General question about the steering wheel getting some vibration when I get to 60-65 miles per hour. I just picked up This ‘94 YJ, 2.5L with 71K miles on it and 32” tires and 2.5” body lift. Thinking it has the original shocks and steering stabilizer. Going to replace them for the sake of a better ride as they are most likely worn out. Any other ideas about the steering vibration? Could check the tire balancing as well. Welcome comments/thoughts.
Steering Vibration
- Thread starter CgibsonYJ
- Start date
Mini death wobble of just a poorly balanced, old, junk or coming apart tire. A bent rim, one packed with mud in the back also. Remember a steering stabilizer is a bandaid to other problems. You should be able to drive at highway speeds without one at all and have no issues.
well gee get the tires balanced first. why spend a fortune on parts not needed.
seems to me you mean only steering left and right vibration not vertical tire bounce.
we cant see those wheels are they aluminum. did the last guy use those silly stick on lead weight that fall off on day2?
hummmmmmm they do this every time to mine, but I forced them to use pinch on rim weights, where POSSIBLE.
are the shackle bushings shot.
is caster at spec ?? some jackups wreck caster and is first. -6 degrees, and the axle front caster shims missing or dead wrong for this springs.
the steering stabilizer will not stop death wobble, but how bad the shake is ID NEVER GUESS, a slight vibration is tire are un balanced
and or worn out wheel hub bearings after all the bad hubs even find even minor tire/wheel imbalances.
why not do the balance first. most tire shops if you buy their tires, you get later free balance, but not this case but a fact to consider later.
99% of cars like this are simple wheel weights fell off, for sure the stick on crap.
mine fell off day2, all new tires and brand new rims.
and know this many huge tires, are sold new, that are not just a bit out of balance, a ton. Casted that way and not corrected at all)
my wrangler tires only needed small weights, on my JK.
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ways #2
a good shop that does chassis and alignments can do on car tire balancing.
and he then grabs you says lookie here, see what bad shocks or bad front spring bushings do, (jumping like mad) he says then
that must be fixed first or I can not balance the tires.(this way)
then says my off car balance is $20 a tire and not be a cure. in some cases but yes commonly does.
your call
most times its only a simple wheel balance.
open glove box see tire receipts does it show free balancing there. (rules) you never know? look.
a good shop that does chassis and alignments can do on car tire balancing.
and he then grabs you says lookie here, see what bad shocks or bad front spring bushings do, (jumping like mad) he says then
that must be fixed first or I can not balance the tires.(this way)
then says my off car balance is $20 a tire and not be a cure. in some cases but yes commonly does.
your call
most times its only a simple wheel balance.
open glove box see tire receipts does it show free balancing there. (rules) you never know? look.
on my jeep the last PO, put front spring shims on backwards (erasing all caster)
and caster was 0 day 1 to me. saw it , wrong in and instant.
cured.
ever see a shopping cart front wheels act odd and flop about wildly , the caster is gone ,the carts frame is bent.
I say caster is first. on all cars with leaf springs and for sure sagged.
loose or bad parts up front make even slight tire balance be magnified.
no tire is ever in prefect balance ever, good yes, perfect no.
and caster was 0 day 1 to me. saw it , wrong in and instant.
cured.
ever see a shopping cart front wheels act odd and flop about wildly , the caster is gone ,the carts frame is bent.
I say caster is first. on all cars with leaf springs and for sure sagged.
loose or bad parts up front make even slight tire balance be magnified.
no tire is ever in prefect balance ever, good yes, perfect no.
redbullet
YJ Enthusiast
Lack of a steering damper won’t do it. Probably tires are old and unable to be balanced, or if they are in good enough shape need to be balanced better. If using aftermarket wheels it can be tricky, most of them are lug centric and the tire shops still balance them as if they’re hub centric. On a non-hub centric wheel, the hub hole isn’t always perfectly center since it’s not critical since the wheel isn’t hub centric. Which means technically a finger plate adapter should be used in order to balance the wheels by their lugs, but most shops (or at least ones like discount tire) can’t balance that way.
That stabilizer is shock damper device.
it's purpose is but 1. (mostly) but here it is:
if say a tire hits rock or a RUT offroad, the steering wheel is not snapped out of your hands. (ask a motorcycle this, for off road ,
on on flat paved road it does nothing, (one exception last)
it is connected to the left .right main tie rod and prevents violent actions there to the left or to the right.
last: if a tire is out of balance this condition can be in the threaded end of tire, or on this side walls.
if most of the tires imbalance is on the side walls (all of it) it sure can shake the heck out of any tie rod, think about that.?
easy to visualize if you try.
out of balance tires can shake up or down or left and right and all points in between../ ask your tire man to show you that.
if the car has manual steering it is even worse. all of this. (L to R forces)
it's purpose is but 1. (mostly) but here it is:
if say a tire hits rock or a RUT offroad, the steering wheel is not snapped out of your hands. (ask a motorcycle this, for off road ,
on on flat paved road it does nothing, (one exception last)
it is connected to the left .right main tie rod and prevents violent actions there to the left or to the right.
last: if a tire is out of balance this condition can be in the threaded end of tire, or on this side walls.
if most of the tires imbalance is on the side walls (all of it) it sure can shake the heck out of any tie rod, think about that.?
easy to visualize if you try.
out of balance tires can shake up or down or left and right and all points in between../ ask your tire man to show you that.
if the car has manual steering it is even worse. all of this. (L to R forces)