Is this amount of dead zone in the steering normal?

[redrider]

I have a rather good feel for tire behavior due to 50 years of cafe racer style motorcycles and tire contruction evolution. Tire sidewall stiffness or the lack of is probably your issue. Sidewall height/aspect ratio is also a loosey goosey inducer. Contact patch reaction to steering input. Throw some wooden spoke wagon wheels on it and re-check.

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[Wildlifeguy]

Just got back from a little highway drive and tried to pay attention to the feel. Much less twitchy than my Jku. I could make my steering wheel wiggle like the one in the video, but I could feel the tires moving with it. It feels fine to me. A steering stabilizer should have no effect on any dead play. It only absorbs harsh feedback from bumps.

 

[treadmark]

It looks as though your Jeep is responding to the movements when you move it back and forth. Moving it that quickly I don’t believe is a valid test. As others have pointed out, the steering with a solid axle and recirculating ball mechanism does not behave like a vehicle with IFS and rack-and-pinion steering.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

It looks as though your Jeep is responding to the movements when you move it back and forth. Moving it that quickly I don’t believe is a valid test. As others have pointed out, the steering with a solid axle and recirculating ball mechanism does not behave like a vehicle with IFS and rack-and-pinion steering.

The rack and pinion makes the difference - not the solid axle vs. IFS.
The solid axle has the same geometry when going straight down the highway - it still has caster, camber, toe, SAI, scrub radius, included angle, etc.

Rack and pinion is generally tighter and faster, quicker response.

Put the recirculating ball type steering gear on a comparable IFS vehicle and they should guide the same down a highway or city streets. They respond differently on rough roads, bumps, etc.

 

[DailyMoparGuy]

Nah that’s not normal….at least not compared to mine. My Sport S on stock tires was no where near that much play, and even with 33s there’s no difference. I’ve got the steel steering box so maybe that’s it.

 

[steveorama]

Switching from one of our other cars to the JT it certainly feels looser, but it steers fairly straight and turns when I want it to turn so I'm good with it. Wait until you get to experience bumpsteer (aka Death Wobble) someday. Now that is an unnerving experience while going down the highway.

 

[DaveM]

Probably will be the reason I get rid of this gladiator. The steering sucks!

 

[TheGreatCO]

That amount of play is why I call my Jeep a drunken sailor. Wanders all over the place even after the steering box was replaced.

 

[Tom Fry]

I don’t think I have that much play on my stock Willys Sport, but I also had a JLU previously, and that one seemed much worse to me, but that also was my first Jeep. All that being said, there is a thread on here with a link to a YouTube video where someone manually adjusts the steering to tighten up that play. I haven’t tried it because I don’t notice it/it doesn’t bother me, but it looked pretty easy to complete in the video.

I’ve got the same, stock Willys and when I first drove it, the steering felt a little sloppy. Now, I either don’t notice it or it somehow improved. Even when I drive my wife’s Hyundai SUV and go back to the Willys Gladiator, I don’t notice it. 8 months and 7,000 miles.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

That amount of play is why I call my Jeep a drunken sailor. Wanders all over the place even after the steering box was replaced.

Not normal.
Offer/challenge still open - anyone who thinks a Gladiator steering sucks and that they simply wander all over no matter what, or believe there's always going to be slop in the steering - come drive mine.

I have yet to get a video, but that's my goal when I find a way to SAFELY get a recording of my driving it, one hand on the wheel, and making almost no corrections at all (unless it's windy, then of course this is a kite in the wind)
The end of last week it was a surprise calm day for us - it's almost always windy here. I figured I'd put a tape mark at the top of the wheel and just pay really close attention to the TYPE of road and how much I moved the steering wheel.
I swear - if I was making a movie or TV show and the director was having me filmed driving a vehicle, they'd be yelling at me to move the wheel more because people would think I was sleeping. There were times I barely moved it at all, and on the roads with little to no slope or crown, my hand was quite steady. It does often want to "lead" a bit to the right because or crown or slope (it is sensitive to that) but on the flats - that wheel didn't move.
It does what I want it to do, doesn't try to keep finding one line or the other on the highway.

I'd still not mind adding some caster to it - but that's just me, and partly because I like to experiment, and because I know how simple it can be if you have the lower control arms to swap in.

 

[JTInFlorida]

I have a 2021 Overland with stock wheels and tires and have the same issue. Deflated the tires down and no improvement. I understand "it's a Jeep" but just seems a bit off to me...

There is a service bulletin for the loose steering. Had it on my 2020 Gladiator Overland. They replaced the steering box gear and 4 bolts now it drives better. Still loose but dead zone dropped foe 1” either direction to another 1/2 “ total play. It was also wandering all over the road now it tracks straight.

 

[TheGreatCO]

Not normal.
Offer/challenge still open - anyone who thinks a Gladiator steering sucks and that they simply wander all over no matter what, or believe there's always going to be slop in the steering - come drive mine.

I have yet to get a video, but that's my goal when I find a way to SAFELY get a recording of my driving it, one hand on the wheel, and making almost no corrections at all (unless it's windy, then of course this is a kite in the wind)
The end of last week it was a surprise calm day for us - it's almost always windy here. I figured I'd put a tape mark at the top of the wheel and just pay really close attention to the TYPE of road and how much I moved the steering wheel.
I swear - if I was making a movie or TV show and the director was having me filmed driving a vehicle, they'd be yelling at me to move the wheel more because people would think I was sleeping. There were times I barely moved it at all, and on the roads with little to no slope or crown, my hand was quite steady. It does often want to "lead" a bit to the right because or crown or slope (it is sensitive to that) but on the flats - that wheel didn't move.
It does what I want it to do, doesn't try to keep finding one line or the other on the highway.

I'd still not mind adding some caster to it - but that's just me, and partly because I like to experiment, and because I know how simple it can be if you have the lower control arms to swap in.

I definitely don't think it's normal, but it is what it is for mine and none of the dealers I've dealt with thus far have had any interest in actually trying to fix it. The first place told me I was just wrong and that's how Jeep's drove refused to even acknowledge they were wrong when I dropped the TSB on their desk. The next dealer didn't tighten the hoses down and spray hydraulic fluid everywhere. I wrote up a long summary on the original TSB post about my troubles with dealers and this problem. I just don't go to them any more and it's unlikely I'll be purchasing another Jeep unless I find a dealer that isn't full of shit 24/7.

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