What actually _is_ normal steering?

[Dkretden]

Question for everyone: On a perfectly straight long road, if you hold the steering wheel perfectly straight, does your JL stay in the lane?

I will answer this way:

at 70mph in the right lane of a straight, flat, smooth-ish freeway, I can completely remove my hands from the wheel and my Jeep will track straight for some period of time. Then, the pitch of the road will start to slowly take the Jeep to the right. A small correction is needed. Then I could do it again and again and again.......

honestly, I drove an Acura TL before this Jeep. The TL might have gone a bit further before needing correction but not that much as it too would ultimately follow the crown of the road.

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[Rdmitch]

Add caster!!

a Rubicon totally stock comes out with factory setting for caster at around 4 degrees give or take. everyone is recommending going up to about 6 deg. positive.
Is 2 degrees really going to be noticeable?

 

[jeepingib]

a Rubicon totally stock comes out with factory setting for caster at around 4 degrees give or take. everyone is recommending going up to about 6 deg. positive.
Is 2 degrees really going to be noticeable?

Absolutely! Consider this, the XJ Cherokee, and the WJ Grand Cherokee were at around 7 degrees from the factory. So going to 6 is not extreme at all. I don't think anyone has changed their caster for a higher angle and regretted it.

 

[Wanted33]

I will say this. It took me a little to get used to driving a solid front axle vehicle. And, yep there is a small bit of play in the steering, but that's the nature of beast. With the tire pressure corrected, and bit of time behind the wheel all is well. You, and the wife will get used to it for sure. Enjoy.

 

[Rdmitch]

Absolutely! Consider this, the XJ Cherokee, and the WJ Grand Cherokee were at around 7 degrees from the factory. So going to 6 is not extreme at all. I don't think anyone has changed their caster for a higher angle and regretted it.

im super glad to hear this and thank you for the reply.
I feel i’m 90% of where i want to be and just scheduled the caster adjustment today. Unfortunately they can’t do it until the 15th, but i can easily wait. Not cheap fix but the parts, labor, alignment may get me where i want to be.

THx again for the input.

 

[Rdmitch]

I will say this. It took me a little to get used to driving a solid front axle vehicle. And, yep there is a small bit of play in the steering, but that's the nature of beast. With the tire pressure corrected, and bit of time behind the wheel all is well. You, and the wife will get used to it for sure. Enjoy.

Yes, it does take a bit of getting used to, but some are really, really bad. Those ones a driver will never get used to.
I originally had one of the 2018 JL “special wal-mart shopping cart edition” Jeeps that was terrible. No getting used to would ever happen it’s like getting used to a daily demolition derby on city streets. Not new to Jeeps, but in comparison to my JK it was night and day. Jeep finally took it back and I got the 2020 which has the same components but drove 10 times safer and better.

 

[JavaRunner]

I will say this. It took me a little to get used to driving a solid front axle vehicle. And, yep there is a small bit of play in the steering, but that's the nature of beast. With the tire pressure corrected, and bit of time behind the wheel all is well. You, and the wife will get used to it for sure. Enjoy.

Hope so! I got in my Ram today and I thought it felt weird now after driving the Jeep!

 

[RagTopDeluxe]

a Rubicon totally stock comes out with factory setting for caster at around 4 degrees give or take. everyone is recommending going up to about 6 deg. positive.
Is 2 degrees really going to be noticeable?

Very much so. Both my Rubis had 4.7* from the factory. I put adjustable LCAs on my ‘20 and the caster is around 7* (measured by the tech, not on a rack) and I love it. The steering was great but it feels more solid now.

My ‘19 was terrible and taking the caster to 6* made it a lot better.

I’m glad I went with the adjustable LCAs for my ‘20.

 

[Cuyose]

For what its worth, my 2020 Rubicon tracks totally straight on the stock 33inch KO2's and 37psi cold. Wind is definitely the issue, it can get a little tiring providing constant pressure driving cross country.

 

[Toycrusher]

I'm on 37" KO2 at 26 psi, no lift, factory alignment, 40,000 miles, and it tracks reasonably straight, will follow road crown but nothing objectionable.

At 36 psi it's on ball bearings, wandering all over the road

 

[Halstem1]

just getting some opinions... Normal or not normal?

 

[dpike]

just getting some opinions... Normal or not normal?

It's the same way my Rubicon is. Regardless of normal or not, it's definitely not ok.

 

[df007]

Mine is the same......sucks. All my play is in the gearbox itself.

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