Hey y’all, I’ve been poking around here for a while and I have a lot of questions about my rig. I figure this is definitely the place to ask!

1st - I just put some used 315/70/17 duratracs on my stock Oscar mike jku. They surprisingly fit fine for onroad use with 2” spacers and a stubby front bumper I’ve added. The problem is when I drive it now it seems to wander in the lane and I’m steering left and right to keep it straight. Before the tires on 32” stocks it was pretty tight feeling no wandering at all. Also the steering is much heavier feeling. Is that just from the tire mass or are my steering components going out? If so, what would typically cause the wandering? Ball joints? Drag link?

2nd - I pulled the stock muffler off a couple weeks ago and just threw a turndown tip on it. Is there any issues with back pressure or scavenging I should be worried about? It dumps far enough back not to worry about fumes but I’m just not sure if the muffler was doing anything timing or performance wise for it. Any ideas?

3rd - my trans was shifting a little rough before I just got it serviced. Started looking into the ats diesel w5a580 stage 2 trans as it’s almost the same price as a mopar new one. Anyone tried this bad boy out?

thanks for the responses!

 

1. You might want to throw some more + caster in it with the bigger tires. The 2" puck lift will have altered the caster towards (-) which you don't want. Check the ball joints as well as the bigger tires exacerbate issues like that. The tires are way heavier so shocks might need to be checked as they have to stop a larger mass from going up and down fast.
2. Exhaust tip will be no issue but the highway drone may get to you. Walmart sell a dual exhaust high flow Dynamax muffler that fits perfectly for about $200. Bit more flow but really people looking for power increase from air intakes and mufflers are really duped as this mod goes with the other $1000's you spent earlier. All a muffler does is decrease your wallet.
3. If the tranny works good now after servicing why spend $$$ ion a new one?

 

Thanks for the reply!

1. I should have clarified wheels spacers not body spacers my bad haha. I’m on stock everything suspension wise still. I just slapped 2 inch wheels spacers and the bumper. Everything fits great can turn lock to lock but the ride has just changed a bit. Very wandery. 87,000 miles though.

2. I don’t care for performance mods in this puppy unless I’m gonna boost it (have considered). I just wanted a little more sound out of the tailpipe and I didn’t wanna pay 500 bucks for a flowmaster fart cannon. I was checking out the dynomax evo turn down if all else fails. I pulled the stock muffler off and I don’t mind the noise but I was just wondering if the ecu might notice or if I am harming anything running without it.

3. Always wanted a turbo or supercharged Jeep. Figure if the tranny gives me enough issues before 100k in this one I’ll rip and out and throw in that ATS trans and a procharger. Just wondering why it’s the same price as a mopar replacement and it’s a built trans? Maybe someone’s tried it?

 

I can only guess that "used tires" are a big factor in that wandering issue you're seeing given nothing else has changed. The wheel adapters should have made any real difference though going up in size and weight is definitely going to impact the feel of the steering as you see, and is going to accentuate everything. Many JKs had a wander right off the lot with factory tires. This could just be the larger tires accentuating that which wasn't previously that noticeable. Could just be used tire wear, even if visually normal. Lot of people have used those Duratracs but I can't recall seeing that tire having regular wander issues. Ball joints are definitely something to keep an eye on as they are a weak point in the D30/44 axles and those heavier tires will add more stress. Not a bad idea to test those every oil change with a shovel or something under the tire. I don't believe this is the cause of your wander, just something to check for safety regularly. DL and TREs usually hold up pretty good, especially on a vehicle that has remained stock for so long. I doubt those are your issue.

I can't believe that '16 would be having tranny issues already, or before 100k miles. jeesh.

I don't think you're going to have issues with that exhaust pipe. Plenty of folks have run that. I knew someone that did for a short period of time on the 3.6L. I couldn't stand that sound myself, but all a matter of opinion. If you get tired of that I would suggest you don't have to spend hundreds on a muffler. I threw a cheap Thrush Welded muffler (~$35 @ AAP) on years ago and mounted in the factory location. I did it primarily for clearance and looks after going to a minimal rear bumper setup. I figured it was a 50/50 shot it might drive me crazy with drone but it worked out great for me. My jeep hovers closer to 3k rpm on the highway and I think it sounds pretty good. It's not obnoxiously loud but it's got more noise than factory. I paid $40 for a mom & pop shop to mount it nicely and after ~6 years I'm still happy with it.