Yes now my ass has death wobble

 

what exactly is death wobble?

 

Not a bad definition. Usually the result is a couple of brown streaks on the seats, but sometimes, like mine, the muffler breaks loose too. I had to try out welding upside down, I'm way better at welding on the bench. lol

 

i guess that's what i still don't understand. the factory geometery is designed well. in fact, companies like aev have designed their kit to restore the steering geometery to being that of factory. likewise, i personally have driven and know plenty of people with jk's that are lifted and DO NOT have correct steering geometery and NONE have death wobble.

the single biggest factor i have seen as being the cause of DW has been loose track bar bolts (no uncommon after doing a lot of wheeling with extreme articulation). and, if there is a complaint that i have about the factory setup, it's that the factory mounts are very weak - especially the track bar mount at the axle. i have personally seen several of these break and have seen/heard of even more here on the forum. this is especially a problem with people running track bar relocation brackets mounted to the axle and without additional support but i have seen unaltered track bar mounts fail too. and, for the record, i have personally broken a track bar mount at the frame and know that toad has as well. all of these things have lead to DW and once fixed, eliminated DW.

 

Not to be confused with a really 'bad shimmy' in the steering wheel, death wobble is a violent, uncontrollable shaking of your entire Jeep that can lead to a collision. Typically, death wobble can be triggered after hitting a bump in the road or going over rough surfaces like a pot hole or rail road tracks.

 

1. Year and Model
2007 rubicon 2dr.

2. Current Mileage
10000 (round about).

3. Approx mileage when DW started
As soon as I installed the lift.

4. Suspension (OEM, etc. Make sure you list all components like AM trac bar, CAs)
Teraflex 3 inch springs, rear trackbar bracket, shocks.

5. Wheel/Tires/spacers
Stock rubi's with bf's, spider track spacers.

6. What measures you have taken to resolve DW
Larger aftermarket wheels/tires.
Teraflex hd front trackbar.
Alinement done at 4wpw (worst thing I ever done) They installed cam bolts and are now removed and welded up.
Teraflex lower adjustable control arms.

7. What was the"fix" or are you still dealing with it
The fix was the adjustable front lower control arms from Teraflex as Joe recomended. Thanks Joe
What a horror story! I feel for anyone that goes thru this.

Teraflex and Joe was great and this website helped me 100%

 

While I will agree that the trackbar being loose or its mounts having issues will cause death wobble, I will say the stock tie rod and drag link is junk. Especially when running heavier wheels/tires. Since getting an HD tie rod/drag link my Jeep feels much more solid.

 

1. Year and Model
2007 Unlimted Sahara

2. Current Mileage
50,000

3. Approx mileage when DW started
Stock setup 40,000 once a week, after lift I can not drive over 45 mph

4. Suspension (OEM, etc. Make sure you list all components like AM trac bar, CAs)
3" Zone Offroad spring lift w/shocks, BDS front steering damper, lower control arm cam bolts

4. Wheel/Tires/spacers
Stock 18" wheels and bald tires

5. What measures you have taken to resolve DW
Alignment - DW still there
Re-torqued the front and rear trackbars to 125 ft-lbs - DW still there
Checked the ball joints - DW still there
Re-torqued the front and rear trackbars to 135 ft-lbs - DW still there
Re-tourqed every suspension bolt to factory spec - DW still there
Balanced and rotated tire - DW still there
Increased tow-in from 1/16 to 3/16 - DW still there

I have not ched the front caster angle, but assume it is out of spec.

6. What was the"fix" or are you still dealing with it
Nothing so far

I will be putting on 35" tires with 17" soft 8's on Monday. I am seeing the trend with the mild lift and stock shoes. I have had many people tell me it is my worn out tires. I also had Zone Offroad tell me that after market steering dampers are not designed to be used with factory wheels due to the difference in harmonics between larger tires and stock tires. I did notice that my driver side cam bolts are about a 1/4" different on thier rotation from the passenger side. I realize there are many different causes for the DW. I beleive my stock DW was started with bald tires and that gave me the excuse to finally do some upgrading. If the wheels and tires don't work I probabaly won't be able to talk to you guys anymore because my wife will chop me up into pieces and feed the garden with my remains, so wish me luck. I will update if I can...

 

My last rig (4 inch superlift on 35s) got a violent DW at highspeeds if you hit a bump - YIKES. I rotated the tires which stopped the issue long enough for me to get new tires- never had the issue again.

 

Ditch the cam bolts and get adjustable control arms.