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What actually _is_ normal steering?

jdubya421

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The day I bought my 19 I had test driven a manual and an auto and neither felt weird or scary to me. Then, on the drive over to a friend's house to show off the new Jeep, I was legitimately scared and felt like I couldn't control the vehicle. I felt like I was driving like they do in TV shows where they constantly are moving the wheel back and forth.

Cut to a year later and I don't think anything really changed all that much, but I got used to it. I could drive 80 on the highway comfortably and drove 12 hours each way to visit my mom with nothing to report.

I then traded my 19 for a 20 and it feels much more solid. Barely any play in the wheel. I still have to hold the wheel to the right a few degrees in the far left lane and hold the wheel to the left in the far right lane. I definitely have to give it some inputs every few seconds, but it doesn't feel dangerous or out of the ordinary to me. It tracks straight if I let go of the wheel, but you gotta remember that we are riding on a LOT of side wall. That side wall is gonna flex and bend and your tires are wide and will track away from your desired direction. Couple the huge side wall, with wide tires, play in your ball joints on your tie rod/drag link, and probably some slop in a steering box and you get a Jeep.
 

Howi

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it does depend on what you are used to but lets be honest the majority of JL's have a steering issue from factory.

I have driven lots of different vehicles including those perceived to be a bit shite, LR etc and the jeep steering is by far the worst.

I have driven 3 others and they are all have different degrees of crap steering.

If you really believe yours is as straight as a dart then consider yourself lucky and don't ever sell it.

That and the terrible wind noise is really pissing me of right now with my Jeep ownership. :mad:
 

jdubya421

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it does depend on what you are used to but lets be honest the majority of JL's have a steering issue from factory.

I have driven lots of different vehicles including those perceived to be a bit shite, LR etc and the jeep steering is by far the worst.

I have driven 3 others and they are all have different degrees of crap steering.

If you really believe yours is as straight as a dart then consider yourself lucky and don't ever sell it.

That and the terrible wind noise is really pissing me of right now with my Jeep ownership. :mad:
I mean...its an open air vehicle. The doors and top are removable. I really don't know what you expected about wind noise
 

entropy

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I mean...its an open air vehicle. The doors and top are removable. I really don't know what you expected about wind noise
I don't get people buying a Jeep expecting it to not drive like a Jeep.
 

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Howi

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Haha you are all Jeep blind, I have had plenty of convertibles and t-bar removable top panels, NON of them felt like a mini tornado was blowing through !
 

entropy

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Haha you are all Jeep blind, I have had plenty of convertibles and t-bar removable top panels, NON of them felt like a mini tornado was blowing through !
I have never experienced that in my Jeep. Some wind noise? yeah sure, it is a brick on wheels. A "mini tornado"? no way, maybe get your top checked.
 

Howi

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I have never experienced that in my Jeep. Some wind noise? yeah sure, it is a brick on wheels. A "mini tornado"? no way, maybe get your top checked.
yea it’s going in for another check, I have adjusted it myself and can’t find the sweet spot.

i expect noise through the non insulated doors and roof, just not through the seals/gaps , that’s just bad design/wind tunnel R&D

steering and excessive wind noise constantly appear in thousands of posts on all the forums.

its a definite issue unfortunately :(
 

entropy

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yea it’s going in for another check, I have adjusted it myself and can’t find the sweet spot.

i expect noise through the non insulated doors and roof, just not through the seals/gaps , that’s just bad design/wind tunnel R&D

steering and excessive wind noise constantly appear in thousands of posts on all the forums.

its a definite issue unfortunately :(
That's unfortunate. I only experience wind noise when on the freeway and if it is very windy outside, and it is more due to wind resistance of the windshield. I've had 2 JLs, both sport and 2 door. And the steering is very nice, I have taken them both on very long trips and no issues, they track straight and do not wonder. I have a rubicon suspension on my current sport, and still handles perfectly fine. I have owned sedans as my daily driver commuters my whole life and the jeep isn't much different in terms of steering.

All the JL's I test drove handled perfectly fine. I take my Jeep on roadtrips all the time, I've been camping with it so much, I've carried 13ft kayaks on the top, I've gone on windy roads, I've driven it through massive wind gusts through the desert, snow, and I have wheeled it to its stock limits. I take the top on and off constantly. It is an incredible vehicle and has taken me reliably to all of my adventures. Other than an issue I had with the front seats release handle.
 

Cyclrder

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My 2020 rubicon drives like crap too... I’ve improved it with adding a bunch of castor via adjustable lower control arms... it has helped. Next I’ve adjusted the steering box .. that too has helped a bit... next is the synergy bracket and also heavier track bar.
 

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BCalvin

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I have about 400 hwy miles on mine and there are things im getting used to.

Passing semi-trucks there is a vacuum that pulls the jeep and wind has a greater effect than any thing else.

I'm not comfortable yet driving close to other cars at speeds over 75.
I think heavier sway bars could help that but it's not worth giving up the flex..

I just can't drive like a jerk with the bro dozers and I want too.

I'm not complaining and don't expect grand touring performance; its the fastest and best handling wrangler I have ever had.

Definitely doesn't handle like it was modified by lizard people.
 

nostatic

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FWIW I have found there is something to the “getting used to it.” When I drove the JL home from the dealer (about 90 miles, mostly freeway), I felt like it was moving quite a bit. The next day the wife and I drove down to retrieve my (now her) GTI she drove the Jeep back home. I asked her she liked it and she said it felt exactly like her old Taco TRD - which she liked a lot until she went electric about 6 years ago.

now about 3k miles into the JL, I have no issues and use a lot less steering input. The short wheelbase and high CG make for a different feel than the VW. That isn’t to say the OP doesn’t have an issue, but it certainly is a different feel than a tight handling passenger car.
 

4xFUN

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My 2020 Rubi 2-door rode, drove and handled great during the short time I was on the OEM 33" BFG KO2's (just one day) and rode, drove and handled the same after installing 35" KO2's on on stock Rubi wheels the second day after delivery.
I did a mild (2 inch lift) but very methodical build using a variety of aftermarket suspension and steering components, lots of trial and error, in order to try and maintain my original OEM ride and handling characteristics...Very happy with results!
Now, does it ride and handle the same as my 145" wheelbase 2019 Ram Longhorn 4x4? Of course not, nor do I expect it. However, 85mph on the highway is still a one handed affair with no abnormal corrections needed.

For those who are truly experiencing legitimate handling problems and not having success getting them resolved through your dealer, I would first suggest getting in contact with the regional manufactures rep and seeing if they could recommend a dealer with a top-rated service department. Should this fail, I would try contacting some of the top-tier aftermarket suspension / steering vendors (Teraflex, Steer Smarts, Metalcloak, etc.) and ask them which of their local dealers they would recommend for service...Ideally with in-house alignment services.
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