II have an 01 TJ. It has a 3" lift and 285 70 17 tires. Around tiwn it drives pretty normally But on the highway it wanders. I have to continually monitor the steering because it is drifting. I am new to this "driving package". Is this behavior normal considering the lift and tires? It has 62000 miles on it.
Wandering TJ
- Thread starter Crabman
- Start date
Normal ? For some.
Common? Fairly,unfortunately.
Fixable? Oh yes.
Every TJ drives best with good tires, sufficient caster, 1/8” of toe in, axles centered, good connections underneath and around 28 PSI tire pressure keeps them less bouncy as well.
There is no one “do this and it will drive great” pat answer-
The first thing you need to do is learn how to do the dry steering test and get familiar with the system and how to diagnose slop/play,
As a rule of thumb you can trust this forum a lot more than you can most shops - most shops have mixed knowledge at best.
With the low mileage the vehicle is most likely in decent shape and only has a few things that need attention-
The key is to figure out what those things are and go from there.
Diagnose. Then move.
Don’t just throw parts at it, Don’t let people tell you you need a long arm kit or some other across-the-board solution-
What you need are good connections, proper settings, decent tires.
Many members on this forum have TJ’s that drive sensational.
It sounds like you’ve got a good low mileage vehicle and this would be very rewarding to pursue.
Common? Fairly,unfortunately.
Fixable? Oh yes.
Every TJ drives best with good tires, sufficient caster, 1/8” of toe in, axles centered, good connections underneath and around 28 PSI tire pressure keeps them less bouncy as well.
There is no one “do this and it will drive great” pat answer-
The first thing you need to do is learn how to do the dry steering test and get familiar with the system and how to diagnose slop/play,
As a rule of thumb you can trust this forum a lot more than you can most shops - most shops have mixed knowledge at best.
With the low mileage the vehicle is most likely in decent shape and only has a few things that need attention-
The key is to figure out what those things are and go from there.
Diagnose. Then move.
Don’t just throw parts at it, Don’t let people tell you you need a long arm kit or some other across-the-board solution-
What you need are good connections, proper settings, decent tires.
Many members on this forum have TJ’s that drive sensational.
It sounds like you’ve got a good low mileage vehicle and this would be very rewarding to pursue.
My experience, that is going to be that you lifted it, changed the geometry, and there is not enough Caster.
As Andy mentioned, it can be many things, so go through the list is a good plan. I had this, big time, and I had a number of issues that got corrected, but the highway wandering on 3 Jeeps for me has been Caster.
If it were me:
1. Learn the Dry Steering Test and make sure nothing is loose.
2. Search the “Home Toe In” alignment on this forum. It’s easy with basic tools. Get your toe in set.
3. Measure Caster. There is no set #, but you need to have enough caster to clean it up.
To adjust that on a TJ, you need adjustable controls in the front. You can get away with just uppers, but upper and lower is better.
I’ve done this on my 05 TJ and son’s 08 JK with control arms and my CJ5 leaf spring with wedges, and getting the Caster fixed with lift was key for drifting on highway.
As Andy mentioned, it can be many things, so go through the list is a good plan. I had this, big time, and I had a number of issues that got corrected, but the highway wandering on 3 Jeeps for me has been Caster.
If it were me:
1. Learn the Dry Steering Test and make sure nothing is loose.
2. Search the “Home Toe In” alignment on this forum. It’s easy with basic tools. Get your toe in set.
3. Measure Caster. There is no set #, but you need to have enough caster to clean it up.
To adjust that on a TJ, you need adjustable controls in the front. You can get away with just uppers, but upper and lower is better.
I’ve done this on my 05 TJ and son’s 08 JK with control arms and my CJ5 leaf spring with wedges, and getting the Caster fixed with lift was key for drifting on highway.
I did not install the lift. 3 inches is what I was told. I have all the parts to return it to normal ride height though.
Just depends what you want to do. Returning it to stock may or may not fix it. It could be a number of things.
I suspected a geometry change. Caster makes sense. I bought the Jeep this way and have been fixing a lot of things that were not done well. At first glance it dosen't look possible to change caster angle. Are there adjustment cams on the upper and lower control arms?
Measure the springs to make sure it's not a 4" lift. 12" front/8" rear as it sits. Check the front toe. It takes 5 minutes.
OK - I will get one and post. Is there are different pitman arm for a lifted suspension?
Some 4" lifts come with a dropped pitman arm that causes steering issues. Stock arm top pic.
There are many TJ’s that have lower control arm, axle side Cam Bolts. They can be used for slight adjustments to Caster, yes.
If it’s a 4”, that’s a lot for a Cam Bolt to correct, in my opinion.
Your main issue is drifting at higher speeds. Based on that:
1. Measure the springs, perch to perch as suggested. The front stock is 12”, so yours should be 15” (3” lift) but let’s see what it actually is. As the frame is lifted, the CA’s pull as they drop and the Caster is Reduced.
2. Check your toe in, it’s easy. You can check without taking off tires even and leaving it on the ground, although I pull them and out square aluminum bars across the rotor etc, to get as exact as possible.
3. Get a pic of your Pitman. I don’t believe it would cause this drifting, but a lot of kits have it, and it’s unnecessary. It causes bump steer, but eliminating bad decisions takes out variables.
4. I would check tire pressure and get it the same, usually in the 24-26 range psi, it’s not an exact. A chalk test is the best way to get it exact for your tires and Jeep.
5. Measure Caster with an angle finder on the back of the Diff. The flat area where the tube enters the diff. If it’s 1 or 2, then you know it’s too low, either way you know where you are now.
6. Adjustable Control arms are most likely going to be needed to correct. That’s just my educated guess. If you’re 3” and it’s drifting, and possible 3.5 or 4”, then you’ll need them to fix this is what is very likely.
OK, so it’s definitely a 3 inch lift. I measured 15 inches spring length.
I don’t know if this is the production, Pitman arm or not. It appears to have a slight drop though.
How would you suggest I measure in?
a simple diy alignment fixed my jeep from wandering around at hwy. speeds. i’m on a 3.5 inch lift that came with upper and lower control arms. night and day difference once toe was set @ 1/8”.
That looks stock to me. I'd leave that as is.
Drop Pitman's has a drastic look, you'd tell. I'd focus on toe in and then measuring Caster. My moneys is still on that.
That's a stock pitman arm. Clean all that crud off the tie rod end that connects to it. Then put some grease in it and see if it stays in the boot.