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New to a lift and question on my spacer Lift

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Old 06-26-2018, 12:47 PM
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Resharp001...It is like rocking on a boat a little side by side almost. Control wise I feel like if I had to turn sharp I would flip it. My buddy rode in it with me and he thought it was fine. He also has a lifted Jeep JK.
Old 06-26-2018, 12:53 PM
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Yeah, I'm with resharp001 on this. I think you're not used to the lift and the larger tires. The lift places your center of gravity higher. The larger tires mean more sidewall flex which manifests as a floating feeling. (argument can be made that your 20 " rims with 35" tires means less sidewall though.)
Old 06-26-2018, 01:52 PM
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Thanks Everyone. I am willing to throw time/money at the problem .. but only if it is solvable. I would hate to do a bunch of changes to it and still have the same response. I guess at this point I will check my track bar to make sure it is not the problem and work from there. My assumption is it is me. My Recue Green 07 didn't have a lift but did have 18 inch rims with 33 mud grapplers and I didn't have this feeling when I drove it.
Old 06-27-2018, 05:11 AM
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So another piece of this. What tire and load rating was the 33's you had? What tire and load rating is the 35's you have now. That will determine what the side wall is like for the tire. If the sidewall on the 33s was stiffer than what's on the 35s, you'll feel that difference too.
Old 06-27-2018, 05:39 AM
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I am not sure load on tires? How do I find that out?
Old 06-27-2018, 06:07 AM
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Originally Posted by KLex10
I am not sure load on tires? How do I find that out?
They are a letter code... so your tire might have something like 35x12.50/17E (the E is the load rating)... load ratings for most truck tires for jeeps is C, D, E... C is lighter than D is lighter than E. A load rating E will support more weight (thicker sidewalls) but ride harsher than a load rating C.
Old 06-27-2018, 06:28 AM
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Just so many variables on a jeep, and when talking about an older jeep, moreso as you have to account for wear and tear items. If you have time to fiddle around, I'd just test the shocks out, confirm sway bar links look good, and heck, may as well take opportunity to inspect all your steering components, although I don't see them as the likely culprit. I'm not quite sure......I can just relate to that feeling and situation cuz I drove wife's Armada around quite a bit and was like....this can't be normal. Same lofty feeling, but I have never had a big boat like that before, so nothing to compare it to. New rear shocks really improved things, but still feels a bit abnormal to me. Replacing front struts on it is a bit more costly, but at 160k miles probably wouldn't hurt. Anyhow, I digress......just saying I get where you're coming from in general. I think this could be a combination of a lot of little things, all highlighted already. Lift, tires, worn bushings maybe, just not used to it......I think maybe just book some time to inspect everything closely is a good starting point since it doesn't cost anything.

How many miles are on it?
Old 06-27-2018, 11:02 AM
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Best description I have heard of this feeling is "bobble head" driving. White knuckle, especially in high winds. Potholes? Zero issue. A little wave in the road and hold on tight.

Would check wheel bearings... up on lift, getting any movement that should not be there. Shake the tie rod. Again, any movement? My caster is up over 5 and helped a lot. 37s on 4-5" lift, changed arms.

The thing that made the biggest difference? Currie Antirock. Understand the intended purpose, but it made an immediate impact on concrete. Counter-intuitive and I did call Currie, but that movement in the sway bar allows the Jeep to recover side-to-side a little more gracefully.

And I did put an adjustable steering stabilizer on... not as a correction for any kind of death wobble. I just wanted the steering to feel tighter. More effort to make those turns.

+1 on the chalk test. I think most shops over-inflate, just as a habit. Finally rotate tires often... I do with every oil change.
Old 06-27-2018, 11:42 AM
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All of these are good "guesses" based upon likely known causes of what is being described.

If the OP would like to take most of that guess work out of it, then they need to take it to an alignment shop, get an alignment print out and post it up.



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