Steering on lifted JK

[BigDogTrain]

Hard to explain this question, but I will try to be as clear as possible.

When you run aftermarket rims, the offset pushes the rims farther out on the vehicle causing more stress on the steering system and tie rods.

First, when running anything over 35" tires, should anything on the steering system of a JK be upgraded? If so, what are my options?

Second, with the tires offset more to the outside, will the Jeep follow the cracks and contours of the road more? Could this cause a little shake in the steering? Could this be solved with an adjustable Fox Steering Damper?

Thank you :nerd:

 

[Pthorpe84]

As far as the steering itself goes you really don't need anything up to a 37. Once you are locked and at 37's or bigger you really need to look at hydro assist. This is your best option. The fox ats doesn't do much for the rock crawling world. It may help some with hitting holes in the road and some pull from the tire to one side or the other.

I would look at upgrading your steering though. Look at the HD steering system from MetalCloak.

With the higher offset your ball joints are what will suffer the most. You are looking at replacing those in the near future. The stock ones just will not hold up. There are several really good brands out there such as Fusion 4X4 and Synergy. The shake you are experiencing is most likely caused from your lift not the offset. "Death Wobble" as some call it. Getting adjustable track bars will help cure this. Your alignment could be off as well. The wider stance from the offset should give you more stability on and off road. Not hinder it.

Give us some more info on what exactly you are running and we may be able to further diagnose. Post some pics too!


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[BigDogTrain]

As far as the steering itself goes you really don't need anything up to a 37. Once you are locked and at 37's or bigger you really need to look at hydro assist. This is your best option. The fox ats doesn't do much for the rock crawling world. It may help some with hitting holes in the road and some pull from the tire to one side or the other.

I would look at upgrading your steering though. Look at the HD steering system from MetalCloak.

With the higher offset your ball joints are what will suffer the most. You are looking at replacing those in the near future. The stock ones just will not hold up. There are several really good brands out there such as Fusion 4X4 and Synergy. The shake you are experiencing is most likely caused from your lift not the offset. "Death Wobble" as some call it. Getting adjustable track bars will help cure this. Your alignment could be off as well. The wider stance from the offset should give you more stability on and off road. Not hinder it.

Give us some more info on what exactly you are running and we may be able to further diagnose. Post some pics too!


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I was expecting a bit more from the "Ask an Expert"! Are you the EXPERT?

 

[Pthorpe84]

No I'm the retard! Ask the expert will be in later. Just trying to help in the mean time.......

Either way the offset is not going to affect the drive ability. Anything over 35's you should look at HD steering components and hydro assist. And no I don't believe the fox steering will help. Please tell me where you would like more indepth info. Jeepineer should be on later to help. Also Brian is very well rounded in "expert" advice.


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[BigDogTrain]

No I'm the retard! Ask the expert will be in later. Just trying to help in the mean time.......

Either way the offset is not going to affect the drive ability. Anything over 35's you should look at HD steering components and hydro assist. And no I don't believe the fox steering will help. Please tell me where you would like more indepth info. Jeepineer should be on later to help. Also Brian is very well rounded in "expert" advice.


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I jus want to know what the expert has to say. I can search forums all over the net and get opinions.

 

[Cloaked Willys]

Welcome, I am going to break down your question a bit and answer it in red below to make it easier.

Hard to explain this question, but I will try to be as clear as possible.

When you run aftermarket rims, the offset pushes the rims farther out on the vehicle causing more stress on the steering system and tie rods. This is correct, The increased leverage both from the larger tire and offset wheel do add stress to the system. The factory wheels are a high offset to bring the scrub radius down and keep thing as centered as possible over the bearings.

First, when running anything over 35" tires, should anything on the steering system of a JK be upgraded? If so, what are my options? The first thing that I normally see fail is the ball joints. They stock ones leave a lot of room for improvement and there are lots of great upgrades. We normally run the Dynatrac ones in our JK's. I can tell you that they take a beating :wasnt: Tie rod and drag link ends are normally the next to go and We offer an upgrade kit at Metalcloak for those that will still allow for stock wheels to fit.

Second, with the tires offset more to the outside, will the Jeep follow the cracks and contours of the road more? It can but if the alignment is correct it should not unless the tires are really wide Think 15.50" wide on a 12" wide rim. Could this cause a little shake in the steering? It should not. A shimmy in the wheel is normally a out of round or out of balance tire. This also can be caused if the drag link and the track bar are not lined up and you are getting bump steer. I have run into a few times that the track bar gets raised and the drag link is not flipped on a JK and it will get this. Could this be solved with an adjustable Fox Steering Damper? It is a great unit but should not be used as a fix for any of these issues. Steering stabilizers are meant to stop the wheel from getting pulled out of your hand if the tire has a sudden impact that is getting pushed through the steering.

Thank you :nerd:

I hope this helps and if you have any other questions please let me know.

 

[BigDogTrain]

Excellent! Does Currie make a HD Steering system like they used to for the TJ?

If one was to make a perfect long term driver, should any of this be ungraded right off the bat to make it drive better?

 

[Cloaked Willys]

Currie does have a steering kit for the JK and it runs about $1400. I know a few guys that run them and they are huge. Wheel fitment might be an issue depending on what you are running.

If I was going to replace anything for the sake of replacing it I would do the ball joints. If you are doing a C-gussets it is a good tire to replace and upgrade also.

 

[BigDogTrain]

WOW, that is some coin! Thank you!