Death wobble after toe adjustment

[Mflowers11]

I have a 2.5” RC leveling kit on it and had 15k miles with perfect handling. It pulled a little to the left, very minor but I do a lot of HWY driving so I had it aligned. Within 20 miles of alignment I had my first DW. Has happened several times since. The only thing they adjusted was the Toe and I’ve found it gets susceptible around 60 mph and goes away around 40.

Is it possible that would do it? I have a hard time believing it is pure coincidence….

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[ShadowsPapa]

It's late and my eyes are tired from allergies, but that toe doesn't look right. I see the specs and it's within their range if I'm looking correctly, but for my thinking it's too close to 0" You want toe - not sitting at 0 as zero will make it want to wander or seek left to right. Possibly wobble a bit.

Most Jeep shops I've seen measure it in degrees because of the widely varied tire sizes.

 

[Gren71]

Id varify the toe your self in the driveway and see if making an adjustment on your own helps.

i have my jt and wifes jlu set to 1/8-1/16 toe in and they both drive great. I set it in the driveway with a measuring tape and my kids side walk chalk to write the numbers down

 

[Mflowers11]

It's late and my eyes are tired from allergies, but that toe doesn't look right. I see the specs and it's within their range if I'm looking correctly, but for my thinking it's too close to 0" You want toe - not sitting at 0 as zero will make it want to wander or seek left to right. Possibly wobble a bit.

Most Jeep shops I've seen measure it in degrees because of the widely varied tire sizes.

Thanks for the quick response. I’ve read a lot of your posts, always helpful and appreciated.

 

[JTenn]

I bought this tool to use as a quick way to verify alignment in my own shop. I haven't used it yet but who knows, maybe it will get as close as an alignment shop can. He uses metal tape measures but I purchased cloth tapes on Amazon that will work better with an added weight.
https://bleepinjeep.com/product/bleepinjeep-alignment-tool/

 

[Lunentucker]

https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/forum/threads/toe-in-vs-toe-out.66290/

https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/forum/threads/going-digital-on-toe-settings.66231/

And this

 

[Lunentucker]

More caster would certainly help as well. Closer to 6.
Either by adjustable control arms or by geometry correction brackets.

Check your torques on ball joints, control arms, drag link, Pitman arm nut, steering gearbox bolts, ... everything. The slight toe change may have brought to light an issue that was there all along.

 

[Jay S]

There is a recall on the steering stabilizer.

 

[Mflowers11]

@Lunentucker that video is awesome. Looking at my measurements I’m betting centering my Toe is the culprit. Back to the shop I go.

 

[Lunentucker]

@Lunentucker that video is awesome. Looking at my measurements I’m betting centering my Toe is the culprit. Back to the shop I go.

You could use more caster, but they can't do that without adjustable arms or brackets.
Still, the toe out and a good steering stabilizer are things that could mask a more concerning issue, and you really need a good checkup on all components.
A number of people have had issues with the Pitman arm nut being just hand tight, for example. It should be around 184 foot pounds and with red Loctite.

 

[Mflowers11]

There is a recall on the steering stabilizer.

you really need a good checkup on all components.

I’ll double check the Pitman arm nut but I had just had it into my regular guy (who I thoroughly trust) and all was good. I had the alignment done at Fleet Farm for $80 on sale thinking it was a simple thing…. Lesson learned!!

Next time it’s in I’ll have him look at the caster, he brought it up but since it was driving great, don’t fix what isn’t broke... Pretty sure it’s the toe. Might try slow adjustments in my driveway with test drives and have it done right next time!

 

[Lunentucker]

Ask your guy to look at the Metalcloak sector shaft brace as a possible worthy addition.

 

[Mflowers11]

@Lunentucker your Toe in vs. Toe out page is great. For anyone with a similar problem here’s the link to it.

https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/forum/threads/toe-in-vs-toe-out.66290/

My toe was in prior which handled pretty good so I’m going to do my own tests this weekend as well. Why not, it’s a zero cost experiment. You sent me down a deep internet rabbit hole with plenty of arguments either way. Toe Out seems to make the most sense to me, I adjusted it a bit in my driveway and made a big difference from the dead center tow Fleet Farm gave me.

And…after reviewing your TO vs TI topic, I can confirm I remember nothing from Sophomore Geometry decades ago and have no interest in relearning…

Thanks again. You, @ShadowsPapa and a few others are a wealth of information on this forum. Much appreciated…

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