KoolerJK

Ok heres the rundown.
having weird feeling steering (caster?) and as I drive the road the waves or bumps feel as they are causing the front end to shift? (Feels like the track bar is not in a neutral spot?)
heres what been installed over the weekend. And no bashing of the components I chose as I've dealt with this brand for years and it works...

2010 Rubicon 2 door auto

Rough Country 2.5 spring lift with 2.2 shocks
Teraflex pucks front and rear ( 1 f / 1 r = 1 extra inch )
Rough Country track bar brackets front and rear ( checked angles and side to side measurements were centered )
Rough Country single steering stabilizer ( factory location )
35x12.50r17's on 17x9 steel wheels (-12 offset)

recentered drag link ( needs another small adjustment )

after some reading I'm see that maybe the front control arm relocation brackets maybe the answer to solve these issues?
If needed I can post pics of the suspension and angles so some of the veteran JK gurus came help a newb out.

thanks

nthinuf

You got it, 3.5" and no caster correction. Which form you choose is up to you, but you'll want to address it. (you could also call around to a few alignment shops. Some will do free checks, they throw it on the rack and print the 'before' specs without charging for the full alignment. That'll show exactly how low your caster is)

You have a front trackbar bracket. Did you add a drop pitman also? If not, either add the drop, or remove the bracket. (the trackbar and draglink should remain roughly parallel to each other. Relocate one end of the trackbar to center the axle, and they are now out of alignment, which is known to cause bumpsteer) (and if you don't have the drop, do a little reading for opinions before you buy one.)

If you can take a pic of the front end, get one that shows both ends of the trackbar and the draglink in the same shot. Then open the pic in Paint or whatever, and draw straight lines between the mounting holes for each bar. You should see two parallel lines. My guess is that right now, your lines will be converging...

Kojack

I have 2" of lift up front and my caster was at 3.1 and 3.0. that's just out of spec, I can just imagine what yours is at. I am running Teraflex control arms. If you are running that much lift, I would suggest a set of adjustables so you can dial it in good.

KoolerJK

Ok so a drop pitman arm I can pickup. That should cure the bumps steer issues?

I wanted to do control arms but the cost right now is over my budget hence why I asked about the relocation brackets.

LidLess07X

You are on the right track with the advice given so far.

You definitely need some castor correction. Adjustable arms or relo-brackets with both get you there.

The adjustable arms will get you dialed in 100% but will require an alignment to achieve that. They're a little more expensive than brackets and won't sacrifice any ground clearance.

The brackets will get you back into specs and don't require an alignment. They're less $$ than adjustable arms but where they shine is in the ride quality of your Jeep. They get your control arms BACK TO PARALLEL with the ground. They do sacrifice a bit of ground clearance though.

KoolerJK

Thanks people.
quick question. I'm being told to stay away from a drop pitman?
because my track bar brackets are axle side and not frame side?
to look into a drag link flip?

TheDirtman

Yes you should be looking into a drag link flip. You could also remove the spacers and drop the lift down a bit as 3.5"-4" is more then you really need for 35's.

kjeeper10

Axle side bracket + flipped DL is the best way to do it.

nthinuf

There are a couple things going on. You bought the front bracket to center that axle, right? If that is all you want to do, get an adjustable trackbar instead. (Yes, it costs more, but it is the better way to go since it doesn't mess with the trackbar/draglink angles)

Trackbar brackets are used in conjunction with a drop pitman -or- a draglink flip. These are used for steering correction, to flatten the steep angles on both bars caused by the lift (while also centering the axle at the same time). Hold off on this for now. You can always add a flip later on.

For now, correct the caster, and remove that trackbar bracket. Then drive it and see what you think.

If at that point you want to center the front axle, get an adj trackbar. If you decide to go with steering correction, look at the options and decide what you want to do (depending on what you go with, you may not need the adjustable trackbar to center the axle - so research it before deciding one way or the other)

Oh yeah, driveshafts. You know to be crawling underneath and monitoring the joints at the tcase, right? With a 2door at that height, check both shafts, not just the front...

KoolerJK

Alright I got the drag link found I'm gonna use.
heres my next problem. I'm having esp/trac issues because the steering isn't centered??
ive centered the steering wheel 3 times and it bounces between left side or right side acting up. There anyway to fix this without a dealer visit? I have a Flashpaq but apparently been told it won't do anything far as that goes, id have to buy a procal. If that's so that's to be ignorant. Spend more money for more features not less!

and yes I know to check the driveshafts. Mostly street driving with the occasional off road trip.