Jeep with big tires you deal with it. All these stupid threads on every Jeep forum is ridiculous. You are dealing with solid axle rig. My front end is all aftermarket, torqued properly and no worn parts. However with 37's at about 51-58mph I always have 'wondering' or wobble, whatever you want to call it. When I put on stock rims and 33's it all goes away. It is the fucking tires. I drove 2000 miles to Utah and 2000 miles back doing 90mph. No wobble or shimmy. Of course it 'wonders' its a fucking solid axle Wrangler. Deal with it. Every tire at a certain frequency gives you something...noise, wobble whatever.
Not picking on you, just commenting on all these posts on this beat to death topic.
Click to expand...
The wandering was off the lot with stock tires. Actually improved with 37s at low pressure. Was worse ever when steering box replace with low pressure and 37s. Aired up and now it runs like a solid axle should not perfect but like it should. My point is there was a problem with mine that was corrected with a new steering box and now have to back off some off the bandaids implemented to correct the problem. Just sharing my experience.
 

I

Isaacoj760

New member
BlueRubicon said:
40 psi not the answer. Put the stock wheels and tires back on if you have them, and drive it. I would bet most of your 'wandering' goes away. Drivability is always pretty lousy with big tires. Nothing much you can do. If you want lifted Jeep with big tires you deal with it. All these stupid threads on every Jeep forum is ridiculous. You are dealing with solid axle rig. My front end is all aftermarket, torqued properly and no worn parts. However with 37's at about 51-58mph I always have 'wondering' or wobble, whatever you want to call it. When I put on stock rims and 33's it all goes away. It is the fucking tires. I drove 2000 miles to Utah and 2000 miles back doing 90mph. No wobble or shimmy. Of course it 'wonders' its a fucking solid axle Wrangler. Deal with it. Every tire at a certain frequency gives you something...noise, wobble whatever.
Not picking on you, just commenting on all these posts on this beat to death topic.
Click to expand...
But you are probably spot on if I did put my stocks back on with the new steering box it would be even better than the 37s.
 

W

WizzBang

New member
Got my new steering gear installed today. I wasn't unhappy with how it drove except that it would bind up when cold. Well the new feel is fantastic. The box is tighter and much smoother than the original. Got it done on the last days of my warranty.
 

G

Gary2

New member
The weight of a 37 will make a new set of Clevite control arm bushings move a little . I would of had Johnny Joints or something similar replacing any Clevite bushing in my suspensions before 37's even if it never goes off road. . Heavy tires will bring out the weak or soft links . Track bar bushings , control arm bushings are usually what need to be upgraded if everything seems tight, do the dry steering test , look and feel for the weak link . If ya think this is bad wait until you encounter a vibration in a Ram 1500 with all the clevite bushings in that vehicle. They are fine on the light rotating weight of an OE tire and wheel.
 

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