Looking to pick some brains on a front end/steering wheel shake that I have been experiencing. I started with a 07 JKU Sahara with the factory suspension and factory 18's with all season tires. Occasionally I would get a steering wheel front end shake while braking. Mostley light braking but sometimes during slight/moderate braking. Not too noticeable but there. Now, have a 2.5" leveling kit with 35x12.50x17 KM2's. I have replaced all tie rod ends just to be safe as they have some mileage on them, and with the bigger tires and my wife and daughter that also drive it. I changed the track bar, and lower control arm bolts with 9/16. I still have a front end/steering wheel shake that has gotten better but still there. I only get it still while braking. Hitting bumps or anything else doesn't affect it. I am leaning towards warped rotors but also have ball joints in the back of my mind. They seem tight but will recheck them just in case. Is there anything else that I am overlooking?

 

Sounds like brakes to me, luckily a brake job is pretty easy. Get the rotors turned and throw some new pads on there and see what happens. Balljoints are always possible, check them again while you're in there. I will note that with a leveling kit and no caster correction you are going to be more vulnerable to shakes and shimmies. There are all kinds of ways to skin that cat, you can do control arms, cam bolts or brackets, no wrong answers, especially if you aren't wheeling it hard.

 

I am leaning towards brakes but just thought I would get some other opinions. Im just gonna buy a new set of rotors and pads and throw them on. Im gonna double check everything first as I dont like spending money on parts if I dont need them. Just seems like if there were caster issues that they would show up after bumps, turning etc. Everything is nice and tight, suspension and steering wise, until you start applying the brakes and get the sweet spot.

 

It was warped rotors and worn pads for me too. Instead of turning or buying new stock-size rotors, I went ahead and upgraded to a big rotor kit.

 

Well just did a quick check on the front end before buying rotors and pads and looks like I will be doing both upper and lower ball joints on both sides. Last time I checked them they were ok. Atleast I know where the shaking is coming from now.

 

I know it is technically a method of correction, but cam bolts will always be a wrong answer to me. I get that not everyone can justify doing adjustable control arms, but given the price of CA brackets, NOBODY should do cam bolts. The only people that end up doing those are people that really don't understand them what's going on. The dealerships push this option around the DFW area, "oh, we can fix that and it's only $15!", and it kills me. I would like to think that a reputable shop would never offer that as an option to a customer when CA brackets are hands down a better option for under $100.


In regards to the OP, figuring you have a ton of miles on an '07. Brakes do seem like the likely culprit. Always have a hard time with the debate of paying $15/ea to turn a rotor vs. just buying a brand new rotor (depending on how much life is actually left). Do you still have factory ball joints in the axle? If so, keep in mind those have a limited life, much less when you start pushing around larger tires. If you don't know how to check those, jack the jeep so the tires are a few inches off the ground. Support the axle with stands so it's stable. Put a shovel or something you can use for leverage under the tire, and force some upward movement looking for play in the ball joints. You shouldn't see much movement. Shouldn't hear anything either really.

 

I would agree with everyone here.

Death wobble / driving shimmy - check your suspension for loose or worn components, check your alignment and fix your castor.

Brake wobble - Ball joints and brakes seem to be the primary culprits

 

Well my issue turned out to be all 4 ball joints up front. No more shaking when braking and the front end feels better.

 

Y, that front should feel MUCH more solid if those BJs were shot. Glad you were able to get things worked out. What brand of BJs did you put back in? Unfortunately BJs are a common issue in our D30/44 axles....there's only so much space to work with. Bad joints in general are a great equalizer......they are wear items that will hamper you whether stock or highly modified.

 

Obviously some options are better than others, but for a small lift on a vehicle that doesn't see a lot of abuse, cam locks work just fine as long as they're properly installed and maintained, just like any other aftermarket part. I wouldn't install them on a Jeep that takes a pounding, but for a guy like the OP they are better than no caster correction at all.