Need help: Jeep is violently rocking when it hits a bump at 60kph

[fuzzylizard]

I appreciate your frustration... but considering the number of lifted jeeps on the road... this problem is not that common & severe or no one would be driving one. It has to be something with your Jeep... not Jeeps in general.

Thanks for the reply. I completely agree that the problem is unique to my jeep. I am not trying to make a comment on all Jeeps, just the one I have.

Bill saw the lift kit and apparently it is a combination of Sky Jacker parts and stock Rubicon parts. Apparently, it wasn't a very good job and whoever installed it cut some corners. This means that there are things that need to be replaced and beefed up to handle the tires and the various stresses. Posting photos is a good idea and I will take some tomorrow when it is light out again.

Also, from what Bill said, the Jeep most likely has had a history of Death Wobble. It has never been stable since I bought it and always wobbles when it goes over bumps. The bigger the bump, the scarier it is to go over. The only difference is that up to a few weeks ago, the Jeep was able to recover, now I have to come to a stop. The trac bar was apparently bolted down pretty tightly along with everything else. The odd thing is that when you wiggle the steering wheal, everything under the jeep is moving--the wheels, the axil, the trac bar, the sway bars, everything. It is hard to find something that doesn't move.

It was also Bill's suggestion that I go with the smaller, lighter tires and that should reduce or eliminate the problem (hopefully).

As for the tires, I do need to put smaller ones on as the jeep currently does not fit in my garage. So I need to replace/swap out the 35" for a set of 32-33" inch tires.

[muffintop]

The trac bar was apparently bolted down pretty tightly along with everything else.

Tight is good... but if the bushing is bad/sloppy... it will act like its loose.

The odd thing is that when you wiggle the steering wheal, everything under the jeep is moving--the wheels, the axil, the trac bar, the sway bars, everything. It is hard to find something that doesn't move.

I'm not gonna lie... thats not good. Makes a quick cheap fix pretty challenging.

It was also Bill's suggestion that I go with the smaller, lighter tires and that should reduce or eliminate the problem (hopefully).

Short of installing a new good quality lift (i.e. Currie w/Johnny Joints) to tighten everything up to work w/ your 35's... a smaller, lighter rotating assembly (rim & tire) that stays in balance would be the way to go... but still no guarantee of course.

Good luck man... I feel for ya 

[fuzzylizard]

As an update, I have decided to get smaller tires. I am looking to trade my 35" ProComp tires and rims for 32-33" Rubicon tires and rims, so if anyone is looking for a set of bigger tires, let me know.

If that does not correct the problem, then I will probably take the Jeep back to the dealership and have them remove the lift kit    I know, I know, I'm evil, how can I do that to a Jeep. But I need this thing to be stable and drivable, and right now, taking it back to stock may be the easiest solution with the best guarantee. Aside from the taking it back to the dealership, are there any garages in Calgary that specialize in customized Jeeps that I could take it to? If I do decide to keep the lift kit I will still need to have it reinforced and will need a good garage that can do the work properly this time.

Thanks for all the help in this and thank you Bill for taking the time to look at my Jeep and patiently answering my questions.

Here is a link to some photos of the tires and the front lift kit if anyone is interested. http://picasaweb.google.com/fuzzylizard/Jeep091025833PM