I just received on Aug 3rd a used 2014 Wrangler Unlimited Sport and the Dealer did not have any of the info on the Lift kit. I have been scouring the forum for some of the answers to the questions I have.
I did have a 2007 that I installed a Teraflex 2.5" coil kit with adjustable front lower control arms and an adjustable front/back tackbars and ran 35's, which I did myself so I am not a complete noob. I had to get rid of the Jeep at the time so now I am back.
It seems to have about I am guessing 3.5" of lift and is running 35's. I measured the distance from the top of the front axle to the bottom of the frame and it's 8.5", I read that stock distance is 5", so that is where I came up with the lift to be roughly 3.5". Is that a good guess? I would like a rough guess of how much lift I have so I can dial in the ride. I have included pictures of the suspension so any input of what you see would be helpful. It does seem to have a rear trackbar bracket to help the rear but I do not see anything for the front. Anyone see anything I do not?

It rides nice till I get to about 45 mph then the steering feels really loose and it drives very squirrelly and It is all over the place at higher speeds. So I am guessing the castor and the alignment need to be fixed? Should I get adjustable front lower control arms and an adjustable front trackbar? Will those 2 items be the only thing I would need? Everything I have read says those should help. All control arms needed? What about a drop pitman arm? Anybody have any other suggestions or input?

Thanks so much for any help and input.

 

Can't tell from the angle of the pic, is that Cam Bolts (offset washer looking things) on the axle end of the front lower ca's?

Verify where the caster is at before pulling out the credit card and throwing parts at it. Make a few calls, some alignment shops offer free checks where they just throw it on the rack and print the 'before' specs. Or, buy a cheap angle finder and slap it on.

If you want to correct the angles of the front trackbar/draglink, consider a flip/high steer rather than a drop pitman. More expensive, but most will tell you it is the better way to go.

Lots of folks here prefer to use this diagram for guessing at lift heights.

 

Thanks for the info. Well, I measured again the shock height and the spring height as in the picture and both differences were 4 inches. So now I am guessing its a 4" lift?

Here are some more pics of the front lower control arm. If they are offset cam bolts can I fix that back to normal and put on adjustable front lower control arms?


Not sure about the flip. right now $ is more an issue and just want to get it riding nice and stable.

 

Could it be these, painted black?
Zone Offroad Front Cam Locks J5312

If it is cams, they might have slipped and allowed the caster to go lower, causing the flighty steering. If so, maybe they can be re-adjusted to raise the caster. The other problem with cams is that you have to notch out the brackets to install them. So if you remove, you need to do something about the larger holes. Search on 'cam bolt eliminator', basically just another set of big washers, but cheaper than welding up the holes. Either way, find out what the caster is before you buy anything.

A flip would be lower down on the to-do list than caster correction. I mentioned it simply because you were asking about a drop pitman.

 

I agree with nthinuf above. Also, considering the shock looks to be Zone, and the cam bolt looks to be Zone, I'd guess that the springs, track bar, and any other parts are probably all a Zone kit. I'd reverse that cam situation and find another means of adjusting caster, which is probably the biggest issue.

Can't tell which from those pics, but someone has replaced the ball joints. Factory are not greaseable.

 

Finally found my Angle Finder and took readings for castor. One pic is the finder on the ground to see what that was. The other pic is the finder on top of the ball mount. Am I reading it right that it is roughly -4?? Should be around +4-5??



Ground


Ball Joint

 

Thanks. I have found that Synergy and Teraflex have Cam Bolt Eliminators that I guess I will need to get a set and install. Should I consider Control arms to fix the castor? Took the readings this morning and posted the pics in the post above.

Here is a more close up of the ball joint.

Thanks again.

 

With your description of squirrelly and all over the road after 45, you're probably looking at caster. If it's a shimmy then you'd be looking at wheel balance, maybe the stock tie rod ends are getting tired with those tires.

Caster brackets are cheap and they work for caster correction....they work really well. You may be looking at brackets now and then fix your steering geometry down the road (flipped DL and raise your track bar) when you can afford it.

 

Thanks. So, will something like these AEV Geometry Correction Brackets be what you talking about I probably need to fix the caster issue?

 

Correct- AEV makes them as well as Rancho. I have the AEV and I'd probably go with the Rancho brackets. They're a single piece so less chance for errors.