I've tried a few searches, but have not readily found any relevant posts discussing this, so please forgive me if I've missed existing ones (and please share tips on searching JL Wrangler if I am missing existing content on this topic - - Thank you)
I've had my 2018 JLU Sport for about 7,500 miles (got it in May of 2018) and have had it off road about 5 times. Always have been gentle, save for the occasional less-than-elegant trail bump. I have mostly been on relatively smooth fire roads, and some have had a few braking bumps and embedded rocks up to ~melon in size (but I don't fly over those, instead I usually steer around them or slow down for the smaller softball-sized ones).
Cutting to the chase, I experience the famed death wobble on freeways, and have been for the past 2-3 months. It usually strikes on a stretch of the I-110 North, heading into Downtown Los Angeles (for those familiar with the area). This weekend, I experienced it 4 times after taking it on a short off road excursion at Gorman (Hungry Valley). This was the first time I aired down (from 36 psi recommended street pressure to 25 psi). The feel, off road, was immensely better, by the way. However, after getting back on the freeway afterward, it struck pretty hard between 50-55 mph. Each time, it felt as if the steering wheel was being violently shaken from my grip (it was hard to hold on). I was driving slow since I was still aired-down since there was no convenient gas station where I exited the park. It came back 3 more times before I found the first gas station and aired back up to 36 psi.
After that, it only hit one more time, and much milder.
Any thoughts from those with more experience? I realize that it IS possible that a bushing, or other component in the front-end steering assembly could have worn very prematurely, but 7.500 miles seems remarkably low for a gently driven, brand new vehicle in the modern age of 2018...
I plan to have a look, underneath, this week with a friend articulating the steering wheel as suggested in the Wayalife video.
Mainly, wondering what you all think I should do.
Thanks, and appreciate any help you can offer.
Eric
I've had my 2018 JLU Sport for about 7,500 miles (got it in May of 2018) and have had it off road about 5 times. Always have been gentle, save for the occasional less-than-elegant trail bump. I have mostly been on relatively smooth fire roads, and some have had a few braking bumps and embedded rocks up to ~melon in size (but I don't fly over those, instead I usually steer around them or slow down for the smaller softball-sized ones).
Cutting to the chase, I experience the famed death wobble on freeways, and have been for the past 2-3 months. It usually strikes on a stretch of the I-110 North, heading into Downtown Los Angeles (for those familiar with the area). This weekend, I experienced it 4 times after taking it on a short off road excursion at Gorman (Hungry Valley). This was the first time I aired down (from 36 psi recommended street pressure to 25 psi). The feel, off road, was immensely better, by the way. However, after getting back on the freeway afterward, it struck pretty hard between 50-55 mph. Each time, it felt as if the steering wheel was being violently shaken from my grip (it was hard to hold on). I was driving slow since I was still aired-down since there was no convenient gas station where I exited the park. It came back 3 more times before I found the first gas station and aired back up to 36 psi.
After that, it only hit one more time, and much milder.
Any thoughts from those with more experience? I realize that it IS possible that a bushing, or other component in the front-end steering assembly could have worn very prematurely, but 7.500 miles seems remarkably low for a gently driven, brand new vehicle in the modern age of 2018...
I plan to have a look, underneath, this week with a friend articulating the steering wheel as suggested in the Wayalife video.
Mainly, wondering what you all think I should do.
Thanks, and appreciate any help you can offer.
Eric
"Welcome to the 2018 JX Experience, presented by ____ Tire!" (yep, I've seen Keep it Tight, Wild West, Pacific Northwest, and Heartland - - loved them all, and rewatch some bits weekly to get the weekend momentum flowing).
