LCAs or Stabilizer for Rubicon Steering?

[dsundy]

Hey y’all,

Seeking advice on what would be a better investment to improve the steering on my ‘20 JTR: the longer Mopar LCAs to correct the caster angle, or installing a steering stabilizer like the Fox 2.0 ATS?

For reference, my Jeep suspension and wheels are totally stock with the exception of a slightly taller 35” tire. I had TSB done and it made a BIG difference around town. I’m seeking to improve my steering for the longer road trips (4+ hours) that I’ve got coming up, since the steering can still get real tiring on the highway.

Some back of the envelope math says these will come out roughly the same price. So… I pose the question to y’all: which would you do?

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[j.o.y.ride]

Adjustable LCA and then a 4x4 alignment to dial in a better caster. These trucks come absurdly steep, and can be really mellowed out and settled down by adjusting.

 

[brianinca]

One of the first things I did was to spend $60 at @AllMoparParts.com for a pair of the Mopar 2" lift fixed LCA's. This was before the TSB was a thing, and cranking the caster up to ~6 degrees made a marked improvement in the tracking and stability of the JTR.

My suspension shop said it didn't have enough caster in the factory specs, come back in 10,000 miles - I wouldn't have trusted the dealer to tell me that.

If I ever lift the Jeep, I'll get adjustable upper and lower control arms, Synergy has nice options, but for now it cruises great on the freeway, tows great, and with the TSB done has nice low speed steering as well.

 

[jjdustr340]

Prior to the steering box TSB, the Mopar LCAs was the way to help with handling on the JL and JLU. Both the JL and the JT have low caster from the factory and the Mopar LCAs add about 2 degrees.
Dollar for dollar, the LCAs will make a bigger impact on handling vs the stabilizer.
I recently added the Teraflex 1.5 leveling kit to my 80A, along with 34” tires and rims, then the Mopar LCAs. It handles better now than when it was stock, even with the slight lift to the front.

 

[cdyoung9799]

Upgraded LCA's are definitely a good investment. I always end up upgrading to the Fox stabilizer as well because my stock units failed on my last 2 Jeeps (possibly hit something off-roading, etc.), so I was just proactive and upgraded the one on my JTR before this happens.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

One of the first things I did was to spend $60 at @AllMoparParts.com for a pair of the Mopar 2" lift fixed LCA's. This was before the TSB was a thing, and cranking the caster up to ~6 degrees made a marked improvement in the tracking and stability of the JTR.

My suspension shop said it didn't have enough caster in the factory specs, come back in 10,000 miles - I wouldn't have trusted the dealer to tell me that.

If I ever lift the Jeep, I'll get adjustable upper and lower control arms, Synergy has nice options, but for now it cruises great on the freeway, tows great, and with the TSB done has nice low speed steering as well.

What's the exact spec - 4.5? High end of 5.0?
Heck, the ZJ had a spec of 7.0 with a high end of 7.5

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Prior to the steering box TSB, the Mopar LCAs was the way to help with handling on the JL and JLU. Both the JL and the JT have low caster from the factory and the Mopar LCAs add about 2 degrees.
Dollar for dollar, the LCAs will make a bigger impact on handling vs the stabilizer.
I recently added the Teraflex 1.5 leveling kit to my 80A, along with 34” tires and rims, then the Mopar LCAs. It handles better now than when it was stock, even with the slight lift to the front.

So that .25" extra length adds about 2 degrees caster? Was looking for numbers as far as how much change those net on a JT.

 

[brianinca]

According to the worksheet from the alignment I had done, the specified range for Caster is 4.0 to 5.5 degrees. I bumped my actual to 6.1, which tells me I was right at the BOTTOM of the specification.

Because my shop told me what the issue was, it was a cheap and easy fix. Think the dealer would have disclosed that?

What's the exact spec - 4.5? High end of 5.0?
Heck, the ZJ had a spec of 7.0 with a high end of 7.5

 

[brianinca]

My shop didn't charge me for the diagnostic when I first brought it to them. One of the owners took it for a spin, measured it up and said it has insufficient caster BY DESIGN.

That *slightly* longer LCA set took care of the problem, so 2" netted 2 degrees. I'm sure it would be better on a Sport or Overland without the very slight lift of a Rubicon, but man if I had a Mojave......

So that .25" extra length adds about 2 degrees caster? Was looking for numbers as far as how much change those net on a JT.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

My shop didn't charge me for the diagnostic when I first brought it to them. One of the owners took it for a spin, measured it up and said it has insufficient caster BY DESIGN.

That *slightly* longer LCA set took care of the problem, so 2" netted 2 degrees. I'm sure it would be better on a Sport or Overland without the very slight lift of a Rubicon, but man if I had a Mojave......

4.0 seems low for these............

(I have Overland with Rubicon springs (+1") and steel bumper and winch (-.5) and added .75" spacers - net result - 1.25" gain)

 

[jjdustr340]

So that .25" extra length adds about 2 degrees caster? Was looking for numbers as far as how much change those net on a JT.

Last July, we bought a 2020 JLU for my wife. I knew on the drive home that something was amiss in the way it wandered at any speed above 30 or so. So I spent A LOT of time in the JL forum trying to figure out why it was so bad and any possible fix. Before MaMopar admitted the aluminum steering box was junk and issued the TSB changing it to steel, a lot of folks found the caster to be low to mid 4 range and swapping in the Mopar LCAs took them to around 6 or slightly more.
So to the best I can recall, the consensus was they added about 2 degrees, give or take. I didn’t have a before measurement on mine, and didn’t need an alignment after since all I did was add the 1.5 inch pucks and new arms.

 

[jjdustr340]

I’ll toss this in here as well. I believe it was originally posted by Clayton Off-road but I may be wrong......

So what I demise from this, when adding a 2.5 inch lift, you need to increase the LCA length 1/3 of an inch to get into the factory caster range.
Since I only went 1.5 inch and 1/4 inch longer than stock, my caster should be more than factory, which suits me just fine since general consensus is factory caster is way too low on the JLs and JTs.
At least that’s how the math in my head works it out. Haha

 

[LostWoods]

As I've said a dozen times and I'll say a dozen more, dampers never fix issues with steering or alignment. They will firm up steering feel and reduce road feedback but that is it.

If you want caster then adjustable uppers will give you the greatest ease of adjustment due to the mounting point's greater distance from the axle centerline (fewer twists to get the same result). You can alternatively do lowers if you planned on doing a lift because the longer lower will compensate spring position in addition to caster angle.

Though do not go too far or you might get bowing or driveline angle issues... the spring perch is aligned for spec so going as far as 6.0-6.5 degrees seems ok but I would not push too far beyond that.

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