Hi,

I'm not sure where this should be posted, so please advise if this is not the correct place.

I recently bought an '89 Cherokee Laredo. It has a 3" lift on 31s. Before putting new tires, it had a terrible shake that was almost uncontrollable. Put tires on, and it's almost non-existent. Mechanic advised that the current steering stabilizer is too small for the tires and would need a bigger one, as well as a washer fitted into the track bar connection.

So, my question is, what stabilizer would y'all recommend, and has anyone heard of putting a washer in to tighten the track bar connection?

I do not know much about the lift, as far as brand, etc. Tie rod ends have been checked, as well as axles, and everything is fine.

Thanks!

 

This is only my opinion, but a stabilizer only masks problems. If all is well, a stabilizer isn't even needed. That is just my .02. Good luck getting it figured out.

 

Thanks, I had heard that as well, but really don't know what else to do.

 

There are a lot of pieces to the wobble puzzle, as internet research will (easily) show you.

Everything from:

Track bar
Tie rods
Stabilizer (helps with the steering wheel "feeling" but is only a "mask" per se)
Any and all parts with bushings
Lower control arms
U joints
Tire/wheel alignment/out of round tires/balancing/wheel weights/bent rims/etc
Shocks (meh)
Alignment
Axles themselves being messed up in some way (a bit less likely unless it was offroaded heavily)
Ball joints
Brakes (rotors possibly)

If you have wobble issues - look into all of that....

Reading your post - it seems like the track bar had gone bad awhile back, wallowing out the axle or frame hole, meaning the hole is now too big, which will certainly cause a wobble - a washer will need to be welded to form a "new hole" over the existing one.

As far as a stabilizer - the OEM Moog is much beefier than the stock one was, and was only like $40 on Rockauto. Shouldn't really need anything crazier than that honestly.

 

Thank you for your help. I am having the front end rebuilt, as I'm sure it's all original and worn out. From what I was told, having tires bigger than 235 can cause the stabilizer to wear out. I'm not sure how true that is, but either way, front end first, stabilizer last.