No not another I have DW thread.... just a thought and I didn't see one out there...

My intentions for this thread is to bring together all the issues/thoughts/solutions into one place and see if there is a common denominator beyond trac bar torque. If this has been done or the mods/admins think it is dumb... feel free to say it

IF you have DW please post the following:

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1. Year and Model

2. Current Mileage

3. Approx mileage when DW started

4. Suspension (OEM, etc. Make sure you list all components like AM trac bar, CAs)

4. Wheel/Tires/spacers

5. What measures you have taken to resolve DW

6. What was the"fix" or are you still dealing with it

 

1. Year and Model
2007 X 2dr manual with electronic sway bar and rear locker

2. Current Mileage
14,500

3. Approx mileage when DW started
5 miles after the lift was put on

4. Suspension (OEM, etc. Make sure you list all components like AM trac bar, CAs)
3" Teraflex w/ lower front(23 1/8") and upper rear(18 7/8") arms
JKS front and rear trackbars

4. Wheel/Tires/spacers
Stock wheels and tires
Spidertrax 1.5" wheel spacers

5. What measures you have taken to resolve DW
Removed the Teraflex rear trackbar braket - DW still there
Re-torqued the front and rear trackbars to 125 ft-lbs - DW still there
Checked the ball joints - DW still there
Removed the wheel spacers - DW still there
Re-torqued the front and rear trackbars to 15 ft-lbs - DW still there
Swapped stock tires and wheels with other spare set - DW still there
Set the front lower control arms to 23" and re-torqued and the front/rear control arm bolts to 125 ft-lbs - DW still there
Re-installed the fatory front trackbar and torqued it to 150 ft-lbs. - DW still there


Currently the front caster is measured at 7 degrees. Toe was not changed from factory. Plus the Jeep drives straight during and before the DW.


6. What was the"fix" or are you still dealing with it
Nothing so far

 

1. Year and Model 2007 unlimited x

2. Current Mileage46k

3. Approx mileage when DW started45k

4. Suspension (OEM, etc. Make sure you list all components like AM trac bar, CAs)bds 3" lift jks adj trakbar, jks adj lower control arms

4. Wheel/Tires/spacers315/75/16 5" backspacing

5. What measures you have taken to resolve DWdouble ck track bar. ck tire pressure, teraflex steering stabilizer.

6. What was the"fix" or are you still dealing with it I think the fix was making sure my tires were inflated the same
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1. Year and Model
2007 Unlimited X

2. Current Mileage
25,000

3. Approx mileage when DW started
22,000

4. Suspension (OEM, etc. Make sure you list all components like AM trac bar, CAs)
Teraflex 2.5" Budget Boost with shock extensions (DW didnt' start until 9 months later), JKS adjustable lower control arms, everything else stock

4. Wheel/Tires/spacers
Stock 17" wheels with stock Goodyear Wrangler tires

5. What measures you have taken to resolve DW
Factory steering stabilizer (dealer install) - DW went away for a couple months, then returned
Aftermarket Rancho steering stabilizer (dealer install) - No effect on DW
Retorqued suspension components (dealer) - No effect on DW
Tried new tires/wheels and alignment (dealer) - No effect on DW.
Inspected track bar mounting brackets and retorqued suspension components myself - No effect on DW
Alignment and adjustment of toe - No effect on DW
Balanced wheels - No effect on DW
Adjustable lower control arms to increase caster to ~ 6 or 7 - No effect on DW
9/16" (slightly larger) track bar mounting bolts in case unseen play in mounting holes or track bar sleeves - No effect on DW
Replacement factory track bar in case unseen faults with original track bar - No effect on DW

6. What was the"fix" or are you still dealing with it
A second dealerhip installed a Pro Comp stabilizer and the situation improved. Two dealerhips and two 4x4 shops said a stabilizer is an adequate fix for death wobble. I disagreed so I sold the Jeep to the dealer.

 

1. Year and Model
2009 JK Rubicon 2DR

2. Current Mileage
2800

3. Approx mileage when DW started
About 50 miles after lift install

4. Suspension (OEM, etc. Make sure you list all components like AM trac bar, CAs)
TF 2.5" coil lift, TF 9550 shocks, JKS front and rear adj. trackbars

4. Wheel/Tires/spacers
Stock Moab Wheels, Spidertrax 1.5" spacers, 35/12.50R17 Cooper STT's

5. What measures you have taken to resolve DW
Front lower (axle side) trackbar bolt worked loose, retorqued and it worked loose again, replaced and retorqued with blue thread locker

6. What was the"fix" or are you still dealing with it
So far it hasn't returned, front lower control arms will be installed shortly to adjust pinion angle

 

OK so as I have been reading various post 1 thing has really stood out for me and just the 4 posts in here has me thinking about it even more.

small lifts on OEM wheels/tires

I remember 1 thread where a JKer had a lift and big tires and no problems and when they went back to oem they had DW. The 2 entries in this thread that still have issues are JKers with oem wheel/tires

Those running larger tires with their BB have easily resolved their DW.

That said I KNOW that wheels don't cause DW (Aside from bent wheels) so my thinking.... doesn't a lift have an affect on toe? if it is recommended to toe in for larger tires would it be safe to assume playing with toe on oem wheels would be a valid step in troubleshooting? Just a thought.... the only denominator that really jumps out at me. and by playing with it I mean taking it out of factory spec

WAYOFLIFE..... ???? lol

 

It's a pretty small sample size yet. However, one of the dealerships I went to said they have seen death wobble go away after installing larger tires. I wouldn't trust that though. I mean, I ran my Jeep on the same stock tires for several months with no problems at all. Because of that, it just seems like something wore out or broke over that time.

 

ya I know and I thought about how your worked great for a while... but who's to say yout toe was in factory spec before the lift... I am not too versed in alignment but can't toe change over time?

so then the question is... is it masking the problem like a steering stabilizer, or is actually fixing what you feel is DW? My point is if you throw some 35s on yout JK and it goes away, then I would think all the other things you have done you can confidently confirm have been torqued/etc properly.... process of elimination

 

funny, what i was thinking is that in reality, there really are very few people out there with DW and 2 of the 4 were able to fix it.

tire size should not make a difference. as i've mentioned in the past, i've had DW issues with my 37's on 2 separate occasions. both were track bar related issues.

yes, a toe setting that is off can help contribute to DW forces but ultimately, DW is almost always a track bar related issue.

 

which is why I wanted you to chime in... what I am getting at is IF the trac is good, the bushings are good, and it is torqued to spec.... is this really a case DW or just a horrible shimmy?