Jeep Wrangler JKU with 3.5" lift hard to keep straight on the highway

Dhardy87

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I have a 2008 Jeep Wrangler JK Unlimited with a 3.5in rough country lift drop Pittman arm track bar relocation mount and sway bar links for rear and front. I have replaced all front end ball joints, tie rod ends and track bar drag link and pitman arm joint. New steering stabilizer, tires and lower control arms. The whole front end is basically brand new and alignment done. I havent replaced the shocks yet. Problem I am having is when driving down the highway or any road that may have grooves or uneven lanes my jeep becomes hard to control. It will dart left or right when changing lanes or road uneven. Feels loose and is unpredictable. Any ideas on what could cause this and how to fix it?
 
As much as I hate to say it, any lift that includes a drop pitman arm is a bad lift, no two ways about it. Rough Country is known for producing garbage (it was the same for the TJ Wranglers as well). That being said, the drop pitman arm should be removed, and the track bar relocation bracket should be as well.

That should probably fix most of this, though at 3.5" you should need a high steer kit such as this:


The bottom line is that even though your alignment may be correct (which I'm still skeptical about), you're using bottom shelf components that are poorly designed, hence the poor road manners. This is one more reason I always tell everyone to avoid Rough Country, Skyjacker, and all the cheaper brand of lifts.
 
As much as I hate to say it, any lift that includes a drop pitman arm is a bad lift, no two ways about it. Rough Country is known for producing garbage (it was the same for the TJ Wranglers as well). That being said, the drop pitman arm should be removed, and the track bar relocation bracket should be as well.

That should probably fix most of this, though at 3.5" you should need a high steer kit such as this:


The bottom line is that even though your alignment may be correct (which I'm still skeptical about), you're using bottom shelf components that are poorly designed, hence the poor road manners. This is one more reason I always tell everyone to avoid Rough Country, Skyjacker, and all the cheaper brand of lifts.
Thanks The jeep already had this lift when I bought it. I have been looking at just getting a new lift so I know what I got.
 
The lift that is on my Jeep came with the track bar relocation bracket. So do I need to still order the high steering kit or could I get away with keeping the relocation bracket for the track bar on and just order the flipped drag link and factory Pittman arm? Also I am using a dual steering stabilizer so I want need a place to mount a stabilizer on the relocation bracket.
 
The lift that is on my Jeep came with the track bar relocation bracket. So do I need to still order the high steering kit or could I get away with keeping the relocation bracket for the track bar on and just order the flipped drag link and factory Pittman arm? Also I am using a dual steering stabilizer so I want need a place to mount a stabilizer on the relocation bracket.

A dual steering stabilizer is big waste of money. I hate to break that to you, but it's a fact. Why on earth these companies keep making them is beyond me, but they are praying on the people who simply don't know any better, and using shady marketing tactics to try and convince people that a dual steering stabilizer is somehow a good thing (it's not, trust me).

What I would do if I was you is get a high steer kit (i.e. AEV), remove the track bar bracket and the drop pitman arm, and also get control arm geometry relocation brackets.

That paired with a proper alignment should get your JK riding straight again, and drastically improve it's road manners.
 
I appreciate your honesty. I have been trying to learn everything I can so I dont waste money on things that want help improve my Jeep. Also The dual stabilizer was on it when I purchased It I just replaced one of the shocks with a new one and removed the other.
I took my jeep to A shop in Panama City Florida (Son of a Jeep-great service) when we was on Vacation and they basically told me the same thing about the dual stabilizer.
I'm going to order the AEV High steering kit I'll let you know how it works out.
 
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No problem!

If you want to get it riding perfect, put an AEV DualSport 3.5" lift on there, or at least another lift that uses the same components as the AEV. That setup is one that works absolutely perfect (and rides better than factory), and most of the higher end lift manufactures have learned this (AEV, TeraFlex, Rock Krawler, Metalcloak, etc.).

And yes, that dual steering stabilizer is nothing but junk. It does nothing for you, yet these shady companies market them as if they actually do. Things like that really piss me off, since most people don't know any better, especially if you're just getting into Jeeps.
 
I have a 2008 Jeep Wrangler JK Unlimited with a 3.5in rough country lift drop Pittman arm track bar relocation mount and sway bar links for rear and front. I have replaced all front end ball joints, tie rod ends and track bar drag link and pitman arm joint. New steering stabilizer, tires and lower control arms. The whole front end is basically brand new and alignment done. I havent replaced the shocks yet. Problem I am having is when driving down the highway or any road that may have grooves or uneven lanes my jeep becomes hard to control. It will dart left or right when changing lanes or road uneven. Feels loose and is unpredictable. Any ideas on what could cause this and how to fix it?
All of the things Chris has mentioned will help you immensely. To add to that, I would also check the ball joints and the caster and pinion angles. I just replaced the ball joints and caster kit on my 2012 JKUR after feeling like I was being blown all over the road - with no wind - and the difference is night and day.

As an aside, I do have a TeraFlex 4 inch lift.

Good luck with getting things straightened out.
 
What I would do if I was you is get a high steer kit (i.e. AEV), remove the track bar bracket and the drop pitman arm, and also get control arm geometry relocation brackets.
f you want to get it riding perfect, put an AEV DualSport 3.5" lift on there, or at least another lift that uses the same components as the AEV. That setup is one that works absolutely perfect (and rides better than factory), and most of the higher end lift manufactures have learned this (AEV, TeraFlex, Rock Krawler, Metalcloak, etc.).

Completely agree with this ☝☝. I recently installed the AEV 4.5" DualSport SC and High Steer Kit on my '09 JKU and the stability and control are great. I'd say better than stock.

As much as I hate to say it, any lift that includes a drop pitman arm is a bad lift, no two ways about it.

Also, I've heard A LOT of the same about the drop pitman arm but have no personal experience on it. Are your lower ball joints still in good shape?
 
Yes the ball joints are less than 2 months old so are the tie rod ends and drag link.

I have ordered the AVE high steer kit, Rubicon Express mono shocks and factory Pittman arm. I am also going to order the Rancho control arm relocation brackets.

Once I get everything installed the only parts left made by Rough Country will be my Coils, rear sway bar links and I believe the rear track bar relocation bracket.
 
Yes the ball joints are less than 2 months old so are the tie rod ends and drag link.

I have ordered the AVE high steer kit, Rubicon Express mono shocks and factory Pittman arm. I am also going to order the Rancho control arm relocation brackets.

Once I get everything installed the only parts left made by Rough Country will be my Coils, rear sway bar links and I believe the rear track bar relocation bracket.

I suggest you order the AEV High Steer Kit and the CA Relocation Brackets from quadratec.com or another distributor. If you order from AEV-Conversions.com you'll likely pay a good amount in shipping, whereas at Quadratec you'll get free shipping on anything over $49. Just recently did the same myself.
 
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I have a 2008 Jeep Wrangler JK Unlimited with a 3.5in rough country lift drop Pittman arm track bar relocation mount and sway bar links for rear and front. I have replaced all front end ball joints, tie rod ends and track bar drag link and pitman arm joint. New steering stabilizer, tires and lower control arms. The whole front end is basically brand new and alignment done. I havent replaced the shocks yet. Problem I am having is when driving down the highway or any road that may have grooves or uneven lanes my jeep becomes hard to control. It will dart left or right when changing lanes or road uneven. Feels loose and is unpredictable. Any ideas on what could cause this and how to fix it?
I did a 4" and have the same issue, I am trying the 7slot customs drag link flip kit. I will keep you posted. I have also been told to go back to stock pitman arm with drag link flip, and keep trackbar relocation bracket
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My wife’s JKU also had a budget lift on it when we bought it, swapped it out for a 2.5” rubicon express lift first chance I got. I wouldn’t consider it a high end lift, but it’s far better than what was on there. I don’t plan on going than bigger than 35s, if we even do that...might stick with 33s. But it cruises down the highway at 75 and has great control.
 
I have a 2008 Jeep Wrangler JK Unlimited with a 3.5in rough country lift drop Pittman arm track bar relocation mount and sway bar links for rear and front. I have replaced all front end ball joints, tie rod ends and track bar drag link and pitman arm joint. New steering stabilizer, tires and lower control arms. The whole front end is basically brand new and alignment done. I havent replaced the shocks yet. Problem I am having is when driving down the highway or any road that may have grooves or uneven lanes my jeep becomes hard to control. It will dart left or right when changing lanes or road uneven. Feels loose and is unpredictable. Any ideas on what could cause this and how to fix it?
There is a lot of good advice here. My very first thought though, with any significant lift, is to look at the parallelism between the track bar and the drag link. They should be pretty close to parallel, and stay that way as the jeep rocks and sways on turns. If they aren't close to parallel, then the steering can be badly behaved.

That should be parallel or slightly elevated. You want a fair amount angle to remain at full extension of the shock. If if the link and the sway bar arm assume a near straight line when the shock is fully extended, as it recovers the link can invert and push the sway bar end down and forward, which a bad thing. There is a reason there is a electronic sway bar disconnect on the newer Rubicons. The original owner of my Rubi added quick disconnect links so they can disconnected with a pliers. Then bailing wire or zip ties to tie the link up out of the way. Just reconnect once you're back on good roads.
 
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