Hi everyone! I'll get right to the point. My steering sucks. I think I know why but let me share what I've done.

To start, when I got my jeep it had a 3.5" lift with 31s, stock steering and non adjustable control arms, everything was out of whack. It wandered like crazy, but a driveway tape measure alignment helped a bunch. Still not great though. My wheel also never returned to center on its own. I had to to physically turn the wheel back after a turn.

Fast forward to now, a year and a half later. Every single one of my steering components is brand new. V8 WJ steering pump, durango steering box, cafvab crossover steering linkages, brand new knuckles and ball joints on both sides. I also have a 5.5" rubi lift, adjustable upper and lower control arms, and 33s. The WJ durango swap is great, turns my 33s effortlessly. We are talking about a Dana 30 by the way, although I doubt that matters. After installing all this, I got an alignment, thinking my steering woes were finally over, now that my control arms could be adjusted properly. Heres the sheet:


My jeep still steers like absolute crap. The steering is incredibly unresponsive, and she wanders all over the road. It feels like it takes a large correction in the steering wheel to actually move the truck. The wheel also will not return to center just like before. And like i said, everything is brand new, there is 0 slop anywhere, no bad joints, no worn out steering box, the usual. Everything is right and tight.

So first off, do those numbers look right in general? Specifically the toe. (I'm also not sure how its possible for the camber to be different from one side to the other) Second, I know you cannot adjust caster independently of pinion angle, and I know the mechanic favored pinion angle here (It doesnt show it on the sheet but my front pinion angle is perfect). Now after looking on the forums, it seems people recommend anywhere from 5-10 degrees of caster on a setup like this. Some say 1 degree for every " of lift (unclear if thats in addition to the stock caster), others say that plus some. So my next questions would be A. Would the difference of ~5 deg. account for such poor steering? and B. In order to maintain pinion angle but fix the caster, is my only option to remove the axle, cut the axle tubes and clock the C's at the ends of each tube? I'm not adverse to this option, as I'd truss and rebuild the axle as part of that project, but its a lot of work.

And finally, if we do all agree caster is the culprit here, what amount of caster would you guys recommend? How do your jeeps steer? Is responsive steering too much to ask for on a setup like this? At the very least, I'd appreciate the ability to go straight down the road =) Thanks in advance

 

All the numbers mean nothing to me.

You are correct that is not enough castor to drive straight down the rd.
What does your pinion angle look like?
more castor means worse pinion angle maybe why they didnt go higher.. im running about 7deg
I dont like these alignment sheets these solid axle rigs are so basic but often times the guy or kid running the tire rack don't know what the numbers mean. Or care.
Depending on steering .2 toe is fine if its similar to stock setup.
if its a solid bar tire to tire id get closer to zero toe in

The cross numbers I dunno track width i dunno .8 maybe track bar is pulling axle .8 to driver side.
Plumb bobs off frame can figure that out.

 

toe seems ok

my castor is 4 degrees and the steering is light but acceptable, doesnt return all that well to centre

your camber being different is odd, it shouldnt be that different, dont know if it would make any difference though

my pinion angle is 0*, going to adjust that to 1* and give myself 5* of castor and may fit a "return to centre" steering damper

 

Yep, you for sure need more caster. I would try for 5 degrees. Also, dial in alittle more toe-in. these 2 items will improve the return to center and also give more feel to the wheel without feeling flightly or light.Pinion angle will definetly take a hit when trying to get to 5 degrees caster. Any more the 4 degrees of pinion angle will cause front driveshaft vibration. Shorten the upper control arms to increase caster but be aware of pinion angles changes . Its all a compromise. I assume with a 5.5 inch lift you have front drop down brackets, if not your ride could be stunted or jumpy by the severe angles of your lower control arms. These need to be as parallel to the ground as possible to give smooth ride.