Fox TS or ATS or other steering stabilizer

[PMI]

I have a 2019 I bought used and it's my first Jeep. It sits On 37's. It has an approximate 3 inch lift. The lift was on it when I bought it. I am attempting to solve the steering issue when hitting bumps on the road and trails. Will either of these assist with that? In June I am going to drive it to Key West from GA. and want to improve the drivability and comfort.

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[REDCOMETJLUXR]

I have the 2.0 ATS on my Xtreme recon, I have notice that since I’ve made the upgrade the steering wheel doesn’t “jumble” like how it used to with the stock stabilizer through pot holes or other bad roads. Biggest improvement I’ve noticed is driving in wind it’s much more easier to keep it inline with the stabilizer because you can adjust the stiffness of it.

 

[PMI]

I appreciate it and this helps determining if the additional cost for the ATS is worth it

 

[Vrotfel]

I’ve had all three Fox brand-my original TS got a dead spot that I only found after I took it off and cycled it by hand , then I borrowed a standard shock one while I waited for the ATS to arrive.
I’d 100% recommend getting the ATS.
I run it at 20 clicks for freeway w 40” tires, and softer for off-road.

It goes well w the Fox 2.5DSC shocks so I can make changes to everything depending on conditions.

 

[Whaler27]

We need more information on what your Jeep is doing, what you’ve checked, etc…

Steering stabilizers can help mute some steering wobble, but they don’t fix anything, and they are almost unnecessary if everything else is in great shape and properly set up.

Wobble repair video

Search this forum for “Death wobble” and read for a while. You’ll find lots of good information and linked videos.

 

[drtrdr85]

I agree if you are having bump steer or DW the it could likely be other steering components. However, I had the ATS prior to going Hydro and loved it. Had it turned up for road/freeway and lowered for the rocks.

 

[PMI]

We need more information on what your Jeep is doing, what you’ve checked, etc…

Steering stabilizers can help mute some steering wobble, but they don’t fix anything, and they are almost unnecessary if everything else is in great shape and properly set up.

Wobble repair video

Search this forum for “Death wobble” and read for a while. You’ll find lots of good information and linked videos.

Whaler27, the only things I have experienced so far is the alignment does not stay centered and there is a lot of bump steering. I realize it's not a lot of information, but that's about all the Information I know. As I stated earlier,, this is my first jeep and first lifted vehicle so a lot of these things are foreign to me. I will continue reading through threads to see what I can find out. Other than the bump steer and alignment drifting a lot everything else seems to be running fine underneath.

 

[Whaler27]

Whaler27, the only things I have experienced so far is the alignment does not stay centered and there is a lot of bump steering. I realize it's not a lot of information, but that's about all the Information I know. As I stated earlier,, this is my first jeep and first lifted vehicle so a lot of these things are foreign to me. I will continue reading through threads to see what I can find out. Other than the bump steer and alignment drifting a lot everything else seems to be running fine underneath.

Gotcha.

When lift and larger tires are installed lots of things change, including stresses on various components, suspension geometry, alignment, and component wear rate. These things often combine to produce wandering steering and, worse, the DW (death wobble) shown in the video I linked above.

Bigger, heavier, tires exert greater forces and work against all the components, which wears and loosens them. They also accelerate wear of bearings/joints and, when they’re whacking pot holes and other jar-inducing obstacles, knock the jeep out of alignment more quickly.

A steering damper is the last component to check/replace because, as the video demonstrated, it’s the least critical component.

Years ago I threw in the towel and sold a jeep because I didn’t have the expertise to work through all of this and I couldn’t get my lifted jeep to drive right. Many I asked for advice said, “That’s just the way lifted jeeps drive.” (Which is complete crap.) The truth is, there’s nothing here that you can’t work through yourself if you’re patient and have the time, tools, and patience to work through potential problems one by one. The aggregate of information in the DW threads here will help you process through the checklist, but if you don’t have the time, tools, and patience to manage it, it’s best to take your jeep to a top tier Jeep shop to get it fixed properly.

Your problem could be as simple as a few loosened components and bad alignment, or it might be slightly more complicated, like needing to replace a worn component, needing more adjustability in the geometry, or requiring more caster than can be achieved with current components.

Sometimes it’s a cheap fix, sometimes not, but there’s no reason why a lifted Jeep on 37s can’t drive great.

This is a decent overview of relevant Wrangler front end parts. Jeep front end components

Ball joint wear/slop is a common source of DW and it's easy to test for. I'd start with ensuring there's no slop there, and all the other components are tight.

There's also a good chance you need an alignment, but unless you have a buddy who will check that for free, I'd wait on that until you're done fixing/adjusting any other components, so you don't have to do the alignment twice.

I'm a big fan of the Steer Smarts parts and expertise, but they're not cheap.

 

[c20040215]

Steering stabilizer is not the solution for ANY steering problems associated with lifted Jeeps (unless the stabilizer itself is worn or not functioning properly).
I would start checking other suspension components, geometry, and alignment before spending big money on those fancy stabilizer.

I have been running stock shock for almost 3 years. It works fine as long as your have your front end set up right. The way I look at those fancy $400+ stabilizers is this.. its half way to a redneck hydraulic ram assist.

Its just my opinion.

 

[PMI]

Gotcha.

When lift and larger tires are installed lots of things change, including stresses on various components, suspension geometry, alignment, and component wear rate. These things often combine to produce wandering steering and, worse, the DW (death wobble) shown in the video I linked above.

Bigger, heavier, tires exert greater forces and work against all the components, which wears and loosens them. They also accelerate wear of bearings/joints and, when they’re whacking pot holes and other jar-inducing obstacles, knock the jeep out of alignment more quickly.

A steering damper is the last component to check/replace because, as the video demonstrated, it’s the least critical component.

Years ago I threw in the towel and sold a jeep because I didn’t have the expertise to work through all of this and I couldn’t get my lifted jeep to drive right. Many I asked for advice said, “That’s just the way lifted jeeps drive.” (Which is complete crap.) The truth is, there’s nothing here that you can’t work through yourself if you’re patient and have the time, tools, and patience to work through potential problems one by one. The aggregate of information in the DW threads here will help you process through the checklist, but if you don’t have the time, tools, and patience to manage it, it’s best to take your jeep to a top tier Jeep shop to get it fixed properly.

Your problem could be as simple as a few loosened components and bad alignment, or it might be slightly more complicated, like needing to replace a worn component, needing more adjustability in the geometry, or requiring more caster than can be achieved with current components.

Sometimes it’s a cheap fix, sometimes not, but there’s no reason why a lifted Jeep on 37s can’t drive great.

This is a decent overview of relevant Wrangler front end parts. Jeep front end components

Ball joint wear/slop is a common source of DW and it's easy to test for. I'd start with ensuring there's no slop there, and all the other components are tight.

There's also a good chance you need an alignment, but unless you have a buddy who will check that for free, I'd wait on that until you're done fixing/adjusting any other components, so you don't have to do the alignment twice.

I'm a big fan of the Steer Smarts parts and expertise, but they're not cheap.

Whaler27, I appreciate you taking the time to provide a lot of great information and support. I will definitely look into the videos and glean as much information as I can about this and other topics and issues and hopefully be able to most of it myself, before taking it to a shop.

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