... really the issue with my JK's ESP going off around turns at 30mph its the caster angle. I was told installing control arms can get rid of ESP issues and that they set them at facory caster angles/degrees or something to that effect.

True?!

Nate

 

Well, the number one reason why your ESP will go off after installing a lift is because your steering wheel isn't completely centered and that is alignment related. However, that is something you can fix yourself in minutes and you do not need to pay a shop to do it. As far as caster goes, your JK will be set at +4.2° from the factory and after installing a tall lift and big tires, it really needs to be set to something closer to +6°~8° and if you don't, your Jeep will tend to wander and your ESP could be triggered. And, the best way to accomplish this is with the installation of adjustable upper and lower control arms. However, I'm not exactly sure how proper caster would effect your ESP going off when making 30mph turns. Now, I'm no expert here, but I would think it going off would have more to do with body roll which is one of the things the ESP looks for. But hey, what do I know.

 

I am glad you said +6 to 8 degrees. I have had mine adjusted to stock twice so far and have not been happy with the ride. Seems like I fight the steering wheel alot.

 

WayO and others, thanks! Makes theowners experience better if you ask me. Not just driving, but having others as ineterested and yes way more knowledgeable!

I will keep all of this in mind and for sure the #'s have been proven before.

N8!

 

How much do upper and lower control arms cost?! SHould I stay with Tera Flex since that is the adj. track bars I am going with?!

N8!

 

From what I have seen, you want to install a dropped pitman arm at about 4"+ but you will want to install some kind of track bar relocation bracket as well. If you don't, your track bar and drag link won't be parallel to each other and this can cause problems. This setup will also get your track bar and drag link a lot flatter again and that's a good thing.

 

Yeah, I have mine set at almost +8° and love it. My Jeep drives as straight as an arrow and my steering wheel practically snaps back to center after making a turn.

 

I'm not sure about the TeraFlex off hand but I know that the Full Traction front uppers are like $200 and the lowers are around $300.

 

The only step I took was to add the Full Traction premium lower control arms. I wish I had purchased the adjustable ones just so I would have more optons later but they really turned out to be a great product. Next year when the budget permits I plan on changing out the rest of the control arms but I'm done for now.

When I installed them I laid them next to the stock arms and thought that there was no way it would make that big of a difference. They looked like they were maybe an 1/'8" longer. It did make a difference though. I am having no problmes with the ESP any longer.

Hey Wayoflife, I totally agree with you on the centering of the steering wheel but from my experience I don't think it can always get you 100% correction. Here is why. When I did the first set up on my FT 3" lift I was able to get the steering wheel completely centered and had 0 ESP problems. It took a dozen very small adjusments but was doable. Unfortunately, the jeep was 4" higher in the rear and only 3" higher in the front. I called FT and told them of the problem and they sent me out replacement heavy duty springs for the front. After changing out the front springs my lift was even measuring 4" increase in all four corners. That is when my ESP troubles began. No matter how many times I tried I could not get the ESP perfect. Next step was the premium lower control arms and an problem was solved.

 

Yeah, keeping the steering wheel centered only address one aspect of the ESP system triggering but I'm sure there are others that will get it to fire off as well. Unfortunately, we can only address them one at a time and figure things out as we go. Thanks for sharing your experiences, I'm sure they will be of help to us all