First long distance trip in JK ... it sucked ...
05-25-2010, 04:56 PM
#41
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Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Vancouver B.C.
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Hood flutter is extremely rare on my rig....not sure if my bug deflector does anything to reduce that, but only a high flying semi on a 2 lane road will make it flutter...
Drive mine everywhere and anywhere, done 10+ hr hwy drives, and mine is modded out the a$$...no DW ever (knock knock)...even ran without the Steering stabilizer completely for almost 4 months, now upgraded to RK tie rod, but my OEM tie rod had been partially tweaked (bent) for the last couple years too, and never had DW.....the SS will only mask the problem, and is not the answer to fix....if you have DW, you need a proper alignment......and make sure all track bar/drag link is lined up...
Just came back from a 9hr round trip over the weekend on all kinds of different hwy.....up super steep hills, windy, twisty, and some long straights.....I drove between 110kms-125kms (68mph-74mph) the entire time.....37's & 513's plus bolt ons and superchips, I just go, I cant complain.......I get passed, but I also pass most people too...only the fast hwy drivers take me...
Rig handles well IMO...the Long Arm is smooth like a baja truck in bumps and whoops in the road....I actually enjoy hitting them....
I am not afraid to rev my engine up either........89,000kms here....I just make sure everything is regularily serviced.....6 spd helps....wouldnt want an auto ever
never had gas overflow issue ever....didn't even know about this issue until reading this today....
Drive mine everywhere and anywhere, done 10+ hr hwy drives, and mine is modded out the a$$...no DW ever (knock knock)...even ran without the Steering stabilizer completely for almost 4 months, now upgraded to RK tie rod, but my OEM tie rod had been partially tweaked (bent) for the last couple years too, and never had DW.....the SS will only mask the problem, and is not the answer to fix....if you have DW, you need a proper alignment......and make sure all track bar/drag link is lined up...
Just came back from a 9hr round trip over the weekend on all kinds of different hwy.....up super steep hills, windy, twisty, and some long straights.....I drove between 110kms-125kms (68mph-74mph) the entire time.....37's & 513's plus bolt ons and superchips, I just go, I cant complain.......I get passed, but I also pass most people too...only the fast hwy drivers take me...
Rig handles well IMO...the Long Arm is smooth like a baja truck in bumps and whoops in the road....I actually enjoy hitting them....
I am not afraid to rev my engine up either........89,000kms here....I just make sure everything is regularily serviced.....6 spd helps....wouldnt want an auto ever
never had gas overflow issue ever....didn't even know about this issue until reading this today....
05-27-2010, 07:17 PM
#45
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Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Meridian, Idaho
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Recently did over 2600 mile trip-- Moab, Canyonlands, Arches, Mesa Verde, Monument Valley, Zion and Bryce--- not bad on the road at all. Averaged over 18MPG for the trip. Heck of a lot more comfortable than my old YJ or CJ's!
05-28-2010, 12:16 AM
#46
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Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: vail, co
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recently drove to N.M. over 700 miles round trip, in my 2 door soft top with 1/2 doors, all windows in..... dealt with some high winds (which pushed me around a good bit), still does much better than the 'ol tj did, but there is a nasty bit of wind coming through the inside door handle(on strong crosswinds), 1/2 door's only maybe?
I still think it's better than the old jeep, but my honda rides much soother...... but that doesn't have 4-lo....lockers....or a sway bar disconnect...not to mention clearance.
I still think it's better than the old jeep, but my honda rides much soother...... but that doesn't have 4-lo....lockers....or a sway bar disconnect...not to mention clearance.
05-28-2010, 02:45 AM
#47
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If you think GA to WV in a JK is bad, Try OK to ME in a CJ-7!
Ive been on several 6-7 hour trips in our JK and had no issues with DW or hood flutter. Cruise Control is definitely the best option it has!
Ive been on several 6-7 hour trips in our JK and had no issues with DW or hood flutter. Cruise Control is definitely the best option it has!
05-28-2010, 03:44 AM
#48
JK Super Freak
I undertook a 3000km (1800mi) round-trip recently with a week's worth of sand driving thrown in (an additional 500km or 300mi) and thought the JK did a great job considering it's an off-road vehicle and not a dedicated highway cruiser.
OK, so mine's a 2 door 6-speed so maybe not as heavy and sluggish as a 4 door auto but the comment about refusing to shift out of 4th gear while climbing mountains and rev the motor (all of us know the V6 develops all its power and torque above 3000RPM) and as a result being overtaken by other vehicles; WTF!!! Like saying you refuse to use the hammer function on your power-drill and use masonary drill-bits while boring holes into cinder block walls because it should have sufficient power to achieve this using wood-bits under the non-hammer setting; yeah you'll eventually drill that hole, but it will take a long time and damage the powerdrill.
The vehicle was supplied with a gearbox and a 5500RPM redline motor for a reason; use them!
OK, so mine's a 2 door 6-speed so maybe not as heavy and sluggish as a 4 door auto but the comment about refusing to shift out of 4th gear while climbing mountains and rev the motor (all of us know the V6 develops all its power and torque above 3000RPM) and as a result being overtaken by other vehicles; WTF!!! Like saying you refuse to use the hammer function on your power-drill and use masonary drill-bits while boring holes into cinder block walls because it should have sufficient power to achieve this using wood-bits under the non-hammer setting; yeah you'll eventually drill that hole, but it will take a long time and damage the powerdrill.
The vehicle was supplied with a gearbox and a 5500RPM redline motor for a reason; use them!
05-28-2010, 07:04 AM
#49
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I have had the JK on several long distance trips and have no complaints!
From Baltimore to the Outer Banks, the wife, two kids (6 and 1) and I!
Solo trip from Baltimore to Ottawa and back.
Baltimore to Montreal for a weekend hockey tournament - me, 2 other guys and 8 hockeys bags and assorted luggage and not a single complaint except for the lack of space. We started out 9 guys, three cars and then the ford explorere hit a deer in NY State so we were down to two cars, 9 people and gear for 10 people (one of the guys flew up).
I think the ride is amazing for the most part. The hood flutter does take some getting used to, but compared to losing your car to a deer, it is minor!
From Baltimore to the Outer Banks, the wife, two kids (6 and 1) and I!
Solo trip from Baltimore to Ottawa and back.
Baltimore to Montreal for a weekend hockey tournament - me, 2 other guys and 8 hockeys bags and assorted luggage and not a single complaint except for the lack of space. We started out 9 guys, three cars and then the ford explorere hit a deer in NY State so we were down to two cars, 9 people and gear for 10 people (one of the guys flew up).
I think the ride is amazing for the most part. The hood flutter does take some getting used to, but compared to losing your car to a deer, it is minor!
05-28-2010, 09:09 AM
#50
JK Enthusiast
To the OP... If you have true death wobble, the kind that violently, i mean very violently, tries to rip your front end apart and wont stop till you stop the vehicle, you have more issues than just the tires. The different size, weight, backspacing of the different wheel tire combos do change the forces applied on the front end components and can show the symptoms of worn out or defective parts sooner.
I have had death wobble a couple times, both of which had different parts failed and have now been fixed. Lots of things can fail and cause the same result. First time the lower ball joints were toast. Only 11,000 miles and there are many complaints of crappy OEM ball joints so always a possibility. Second time it was both tie rod ends on the drag link. These most likely were damaged by the first death wobble incident and prematurely wore out. Things are better now. Alignment problems do cause wobbling and wear components out faster, which could lead to true death wobble. It sounds like there is the possibility that your caster is too light with too much to in or out which leaves the front end wondering. I am curious if the people that were able to make there wobble (not death wobble) go away have tie rod ends that are wearing out. A steering stabilizer can mask this, making you think its fixed, but it does not solve the problem. True death wobble is bad and if you continue to drive the vehicle with this, you are putting yourself and everyone else on the road at risk of injury or death. Every part that causes this can be checked in your driveway with basic tools and time. A partner helps.
Don't mean to rant or sound high and mighty but the last time that i got death wobble out of the blue, I almost killed a guy and his kid in a honda on the interstate. To drive the vehicle again before fixing it just puts people in harms way. Just something to think about...
I have had death wobble a couple times, both of which had different parts failed and have now been fixed. Lots of things can fail and cause the same result. First time the lower ball joints were toast. Only 11,000 miles and there are many complaints of crappy OEM ball joints so always a possibility. Second time it was both tie rod ends on the drag link. These most likely were damaged by the first death wobble incident and prematurely wore out. Things are better now. Alignment problems do cause wobbling and wear components out faster, which could lead to true death wobble. It sounds like there is the possibility that your caster is too light with too much to in or out which leaves the front end wondering. I am curious if the people that were able to make there wobble (not death wobble) go away have tie rod ends that are wearing out. A steering stabilizer can mask this, making you think its fixed, but it does not solve the problem. True death wobble is bad and if you continue to drive the vehicle with this, you are putting yourself and everyone else on the road at risk of injury or death. Every part that causes this can be checked in your driveway with basic tools and time. A partner helps.
Don't mean to rant or sound high and mighty but the last time that i got death wobble out of the blue, I almost killed a guy and his kid in a honda on the interstate. To drive the vehicle again before fixing it just puts people in harms way. Just something to think about...