So with these lovely roads in Ohio that never get refinished and only patched on top of patch of pothole...and the giant speed bump humps on overpass exchanges I have made repairs to my reoccurring death wobble every 6-8 months. I am tired of hemorrhaging cash to replace various bars, bushings and bearings only for it to return. I have replaced the entire front end twice now and only replaced worn components other times.

I am looking to do the repairs once more and here is my build list. Can any one offer some thoughts? It's an '07 JKU w/ 2.5" fox lift on 33s - DD with some fun 1-2 times per month...mostly trails and mud, no rocks. All front end parts have been replaced with factory and/or rubicon parts previously. I also have the dual skyjacker steering stabilizers on here - previous owner had them on when jeep was stock and every time I service the DW before, they were transferred over.

Wishlist: from NorthRidge:
Teraflex Tie Rod and Drag Link Kit w/ HD Ball Joints Package
Teraflex Forged Adjustable Trackbar (front)
Teraflex Falcon Nexus EF 2.2 Adjustable Stabilizer (1-5/8 Tie Rod)
JKS Control Arm Correction Bracket Kit (I am kind of at the limit and should correct this too)
Teraflex JK Complete 8 Adjustable Alpine IR Flexarm Kit
Teraflex Speedbump Bump Stops Front & Rear (probably dont need this but threw it on here just in case)

Is there anything I am missing or don't really need to do? Depending on the road conditions, a slight turn while hitting a bump in the road anywhere 35-70mph I can get the DW.

All help and recommendations would be greatly appreciated - even if I can solve the problem for a few years at a time instead of 1-2 times per year. $3-4k on parts before install costs is truly my last ditch effort with this jeep I love.

 

Well, if you were replacing with factory parts previously there in lies the issue with you having to do this a couple times a year (Rubicon parts are the same ole crap too). I think your list above is a bit over the top, and though there are a few things TF does well, I don’t think there are many of us that would suggest a lot of their product.

One of the top wobble issues with these D30/44 axles are ball joints. The factory joints are crap that can’t hold up to larger tires and harsh jarring roads and the aftermarket manufacturers are limited by the size of the bore in the axle (ie, it’s not like you can drop a BJ for a D60 in there). The TF ball joints are actually a decent set and probably the best option in the price range they run. If you want the real snizzle, best you can buy for the axle then look at Rare Parts. They will run you a good bit more money though. One feature the RPs have that others don’t is they split a small bit of the load to the top BJ whereas all other BJs 100% of the load is on the bottom BJ. You can do a little research on ball joints and make the decision that is best for you. I’d not consider Synergy, Moog, Alloy, or DT (the other really pricey brand).

You are on track with general steering upgrades. It looks like the TF track bar runs $278 and the DL/TR combo runs $837 (without BJs). I’d rather have metalcloak’s TB for $200 and DL/TR combo for $750 which includes their Rocksport stabilizer with a clamp. You really don’t need much from a stabilizer. The dual stabilizers are as dumb as it gets, and there is no reason to spend $350 on a Falcon or Fox unit unless you are just in it for the bling. That money is better spent elsewhere.

Control arm brackets are a good idea if you need to adjust your caster. Unless your control arms are just shot, there’s no reason to replace them and the factory arms with their bushings are actually not bad for your situation. If you were going to replace arms I wouldn’t go with TF. There is no reason to get those TF speedbumps which are just crap anyhow. Is there some reason you feel you need to address bump stops?

The last thing that you might consider would be adding a track bar bracket just to reinforce that factory one given you’ve had a lot of wobble issues. Sometimes that hole in the factory bracket can get wallowed out which just compounds the problem.

 

Thank you for running through all that with me. I have no special reason for choosing TF products other than just browsing the sites and looking for good reviews, and I'll blame reddit. I'll definitely check out the brands and items you went over. (RP and Metalcloaks).

I'm torn on the stabilizer but I see your point on the cost. I do believe that skyjacker setup is bad for my jeep and could be adding problems for me over correcting them.

I was looking at the control arms because when I had my lift installed I was right at the edge of being able to get my caster set and slightly out if I remember correctly. I figured with the correction brackets and the adjustability it would get me exactly where I needed to be with no compromises. I could probably get away with just the correction brackets. What should I be looking for in the control arms to see if they are shot?

No reason for looking at the speedbumps other than "recommended" lists when viewing the other parts. I don't believe I am running into any issues bottoming my shocks, nor am I doing anything hardcore enough to make that happen (I think). I was a bit concerned pulling my camper but I tested that again over the weekend through some trails and didn't see much extra flex there.

I'll check out the track bar brackets also. I am sure I have some ovaling there. Thanks again man.

 

So caster is more of an acceptable range than it is an exact number you need to hit. From factory caster is 4.2° and when you lift the jeep that decreases. If you can get that back up over 4° you should see some improvement. Many of us modified folks will target 4.5° to 5°, but again, it's more about an acceptable range and balancing the line of caster and drive-line vibes (if you run too much caster you start stressing your driveline as the pinion angle gets flatter, then flat, then negative the further you increase caster on a factory axle).

Usually fixing caster is an either/or thing between brackets and adjustable arms. Many control arm brackets offer multiple mounting locations so you have some level of adjustment, though they don't allow you to dial things in exactly due to the limited options. That said, they really offer a better pavement ride due to how they position your control arms (at a flatter angle). If the rubber bushings in your control arms are in good shape, there is no reason to replace them, though on an '07 if those are original, maybe it's time to freshen things up. Too bad gone are the days of finding brand new takeoffs for next to nothing. If you bought adjustable control arms then there really isn't a need for the control arm brackets. Also, you could likely get by with just the front set and leave the factory arms in the rear unless you just had to have a full matching set.

It's been a long time since I looked at TB brackets. I'd imagine there are a few out there these days. They don't need to be anything fancy as it's really just a means of reinforcing a nice round hold for the bolt to pass through. This one from Ace is pretty basic -



I know the one from Synergy has extra tabs that their sector shaft brace connects to and that then starts to interfere with most springs so I wouldn't suggest it. If you can weld you can even just weld some big HD washers to that factory bracket as a simple fix for wallowed out hole.

 

Hey man, I just want to say thank you for taking the time to really go into this amount of detail and explanation with me. I really appreciate it. I'm looking into everything you have suggested here and making myself a new list. I'll get back under this weekend and check for more wear for what is truly necessary to replace, but you have given me a lot to consider.

I agree with you too it is even more cost savy to nix the rear side of things with my main goal only being to end this DW once and for all. I am down to freshen things up to keep this baby moving. I saw other posts mentioning the correction brackets and the adjustable control arms being redundant while others said for the money on the brackets its better safe than sorry. If there is really nothing to be gained with both then only makes sense to do one or the other and save the money for elsewhere.

I'll post an updated wishlist based on your comments and taking a quick look for wear again.

 

Technically what you gain with the combination is that you flatten out the control arm angles. That would help soak up reactions from potholes and bumps better. In terms of correcting caster the combination is redundant. Correcting caster is the big thing to address in general. You might ask yourself then what is the downside of spending the extra money for brackets. If you want to spend the money NBD, just confirm whatever arms you buy can get set to the factory control arm lengths to ensure fitment. Sometimes adjustable aftermarket products cannot be set as low as factory specs. I can't advise on this across the various arm offerings, just noting to double-check that if you go that route. For people that plan in big rocks loosing ground clearance at the frame rail really comes into play with brackets.

 

Agree with Resharp here 100% with his advice. Biggest two improvements I ever did was to correct (after 2.5" lift) my caster to 5.5 degrees and to add the MC rear track bar and raise bracket. That TB stopped the adverse yaw going over evil road bumps/bridge abutments and smoothed out the body roll/wobble associated. I found at 2.5" I did not need the front TB as my drag link and TB are perfectly parallel. Also the rear adjustable TB centered the diff which was about 1/4" off center. So my suggestion is to fix the caster by adding adjustable lower FCArms or the correction brackets, check the BJ's and suspension components/bushings add the rear TB and see the difference as these you were already planning on addressing. Then go to the alignment shop and get caster and toe in set properly. What about wheel balancing is it ok?

 

Wheels are balancing good. Running the 33" BFG AT KO2s around 35 PSI. I imagine I can probably smooth out a bit better dropping down to 28-30 PSI there too.

When you talked about the rear TB helping with those evil road bumps and bridge abutments, it really did make a difference for you? I will have to look into this after I get the front end done to see how much play I got back there. It's so hard to tell right now because of the never ending DW issues. Did you get the MC long travel kit w/ the bracket or the regular adjustable TB with a separate bracket?

 

Yes it was so bad I needed steering input while going over the bump and now I compare to a luxury SUV ride with zero steering input required. If I had to pick a mod I did that I liked best it would be the rear TB addition.

 

My updated wish/build list for correcting this DW once and for all is:
RP dual load carrying HD BJ's
MC TR & DL HD kit w/ included stabilizer
MC durotrak TB
MC duroflex adjustable control arms (undecided between front only or all - need to inspect more)
JKS control arm correction bracket (small price to be paid to hopefully make this bulletproof in the tuning - also saw MC pro'lignment bracket that I need to research more)
Steersmarts Yeti XD TB bracket
MC long travel rear TB kit w/ bracket

All of this actually totals a few hundred less than my originally purchased Teraflex packages. After reading more and understanding each item through today it appears I am looking at beefier and higher quality items...and have a better understanding of what I am addressing here.

What do you guys think of this? Total cost of parts is somewhere between $2.5-3.2k (nice savings compared to $3-4k) The next issue is sourcing labor. It would be great training for myself to do this alone but as a daily driver and not able to take a week off work to complete it, I may have no choice. Good thing is nearly everything is in line so labor shouldn't be too terrible....I hope. Going to send out a few inquiries to see what comes back before I purchase anything. Some items have a 1-2 month lead time on them as is.