Technical Vehicle Modification Articles

Have you noticed looseness in your steering? Do your steering box bolts come loose often? If so, it's probably because you've added quite a bit of force to the system by adding taller and wider tires. Let me impress upon you how important it is to KNOW that your bolts are tight! See, every action has an equal and opposite reaction. You learned that in High School Physics, right? Anyway, when you turn the steering wheel to the right, the pitman arm forces the tie-rod to the right, pushing the front of the wheel rightward so you can turn the Jeep. It also pushes the driver's side frame rail leftward at the same time which is where the steering box is mounted.

What is Death Wobble / Dodge Wobble / Ford Death Wobble / ...and How Do I Fix Death Wobble? If you have to ask what Death Wobble is...then you’re lucky, because most likely you’ve never experienced it.  If you ever do, you will know this terrifying experience immediately, and you will never forget it!   If you have already experienced it, then you know "Death Wobble" is the horrible front end wobble that feels like your vehicle is about to fly apart.  Death Wobble makes if difficult to maintain control of your vehicle and usually starts when one tire (usually the right tire first) hits a groove or bump in the pavement somewhere around 40~50mph.  Death Wobble is quite possibly the worst possible downside to having a coil-sprung front suspension on a vehicle with a track bar or Panhard bar.  Jeep vehicles affected by this design are the 1984-2001 Jeep Cherokee XJ and 1985-1992 Comanche MJ, the 1993-1998 Grand Cherokee ZJ and 1999-2004 Grand Cherokee WJ, as well as the 1997-2006 Wrangler TJ / LJ and 2007-present JK Wranglers. Other vehicles affected by this phenomenon include trucks like Toyota, Ford, and Dodge Ram (a page written specifically for Dodge Wobble is located here), but we have not yet written one on how to fix Ford Death Wobble.