Hey guys, is it normal for my steering wheel to be "jumping" when driving? when I say jumping its mostly a shake but the wheel jolts to the left and right when driving. Is this because of my my tires 325/65R18 (34.8X13.5) with my lift? Or is there something wrong? I have been wheeling it hard lately, but it feels like it has been the same since I put everything on? Or is this just something I have to get used to? Thanks!!

 

when you say "jolts", are you saying that this just happens out of the blue or when you hit bumps in the road. also, is it safe to assume that the "jolts" pull you to the left and right and if so, is the only way to correct it to physically turn your steering wheel in the opposite direction? last but not least, would you say that your steering feels tight or loose/sloppy?

 

I knew the word "jolt" came out kind of vague. My steering is tight, I mean I have to almost keep both hands on the wheel to keep it going straight or it veers to the left. I let go of my wheel today on a straight road and watched the wheel and the steering wheel did not turn to the left as fluidly as it used to, you can see the wheel jump to the left slowly. On totally flat road it isn't really a problem, but bumpier ones it is definatly more noticable. It doesn't happen out of the blue. I know with bigger tires and lift my steering is going to be perfect, and really I just need to pay attention more to the wheel now. Just wanted to see what everyone thought. Thanks again!!

 

if so, that would make sense. a bit more caster and a toe-in adjustment will help this out.

hmmm, you said that you have been wheeling hard. check your steering stabilizer to see if maybe it got dented or the shaft got bent. a dented or bent stabilizer can give you similar problems to what you've just described. also, i would check your steering box, tie-rod and wheels to see if maybe they have some camber to them. if you took a hard hit to your front tires, could be you bent your sector shaft a bit. a bent axle c can give enough camber to cause a drift as well.

 

Thanks for the advice, hopefully it's nothing serious!!

 

From my experience, larger, wider tires as a whole are going to want to "grab" more on the road. Which means little bumps, grooves or irregularities on the road are going to be more evident over stock road tires. This is where I feel, that even if everything is tight in your front end, a slightly better, ie, firmer, steering stabilizer can help. Not to mask a problem, but to do....well, what it says...STABILIZE just a little better over stock. Some tires are going to be worse than others just purely because of design.

 

Hello,

I seem to have the same problem, My JK has 32.000 miles and just put on 33" cooper stt and a Rancho sport 4" lift.

I feel the suspension is working great but since I put on the tires (which I did first) i got this flighty steering you are mentioning. We have aligned it and balanced the wheels but my steering is pulling hard to the left and on small bumps over the road the wheels seem to go their own way.

I cannot go over 65 miles per hour without feeling the steering creepy.

Please give me some advice on what the problem could be. I have taken the Jeep off road but everything seemed to be ok until I changed the tires, Maybe a steering box problem??

 

try another 1/8'' toe in....

 

I have a simular problem. I am running a 2.5" BB and 35 "Cooper STT tires. My vehicle definately pulls to the left. I have leveled the steering wheel and this did not fix the problem. I know that the rear axle has shifted to the left due to the lift. I took it to an alignment shop and the tech said that he wanted to notch out the rear control arms (I think he wanted to install cam bolts). I am wondering if this problem could be fixed with adjusable track bars front and rear to recenter the axles? Any help would be appreciated.