Test drove a JL with the wandering issue

[Jjirish]

1. $300 Fox Steering Stabilizer with reservoir.
2. Tire pressure 36.
JLU Rubi.... 2 inch lift and 37's.

Drives great.

Still might add the gel ring to the steering wheel for the slight vibration I get at times.

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[Joe_S]

What I've come to realize is that the JL is extremely sensitive to road crown. Since most roads slope to the right away from the middle, my wheel is almost always off-center to the left while driving because the Jeep wants to follow the slope.

And vice versa, if I'm on a road or highway where the lane slopes to the left, my wheel is off-center to the right.

The road needs to literally be perfectly flat for my steering wheel to be centered.

 

[Buckster]

Since everyone is posting issues with steering wander, I'll throw in my .02.
1 month old JLUR, ~1500 miles on her so far. Stock suspension/wheels/tires, Synergy 1-5/8" wheel spacers, tire pressure 35/36 psi. I have no issues. She tracks straight, I don't notice any difficulty keeping her pointed in the right direction, and I haven't noticed any tendency to fall off the crown of the road. Truth be told, I'm pretty happy overall with how she drives - and this is coming from a lowered RS5 with ultra precise steering and custom sport suspension. I had an attention getter the first week when I made an abrupt lane change at highway speed simply out of habit, but that was all on me.
I will say that I like the steering on the JLUR much better than my 16 Grand Cherokee. While it doesn't wander, it does seem very "twitchy" to me. Anyway, YMMV and maybe I'm just lucky, but you can put me in the all good camp for steering.

 

[8flat]

Same here, my JLU Rubi is still at 41psi as purchased, 4k miles, drives well. I'm also getting 24 to 25mpg... I'm a little hesitant to lower the pressure and kill the milage.

Will it kill that much if you only go down to 38 or 36? I haven't really taken a road trip in mine lately to check it, but I assume it wouldn't make a substantial difference unless you were down in the 20s?

 

[debandi]

I have a 2019 2 door Rubicon with 1.25" spacers on factory rims and tires. I have zero issues. PSI is 36 cold.

 

[NotmyJK]

So lowering the tire pressure 5 psi gets rid of a large dead spot in the steering wheel?????????????? I run 20 psi in my TJ tires on the road and have no problems. I also set my own castor and toe though.

 

[californiajeeping]

I wonder if what's really happening is there's a physical dead zone in the steering rack, but the steering wheel's angle sensor doesn't have a matching dead zone in the software. In other words, supposing your wheel is like 0.25 degrees off center, that obviously won't cause your front wheels to turn. Maybe the electronic power assist sees that, and it was designed for a car where 0.25 degrees off center would actually cause the front wheels to turn, so it kicks up the assist just enough to turn the wheels.

I've been trying to find out how to reset or calibrate the steering wheel position sensor, but no one seems to know how.

 

[californiajeeping]

The new AE version of the steering box is now available. There is a software update that goes along with the install that changes how steering system reacts as well. I don't believe they will apply the software update unless it is the AE version.

https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/new-jl-steering-gear-box-68250506ae.34028/
https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/2019-steering.19015/page-16#post-778548

 

[mrhumble1]

Oh, forgot to mention. Tires were all at 41 psi. I remember checking.
That's .... too high?

My JL is about 5 months old and just passed 6000 miles. When I drove it off the lot, it felt like it was on balloons. It was bouncing all over the place and drove like shit. Tires were at 45psi which is absolute nonsense.

Now they are at 32-33psi warm. I don't care where they are cold, though that will change when the weather does. It's 85-95 degrees out these days so it's not like the tire ever gets "cold".

Regardless, 30-33 is perfect for me and the thing handles very well (for a Jeep). If you want a good feel for what they should feel like, make sure you have the dealership drop the pressure before a test drive.

 

[californiajeeping]

My JL is about 5 months old and just passed 6000 miles. When I drove it off the lot, it felt like it was on balloons. It was bouncing all over the place and drove like shit. Tires were at 45psi which is absolute nonsense.

Now they are at 32-33psi warm. I don't care where they are cold, though that will change when the weather does. It's 85-95 degrees out these days so it's not like the tire ever gets "cold".

Regardless, 30-33 is perfect for me and the thing handles very well (for a Jeep). If you want a good feel for what they should feel like, make sure you have the dealership drop the pressure before a test drive.

You'd think FCA would send out a dealer bulletin to be sure to lower the PSI to at least match the door jam for "optimal test drives". They would sell a lot more that way. @JeepCares

 

[californiajeeping]

Hello everyone. Prospective buyer here.
I've been to several dealership test driving different models. Really trying to decide if I should keep my truck, or trade it on a JL.
Anyway, I have owned 2 Jeeps in the past. A 1988 YJ (I think that's the year) that I owned in the mid 90s, and a 2007 JK that I owned in 2010. So I am familiar with Jeep solid axles.

The Sahara was really difficult to keep pointed straight down the road. It kept wandering all over the place. Obviously this isn't normal, as none of the other jeeps did it.

It's got me a little worried about buying one. Are there any resources to read up about this?

Reading material: https://www.consumerreports.org/buying-a-car/worst-overall-cars-minivan-suvs-trucks/

The cars, SUVs, and trucks that perform the worst in CR's rankings

 

[HoundDude]

Reading material: https://www.consumerreports.org/buying-a-car/worst-overall-cars-minivan-suvs-trucks/

The cars, SUVs, and trucks that perform the worst in CR's rankings

meh, the Tacoma is on that list, at least we're in good company

 

[Kytann]

Reading material: https://www.consumerreports.org/buying-a-car/worst-overall-cars-minivan-suvs-trucks/

The cars, SUVs, and trucks that perform the worst in CR's rankings

Yeah, I don't take much Consumer reports has to say seriously.
Especially if you are looking for any sort of interesting, non-vanilla vehicle

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