Death Wobble

[Punkn_Gladiator]

Just experienced the "wobble" kinda freaked me out I was going about 50mph.. Did some quick reading on here and it appears this could be caused by several things..

My dual steering stabilizer could be bad, Trac bar loose, Ball joint, Wheel bearing, etc..

My steering seemed like it had more slack than usual a couple weeks ago so I had an alignment done and all seemed better until this morning.. Obviously I need to make sure everything is good and tight on the items mentioned above.. Any other advice?

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[Jay Gatsby]

Are you stock? Any lift, tires?

 

[Punkn_Gladiator]

Are you stock? Any lift, tires?

6" lift, dual steering stabilizer and 37's

 

[cmb396]

Make sure everything is tight on the front end bolt/nut wise. Check tire pressure. My front end was getting "loose", and got DW the other day for the first time too, noticed my psi had dropped down with the colder weather more than i realized. Aired up to 38psi from 34psi on my 39's and made all the difference.

 

[Punkn_Gladiator]

Make sure everything is tight on the front end bolt/nut wise. Check tire pressure. My front end was getting "loose", and got DW the other day for the first time too, noticed my psi had dropped down with the colder weather more than i realized. Aired up to 38psi from 34psi on my 39's and made all the difference.

Going to verify everything in the front end is torqued but I will also check tire pressure as well! Thanks

 

[Punkn_Gladiator]

Make sure everything is tight on the front end bolt/nut wise. Check tire pressure. My front end was getting "loose", and got DW the other day for the first time too, noticed my psi had dropped down with the colder weather more than i realized. Aired up to 38psi from 34psi on my 39's and made all the difference.

It is 19 degrees this morning so can't rule out tire pressure even though that seems odd too me that it would cause that.. First time experiencing this issue so I am going to check everything..

 

[JustinLentz]

Something could have come loose after the alignment since that sounds like the only change before you experienced this to now. Make sure they tightened all of their work. If something feels off to you, take it back to them and have them check. If they are a good shop, they would want to make sure their work is correct. Sometimes people make mistakes.

Going to verify everything in the front end is torqued but I will also check tire pressure as well! Thanks

 

[Wheelin98TJ]

How many miles on your tires? When was the last time they were balanced? Are they wearing evenly?

 

[P.Lo]

Tell your alignment shop to check the Track bar ends........ usually the first culprit and fortunately a simple fix.

 

[Punkn_Gladiator]

How many miles on your tires? When was the last time they were balanced? Are they wearing evenly?

About 8,000 miles on tires, lift, etc.. I had them rotated and balanced when they did the alignment..

 

[bgenlvtex]

Make sure everything is torqued

"Tight" does not equal torqued unless luck falls into the equation.

Torque has a specific value or in some cases range. Too much, too little can be a problem in either case. Every fastener in that suspension has a torque value (or the vehicle as designed does, and I would expect a quality lift to have one as well).

 

[Punkn_Gladiator]

I have the torque specs pulled up right now to verify everything is torqued sorry for using the term "tight"..

https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/fo...for-jeep-jl-wrangler.17791/page-2#post-518096

 

[Punkn_Gladiator]

Make sure everything is tight on the front end bolt/nut wise. Check tire pressure. My front end was getting "loose", and got DW the other day for the first time too, noticed my psi had dropped down with the colder weather more than i realized. Aired up to 38psi from 34psi on my 39's and made all the difference.

Just checked air pressure and they are 26-27 psi.. Airing them up now and see what happens..

 

[DirtGadgets]

Death wobble is definitely unnerving to experience. Shimmy in the steering column is usually caused by incorrect suspension geometry (including caster angle), something loose in the 4-Link suspension components, or deflection in the steering components. My journey to correct this took months of learning and trial-and-error. Here's a quick checklist:

Shimmy/Death Wobble Checklist

1. Check Tire Pressure & Balance. Consistent tire pressure all the way around can make a difference, though if you're within a few PSI it shouldn't make much difference. What's more important is tire balance. Many shops bead balance larger tires/wheels. Bead balancing has some pros and cons... one con being that if moisture gets inside the tire and it freezes out the beads can freeze together, resulting in the tires being out of balance. If traditionally balanced with clamped weights, have a tire shop double-check your wheels for balance.
2. Check Your Tie-Rod Ends. There are a lot of forces on these connecting points. Only a minute amount of shimmy -OR- one serious experience with death wobble can be enough to prematurely wear out your tie-rod ends. Check them. If they're loose, replace them.
3. Check for worn bushings. Inspect the bushings in your upper and lower control arms and track bars. Also inspect the connecting points on your frame and axles. Worn bushings can result in deflection that is amplified as it travels through your drivetrain and into your steering system. Replace if loose/worn.
4. Tighten/Re-Torque bolts. Tightening and re-torquing all your hardware/fasteners is always a good practice. I also recommend upgrading your bolts/fasteners. The stock bolts are fully threaded, rather than shouldered. The stock, fully threaded bolts will oval-out the mounting points over time resulting in death-wobble and other undesirable handling characteristics. Replacing them with grade 8 or 10.9 shoulder bolts will provide better fastening and mitigate the frame holes from ovaling-out.
5. Steering Gear. The factory steering gear may be either aluminum or cast iron.
   1. If it's aluminum (2020 Gladiators mostly) you should contact the dealership you bought your Gladiator from and inquire about a steering gear Technical Service Bulletin ("TSB") and schedule an appointment to replace it with the cast iron version. The aluminum steering gear is prone to 10 - 20+ thousands of an inch of deflection in its stock configuration. That results in slop or play at the steering wheel, which will only be amplified if you put larger tires and wheels on your build.
   2. If you've got the cast iron version, check the bolts. Make sure they're torqued to spec and do NOT over tighten them. I've read of a few instances where dealers over tighten these bolts, effectively stripping out the threads from the steering gear casting and making it impossible to firmly affix it to the inside frame rail. If that occurs you'll experience more deflection that you would have with the aluminum steering gear.
6. Geometry Correction Brackets. After lifting your Gladiator the front control arms are now sloped downward at a shallow angle. This change in geometry results in some of the undesirable steering characteristics you noted. I recommend installing geometry correction brackets. These are available from a number of manufacturers. I installed the JKS versions. These brackets refine steering and ride quality by mitigating front axle ‘precession’ caused by uncorrected suspension lift geometry. The corrected physics permit the front tires to move up and rearward in response to a bump rather than trying to ‘lunge’ over it. They also dramatically reduce front-end ‘dive’ during hard braking. This is accomplished by relocating the ‘virtual instant center’ of the front suspension. Lastly they provide alignment correction for:
   1. Proper tracking by restoring caster angle without the need for cam bolts or different/adjustable arms
   2. Slightly reducing the maximum front driveshaft angle during suspension travel.

Bonus Feedback

Death wobble aside, one of the biggest challenges you'll encounter going to 37's is premature wear on bushings, bearings, and tie-rod ends. You're adding a lot more weight and that stresses everything. Beefing up all your steering linkage is advisable. It's likely you'll encounter more deflection in the steering gear box. That deflection is what makes the steering feel floaty or like it wanders. If you have the aluminum steering gear box, that's automatically going to be problematic. Heavier tires amplify the deflection in the aluminum steering gear box. If you've got the cast iron steering gear box, then spend the coin on the Synergy Manufacturing Track Bar & Sector Shaft brace kit or the Steersmarts equivalent. You'll be thankful you did. It will tighten everything up significantly.

This is my ride after 37's before a 3.5" lift.

... and after the lift.

before the Synergy Mfg. Track Bar & Sector Shaft brace

... and after

 

[Wheelin98TJ]

Death wobble is definitely unnerving to experience. Shimmy in the steering column is usually caused by incorrect suspension geometry (including caster angle), something loose in the 4-Link suspension components, or deflection in the steering components. My journey to correct this took months of learning and trial-and-error. Here's a quick checklist:

Shimmy/Death Wobble Checklist

1. Check Tire Pressure & Balance. Consistent tire pressure all the way around can make a difference, though if you're within a few PSI it shouldn't make much difference. What's more important is tire balance. Many shops bead balance larger tires/wheels. Bead balancing has some pros and cons... one con being that if moisture gets inside the tire and it freezes out the beads can freeze together, resulting in the tires being out of balance. If traditionally balanced with clamped weights, have a tire shop double-check your wheels for balance.
2. Check Your Tie-Rod Ends. There are a lot of forces on these connecting points. Only a minute amount of shimmy -OR- one serious experience with death wobble can be enough to prematurely wear out your tie-rod ends. Check them. If they're loose, replace them.
3. Check for worn bushings. Inspect the bushings in your upper and lower control arms and track bars. Also inspect the connecting points on your frame and axles. Worn bushings can result in deflection that is amplified as it travels through your drivetrain and into your steering system. Replace if loose/worn.
4. Tighten/Re-Torque bolts. Tightening and re-torquing all your hardware/fasteners is always a good practice. I also recommend upgrading your bolts/fasteners. The stock bolts are fully threaded, rather than shouldered. The stock, fully threaded bolts will oval-out the mounting points over time resulting in death-wobble and other undesirable handling characteristics. Replacing them with grade 8 or 10.9 shoulder bolts will provide better fastening and mitigate the frame holes from ovaling-out.
5. Steering Gear. The factory steering gear may be either aluminum or cast iron.
   1. If it's aluminum (2020 Gladiators mostly) you should contact the dealership you bought your Gladiator from and inquire about a steering gear Technical Service Bulletin ("TSB") and schedule an appointment to replace it with the cast iron version. The aluminum steering gear is prone to 10 - 20+ thousands of an inch of deflection in its stock configuration. That results in slop or play at the steering wheel, which will only be amplified if you put larger tires and wheels on your build.
   2. If you've got the cast iron version, check the bolts. Make sure they're torqued to spec and do NOT over tighten them. I've read of a few instances where dealers over tighten these bolts, effectively stripping out the threads from the steering gear casting and making it impossible to firmly affix it to the inside frame rail. If that occurs you'll experience more deflection that you would have with the aluminum steering gear.
6. Geometry Correction Brackets. After lifting your Gladiator the front control arms are now sloped downward at a shallow angle. This change in geometry results in some of the undesirable steering characteristics you noted. I recommend installing geometry correction brackets. These are available from a number of manufacturers. I installed the JKS versions. These brackets refine steering and ride quality by mitigating front axle ‘precession’ caused by uncorrected suspension lift geometry. The corrected physics permit the front tires to move up and rearward in response to a bump rather than trying to ‘lunge’ over it. They also dramatically reduce front-end ‘dive’ during hard braking. This is accomplished by relocating the ‘virtual instant center’ of the front suspension. Lastly they provide alignment correction for:
   1. Proper tracking by restoring caster angle without the need for cam bolts or different/adjustable arms
   2. Slightly reducing the maximum front driveshaft angle during suspension travel.

Bonus Feedback

Death wobble aside, one of the biggest challenges you'll encounter going to 37's is premature wear on bushings, bearings, and tie-rod ends. You're adding a lot more weight and that stresses everything. Beefing up all your steering linkage is advisable. It's likely you'll encounter more deflection in the steering gear box. That deflection is what makes the steering feel floaty or like it wanders. If you have the aluminum steering gear box, that's automatically going to be problematic. Heavier tires amplify the deflection in the aluminum steering gear box. If you've got the cast iron steering gear box, then spend the coin on the Synergy Manufacturing Track Bar & Sector Shaft brace kit or the Steersmarts equivalent. You'll be thankful you did. It will tighten everything up significantly.

This is my ride after 37's before a 3.5" lift.

... and after the lift.

before the Synergy Mfg. Track Bar & Sector Shaft brace

... and after

Steering wheel shimmy is probably most often caused by tires/wheels.

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