I just put upgraded 33 in tires on my 2009 Unlimited X and took it to 2 separate garages for an alignment and both told me that they can get the Toe correct but they can't get the steering wheel straight. The owner of the one garage has an identical 2007 JK and says his steering wheel isn't straight either. I am getting a ton of wobble at highway speeds. It gets scary once you go over 55. Any suggestions??

 

If an owner of a shop (or any mechanic for that matter) says they can’t get the steering wheel straight then they need to re-think their profession. Straightening the steering wheel is just a drag link adjustment.

As for the vibration, the larger tires likely exposed an underlying issue that the smaller tires weren’t able to expose. It sounds like you need to go down the rabbit hole of death wobble. Do a search and watch a couple YouTube videos of diagnosing death wobble. It’s not too difficult but it’s lengthy for me to type so I just suggest you search it.

 

This. Find another shop. Straightening the steering wheel is the easiest adjustment you can make.

 

Does he look like this? That is an easy adjustment.

 

Steering wheel alignment is the easiest thing to change on a Jeep, lol. New shop needed.

Often larger tires expose bad ball joints.

 

Is there any chance at all we're talking a situation with an aftermarket DL that can't be adjusted short enough? That is the only situation I can think of that you couldn't get the steering wheel straight.

 

Giving the benefit of the doubt, perhaps the two shops are really saying that there is too much slop in the steering to properly straighten it (though I make no excuses for the one who owns a 2007 and says his isn't straight either). You don't say how many miles are on your JK, but I'd suggest that there are likely some worn front end parts. Ball joints would be my number one suspect. That's an easy check for a shop and they should have done that. JK BJs are well-known for lasting only a few tens of thousands for miles before the plastic lining wears out. I'd also suggest checking steering rod ends. But, if you've never changed those BJs and you haven't made a garage queen of your JK, they are worn out. Find a mechanic to go over the front end properly. Or watch a couple YT videos and do it yourself; it's pretty easy. And find some higher quality aftermarket BJs to replace the poorly designed OEM parts or you'll be right back here again in another couple years. And keep those new BJs greased!

 

I’m only assuming that your 2009 is new to you. You don’t say how many miles are on her or any upgrades. When you say you upgraded to 33, I assume these are new tires, I would never put used tires on a daily driver. Sounds like you may have several items that may need to be addressed if you want a smooth running Jeep. Like previously mentioned steering wheel centering is very easy process. If you aren’t mechanically inclined maybe join a Jeep club in your area and maybe you will get some extra help.

 

Ya my JK has 175k miles and I have come to the conclusion that my front end needs some love. I have ordered all new knuckles, hubs/bearing, ball joints and some adjustable control arms. I will update after I get it all put back together.