Life in the not so fast lane

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mavric11

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Good afternoon! New owner 2013 Rubicon and new to this forum! (lot's to learn)

I've put only about 5,000 miles on the JK. On test drive, I didn't take it up to highway speeds....after buying it I realized it was a both hands on the wheel experience above 70mph. I've been chasing the issue ever since...new set of Toyo 35" tires, new falcon shocks, Here's the specs and the symptoms:

2013 Rubicon 80,000 miles with 4" Rough Country Lift Kit (not sure on the actual lift kit - 41" from ground to bottom edge of the front fender)
Newer Toyo OpenCountry tires with less then 2k miles, newer Falcon shocks with less than 5k. It's been on a rack twice to ensure everything is tight. Current tire pressure is 28 psi (I've experimented with a range). The alignment was done with the tires.

Symptoms: This Jeep wanders quite a bit, the faster it goes, the more it wants to move around. At 30mph in the neighborhood on level/smooth roads, I can feel a slight sway in the rear end. It's not my daily driver and my first Jeep but I can't imagine this is normal behavior - even for a lifted JK. It was close to dangerous when I first got it.....its gets a little better with each upgrade but its definitely still there. Any suggestions/ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Sam

197803785_10226446416131449_3031974052330009945_n.jpg
 
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Im interested in the responses here. I have a 2015 Sport 96k miles with a 4" rough country lift on 35" tires and have nearly the same driving characteristics.
I don't really notice anything at low speeds, but above 40-50mph it wanders quite a bit. To the point the wife refuses to drive it. My mechanic and I have gone over every inch of it and can't find anything loose or out of alignment.

I'm with you, it just can't be normal driving characteristics.
 
Just as an FYI, some of my findings after I bought my used JKUR.
- Worn Ball Joints
- Worn Upper Control Arm Bushings
- Destroyed Lower Control Arm Bushings
- Worn Track Bar Heim Joint

All of these required me to remove and inspect them. I couldn't get them to budge under weight. So it took me replacing item by item to get the suspension better.

After replacement of the control arm bushing I did a bit of re-alignment and it helped significantly. Is it perfect? No. Still pulls a bit but doesn't want to wander endlessly like it used to.
 
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mavric11 said:
Good afternoon! New owner 2013 Rubicon and new to this forum! (lot's to learn)

I've put only about 5,000 miles on the JK. On test drive, I didn't take it up to highway speeds....after buying it I realized it was a both hands on the wheel experience above 70mph. I've been chasing the issue ever since...new set of Toyo 35" tires, new falcon shocks, Here's the specs and the symptoms:

2013 Rubicon 80,000 miles with 4" Rough Country Lift Kit (not sure on the actual lift kit - 41" from ground to bottom edge of the front fender)
Newer Toyo OpenCountry tires with less then 2k miles, newer Falcon shocks with less than 5k. It's been on a rack twice to ensure everything is tight. Current tire pressure is 28 psi (I've experimented with a range). The alignment was done with the tires.

Symptoms: This Jeep wanders quite a bit, the faster it goes, the more it wants to move around. At 30mph in the neighborhood on level/smooth roads, I can feel a slight sway in the rear end. It's not my daily driver and my first Jeep but I can't imagine this is normal behavior - even for a lifted JK. It was close to dangerous when I first got it.....its gets a little better with each upgrade but its definitely still there. Any suggestions/ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Sam

View attachment 124904
Click to expand...


Does it have adjustable control arms so a it can be aligned properly?

Does it have adjustable track bars front and rear so that the axles are centered under the Jeep?
 
BLACKJKU said:
Does it have adjustable control arms so a it can be aligned properly?

Does it have adjustable track bars front and rear so that the axles are centered under the Jeep?
Click to expand...
just checked since I honestly didn't know....controls arms are not adjustable (upper or lower/ front or back), track bar is adjustable on front but not rear.

sam
 
mavric11 said:
just checked since I honestly didn't know....controls arms are not adjustable (upper or lower/ front or back), track bar is adjustable on front but not rear.

sam
Click to expand...

Take a 4' level or some straight edge and set against the tires sides and measure how far away from the fenders in the rear and then the front and they should be within at least 1/8" difference.
 
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Thanks Mr Black...

I did the procedure three times to ensure same measurement, the rear is out 1/4" (left side).
LF: 1-1/4"
LR: 1-1/2"
RF: 1-3/8"
RR: only 3/8"

Would it be worthwhile to buy a digital gauge and measure the caster angle?
 
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FishFam JKU said:
Just as an FYI, some of my findings after I bought my used JKUR.
- Worn Ball Joints
- Worn Upper Control Arm Bushings
- Destroyed Lower Control Arm Bushings
- Worn Track Bar Heim Joint

All of these required me to remove and inspect them. I couldn't get them to budge under weight. So it took me replacing item by item to get the suspension better.

After replacement of the control arm bushing I did a bit of re-alignment and it helped significantly. Is it perfect? No. Still pulls a bit but doesn't want to wander endlessly like it used to.
Click to expand...

thanks for areas to inspect....looking for a Jeep suspension shop in the area just to do a test ride....I'm hoping for a "yeah that's not right" as opposed to a "get use to it"
 
mavric11 said:
Thanks Mr Black...

I did the procedure three times to ensure same measurement, the rear is out 1/4" (left side).
LF: 1-1/4"
LR: 1-1/2"
RF: 1-3/8"
RR: only 3/8"

Would it be worthwhile to buy a digital gauge and measure the caster angle?
Click to expand...
That rear axle needs to move over so the measurements are alot closer then that. You could probably check the caster to see how close it is.
 
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I would definitely add the adjustable control arms and an adjustable track bar on the rear for starters. It sounds like your rear end is doing the wagging and the front end is trying to keep up.
Far too many Jeep owners simply don't think about how changing the geometry that much requires additional pieces, parts and work. They think a simple lift, regardless of height, will suffice, without thinking of the consequences of changing the driveshaft angles, control arm reach, track bars, etc. With a proper understanding of the engineering, the investment is much more worthwhile.
You never know, the PO may have sold the Jeep because he couldn't figure out or didn't want to make the proper investment to fix the same issues you're having. He just got tired of chasing it all over the road.
 
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Anybodyhome said:
I would definitely add the adjustable control arms and an adjustable track bar on the rear for starters. It sounds like your rear end is doing the wagging and the front end is trying to keep up.
Far too many Jeep owners simply don't think about how changing the geometry that much requires additional pieces, parts and work. They think a simple lift, regardless of height, will suffice, without thinking of the consequences of changing the driveshaft angles, control arm reach, track bars, etc. With a proper understanding of the engineering, the investment is much more worthwhile.
You never know, the PO may have sold the Jeep because he couldn't figure out or didn't want to make the proper investment to fix the same issues you're having. He just got tired of chasing it all over the road.
Click to expand...
I suspect that is exactly what happened. I found a highly recommended alignment shop that specializes in lifted 4x4s, I will install the adj rear track bar this weekend then run it over. If that doesnt do it I’ll pull the trigger on adj control arms.
 
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