So I've got my RK 2.5 kit installed with lcas adjusted to 23 1/8 and I've developed some steering wheel shakes at and above 50 mph. I got an angle finder and measured on the lower C.








Based on the measurement on the C's I need to shorten my lcas. Is there somewhere else I should measure from? If so post a picture please. Everything is tightened to spec, just making sure I'm doing this right. Thanks for any input.

 

a speed related steering wheel shake or shimmy is almost always a tire balancing issue. even if you already had your tires balanced, i would try getting them balanced again. it's not uncommon for large off road tires to take 2-3 tries to get it right.

 

Wol, any suggestion on the castor? That reading appeared to me to be around 9*.. Shorten lcas?

 

try taking a reading off the top of your ball joint. if you are getting the same, you probably have a bit too much but, that would NOT be causing the shimmy that you feel. if anything, you might get some vibrations but, it would be a lite oscillating buzz that you feel that in the seat of your pants as well as everywhere else.

 

I feel a bit of a shake everywhere the wheel shimmys and I can feel the jeep shaking aswell.. Its at 45+ everytime. Not occasionally. The tires are internally balanced but if adjusting the castor doesn't fix the problem, I will be going back to the tire installer. And picture of how to get a measurement on the top of the ball joint?

 

again, a speed related shimmy is almost always tire balancing problem. too much caster WILL NOT cause a shimmy, just a lite vibration that oscillate - you can actually hear it. if that's what you're hearing and feeling and your caster reading is the same from the top of your ball joint, then yeah, reducing the amount of caster you have should help address this. if not, your dynabeads or whatever you have in your tires clearly prove they don't work.

 

ahhhhh....the mid to high speed shimmy.

I agree with WOL you might have your caster set to high, but that would not cause the steering wheel shake. I have 33" Duretracs and had some balancing issues. One of my wheels now has 6 ounces on it. ( put it on the rear for now )

Couple of things on that:

- It took me 2 times getting them balanced properly. I also don't think you should have internal weights only. Mine took weights on both sides of the wheel. To get the best balance, I think you need both.

- I think this is not just a FL thing but a national one.....tires shops here no longer use lead weights. Scumbags in Washington outlawed them so now we have steel weights and the guys at the 2nd shop I went to said....yeah they fly off all the time now...they do not clamp as well. You really need to get them mounted tight to the wheel and even then there is a chance they will come off again, especially if you wheel your Jeep and tweak a weight on a rock, stump etc.

I painted my factory wheels black so its a real PITA to repaint the spots where the weights come off plus touching up the new weights....but hey...its a Jeep thing.