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Finally installed, Clayton 2.5" Overland+ with 37s... but wait, there's more....

Roky

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You get a free crappy handling Jeep with every lift! :LOL:

I don't know, it looks great. I'm very happy with how it turned out from a visual standpoint. However, I could get that look from a Rough Country $10 lift. I'm quite frustrated about the feelings of imminent death that I have when driving down the road, mostly when the wheel has any pressure on it, and I hit any sort of bump. It's fact, I'm going to die next week driving 2.5 hours to a trailhead. If you don't hear from me after March 25, I'm dead.

The install went pretty well! We spent about just over 5 hours with four of us installing. One, my cousin, is a mechanic at a stealership and installs Rough Country lifts a couple times a week for the past 5 years. My cousin knew exactly what wrench and socket we needed for each part. The only thing he didn't absolutely know was torque specs because they just "crank it down". I made sure we used the torque specs in the Clayton instructions where we could.

Now the down side, the whole thing about imminent death. It's okay at best going straight and running about 25psi cold, up to 26 psi warmed. The steering wheel likes to shake for fun, I think of it like Shakira's hips. The Jeep absolutely tracks straight which is really nice. I took it for a $162 alignment and they were like, it didn't really need much of anything, but they still charged me $162, I guess they did put in the time. When I'm driving at any speed above 40mph and I have even the slightest pressure on the steering wheel for a curve and then hit any sort of the tiniest bump, it's no bueno. So, I had the 37s on the Jeep before the lift since January, no issues at all. It definitely drove slightly different but I went from 33s to 37s so, no duh. I still felt 100% confident in the steering/handling of the Jeep though, even at 90. I haven't taken it through the huge construction areas on I25 in CO yet with the lift and I'm very concerned to, honestly. I guess at this point, I'm crossing my fingers because I can't just not drive anywhere, hope I don't kill someone. My recommendation, stay away from a blue Jeep in CO if you value your life.

My alignment shows the Caster at 5.46 and 5.61 degrees. The Clayton instructions say 4.8 +/- 1 degree so I'm within spec there.

I found a couple of these threads that I'll go through, I hope I can resolve the issue.

https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/fo...ble-an-algorithm-to-diagnose-the-issue.62313/

jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/aev-steering-stabilizer-review-completely-solved-my-wobble.84238/









Also tagging @claytonoffroad to see if maybe they've seen this before and have any suggestions. I really want to love it but I don't look forward to dying in a fiery Jeep crash killing my passengers and poor dog who never wears a seatbelt.


Here's my alignment paperwork. I don't know whether the specs on the JK and JL are different but the paperwork shows I have a 2016 JK when I very clearly told them it's a '22 JL, maybe that doesn't even matter because specs are the same but something interesting worth noting about poor shop QA.


C837669B-DD28-4571-8259-E0C3E5D7F1EC.jpeg
A72BE73F-BDC4-4709-8BE5-67387E813378.jpeg
E209D427-1F99-4BED-9ABB-F8951229D376.jpeg
0AA4046B-4488-4044-93CF-7627A556A040.jpeg


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Looks like your toe is off, as far as I can tell from that print out, just when you think you’ve seen all of them, this thing pops up…..🫤…set toe to 1/16” toe in and try it…... I don’t think it’s anything serious….
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mrtm1970

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Ok...this is getting me a little worried as I plan to install my Rancho 2" lift myself. So what do I torque down when I am installing and what am I waiting to torque down after lift is on and tires on the ground? I will be installing Front & rear Adjustable Track bars & the Geometry Correction bracket. I will be using Jack Stands and floor jack.
 

GATORB8

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Ok...this is getting me a little worried as I plan to install my Rancho 2" lift myself. So what do I torque down when I am installing and what am I waiting to torque down after lift is on and tires on the ground? I will be installing Front & rear Adjustable Track bars & the Geometry Correction bracket.
The pivot points (control arm and track bar bushings). Just spin down the nuts on the threads, drop to ride height and break out the torque wrench. Note, some 1/2" torque wrenches don't get high enough to hit the 190 for the front lowers.
 
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Remorseless

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Ok...this is getting me a little worried as I plan to install my Rancho 2" lift myself. So what do I torque down when I am installing and what am I waiting to torque down after lift is on and tires on the ground? I will be installing Front & rear Adjustable Track bars & the Geometry Correction bracket. I will be using Jack Stands and floor jack.
Rule of thumb I've always gone by is if it's got a rubber bushing it gets final torqued on the ground (typically - control arms, track bars, shocks). Brackets are fine to torque off the ground generally speaking.
 

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@Roky Since you popped in here... I'm about to install the full MC game changer 2.5 with their tie rod and drag link. Is there anything I should talk to the shop or make sure is done with the allignment?
 

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Ok...this is getting me a little worried as I plan to install my Rancho 2" lift myself. So what do I torque down when I am installing and what am I waiting to torque down after lift is on and tires on the ground? I will be installing Front & rear Adjustable Track bars & the Geometry Correction bracket. I will be using Jack Stands and floor jack.
Torque NOTHING until the jeep is supporting its own weight. You can use jackstands under the axles or on it's tires. Just be aware that some of these bolts are 175+ lb/ft so you want to make sure it's 100% stable.
 

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Torque NOTHING until the jeep is supporting its own weight. You can use jackstands under the axles or on it's tires. Just be aware that some of these bolts are 175+ lb/ft so you want to make sure it's 100% stable.
You can absolutely torque the control arm relocation brackets and any trackbar relocation brackets while the Jeep is off the ground. The reason you torque control arms, track bars, and shocks on the ground is because you need the rubber bushings to be settled at ride height. Items without bushings are not subject to this need. (And typically this need is just for rubber bushings at that, you can torque full-metal heim joints without the weight of the Jeep on them, for instance)
 

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You can absolutely torque the control arm relocation brackets and any trackbar relocation brackets while the Jeep is off the ground. The reason you torque control arms, track bars, and shocks on the ground is because you need the rubber bushings to be settled at ride height. Items without bushings are not subject to this need. (And typically this need is just for rubber bushings at that, you can torque full-metal heim joints without the weight of the Jeep on them, for instance)
Brackets yes, but nothing that has rubber on an end. Not sure what the rancho includes, but it certainly won't have heim or jj arms.
 

Roky

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@Roky Since you popped in here... I'm about to install the full MC game changer 2.5 with their tie rod and drag link. Is there anything I should talk to the shop or make sure is done with the allignment?
Just make sure they give you 6 degrees caster, and if you’re running 37s, set toe to 1/16” toe in…… even if you’re running 35s, I’d still start with 1/16th, then you can adjust from there if needed. Also make sure they center your axles, I’ve seen a lot of shops just adjust the track bar to the starting recommended lengths, but each Jeep is a little different, so make sure they measure from coil housing out to a lug on the tire on both sides…… otherwise that’s an awesome lift, and you’re gonna love it…..
 

beast40

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I'm going with Balljoints as well. You changed the caster (could go a little more) which is exposing your worn joints more than before. A lose bolt shouldn't cause those issues, they have a tight fit to begin with.

It also sounds like its cold there and if you have a stock steering stabilizer then that could be adding to the issue. Its a band aid for the ball joints and the stock stabilizer fails in cold weather.
 

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Trackbar absolutely needs to be torqued under load, at ride height. Shocks, control arms, trackbar all should be on the ground, tires on, with its own weight.
Maybe that's my problem! It's lunch time so I'm going to pull the Jeep in the garage and get a little dirty!
 
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Couple of basic things. Were the links left loose until the jeep was supporting its own weight and then final torqued? What you are seeing/feeling looks like an extremely loose trackbar.

Are the axles centered?

Which shocks did you go with?
The axels LOOK centered, I just assumed that the track bar would center them if I followed the measurements from Clayton, which I measured three times. If they axel is not centered, it's not noticeable, so we're talking a 1/4" or less, I'll go eyeball and measure how much the wheels stick out on each side.

I went with Fox 2.0 Remote Reservoir from Accutune. I wanted the 2.5s but $$$$$$ and I've already got enough in the Jeep for now where my wife is like, "I thought we were finishing the basement not spending $15k on a Jeep!" :O
 
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The pivot points (control arm and track bar bushings). Just spin down the nuts on the threads, drop to ride height and break out the torque wrench. Note, some 1/2" torque wrenches don't get high enough to hit the 190 for the front lowers.

ohhh man, that 190ft/lbs was .... "fun". hahaha We were like, is the torque wrench broken??? That's a lot. I have the 1/2" Icon from Harbor Freight which was reviewed by Project Farm on YouTube, great reviews on the thing!
 

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The axels LOOK centered, I just assumed that the track bar would center them if I followed the measurements from Clayton, which I measured three times. If they axel is not centered, it's not noticeable, so we're talking a 1/4" or less, I'll go eyeball and measure how much the wheels stick out on each side.

I went with Fox 2.0 Remote Reservoir from Accutune. I wanted the 2.5s but $$$$$$ and I've already got enough in the Jeep for now where my wife is like, "I thought we were finishing the basement not spending $15k on a Jeep!" :O
Claytons measurements are close. Mine was within a 1/16th using their docs for 3.5"

I agree though, something looks off up front from your vids. Mine doesn't twitch and wiggle like that, so check the obvious, frame and axle side trackbar torque, and re-check all your lug nuts.

I run way more air pressure than you do, and have nothing like that going on.

I asked about shocks because if they are extremely stiff or rebound hard, I could see it behaving that way, but those 2.0s aren't like that.
 

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@COJeeper Dude, I’m in the exact same boat!!! I installed a MC 3.5” lift and Fox 2.5’s w/ Accutune adventure tune on my 4xe. On my first steady state turn at freeway speed I almost had a heart attack when I hit a bump and floated into the other lane! I’m not getting the mild DW that you have in your videos, just a lot of bump steer. I called MC to see if they offer a high steer kit and was told “you don’t need one”. I said f-it and ordered a RC high steer kit. Going to install it when it stops raining out here. Not sure if it will work on a 2.5” lift, but will report back on my findings. If it works, will eventually swap them out with either some RPM or Apex aluminum drag link and tie rod w/ HD ball joints when the OE parts wear out.

I will say I have been desensitized to the bump steer after driving on it for a few weeks. I no longer feel like I’m going to die when I hit bumps while in corners. Now it’s just mild disappointment with a hope of fixing it down the road.
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