AEV Steering Stabilizer Review - Completely Solved My Wobble

[Valv910]

Installed AEV stabilizer and completely removed my wobble. I am very impressed and I recommend this.

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[gato]

Installed AEV stabilizer and completely removed my wobble. I am very impressed and I recommend this.

My experience exactly. I did it reluctantly, not really expecting much of a change, but it was a total and complete fix.

 

[jack bauer]

I just installed the AEV SS today. Just got back from a test drive. Best 100 bucks ever spent.
Very calm and collected over large road joints now and dead spot is darn near gone.
Running AEV 2.5 DS lift with 37 KM3s.

 

[Speed331]

Put the AEV SS on my 2 door last week and am very pleased with the results.

I've a 2.5" lift and stock Goodyear tires ( I do have a set of 285/70 Micky Thompson's waiting in the wings however). Over the past month I began noticing the ride on the highway was feeling much rougher -no death wobble or bump steer, just not feeling right- and the dead spot in the wheel felt larger than ever. I came to realize I was feeling most of the roughness through my hands and arms. So I pulled of the the stock ss and found it much easier to move in/out then in my previous experiences with it.

The difference was shocking to me. The steering feels much tighter, connected and there is a lot less harshness being transmitted through the wheel.

Great product, that I would highly reccomend.

 

[Some Random Guy]

I did an axle swap and tore the bushing on my factory stabilizer. I rode without one until my alignment was complete. I could get a DW in very specific circumstances and this stabilizer eliminated it. I had wobble through multiple retorques and alignments, so I felt it wasn’t going to go away with further work. I look at it as a wear item now to take that wobble load off the steering linkage and balljoints. Went up to 39’s and still fully stable.

 

[gato]

I did an axle swap and tore the bushing on my factory stabilizer. I rode without one until my alignment was complete. I could get a DW in very specific circumstances and this stabilizer eliminated it. I had wobble through multiple retorques and alignments, so I felt it wasn’t going to go away with further work. I look at it as a wear item now to take that wobble load off the steering linkage and balljoints. Went up to 39’s and still fully stable.

Be careful posting that, after checking everything, the steering stabilizer improved the ride, DW, and shimmy. The thought police does not accept that as a possibility.

For what is worth, I too checked and rechecked everything and though my ride was fantastic, I'd still get SW in very specific situations - and a good pressurized steering stabilizer completely solved it, and it remains solved for 12K miles.

Many here don't accept that the JL steering requires a pressurized or at least tuned and well functioning stabilizer to mitigate oscillations. But the only info you need is that the smart Jeep engineers went through 5 different revisions of their factory steering stabilizers to attempt to solve it for stock/unmodified vehicles. And the SBs and service manuals still call for SS replacement if the customers complains of steering shimmy. They know what they know.

 

[Some Random Guy]

Be careful posting that, after checking everything, the steering stabilizer improved the ride, DW, and shimmy. The thought police does not accept that as a possibility.

For what is worth, I too checked and rechecked everything and though my ride was fantastic, I'd still get SW in very specific situations - and a good pressurized steering stabilizer completely solved it, and it remains solved for 12K miles.

Many here don't accept that the JL steering requires a pressurized or at least tuned and well functioning stabilizer to mitigate oscillations. But the only info you need is that the smart Jeep engineers went through 5 different revisions of their factory steering stabilizers to attempt to solve it for stock/unmodified vehicles. And the SBs and service manuals still call for SS replacement if the customers complains of steering shimmy. They know what they know.

Yeah, I always thought DW was a matter of harmonics. Hit something just right and it is reproduced, consistently. All you can do is “tune” your suspension so it comes up as little as possible, then slap a stabilizer on it to minimize the wear it causes when those harmonics are triggered. My understanding is probably flawed though.

 

[Speed331]

Yeah, I always thought DW was a matter of harmonics. Hit something just right and it is reproduced, consistently. All you can do is “tune” your suspension so it comes up as little as possible, then slap a stabilizer on it to minimize the wear it causes when those harmonics are triggered. My understanding is probably flawed though.

Here is a great video discussing that very thing. Long and short of it; because the stock track bar and drag link are comparativly light, tubular steel, the window for resonance is fairly wide. Hitting something just right can cause it to ring like a tuning fork - without any worn/loose connections.



But he does make it clear - a stabilizer is there to improve the feel of the steering. When it comes to DW, it's a band-aid only. The underlying cause still exists and will wear the stabilizer that much faster....

 

[gato]

But he does make it clear - a stabilizer is there to improve the feel of the steering. When it comes to DW, it's a band-aid only. The underlying cause still exists and will wear the stabilizer that much faster....

A steering stabilizer is and is constructed just like a suspension shock absorber. It sees dramatically lower loads, lower cycling range, lower operating temperatures, lower operating shaft speeds, etc than a suspension shock application.

A good steering stabilizer should easily last the life of other steering components, with or without occasional harmonics. It is basically a shock absorber operating at 1-2% of its capabilities.

 

[m3reno]

How is the AEV stabilizer vs the Teraflex stabilizer?

 

[Jeep Dude]

After installing the AEV stabilizer, I noted no significant driveability improvements, BUT it does stay slightly more "on center" on the highway when I take my hands off the wheel. I should mention, that there was nothing wrong with my OEM stabilizer to begin with, and the vehicle drove perfectly. I only installed the AEV because my curiosity was killing me, and I suppose for proactive maintenance reasons.

The wheel with the AEV vs stocks, feels stiffer at slower speeds like when I turn into my driveway, but that was to be expected with a stiffer valved shock over the softer OEM valving.

For some of you who may not know this, or if it was not mentioned before in this thread, the AEV stabilzer comes inside of a Bilstein box. The tuning between AEV and Bilstein I must say is spot on.

Best $100+ bucks I spent in a while

 

[Jamrock]

After installing the AEV stabilizer, I noted no significant driveability improvements

there was nothing wrong with my OEM stabilizer to begin with, and the vehicle drove perfectly.

Hmmm...

 

[gato]

After installing the AEV stabilizer, I noted no significant driveability improvements, BUT it does stay slightly more "on center" on the highway when I take my hands off the wheel.

Best $100+ bucks I spent in a while

You should not expect meaningful drivability improvements with any stabilizer. The stabilizer is there to dial out bump steer and/or steering wheel oscillations after hitting a bump, expansion joint, etc.

I think with the old aluminum steering box some people felt that the pressurized stabilizers (like AEV, Fox, etc) helped with driver induced hunting/wandering down the road. But with the new iron box and proper caster, it should not make much difference.

P.S. While I no longer run the AEV (it's mounting was causing interference with the Steersmarts rierod), the AEV was much (at least 50% more) better at bump steer oscillation control than the Fox TS I run now.

With the AEV the steering did not move at all side to side hitting a bump. With the Fox, a hard bump at speed will cause a quick 1/2 side to side twitch.

Wish AEV/Bilstein come up with a well tunned TS design.

 

[Jeep Dude]

.......

With the AEV the steering did not move at all side to side hitting a bump. With the Fox, a hard bump at speed will cause a quick 1/2 side to side twitch.

Wish AEV/Bilstein come up with a well tunned TS design.

On paper, or as Einstein would say, "in theory", one is immediately knee jerked into inclining TS design is the proper way to roll. And yet, having been an advocate of that theory, I have yet to observe any pull to the left with the non-TS design AEV, if that is the proper term to use.

I suppose a TS design would work perfectly on a zero crosswind day, and a well paved highway like the Autobahn . I have also swallowed the bitter pill, and accepted the fact, that my lifted Wrangler will wander in a given direction, everytime somebody outside sneezes, so why spend 3-4 brownies for a TS? At least for my application anyways.

Hmmm...

Indeed.

I wrote the word "significant", because your average person would feel no difference.

On the other hand, a car enthusiast would feel an improvement.

I am one, and satisfied enough, so the brownie i spent was a zero regret purchase.

 

[gato]

On paper, or as Einstein would say, "in theory", one is immediately knee jerked into inclining TS design is the proper way to roll. And yet, having been an advocate of that theory, I have yet to observe any pull to the left with the non-TS design AEV, if that is the proper term to use.

I suppose a TS design would work perfectly on a zero crosswind day, and a well paved highway like the Autobahn . I have also swallowed the bitter pill, and accepted the fact, that my lifted Wrangler will wander in a given direction, everytime somebody outside sneezes, so why spend 3-4 brownies for a TS? At least for my application anyways.



Indeed.

I wrote the word "significant", because your average person would feel no difference.

On the other hand, a car enthusiast would feel an improvement.

I am one, and satisfied enough, so the brownie i spent was a zero regret purchase.

Just to clarify. I went with a TS primarily because my un-usual combination of SteerSmarts Tierod with OEM drag link was causing the relocated stabilizer (above the tie rod) to contact the tierod. I tried every solution (adding washers, rotating it, etc) - no dice.

I agree that the pull or push (depending on how you mount) is minimal in practice, and some people may actually prefer it so you keep your hand/arm weight resting on the wheel counteracting the slight pull when in those perfect conditions.

In my case I tried 3 different mounts before giving up on a perfectly good $100 AEV stabilizer and having to for $250 for the TS.

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