New tires - steering wheel wobble

TerryMason

TerryMason

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Staff member
I had my new 33" KM2s installed yesterday, and since then I've developed a bit of a wobble in my steering wheel. As I drive down the road at 55 or so, the steering wheel moves left to right about 1/4 inch. My guess is that that tires are out of balance. I had the tires mounted, balanced, and aligned.

Any other thoughts? I don't want blame the tire shop if this is a lift related problem, but the fact that it started immediately after getting my tires makes me think it's either a balance, or a tire / belt problem.
 

try swapping tires from rear to front one may not be 100% balanced if not have tires checked for balance or 1 rim may be bent slightly
 
You went with a bigger tire, diameter as well as tread width? Did you have the toe-in checked.

We want this...Toe-In
image-missing.png


Not this...Toe-Out
P33680B-1.jpg


 
I was always told if it happens only at high speed it is a balance problem.I know mine does it between 55 and 60 only.Any faster or slower it goes away.Mine started after playing on some rocks.So I dont know if I lost a weight or bent a rim.I would have them rebalanced.Also check at what speed they balance them at.Some shops only balance at 40 MPH.Where a speed shop will do it at 80 MPH.
 

I would start with the balancing as well. The shop should double check them for free if you explain your issue. Did this happen before the new tires?
 
I had it aligned after the new tires were installed. I took it today to have the tires rebalanced, and they found that one of the wheel weights fell off in the 4 miles between the shop and my house :rolleyes: so they added another 3.5 oz the the rear pass wheel.

The front end still feels squirrelly. It doesn't shake 100% of the time like before, but does feel loose when I'm at highway speeds. It did feel a bit like this before the new tires, so I think I need to take some time and go through my front suspension tomorrow to find whatevers loose. I'm guessing that the larger tires have amplified my already sloppy steering.
 

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Some of the looseness will be the type of tire (MT with less rubber on the ground) and the fact you have more sidewall than before. The shake is a tire balance issue, I'd recommend using a tire shop that can check road force of each tire and place it on the jeep accordingly.
 

Can you guys tell me if my ball joints are bad? There is some play (but very little), and there is a very subtle pop / thud on the driver side.

 
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Terry,
I have recently replaced my steering box with an AGR HD steering box. Before that I had a box from a 1999 Dodge Durango, and had the same thing you are talking about. If the toe in or balancing don't fix the issue, give me an email. The AGR boxes are expensive but I have NO play and my Jeep turns on a dime.
Oh another thing, check your steering dampener (shock) on the drag link. If it is worn out it will not help. Although it covers some problems up, it does help with wandering a bit when it is in good working order.
One more thing....it may possibly be your hub bearing assemblies. Have you replaced them lately or ever? If not Jack up the tire a few inches of the ground grab the tire top and bottom and try to wiggle it (vertically). If there is play you probably need new hub bearing assemblies. I have been running 33's for several years and have had to replace hubs bearings a couple times. I have not replace my ball joints, they are stock but seem to be very good still.
You may find that the bigger tires uncover a few problems that you never knew you had.
 
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My Jeep has had some slop ever since I put the first budget boost in. I had hoped that the new tires would solve my problems, but they haven't. After the latest balance the Jeep does seem ok now over very smooth road, but when you have normal rough highway the wheel wiggles slightly.

I plan on getting a road force balance, but I want to make sure that all my bases are covered first.

I've only got 2.5 inches of lift, but would a dropped pitman arm help?

 
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Nice tires.Nice raised white letters.Why are they on the inside?

Also check you air pressure.The garage probably aired them up to spec which does not always work on a Jeep.
 

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In your case, I would take it to another shop that has an RFV / tire balancer(radial force variation). Have them re-check the balance and check the tire for soft spots. It's like getting a second opinion from a different doctor.
 
Yes your balljoints are bad. Do not install a drop pitman arm, not needed with that little of a lift and it will induce bumpsteer once the draglink and trackbar are no longer parallel.
 
TerryMason said:
The tires are at 34psi all the way around. What would you recommend for a good tire pressure?
Click to expand...

I think the sticker on the door frame recommends 29psi. That's what I usually run.

Have you posted any pics of your jeep with the new 33's? I'm still leaning towards a 3" lift with 33's but curious to see how it looks with 2.5.
 

Thanks guys. I'll change out my ball joints, then if that doesn't do it I'll take the tires to be road force balanced (I would have on Sunday, but all the shops with that machine were closed).

Todd,
I'm going for something like this Jeep TJ Suspension Lift. A 2.5" suspension and a 1.25" body lift. I think it will end up just right.

these are BFG KM2 33x10.5 with a 2.5" lift (and no body lift)
 

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Problem solved - bad ball joints

I've replaced my driver side ball joints, and it drives like a new Jeep now. I ran out of time to do the pass. side (that'll come on Monday), but I'm amazed at how much better it is. The old ball joints were very wobbly and moved like crazy.

Thanks for the help guys. I guess the new tires were the last straw for my worn joints.
 
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