Swaying issue

T

Tmarksberry

New member
Hi everyone, I have a 2014 jk rubicon with 3 in lift and 35 in tires, I have read several questions about swaying feeling after replacing front suspension parts, but it seems nobody ever responds if they have corrected the issue. My swaying issue started after replacing ball joints. Had alignment performed and castor was set at 5 degrees, alignment made the issue a little better, but it is still noticeable. Could this be the ball joints still need to be broken in? Frustrating.
 
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Are you talking about body sway, or the Jeep wandering down the road?

Please give us a better description of your complaint.
 
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Tmarksberry said:
Hi everyone, I have a 2014 jk rubicon with 3 in lift and 35 in tires, I have read several questions about swaying feeling after replacing front suspension parts, but it seems nobody ever responds if they have corrected the issue. My swaying issue started after replacing ball joints. Had alignment performed and castor was set at 5 degrees, alignment made the issue a little better, but it is still noticeable. Could this be the ball joints still need to be broken in? Frustrating.
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Did you do the work or did a shop?
 
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Tmarksberry said:
Wandering down the road, feels like front is going left to right
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Okay, does it feel like it's wandering left and right or more rather, sticking to the right and then, after making a correction, sticking to the left? If what you're feeling is the later, that can be normal with a lot of aftermarket HD ball joints. Being that they have a metal to metal design, it can take a bit for them to break in and until they do, they can feel a bit tight and cause the condition that I just described.
 
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Do the roads you drive have a lot of crown? What tire pressure are you running, don't run factory pressures on 35s, they wander all over the place. But as Eddie said, new ball joints usually take some break in time.
 
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what everyone has stated but also, what components are with your 3" lift?
adjustable control arms, drag link flip, drop pitman or aftermarket pitman arm?
 
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wayoflife said:
Okay, does it feel like it's wandering left and right or more rather, sticking to the right and then, after making a correction, sticking to the left? If what you're feeling is the later, that can be normal with a lot of aftermarket HD ball joints. Being that they have a metal to metal design, it can take a bit for them to break in and until they do, they can feel a bit tight and cause the condition that I just described.
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It feels like the front wheels are fighting each other, but it is weird because it does not do it all the time. This all started after replacing the ball joints.
 
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JimLee said:
Do the roads you drive have a lot of crown? What tire pressure are you running, don't run factory pressures on 35s, they wander all over the place. But as Eddie said, new ball joints usually take some break in time.
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I am down in the slow country, Hilton head sc, not much road crown on the roads down here, tire pressure is at 32psi,
 
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Tmarksberry said:
I installed adjustable control arms, idk about about the pitman arm
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Tmarksberry said:
It feels like the front wheels are fighting each other, but it is weird because it does not do it all the time. This all started after replacing the ball joints.
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you bought the Jeep in stock form? If so, it should have the stock pitman.

3" is borderline but would probably benefit from a draglink flip if the angles of the track bar and drag link are not parallel.

If you're getting partial bump steer, IMO it feels like the tires are fighting each other as it pulls left to right over slight bumps or uneven road surface.

My 2010 JKU felt like it was wandering but it was bump steer and worse with a more aggressive tire tread; adding the drag link flip took care of the bump steer to where I can let go of the steering wheel and have it track straight.

This will help:

www.wayalife.com

Basic Do-it-Yourself Jeep JK Wrangler Front End Alignment

If you've just installed a brand new lift on your Jeep JK Wrangler and are wanting to get it aligned, there are a few things you should know before you take it to a shop and pay to have it done. First off, you should know that thanks to the new steering design on the Jeep JK Wrangler, very...
www.wayalife.com www.wayalife.com
 
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Tmarksberry said:
I am down in the slow country, Hilton head sc, not much road crown on the roads down here, tire pressure is at 32psi,
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Right on, I know where I'm at the road crown is severe so it can make your Jeep feel like it's always pulling right. There's a fix but it doesn't sound like that's your problem. Have you tried lower tire pressure? My old 35s would wander alot at anything above 30. Also have you rechecked your toe adjustment? There's a lot of good info and experience I'm this thread, just trying to give you some easy options to check off the list.
 
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JimLee said:
Right on, I know where I'm at the road crown is severe so it can make your Jeep feel like it's always pulling right. There's a fix but it doesn't sound like that's your problem. Have you tried lower tire pressure? My old 35s would wander alot at anything above 30. Also have you rechecked your toe adjustment? There's a lot of good info and experience I'm this thread, just trying to give you some easy options to check off the list.
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I will check the toe, what I really need is a good recommendation on a jeep shop down here that knows what they are doing. For the amount of jeeps on the road down here there is nowhere take it.
 
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Tmarksberry said:
I am down in the slow country, Hilton head sc, not much road crown on the roads down here, tire pressure is at 32psi,
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I am running 35's too, I run mine at 27 psi. Everytime I take it for a rotation I have to request them not to fill them to the spec of 35 psi; if I forget it's like riding a wild horse, the jeep has a mind of it's own and my spine is rattled. Do a chalk test to check what your tire should be set at.
 
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