Is it bump steer or death wobble?

[sass JT]

Alright time to flame me all but there is a difference IMO

Every shop out there absolutely hates the “death wobble” phrase because it gets used in the wrong way.

bump steer… you hit a bump, curb, crack in the road, pot hole etc etc and your steering wheel shakes but it settles down and you can continue to drive.

death wobble… you hit anything in the road… except maybe over an ex… and the steer wheel continues to shake and you “have” to come to a stop… I’ve been there, I know.

So why does either happen… well it’s a number of things but it is attributed to being a solid axle (that’s why they say it’s a jeep thing),either worn or loose parts, and/or the parts ie OEM I’m not designed to handle what “roads” you drive on.

Personally I see a lot of rigs that get parts thrown at it for either issue and then they aren’t happy about the results.

IMO, if you plan to change to bigger tires and doing a lift, you will need to address the steering components… not by just one but all of them.

Now I know I’m not an “mechanic” or an “engineer” but it’s my opinion.

thanks for your time

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[Wheelin98TJ]

Bump steer is the steering wheel jerks one way and then jerks back with each bump you hit. Most often caused by the track bar and drag link not being parallel.

Death wobble is violent steering wheel shimmy. You do not always have to stop for death wobble to stop. If you're brave, punch the gas and lift a little weight off the front end. You can sometimes throttle through it. Death wobble is most often caused by bad control arm bushings, bad track bar bushings, or unblanced tires/out of round wheels.