Any way you could put this in diagram form? I think what your saying makes sense, but it's a little hard to visualize. It seems the other methods for fixing Death Wobble seem to be related to tightening bolts and checking worn components, etc.... It makes me wonder though...how are loose bolts and worn components actually causing the wobble to start with? I think some other force (like you described) is actually causing the wobble to begin with and the loose bolts and/or worn components are just allowing just enough play in the steering system for the wobble to turn into a violent shake. It's kinda like going back to that shopping cart wheel thing.... If the wheel is flopping back and forth, this is due to how the wheel is trailing and it's geometry...like you said, but the wobble is worsened because the wheel is loose on its mounts. So the loosness did not cause the wobble to start initially, it just allowed it to become a heck of a lot worse. I don't know if my analogy makes any sense, so please correct me if it does not. I'm really interested in learning more about this.

 

Im not the best artist but I will try and come up with something on how to illustrate the theory behind what is happening, and then how it directly applies to our jeeps. I need a day or to two figure out a simple way to explain it with real world examples that are easy for everyone to understand.

Something that is worth defining real fast is what exactly a "death wobble" is vs say just sloppy steering or a loose front end. A death wobble occurs when an outside sheer force throws a wheel off balance to a point that is greater then the rotational force of the turning wheel itself. With just standard loose steering or components if you felt a wobble a simple increase in speed would increase the rotational force of the wheel and stop the wobble. With a death wobble the unbalanced force continues to increase and will get worse and no amount of increase in rotational force can correct it. Only stopping the rotation can fix this situation. This is why they call it a death wobble. Feel free to try this with the shopping cart example from before. You will notice after you start moving with the cart no matter if you are going slow or fast the wobble will get progressively worse until it hits a max rotation or you stop.

Another pretty decent example of good trail would be on most motorcycles. If you were to do a wheelie on a dirt bike say, but when you put the front tire back down on the ground the tire was not at a perfect straight line, if you didnt have a good amount of steering trail you would go into a death wobble and be tossed from the bike. Instead the rotational force of the front tire abruptly forces the front tire back into line with the direction of the bike and you continue along. If you get a little unsettled with your landing a slight acceleration will straighten it right out fast due to an increase in the rotational force of the wheels.

Ill get back to everyone soon

Cheers

 

Thanks for taking the time to do this! Much appreciated.

 

^^ Agreed. Been following this thread to fix my own DW. Thanks for the help.

 

Here's an interesting video of a guy explaining a type of Death Wobble encountered on a motorbike......
Motorcycle "Speed Wobble" - YouTube

 

Very good information here, i've been reading since my DW started about a month ago. I have a 09 JKU Rubi that I tow behind A RV. 30k miles, 4 inch PC lift, BFG 315/70x17's. I've installed new steering shock, tie rods, drag link, set caster to 4.5, 9/16 bolts in stock track bar, new cam bolts in lower arms, alignment and wheel balance at 30psi. Still have DW. I lowered the psi to 25 psi and on the same drive, no DW yet. I put on 4 factory tires and wheels off a 2011 Wrangler and the problem goes away. I think it may be the uneven slight tire wear from the RV towing thats causing my problem?? The BFG's have 12k miles on them and the tread looks good overall, just slight wear. I don't like the DW

 

Or you have unbalanced tires or wheels. This won't cause Death Wobble though. Might cause a wobble or vibration, but wheels won't cause Death Wobble, from everything I've read anyways...

 

I had a DW only when going at 30-40 mph and hitting a bump with the right front tire. It ended up being caused by low tire pressure. I aired up my tires to 28 psi and the DW is gone

 

Read planmans guide... Tires can exacerbate DW or cause other wobbles, but it isn't the sole cause of DW. You either still have it and its covered up by your SS, or you never had true DW to begin with.