Installed beadlocks, now steering wandering - fix?

[roaniecowpony]

Push your fuses in.

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[roaniecowpony]

It's the longer moment arm created by moving the tire outboard. You put a cheater bar on the tires that is putting more force into the steering system and trackbar.

 

[joetimmons]

Update - aired down to 32 and then tried 30 psi and didn't seem to help much still getting a left/right/left/right wandering, especially at 50-60mph, and aggravated if I hit a dip in the road.

Going to check the alignment tomorrow, but if that test/adjustment fails I think my lesson learned here is that no matter what if you try to get too cute by adding bead locks to a stock non-adjustable track bar and/or non-adjustable control arm(s) to calibrate and adjust caster you are asking for wandering.

 

[joetimmons]

Here is what our new AI overlords had to say (pretty similar advice)

 

[Headbarcode]

He has the 315s from the XR. What did you run your 35s at? I know that was FOREVER ago ?

The details are starting to fade, but I can still remember 30-31psi being the happy spot for my 315 ko2's way back then. ?

 

[roaniecowpony]

The details are starting to fade, but I can still remember 30-31psi being the happy spot for my 315 ko2's way back then. ?

Hard to believe you had such tiny tires, once upon a time.

 

[Headbarcode]

Hard to believe you had such tiny tires, once upon a time.

Once upon a time, back when my wallet could still walk on its own and handle solid foods...

One of these days, the beatings will end and it'll be left alone long enough to fully recover. Probably not, but that's what I'm telling it...

 

[jeepingib]

-38 crew checking in. Ran stock steering, trackbar, and ball joints like this for nearly 2 years after getting longer lower control arms to correct caster. Now I've upgraded almost everything, but the offset is definitely manageable once you correct the angles. Your stock caster on an XR with stock control arms is probably pretty low. That will definitely make it squirrely

 

[mgroeger]

You moved each wheel out by 3.25" inches. That's what's ruined your steering and your ball joints will be destroyed in a year. 37s won't help you. Try -6mm offset at most. +12mm is better if you can find wheels in it.

LOL... that's funny... ball joints destroyed in a year and steering horrible. I had -38mm on a few Jeeps and after 9 months my ball joints blew apart while I was going 80 mph on the highway. Oh wait, never mind that didn't happened.

 

[mgroeger]

Crap ok well hoping I don’t have to send back the rims and rebuy a lower offset but so is life

Don't listen to that asshat. I've run -38mm beadlocks on multiple jeeps with no problems. Most likely what you are experiencing is caster related OR the way you mounted your tires. Did you research what color dot was on your tire (red or yellow) and mount the tire accordingly with that dot in relation to the valve stem? Did you properly and painstakingly torque down every bolt in MULTIPLE steps and NOT IN A CIRCLE to 20 ft/lbs? Did you take them to a competent shop and have them balanced? Preferably one who has experience with heavier wheels like beadlocks?

 

[CaJLMetalHead]

Don't listen to that asshat. I've run -38mm beadlocks on multiple jeeps with no problems. Most likely what you are experiencing is caster related OR the way you mounted your tires. Did you research what color dot was on your tire (red or yellow) and mount the tire accordingly with that dot in relation to the valve stem? Did you properly and painstakingly torque down every bolt in MULTIPLE steps and NOT IN A CIRCLE to 20 ft/lbs? Did you take them to a competent shop and have them balanced? Preferably one who has experience with heavier wheels like beadlocks?

Same here.. I have been running 17x9 -38mm offset with 40'' tires, stock arms + arm relocation bracket and 3.5 Gamechanger springs for 2 years with no issues... and yes.. I daily drive it.. and yes.. I run difficult trails.. my rig still drives 80MPH on the highway with no issues.. no wandering.

 

[Tredsdert]

It could also be your imagination, not to say that it is, but every time I rotate my tires, I feel like something's wrong with my wheels for the first thousand or so miles. And then after that I worry less. Though I had a friend of mine get some new rims put on his wife's Wrangler Sport, and had them balance and everything, then he got the steering wobble, so after a lot of trouble, he ended up figuring out that it was the wheels. Whoever balance them didn't know what they were doing and did the weights all wrong. So technically it could be the weights too.

 

[Tpsillos]

Does nobody on the JL Forum run -38mm / 3.5" backspace? Didn't realize it was such a purple squirrel config haha

Was hoping once I get the adjustable arms I can re dial the caster in as mentioned above...

nothing wrong with 3.5” back space, I did have to change ball joints after a year but my friends with a stock gladiator did too…

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