eggdashure

Ok, Last night I installed a Trackbar Drop Bracket (This thing is think...1/4 Steel). I know all the controversy surrounding the use of drop brackets, but this is only temporary until I get an adjustable. I put it on and then corrected my steering wheel. On the test drive, the bumpsteer I've been experiencing was gone. This was my goal.

Here's my issue, on the drive to work this morning (higher speeds than test drive) my steering wheel seemed to follow rises in the road. Bumps, it was fine, but if there was a rise in the road on the drivers side for example, the steering wheel would turn without my input. It feels really strange.

I think one of the bolts was not large enough (5/16ths whereas the hole is 7/16ths). I'm going to pickup a new larger bolt tonight, but thought I would check and see if this is normal behavior for these drop brackets.

eggdashure

Well, I tossed in the larger bolts in and it's better, but still weird.

Whenever I hit a rise or dip in the road with my passenger side front tire, the steering wheel turns on it's own. Drivers side seems fine.

I think I may have located the culprit. It looks like the passenger side coil spring didn't settle in the upper perch correctly. It's off to one side, how it got that way I'll never know. I noticed that the spring is not straight up and down, it bows slightly in the middle. My guess is that when I had the Trackbar in it's stock location it had enough pressure "pull" to counter act the ill effects. Now that I installed the drop, it's more properly aligned and the coil doesn't collapse and contract in a straight line like it's supposed to. Hopefully after I get the coil seated properly everything will work out like it's supposed to.

tj40

that sounds right I had a coil off center and the xj wandered all over.

eggdashure

Question for the wizards of smart. I'm trying to get what I can out of my stock track bar until next spring when I go adjustable (IRO Double Shear). With the track bar drop bracket on, I experience some interesting bump steer. (Corrected the coil spring btw...helped, but still there) Take off the bracket...install in stock location it goes away. Would a drop pitman arm (like from a ZJ) correct the bumpsteer I'm experiencing from the bracket?

Thanks!

muddeprived

Use some strings to get a visual angle of the draglink and trackbar. They need to be parallel and if not, it could be the culprit of your issues.

Also if your springs are bowed forward in the middle then that means your caster could be off. You should have a HP 30 so dialing in the pinion angle shouldn't be an issue and your caster should be stock-ish. Are you running aftermarket arms? Did you get an alignment yet? The spec sheets they print out for alignments can tell you alot of much needed info.

eggdashure

Funny you mention this mudd! I am following Go-Jeep's alignment page...I checked my caster and I'm about a degree and a half off. So I head to the stealership parts dept for some caster shims, guy says "We get our caster shims at Napa."

So I drive over to Napa and I'm told there that I have to go to the stealership for them. I'm just going to use some heavy duty washers.

muddeprived

Adjustable lower arms would also be a way to fix the caster. Sometimes you only can get so much adjustment out of the adjustment shoes.

Also be careful with the rear nuts on the shoes cuz they have a habit of snapping.

eggdashure

Pretty sure mine will snap. They are all bent in different directions, so I'll probably end up drilling them out.

The last alignment shop I went to pulled all my shims out, so the arms are all the way back in the bucket. I'm hopeful I've got plenty of room to move forward. Currently I'm using WJ arms (same length as OEM arms). I am planning to get both the track bar and some control arm drop brackets in the spring so no reason to get adjustable arms.

I realize I'm being stubborn in trying to get this issue fixed, but no sense throwing money at it right now when permanent fixes are coming. But, anything I can do to make it tolerable until then would be great.

eggdashure

LOL
Yup, I knew it. But, I only snapped one of the bolts from the adjuster shoes. I managed to squeeze in 6 washers (3 to each bolt) in. This pushed the arms forward about a quarter of an inch. I managed to get about half a degree more caster. I noticed a difference in ride for sure.

One more thing I may try is my WJ Upper Control Arms again. Stock Upper Arms are 15" WJ UCA's are 14.9"...not much but it will help those angles a little more.

Thanks for the suggestions!