Death Wobble with Mopar lift and BFG 37s Solved???

[310H22A]

The good:

I purchased a 2021 Gladiator a few weeks ago that had the Mopar lift already installed (6000 miles)

I recently ditched the 18” fuel wheels and 35”Yokohama MTs for Kansai 17” wheels and 37x12.50 C rated BFG all terrains.

I installed a Fox steering stabilizer a few days ago after the 37s went on.

The really BAD:

I’m getting serious death wobble every time I hit a bump in a turn, so bad that I completely loose control of the vehicle.
Tire pressure is at 30psi I’ve checked to make sure everything is tight, and verified that the dealer performed an alignment after the lift was installed.

I never had this issue with the 35” tires that came on it. So my question is… would the new wheel/tire setup and or steering stabilizer cause this issue?

… also worth mentioning I used 4wd for the first time the day I had the 37s put on because it’s been 0 degrees and we’ve had snow and ice.

I don’t know where to start with a solution except for throwing parts at it.

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[FLACRACKER]

Hello, not being myself an expert on this subject, but did it occur after the installation of the steering stabilizer. Also, has there been a wheel alignment done ?

 

[JeepOfTheseus]

I don’t know where to start with a solution except for throwing parts at it.

Not the solution. Gotta find the culprit first. I’m no expert, but general advice is find anything that’s loose, and forget what’s loose - just torque everything down properly.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

would the new wheel/tire setup and or steering stabilizer cause this issue?

Yes, wheels and tires can cause. If the wheels set out more than stock, the taller tires, both can change scrub radius. Imbalance in huge tires can cause it, too much caster, incorrect toe, etc.

Hello, not being myself an expert on this subject, but did it occur after the installation of the steering stabilizer. Also, has there been a wheel alignment done ?

Alignment is a bit of a, bad term on these. All that can be set is toe unless they have adjustable control arms installed. Camber can't be set, caster can't be set with stock control arms.
Alignment should be checked - to see where caster is and make sure it's not too far toe-in.

Make really sure all parts are torqued properly. These require crazy torque numbers many aren't used to and many of the settings are torque plus degrees.

 

[310H22A]

Hello, not being myself an expert on this subject, but did it occur after the installation of the steering stabilizer. Also, has there been a wheel alignment done ?

yes it started after new wheels/tires and steering stabilizer installed.

dealer told me an alignment was done when they installed the lift but I’ve got one scheduled for this Wednesday

 

[310H22A]

Yes, wheels and tires can cause. If the wheels set out more than stock, the taller tires, both can change scrub radius. Imbalance in huge tires can cause it, too much caster, incorrect toe, etc.



Alignment is a bit of a, bad term on these. All that can be set is toe unless they have adjustable control arms installed. Camber can't be set, caster can't be set with stock control arms.
Alignment should be checked - to see where caster is and make sure it's not too far toe-in.

Make really sure all parts are torqued properly. These require crazy torque numbers many aren't used to and many of the settings are torque plus degrees.

Control arms are from the Mopar 2” lift.

I took some really rough measurements and it appears to be about 1/4” toe out and from what I gather it should be 1/16 - 1/8 toe in.

 

[Lunentucker]

Get the dealer to send you the alignment report. It should show the before and after settings.
Post it here to further the available information.
As stated previously, you can have too little caster or too little, and lifts affect caster, until measures are taken to put it back into spec.

K02'S are usually good riding and driving tires, but have the installer recheck balance, and it wouldn't hurt to swap fronts and backs to see if there's any difference.

Do Kansai wheels require any special adapters for mounting?

A stabilizer doesn't fix death wobble. It may mask the effects some, but it's not a fix.

 

[310H22A]

Get the dealer to send you the alignment report. It should show the before and after settings.
Post it here to further the available information.
As stated previously, you can have too little caster or too little, and lifts affect caster, until measures are taken to put it back into spec.

K02'S are usually good riding and driving tires, but have the installer recheck balance, and it wouldn't hurt to swap fronts and backs to see if there's any difference.

Do Kansai wheels require any special adapters for mounting?

A stabilizer doesn't fix death wobble. It may mask the effects some, but it's not a fix.

I just emailed the dealer and asked for the alignment specs.

I’ll have my shop check balance and swap front to back when I go for alignment Wednesday

I didn’t change any of the components of the Mopar lift so it’s crazy to me that I’m having this issue just from switching wheels and tires.

The Kansai wheels are -10 offset vs the fuels +20 that was previously on it and the old wheel hub bore was 71.5 vs the kansai being 78.1

I didn’t feel the need for hub centric rings but now I’m second guessing

 

[Wmkresse]

I’m having a similar problem and I diagnosed it as the tires. I’m running 37 BFG KM2 with some mileage on them.
mid have them check the balance in the tires.

 

[Lunentucker]

I just emailed the dealer and asked for the alignment specs.

I’ll have my shop check balance and swap front to back when I go for alignment Wednesday

I didn’t change any of the components of the Mopar lift so it’s crazy to me that I’m having this issue just from switching wheels and tires.

The Kansai wheels are -10 offset vs the fuels +20 that was previously on it and the old wheel hub bore was 71.5 vs the kansai being 78.1

I didn’t feel the need for hub centric rings but now I’m second guessing

I think you're closing in on the issue.
It's becoming obvious that recent changes have either created the problem or brought a pre-existing one into focus.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Control arms are from the Mopar 2” lift.

I took some really rough measurements and it appears to be about 1/4” toe out and from what I gather it should be 1/16 - 1/8 toe in.

Definitely don't want toe out. The tires will naturally toe outward more while driving, that's the point of having them in a bit so they should track straight ahead while driving.

 

[Bjeepz]

If you have a spot where you can repeatedly get the wobble to occur that's a perfect start to trouble shooting. Get everything torqued properly and try that spot again. If the problem persists do you have somebody who you can swap wheels with for a test? If so go for it and see what happens, same spot and take it from there. As for the stabilizer you added, can you remove it and see if you can compress it easily by hand? If yes it is likely dead. Otherwise adding this better than stock stabilizer won't cause the wobble, but if it is dead it can't mask other problems.

 

[Lunentucker]

My money is on the hub centers for now.
You hung a good bit of weight off center with the new rims and left it all up to the lugs to get and keep centered.
Still want to see the alignment numbers too.

 

[Jteakus]

Plenty written about DW here. If it started or was "unmasked" after you did the wheels/tires and stabilizer that is where I would begin. It can also be a loose steering component that didn't show itself until it had the leverage of the taller, heavier tires working on it.
Don't overlook anything. I had a JK in the shop with DW that wore me out trying to find the culprit. It ended up being the output shaft on the steering box that was only visible with the tires on the ground and a dial indicator showing the deflection. A new PSC box took care of the problem.
Whatever the fix please share it here for others looking for their own solutions.

 

[310H22A]

Installed hub centric rings, rotated tires front to back, and triple checked torque on everything today but…… Death wobble is still there.

I used a couple long pieces of angle to clamp against the rotors while the wheels were off to measure toe and I’m measuring 1 inch difference toe in. I hope this issue is resolved after tomorrows alignment to get the toe adjusted.

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