Cold weather = Death wobble

[BuckeyeButch]

Well, I'm in Ohio for the week and with the temps in the 20-35 range I'm having Death Wobble again. I haven't encountered this since last winter in Ohio when I moved to TN.
What's others experiencing?

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[Kevin_D]

Is it DW or tire bounce?
Mine had a really bad RF tire bounce at -5ºF last winter.
The dealer replaced the steering damper, but I haven't driven in that severe cold since.

Kevin

 

[kevman65]

I get a low level steering wheel shimmy around 35 MPH on rougher than normal roads.
After driving for about 5 minutes it is gone.

Part of that is low air pressure in tires from cold, part of it is the cold steel in the steering. Once everything warms up it is gone.

 

[@californiajeeping]

Well, I'm in Ohio for the week and with the temps in the 20-35 range I'm having Death Wobble again. I haven't encountered this since last winter in Ohio when I moved to TN.
What's others experiencing?

What tires? What size?

 

[OHJeeper]

Well, I'm in Ohio for the week and with the temps in the 20-35 range I'm having Death Wobble again. I haven't encountered this since last winter in Ohio when I moved to TN.
What's others experiencing?

Check tire pressure... I live in Ohio and my psi dropped from 30 -> 25 on my KO2 37's when the temp dropped.

 

[Klutch]

I'm in Colorado and I have driven my Gladiator in temps below Zero F. Never had death wobble under any circumstances.

 

[BuckeyeButch]

What tires? What size?

Stock Overload. With 38 psi.

 

[BuckeyeButch]

I get a low level steering wheel shimmy around 35 MPH on rougher than normal roads.
After driving for about 5 minutes it is gone.

Part of that is low air pressure in tires from cold, part of it is the cold steel in the steering. Once everything warms up it is gone.

This was happening still after driving 100 miles on the interstate once the outside temperature got to 40 it stopped

 

[kevman65]

? I've driven in NE Ohio (Canton to Cleveland) and always had wobbles on the interstate.
Because the interstate sucked.

 

[darkhorse13]

This topic pops up every winter = https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/...s-back-old-st-death-wobble.52242/#post-854980

Personally, I don't experience this in CO winters.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

This was happening still after driving 100 miles on the interstate once the outside temperature got to 40 it stopped

If you drove it 100 miles are you SURE it's TRUE death wobble?
DW is all but uncontrollable. You must slow down for it to subside or stop - and I mean to 40 mph or so.
You don't drive 100 miles on the interstate and have DW that whole time. Your hands would be sore and it would be dangerous as heck.


I have a feeling some are mis-defining "death wobble" and it's really a bad shimmy.

It would take a very long time to go 100 miles with true DW.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I'm in Colorado and I have driven my Gladiator in temps below Zero F. Never had death wobble under any circumstances.

I question if what some people are seeing is REALLY TRULY the real DEATH WOBBLE that makes you pee your pants and wears your hands out keeping it straight on the road.
Likely just a bad shimmy or imbalance in at least some cases.
DW makes you want to stop and leave the SOB along the road.

 

[Wheelin98TJ]

If you drove it 100 miles are you SURE it's TRUE death wobble?
DW is all but uncontrollable. You must slow down for it to subside or stop - and I mean to 40 mph or so.
You don't drive 100 miles on the interstate and have DW that whole time. Your hands would be sore and it would be dangerous as heck.


I have a feeling some are mis-defining "death wobble" and it's really a bad shimmy.

It would take a very long time to go 100 miles with true DW.

DW isn’t a constant event. It gets triggered by the road conditions.

DW is a bad shimmy. It’s just a slang term. Whatever you want to call it, the diagnosis process is the same.

 

[cmb396]

Check tire pressure... I live in Ohio and my psi dropped from 30 -> 25 on my KO2 37's when the temp dropped.

This! Experienced this last year in WV when it got cold with my 39" km3. Normally run 34psi, and first cold morning psi had dropped to around 28-29 and I got DW for the first time. Aired up to 35, cold, and havent had a problem since.

 

[kennyglm]

yup mine has it also same symptoms

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