Will the 1/4" longer LCAs really improve the wandering issue?

[Ribs33]

Thank you to all for your replies and helpful information. I wanted to reply to a couple of questions asked:

When I called my dealership to make an appointment to take it in to get some of the work I've seen described in this forum done to hopefully improve my steering issues, they said this was the first they had ever heard of such a problem/complaint with the steering and acted like they had no idea where to even start. So, I canceled my appointment because I knew this was going nowhere besides a wasted trip, borrowing a loaner for who knows how long, and them telling me they couldn't find anything. The next closest dealership is over an hour away, so it's not really convenient to take it there, and possibly get the same runaround. I feel like I'm stuck to try to get this figured out on my own, even though I have over 2 years of warranty left.

The 35" tires and 18" rims were on the jeep when I purchased it, so I was not able to compare stock wheel/tire combo to my current setup. However, I drover several different new Rubicon 2/4 doors and didn't notice the steering to be as loose and wandering as mine.

I haven't had an alignment check done yet, and know I probably should to at least know my baseline for whether longer LCAs will gain me any caster.

I'm trying to decide whether to wait out this upcoming recall and see if that fixes anything, or do the LCA swap and be at risk for voiding any warranty on any steering component replacement, as I'm 100% certain the dealership will look for any reason to not cover anything, especially after they acted as this steering thing was brand new to them.

This is the most money we have ever spent on a vehicle and I feel its use is limited to in-town driving and my wife doesn't even want to drive it anywhere (I guess this isn't really a bad thing!) but I wish she could enjoy our vehicle as much as I do.

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[Ribs33]

I agree with Brosef 100% in my case. I have a 2018 JLU Rubicon..It wandered all over the freeway stock and was the same with lift and 37’s. Mine came from the factory with low caster-near 4 degrees I took it to two different dealerships-no help/clueless. Put some Rough Country front lower adjustable control arms on and got caster slightly over 6 degrees. It drive straight as an arrow and steering is much tighter. DAY & NIGHT difference.

Nice ride!

 

[JLU-Riptide]

I've read the posts about the wandering and loose steering issues, mainly because my new to me 2018 JLUR has both of these problems. I have 35" tires on the stock Rubicon suspension, no lift. I'm all for putting the longer Mopar LCAs on but wanting to make sure that 1/4" extra length and a small gain in caster is going to make a noticeable difference. I love my new Jeep but highway driving is a big buzz kill, which I now try to avoid.

My wife drove it for the first time this week and the first thing she said after a couple of minutes of in-town driving was "this thing is all over the road", Up to that point, I had not even mentioned anything to her about the steering issues because I didn't want her to know I was disappointed in the vehicle I initially absolutely loved.

I know there is talk about a possible recall to replace the steering box, the aftermarket steering stabilizers get mixed reviews as far as if they help or not, and now the LCA swap seems to be talked about a lot as a possible aid to the steering woes. I'm reluctant to adjust the steering box backlash, as the dealership can tell if that Loctite seal has been broken, possibly voiding the warranty.

Is there any fix out there that objectively improves the issues, or is it truly just hit and miss as far as what helps, and everyone has their own opinions? Thanks in advance for any input you all may have!

They will definitely help. After installing the Mopar lift though, mine wandered all over the place. My dealership made adjustments to get it as close to being normal as they could and immediately ordered adjustable control arms for mine. They realize the Mopar ones are not long enough and wanted me to be happy so they are doing that to make sure they’re able to make it perfect for me.

 

[HoundDude]

I agree with Brosef 100% in my case. I have a 2018 JLU Rubicon..It wandered all over the freeway stock and was the same with lift and 37’s. Mine came from the factory with low caster-near 4 degrees I took it to two different dealerships-no help/clueless. Put some Rough Country front lower adjustable control arms on and got caster slightly over 6 degrees. It drive straight as an arrow and steering is much tighter. DAY & NIGHT difference.

this is the second post in two days that I've read indicating that the longer control arms (increased castor) made the steering feel "tighter"... will you elaborate on what you mean by tighter? do you mean "heavier" as in more resistance to turning or something else? thanks

 

[James Cole]

this is the second post in two days that I've read indicating that the longer control arms (increased castor) made the steering feel "tighter"... will you elaborate on what you mean by tighter? do you mean "heavier" as in more resistance to turning or something else? thanks

Or maybe dead spot reduced?

 

[HoundDude]

Or maybe dead spot reduced?

that's why I'm asking for clarification, I would not expect there to be any reduction in dead spot with this change

 

[Roky]

this is the second post in two days that I've read indicating that the longer control arms (increased castor) made the steering feel "tighter"... will you elaborate on what you mean by tighter? do you mean "heavier" as in more resistance to turning or something else? thanks

This is an exaggeration, but it’s the best way I can explain it. It’s like when your riding a tricycle, when you’re peddling and constantly turning the handlebars back and forth to keep it going straight. Longer control arms, more castor, is like going from that tricycle to a bicycle where there’s less handlebar movement to keep it straight. And on a lift, with over 6 degrees castor and a really good steering stabilizer, it’s like being on a bike with extended forks, or a chopper, where there’s hardly no handlebar movement at all, and it’s a little tighter to turn the wheel, but not so bad it’s going to bother you. That’s the tighter steering part to me. Of course this is all just a bunch of words on a screen if you’ve never been on a bike, lol.....

 

[HoundDude]

...That’s the tighter steering part to me. Of course this is all just a bunch of words on a screen if you’ve never been on a bike, lol.....

I love all kinds of bikes and this makes sense, thanks!

 

[MikeJLUR]

When I called my dealership to make an appointment to take it in to get some of the work I've seen described in this forum done to hopefully improve my steering issues, they said this was the first they had ever heard of such a problem/complaint with the steering and acted like they had no idea where to even start. So, I canceled my appointment because I knew this was going nowhere besides a wasted trip, borrowing a loaner for who knows how long, and them telling me they couldn't find anything. The next closest dealership is over an hour away, so it's not really convenient to take it there, and possibly get the same runaround. I feel like I'm stuck to try to get this figured out on my own, even though I have over 2 years of warranty left.

Wow you get discourage easy. They make not want to agree there is an issue on the phone before looking at the vehicle. Just take it in.

 

[AnnDee4444]

this is the second post in two days that I've read indicating that the longer control arms (increased castor) made the steering feel "tighter"... will you elaborate on what you mean by tighter? do you mean "heavier" as in more resistance to turning or something else? thanks

From https://www.quora.com/How-does-the-caster-angle-affect-the-vehicle-dynamics:

Positive caster creates a lot of align torque (the force that straightens the steering wheel when you go forward) which improves straight line stability of the car. Due to the geometry of positive caster it also will increase negative camber gain (a good thing) when turning.​

 

[DeekT]

Thank you to all for your replies and helpful information. I wanted to reply to a couple of questions asked:

When I called my dealership to make an appointment to take it in to get some of the work I've seen described in this forum done to hopefully improve my steering issues, they said this was the first they had ever heard of such a problem/complaint with the steering and acted like they had no idea where to even start. So, I canceled my appointment because I knew this was going nowhere besides a wasted trip, borrowing a loaner for who knows how long, and them telling me they couldn't find anything. The next closest dealership is over an hour away, so it's not really convenient to take it there, and possibly get the same runaround. I feel like I'm stuck to try to get this figured out on my own, even though I have over 2 years of warranty left.

The 35" tires and 18" rims were on the jeep when I purchased it, so I was not able to compare stock wheel/tire combo to my current setup. However, I drover several different new Rubicon 2/4 doors and didn't notice the steering to be as loose and wandering as mine.

I haven't had an alignment check done yet, and know I probably should to at least know my baseline for whether longer LCAs will gain me any caster.

I'm trying to decide whether to wait out this upcoming recall and see if that fixes anything, or do the LCA swap and be at risk for voiding any warranty on any steering component replacement, as I'm 100% certain the dealership will look for any reason to not cover anything, especially after they acted as this steering thing was brand new to them.

This is the most money we have ever spent on a vehicle and I feel its use is limited to in-town driving and my wife doesn't even want to drive it anywhere (I guess this isn't really a bad thing!) but I wish she could enjoy our vehicle as much as I do.

Easiest thing to do is check the toe-in and set at max. Made a big difference on mine and it is very easy to do yourself. Good luck.

 

[DeekT]

Thank you to all for your replies and helpful information. I wanted to reply to a couple of questions asked:

When I called my dealership to make an appointment to take it in to get some of the work I've seen described in this forum done to hopefully improve my steering issues, they said this was the first they had ever heard of such a problem/complaint with the steering and acted like they had no idea where to even start. So, I canceled my appointment because I knew this was going nowhere besides a wasted trip, borrowing a loaner for who knows how long, and them telling me they couldn't find anything. The next closest dealership is over an hour away, so it's not really convenient to take it there, and possibly get the same runaround. I feel like I'm stuck to try to get this figured out on my own, even though I have over 2 years of warranty left.

The 35" tires and 18" rims were on the jeep when I purchased it, so I was not able to compare stock wheel/tire combo to my current setup. However, I drover several different new Rubicon 2/4 doors and didn't notice the steering to be as loose and wandering as mine.

I haven't had an alignment check done yet, and know I probably should to at least know my baseline for whether longer LCAs will gain me any caster.

I'm trying to decide whether to wait out this upcoming recall and see if that fixes anything, or do the LCA swap and be at risk for voiding any warranty on any steering component replacement, as I'm 100% certain the dealership will look for any reason to not cover anything, especially after they acted as this steering thing was brand new to them.

This is the most money we have ever spent on a vehicle and I feel its use is limited to in-town driving and my wife doesn't even want to drive it anywhere (I guess this isn't really a bad thing!) but I wish she could enjoy our vehicle as much as I do.

Oh, I forgot to mention I put the Mopar lower control arms on the wife's MOAB. Definitely made a difference, and got them for only like $70 total from an online Mopar supplier.

 

[Ribs33]

Easiest thing to do is check the toe-in and set at max. Made a big difference on mine and it is very easy to do yourself. Good luck.

When you say set toe-in at max, do you mean adding more toe-in or taking toe-in out, and what is the correct toe setting you're referring to?

Thank you for the information, I'm definitely feeling better about improving the wandering issue with a couple of fairly easy and inexpensive corrections.

 

[DeekT]

When you say set toe-in at max, do you mean adding more toe-in or taking toe-in out, and what is the correct toe setting you're referring to?

Thank you for the information, I'm definitely feeling better about improving the wandering issue with a couple of fairly easy and inexpensive corrections.

You want maximum toe IN. That number is 0.20 degrees total.

 

[OffroadTreks]

You want maximum toe IN. That number is 0.20 degrees total.

That sounds insane. 0 toe best wear.

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