Do all Wranglers handle like this?

[pnut]

I drove my son's 2019 Wrangler JL Sahara for the first time awhile back and was a bit startled by its handling. I have never driven any other vehicle, including trucks, that behaved like this.

There is almost ZERO "return to center" force at the steering wheel when coming out of a turn. You basically have to hand-over-hand it back to center otherwise it will just keep turning. He's used to it but to me it feels very unstable as if it could dart off to the left or right if you were to let go of the wheel - or hit a pothole, etc.

We added longer lower track arms to add more caster thinking this would help - and it did - but it still doesn't feel right to me.

Is this typical of how all Jeep Wranglers behave?

He bought the truck built by the dealer's customer shop with 2" Mopar lift and 35x12.5 BFG AT2 on 17x9 Method wheels. Everything has been checked (alignment, etc.) and all are within spec.

Did not see the answer - is the Jeep you drove modified in any way? Specifically a spacer lift will really do what you say. Could even be something as little as wheels with different backspacing.

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[Ratbert]

There is a lot of slop in the system, and Jeep attempts to mask that with the electronic assist/control system. It feels as if my steering shaft is made of rubber. On top of that, the return to center is heavily damped.

The next time you're on a rocky logging road, slow down to a crawl, stick your head out the window, and watch your front wheel-- notice how much it's flopping around with every rock and stone, and pay attention to how much of that movement you are not feeling in the wheel.

It's an off road vehicle. It's not supposed to have exceptional steering feel, right? And yes, I've driven lots of sports cars (911s, McLaren MP4-12C, etc.) with exceptional steering feel. Those cars have significantly different requirements that don't include a solid front axle.

 

[Cux211]

It is fairly typical but do you know what degree caster it has you’ll want it up around 6.5*

 

[Chupacabra]

My bone stock Sport S JLU with the factory tires returns to center perfectly fine. Maybe not as forcefully as other vehicles I've owned but I don't have to coax it back to center at all. Note that mine is bone stock, once you start putting bigger tires, lifts, and other things on then all bets are off I suppose.

 

[TaiMc]

@Jebb

Yeahh....I don't believe that's "normal". Mine needs some adjustment to come back to center (and this has never bothered me much...I know they handle differently), but if I turn my wheel and let go...it's not just gonna sit there and not return back. It almost sounds like he has no power steering?

Responding to my own post here... I tested the steering a few hours ago. I made a tight U-turn and let go of the wheel...it came back to center...not immediately, but it got there in a decent amount of time, without any help from me (my Jeep is not stock...it is lifted).

Again, I'm going to mirror what some posters have mentioned...the steering on your son's Jeep is not quite right.

 

[Old Jeeper]

WOW...In order to return to the center the Pittman arm MUST be centered and that adjustment is the Drag link. We are looking at a 10 min fix and now at post 66 still not fixed.

Caster is a result of the suspension design and in most cases, it's 5- 7 degrees. Caster comes into play when you start changing the wheelbase...like taller tires, shorter tires, lifts or anytime you change the horizontal angularity of the axle. Don't forget the drive shaft angles which on the rear is about

Remember the suspension hierarchy:

Pittman Arm: Centered

Pinion angle: -1 > -3 degrees

Caster angle: 5-7 degrees +/- .25 degrees

Toe: +/- 1/16th Toe in

If you have a FLAT surface as measured +/- .5 degrees from zero then all of the above can be done at home, just as accurately as the shops can.

Set, drive around the block confirm.

 

[Jebb]

I wonder if it might have something to do with the JL's not using a rack and pinion system too now that you mention the old Chevy. Could attribute to the different feel? Not sure, this is my first ball steering vehicle ever.

I wasn't sure what you meant by "ball steering" but I've done some more reading and I believe you nailed it with this reply.

All the vehicles I have ever driven before had/have "rack and pinion" steering which provides a lot more feedback thru the steering wheel than "ball steering" which is basically a worm gear approach. "Ball steering" helps to isolate the ground from the driver which is a good thing for something like a Wrangler (or heavy truck) that is often driven over rough terrain.

So they DO feel different - and that is by design. Got it. Thank you.


Lots of other good input here. I really appreciate it. Will have someone more knowledgeable than myself check out the steering specs that "Old Jeeper" and others provided. Thank you.

 

[mwilk012]

To start with you got a wheelbase shorter than the Richard on a midget. If it won't return to center on its own then get under the front end adjust your Pittman arm, till it's centered. The Pittman arm is connected to the drag link. What has happened is in the HEAT of passion of installing lifts and big meats etc, it throw angularity out of wack. Suspension is degrees and angles. The drag link is adjustable and you recenter the Pittman arm using the adjustments on the drag link itself.

Let us know how this work for you...its NOT the caster that affects recentering of the suspension on the drag link. The Pittman arm is coming out of the bottom of the steering assembly as a general rule.

This is terrible advice.

 

[PaulN]

If I let folks who aren’t familiar drive my JL, I always remind them that “This is a car for a driver, so don’t let it decide where it wants to go” or words to that effect. Seems that people who are accustomed to more sedan/suv/smooth highway driving are always a little surprised when they first drive a Jeep.

 

[Wylie]

Increased wheel offset gives the same results as decreased caster, especially at lower speeds. That is 65 years of experience.

 

[CrazyUkrainian]

I wasn't sure what you meant by "ball steering" but I've done some more reading and I believe you nailed it with this reply.

All the vehicles I have ever driven before had/have "rack and pinion" steering which provides a lot more feedback thru the steering wheel than "ball steering" which is basically a worm gear approach. "Ball steering" helps to isolate the ground from the driver which is a good thing for something like a Wrangler (or heavy truck) that is often driven over rough terrain.

So they DO feel different - and that is by design. Got it. Thank you.


Lots of other good input here. I really appreciate it. Will have someone more knowledgeable than myself check out the steering specs that "Old Jeeper" and others provided. Thank you.

2WD and 4WD modes on the transfer case make a lot of difference to how the steering feels, from my experience.
When test driving a Jeep Wrangler at the dealer it was in 2WD and the steering was really bad, it wasn't returning to center on its own. Once I got my Jeep the same thing was happening until I switched it to Full Time 4WD, now its steering does return to center quite well.

 

[JerseyJeff]

I drove my son's 2019 Wrangler JL Sahara for the first time awhile back and was a bit startled by its handling. I have never driven any other vehicle, including trucks, that behaved like this.

There is almost ZERO "return to center" force at the steering wheel when coming out of a turn. You basically have to hand-over-hand it back to center otherwise it will just keep turning. He's used to it but to me it feels very unstable as if it could dart off to the left or right if you were to let go of the wheel - or hit a pothole, etc.

We added longer lower track arms to add more caster thinking this would help - and it did - but it still doesn't feel right to me.

Is this typical of how all Jeep Wranglers behave?

He bought the truck built by the dealer's customer shop with 2" Mopar lift and 35x12.5 BFG AT2 on 17x9 Method wheels. Everything has been checked (alignment, etc.) and all are within spec.

I have a 22 ruby with the xr package and mine returns to center just fine.

 

[blnewt]

My 19 2dr sport always had decent steering, only problem I ever had was excess slop at hot temps on long drives (over 100 degrees). That problem was fixed w/ the cast iron steering box TSB. I put a Rubicon suspension along w/ the Mopar lift LCAs and that resulted in about 0.5 degree increase in caster which is now about 6 degrees. I never had a problem w/ the steering tracking straight at high speeeds but now w/ that bit of extra caster I can run 80 mph w/ barely a finger on the wheel to keep it running straight down the road, if you add heavy crosswinds then all bets are off lol.

 

[Dbasiliere]

I drove my son's 2019 Wrangler JL Sahara for the first time awhile back and was a bit startled by its handling. I have never driven any other vehicle, including trucks, that behaved like this.

There is almost ZERO "return to center" force at the steering wheel when coming out of a turn. You basically have to hand-over-hand it back to center otherwise it will just keep turning. He's used to it but to me it feels very unstable as if it could dart off to the left or right if you were to let go of the wheel - or hit a pothole, etc.

We added longer lower track arms to add more caster thinking this would help - and it did - but it still doesn't feel right to me.

Is this typical of how all Jeep Wranglers behave?

He bought the truck built by the dealer's customer shop with 2" Mopar lift and 35x12.5 BFG AT2 on 17x9 Method wheels. Everything has been checked (alignment, etc.) and all are within spec.

Definitely NOT. Mine returns perfectly, whereas I hold it loosely, and it slides through my fingers until centered and I grasp it then. I don't know if that made any sense, however short answer is NO, it returns a little crisper than my 2014 GC.

 

[TaiMc]

Definitely NOT. Mine returns perfectly, whereas I hold it loosely, and it slides through my fingers until centered and I grasp it then. I don't know if that made any sense, however short answer is NO, it returns a little crisper than my 2014 GC.

Makes plenty of sense...mine does the same and I steer in this way. One hand on the wheel (actually using my left thumb and left index finger to grasp/rest on the left middle/extension of the wheel). I turn with one hand either direction...never have to use two. Wheel returns to center the same as your description.

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