jlfuksa

Since ive owned my used 07 jku have had DW, did a lot of repair and part replacement with no luck. I was running BFG AT's 315x70x17. Tires had roughly 10k on them. Couple weeks ago I got 35x12.50x17 mud grapplers and havent had one little shimmy since! Ive tried and tried to get it to wobble, its solid! I had my AT's balanced, rotated regularly. Guess its just that little extra width with my 35's??? Not saying its totally fixed but as of now im hoping it doesnt come back. Anyone else have luck with a tire swap fixing it??

kjeeper10

Tires are not a source of DW. Maybe a shake/shimmy or a contributing factor if something else is lose worn.

jlfuksa

Well not sayin it fixed it, but been putting it thru the same paths and more that would set off DW everytime. U know when u have DW, u know swerve here slow down over this etc etc! Lol I dont do any of that now, so idk

kjeeper10

Did you pull your front track bar and check the bushing holes/bushings for wear or any slop ?

fultonromero12

Upgraded the suspension bolts? Tires won't fix DW.its bound to come back. Check trac bar and ball joints.

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scooby snacks

Check out Planman's Death Wobble write-up and video... good info!!

BuckLisa

I second this. After this. No death wobble or shimmy in over 2 years even after some great trail runs.

jlfuksa

Yeah I did everything from ball joints to larger track bar bolts, still had DW. New tires, I cant make it DW!

planman

From the inspection checklist in my write-up thread (emphasis added):

DIAGNOSIS CHECKLIST

Assuming your tire psi is 28-30, your tires/wheels have been balanced and rotated to make sure the wobble doesn't move with the rotation, here would be my order:

1. Remove the steering stabilizer.
2. Have someone turn the engine on and turn slowly from full lock to full lock while I visually, manually (with my hands on the components), and auditorily inspect for any play in the tie rod ends, drag link ends, sector shaft, trackbar ends/bolts/brackets, and trackbar bracket welds.
3. Then, do the same thing but with short, sharp, quick back and forth turns of the steering wheel between the 10 o'clock and 2 o'clock positions, instead of the slow, lock to lock approach.
4. Then, I would remove the front trackbar to inspect the bolt holes for ovaling and inspect the trackbar bushings for separation or cracking with a long screw driver through the bolt sleeve and the trackbar in a vise to leverage against the bushing in all directions. If all is good, I would reinstall the trackbar with the tires on the ground at ride height to 125 lbs.

.....

The last ditch thing if there is a non-DW, speed dependent range wobble, I would borrow a different set of wheels and tires to see if it changes,...


So, I suggest checking the tires/wheels before even getting into the inspection checklist, and I suggest borrowing a set of wheels/tires if the wobble is speed dependent. Tire/wheel problems can be a trigger, but they are usually not the source.

Now that the issue for jlfuksa of bad tires seems to have solved some problems, he should still go through a thorough inspection to make sure the bad tires did not cause loosening or premature wear of other components--including components that were recently replaced or upgraded.