Daily Driver Mods?

[oceanblue2019]

It drives just fine. I've had it for 9 months and the only issue I have with it is a dead spot and wandering steering. It's not a huge bother, it drives like a Jeep is suppose to but it;s annoying in high wind situations, but i know nothing will fix that

- Make sure steering fasteners are all torqued correctly
- Mopar lift LCA's are a cheap ($70) way to get some more caster that helps steering feel on the highway significantly
- Hellwig thicker rear sway bar helps considerably
- Fox shocks handle rough roads much better then the stock shocks
- Rusty's trackball brace for $90 does about as much as the Synergy for $250

Sponsored

 

[blkhawk_jl]

- Make sure steering fasteners are all torqued correctly
- Mopar lift LCA's are a cheap ($70) way to get some more caster that helps steering feel on the highway significantly
- Hellwig thicker rear sway bar helps considerably
- Fox shocks handle rough roads much better then the stock shocks
- Rusty's trackball brace for $90 does about as much as the Synergy for $250

The thing I like about the synergy brace is the fact that it also connects to the steering box. Apparently that helps with the constant shifting while driving. Not sure if that’s a placebo effect for those who have installed it but they say it helps

 

[roaniecowpony]

It drives just fine. I've had it for 9 months and the only issue I have with it is a dead spot and wandering steering. It's not a huge bother, it drives like a Jeep is suppose to but it;s annoying in high wind situations, but i know nothing will fix that

A Jeep is not supposed to have a dead spot and wandering steering. Change the trackbar to a Steersmarts, Synergy, or Teraflex. Have the steering box checked by a competent mechanic that doesn't work at the dealership, and adjusted as necessary.

 

[Paluss]

Side steps and grab handles.

me too

 

[@CBEUnion]

I'm always surprised when I hear someone say they're ok with something their Jeep does that if it were any other car would be in the shop until they fixed it. You spent over 40k on that Sahara. It shouldn't wander around, have a flat spot, leak, etc.

 

[TPadden]

I'm always surprised when I hear someone say they're ok with something their Jeep does that if it were any other car would be in the shop until they fixed it. You spent over 40k on that Sahara. It shouldn't wander around, have a flat spot, leak, etc.

... and on the flip side I'm always surprised when someone expects an expensive truck to drive the same as an expensive sports car just because they both are expensive; the driving experiences do seem to be converging more than diverging though.

 

[@CBEUnion]

For sure.

 

[blkhawk_jl]

A Jeep is not supposed to have a dead spot and wandering steering. Change the trackbar to a Steersmarts, Synergy, or Teraflex. Have the steering box checked by a competent mechanic that doesn't work at the dealership, and adjusted as necessary.

I know it’s not suppose to. It’s definitely an issue, but from what I can see there isn’t a recall on the steering box which is the culprit. As soon as fca Admits the mistake and implements a fix I’ll be happy. Till then I’ve gotta find a solution lol

 

[roaniecowpony]

... and on the flip side I'm always surprised when someone expects an expensive truck to drive the same as an expensive sports car just because they both are expensive; the driving experiences do seem to be converging more than diverging though.

I didn't get the feeling anyone expects a Jeep to "...drive the same as an expensive sports car...". If you were nearby, I'd offer to let you drive my JLUR, with the corrections I've made to address the steering issues. If your JL has a spongy feeling steering or "has play" or "wanders", and think this is "normal" or acceptable, I think you might get a different perspective after driving mine.

 

[roaniecowpony]

What modifications would you all recommend to increase the functionality of the JL as a daily? I was thinking of throwing on the synergy sector shaft brace for some road stability, anything else to recommend?

I installed a Synergy trackbar brace with the sector shaft brace on my JLUR. It made no detectable difference to me. My JLUR has no lift and stock BFG K02 285-70R17 tires/wheels.

To be fair, I had already installed a Steersmarts trackbar last fall, which eliminated about 75-80% of the "free play", "wandering" , etc.. I did not install a different steering stablilizer or any other component. My steering stabilizer was the "AD" version, if my memory is right (but that's questionable).

There was still a bit of "free play" left in the system. I'd say it was 1/2 to 1" at the steering wheel. I checked the joints on the tierod and draglink. There was no discernable play in them.

When the draglink was off of the pitman arm, I checked the freeplay in the pitman arm. It "clunked" back and forth about 1/16 to 3/32".
I then decided then that I'd be willing to deal with the possibility that I'd lose warranty on the steering box by adjusting the sector gear engagement. I broke loose the jamb nut on the adjuster with a little heat and adjusted the backlash of the sector shaft until there was about .010-.020" backlash at the pitman arm end. This was done at about 70F temperature in the center range of the steering. I checked it for freedom of movement before attaching the draglink.

My recommendation is to use the funds you were going to use on the Synergy trackbar/sector brace for a Steersmarts Yeti Pro trackbar.

 

[viper88]

Some kind of step if you are lifted. Makes life a lot easier daily.

 

[viper88]

One member started a thread on soundproofing his JLU. He stripped out the seats and carpet and installed soundproofing on the floorpan. Then he installed a headliner panel kit. He gave some measured db readings, if I recall correctly. He was very pleased.

A friend of mine was interested in adding soundproofing because he has TBI and the noise can bother him. I asked the guy who posted about cost and no reply back. I think he kind of dropped off the forum?

 

[viper88]

The Mopar lift will not void your warranty. This alone is the reason I went with it. I'm not certain what happens if you install it anywhere other than the dealership. However, included with the lift were the re-aiming of the headlights, centering of the steering wheel and verification of all suspension alignment.

Hope this helps with any future plans.

Jay

It might depend on if it was factory ordered and installed or done after delivery? I don't know? I would not take the dealer's word for it. I would get written confirmation directly from FCA about this if it's a concern so there are no surprises. The Mopar Max Care Extended Warranty has specific language written in about excluding warranty on a Mopar Lift unless additional coverage was purchased.

 

[TPadden]

I didn't get the feeling anyone expects a Jeep to "...drive the same as an expensive sports car...". If you were nearby, I'd offer to let you drive my JLUR, with the corrections I've made to address the steering issues. If your JL has a spongy feeling steering or "has play" or "wanders", and think this is "normal" or acceptable, I think you might get a different perspective after driving mine.

My wife says my JL drives better than her Rav4 but worse than my Z4 ... I agree

 

[Avar928]

Also, if you go camping a rear door table would be pretty awesome. I met an owner with one on his JL and it was pretty sweet. There's also videos of modifications for adding LED lights to the cargo for use at night that seem very practical.

Sponsored