I have the often reported problem of steering shimmy or aggressive shaking of the steering wheel at around 45 MPH. I have some nasty bump steer and just all around the Jeep is handling like crap. Right after the lift and tires and for about the next 18 months and 12k miles it was handling just fine. I am running a 4 inch Superlift and .5 inch spacers in the front end with cam bolts and adjustable track bar. Heres what I got going on. Huge amount of movement in the ball joints. The holes for the cam bolts on the front axle look rounded out. I need to address all these issues on a limited budget but don't want to be kicking my self in a year for something that should have been done now while the front end is taken apart. Here is the plan.

Replace the ball joints with Dyantrac ProSteer $594.95 - do these have zerks on the upper and lowers?

Install ORE 44 Magnums while doing the ball joints. $159.99 - I like the added strenght and axles seals and you are right there doing the ball jointss.

Install AEV control arm brackets welding the washer on the axle $99.99. I would perfer a set of JKS or Tera-Flex control arm but can afford it right now.

Install AEV High Steer kit $369.95.

Install Bilstein steering shock. $79.95

Total is about $1300.00. Damm $1300.00 buck I wish I could spend on a front bumper but I have to fix the vehicle first. When your 8 year old in the back seat is teeling you the Jeep is shaking alot something have to be done.

Any thoughts or options I am missing???? I have read over the threads and am concerned if the AEV steering kit is the right choice over the Tera-Flex??? Appreciate any feed back.

 

That lift is not tall enough for the TeraFlex #1600440 Flip kit.

 

Thanks - how tall does it have to be?

 

honestly, i would take a step back and approach this in smaller steps.

first and foremost, get your tires rebalanced even if you just had them balanced. a speed related shimmy like you described is almost always a tire balancing problem and it's not uncommon to have to have big off road tires balanced several times before they get it right.

next, if your ball joints are bad, get them replaced. a set of crowns will only set you back about $70 and you can do this yourself. this should help out a lot. of course, if you want to replace these with dynatrac joints, they will most likely be the last set you will ever need. oh, and yes, i do believe they are greasable.

after that, i say ditch the cam bolts and get the mounting holes repaired. assuming you really had 4.5" of lift, there is no way your cam bolts would be able to give you enough caster adjustment to give you the handling you're hoping for. i would pick up a set of adjustable front upper control arms which you should be able to get for about $250-$275 and add a bit more caster.

drive your jeep around like this for a while and see if these measures have helped.

taking small steps will not only allow you to save money but it will also help you to figure out what fixed your problems.

 

TeraFlex 4" coils will lift the front 5.25". So you need at least that amount.

wayoflife is correct, I would try his suggestion first.

 

Thanks as always for your input Eddie and Joe.