Electronic Stability Control problem with 35s
Thread Starter
JK Newbie
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 50
Likes: 0
From: Clarksville, TN
Electronic Stability Control problem with 35s
Just got my '11 sport lifted at 5" and 35s. The first day I drove it home with the new tires, I noticed on curves involving the brake, the ESC would kick in (which scared the crap out of me at first). Figuring I need to get this deactivated soon. After doing some off-roading (mud), had a problem with it coming on a flat surface. It stopped doing the anti-lock breaking after I pulled over and checked everything out. The ESC Activation/Malfunction Light has stayed on since. Just looked at the manual and said I should get it serviced if I've driven over 35 mph (which of course I have). ESC hasn't kicked in since then.
Would this be a warranty thing? My dealer says putting lift on it would not void warranty.
Also wondering if others have had this problem! Help!
Would this be a warranty thing? My dealer says putting lift on it would not void warranty.
Also wondering if others have had this problem! Help!
JK Enthusiast
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 495
Likes: 0
From: Dallas, TX
Just got my '11 sport lifted at 5" and 35s. The first day I drove it home with the new tires, I noticed on curves involving the brake, the ESC would kick in (which scared the crap out of me at first). Figuring I need to get this deactivated soon. After doing some off-roading (mud), had a problem with it coming on a flat surface. It stopped doing the anti-lock breaking after I pulled over and checked everything out. The ESC Activation/Malfunction Light has stayed on since. Just looked at the manual and said I should get it serviced if I've driven over 35 mph (which of course I have). ESC hasn't kicked in since then.
Would this be a warranty thing? My dealer says putting lift on it would not void warranty.
Also wondering if others have had this problem! Help!
Would this be a warranty thing? My dealer says putting lift on it would not void warranty.
Also wondering if others have had this problem! Help!
JK Jedi Master
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 15,170
Likes: 0
From: .
Try this:
[TABLE="class: main, width: 100%"]
[TR]
[TD="colspan: 2"][h=2]Re-centering Your Steering Wheel [/h] [HR][/HR] If you’ve just installed a suspension lift on your Jeep JK Wrangler and without installing a new adjustable front track bar, your steering wheel will most likely be off a bit and it will need to be re-centered before you can safely drive it. Not centering your steering wheel will cause your ESP system to think you are in a slide and will try to compensate for it by activating your BAS. Depending on where you are when this happens, it can be an annoying experience to down right dangerous. [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="width: 32%"]
[/TD]
[TD]1. To re-center your steering wheel, use a 15mm socket or wrench to loosen the 2 nuts securing the turnbuckle in place on your Jeep JK Wrangler’s drag link as shown in the pic to the left. [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]
[/TD]
[TD]2. Firmly grab the turnbuckle and then, rotate it clockwise or counter clockwise as needed while a friend watches the steering wheel (or you periodically check on it yourself) go back to center. [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="colspan: 2"]3. Once your Jeep JK Wrangler’s steering wheel looks centered, secure the nuts and take it for a drive to verify this. This may take a few tries to get it on 100% on but that’s all there really is to it.[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
[TR]
[TD="colspan: 2"][h=2]Re-centering Your Steering Wheel [/h] [HR][/HR] If you’ve just installed a suspension lift on your Jeep JK Wrangler and without installing a new adjustable front track bar, your steering wheel will most likely be off a bit and it will need to be re-centered before you can safely drive it. Not centering your steering wheel will cause your ESP system to think you are in a slide and will try to compensate for it by activating your BAS. Depending on where you are when this happens, it can be an annoying experience to down right dangerous. [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="width: 32%"]
[/TD][TD]1. To re-center your steering wheel, use a 15mm socket or wrench to loosen the 2 nuts securing the turnbuckle in place on your Jeep JK Wrangler’s drag link as shown in the pic to the left. [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]
[/TD][TD]2. Firmly grab the turnbuckle and then, rotate it clockwise or counter clockwise as needed while a friend watches the steering wheel (or you periodically check on it yourself) go back to center. [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="colspan: 2"]3. Once your Jeep JK Wrangler’s steering wheel looks centered, secure the nuts and take it for a drive to verify this. This may take a few tries to get it on 100% on but that’s all there really is to it.[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
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JK Enthusiast
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 264
Likes: 0
From: mclean va
if u get it deactivated will the jeep just be wicked dangerous? i know esp saved my butt of view times in my srt8 but its just a massive pain in the ass on the wrangler, gonna ware out my rear breaks 
JK Enthusiast
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 495
Likes: 0
From: Dallas, TX
My TJ Jeep had a big lift, fat 15" tires and no ESC but you had better be on your toes at highway speed on lane changes, or just bad stretches of highway. It could get really dicey.
My new JK with tall tires and mild lift is much much more stable but still on these farm-to-market blacktop roads in Texas after this drought (read wavy stretches of road) that ESC will activate in a heart beat if you're going over, probably some predetermined speed, which I usually am. I have intentionally tried to make it come and have been successfull at doing so (yes I can drive!). But for a lot of folks on lifted Jeeps with fatter/taller tires (read - a lot of sidewall flex potentional) you'd best probably just slow her down.
I swear, I think that ESC is probably activated by some mercury bubble switch deteching lateral movement. My Harley's turn signals are that way. You turn on the turn signal, the bike detects the sideways tilt, once upright, they automatically turn off. Mercury bubble switch, detects a rocking motion. Don't know if that's what Jeep uses but it is acting the same way.
Last edited by f2fast4u; Oct 3, 2011 at 07:05 PM.