Tire question, Death Wobble issue, suggestions Please...

None · 11-10-2006, 07:51 PM

I noticed 10k miles ago that I was starting to get somewhat of a shudder, wobble at exactly 50-60 MPH and when I hit some sort of bump in the road....I took my LJ in to get the tires rotated and balanced (It had about 18k miles on it.) It was brought to my attention that 1) I waited a LONG time to rotate my tires and 2) the fronts has really bad wear on the outside edges.

Those tires were put on the back and have somewhat evened out. The fronts are now worn badly on the outside edges and I get a REALLY BAD wobble at 50-60 mph. I have a completely stock LJ as far as suspension tires rims go...

I’m hesitant to declare this "death wobble" because that usually fits after some sort of mod. I dunno though.

I see jerry suggesting to tighten certain bolts at specific ft-lbs and doing some sort of manual alignment.

What is causing my tired to wear this bad on the outside edges? I now have 28k on my Jeep and its getting worse. I know new tires are on the list but what else could this be?? What do I have to do to fix this?

Second question!

I have 15'' ravine rims with the stock Goodyear 30x9.5x15 tires.

I noticed the Rubicon wheel/rim combo is 1" bigger all the way around. I’m sure the height and rim size is not an issue but where is the extra inch going on the width? Basically can Moab’s and 31'' mt/rs fit on a stock LJ with no issues?

Any help with this would be greatly appreciated. And as always I am honored and thankful to be in the company of such great knowledgeable enthusiasts! Your combined help has been a lifesaver!

**Rocky529** · 11-10-2006, 09:13 PM

1. What PSI are you running?

2. The 31" MT/R tires with 16" Moab wheels will fit on your stock Unlimited with no issues.

**Thunderstrike** · 11-10-2006, 09:18 PM

Sounds like your wobble at 50-60 is worse than mine. I get the little shakes at same speed. Faithful balancing and rotation ev 3K miles doesn't seem to help as the shakes return around 2,000 miles. It's smooth at highway speed, 70-85 so I live with it. I read many posts with the same issue. I have the Ravine wheels with 30x9.5 GSAs also. May be its the tires? I will see when I replace mine to BFG AT KOs next spring. I don't have the outside wear issue... I do make left/right turns slow; don't know if this helps. May be the alignment?

May be we won't have the same issue with the JK.

None · 11-11-2006, 10:44 AM

I keep the PSI at 30. Im willing to bet its the tires and alignment. also adjusting and tightening some front end stuff should help...hopefully.

good to hear that the 31s will fit the LJ with no problems....

**FmrVette** · 11-11-2006, 01:09 PM

Pretty much the same issue (although the vibration isn't as bad on mine, apparently). I had the TJ into the tire shop, balanced, aligned (the Jeep only has 9,000 miles, tires are Toyo AT's 31", put new on the Jeep at 500 miles on the odometer). Took it out on the highway, was worse than when I took it in. (Shop was where I bought the tires and rotates/balances for free). Shop balanced yet again, says everything is spot on. Light feathering of the inside edges of the front tires. Vibes noticable now, but barely.

I'm going to get a second tire shop to balance the tires and see if anything improves; if shop #2 doesn't fare better I'm putting it down to the design of the tires. I won't be getting Toyo's when I replace these (although they brake really well and in the wet are pretty doggone good!).

Follow the owner's manual on getting tires rotated and play with the air pressure a bit, that might help the wear. Most shops set it at 32 psi and forget it, but that may not be correct for the roads you travel or your driving style.

**Jerry Bransford** · 11-11-2006, 01:40 PM

Use the how-to info at http://www.4x4xplor.com/alignment.html to set your own toe-in to between 1/16" and 1/8". Then get your tires perfectly balanced. Finally, tighten your front trackbar's lower (frame-end) mounting bolt to 55 ft-lbs if your Jeep is 2002 or older or 45 ft-lbs if it's 2003 or newer. Doing all of this will get rid of your shimmy and likely the DW too. If the DW persists after doing all of the above, we can then address a few more ideas.

None · 11-12-2006, 07:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jerry Bransford

Use the how-to info at http://www.4x4xplor.com/alignment.html to set your own toe-in to between 1/16" and 1/8". Then get your tires perfectly balanced. Finally, tighten your front trackbar's lower (frame-end) mounting bolt to 55 ft-lbs if your Jeep is 2002 or older or 45 ft-lbs if it's 2003 or newer. Doing all of this will get rid of your shimmy and likely the DW too. If the DW persists after doing all of the above, we can then address a few more ideas.

Thanks Jerry. This helps alot. I actually went to Tire Kingdom today to get my oil changed and the alignment checked. They rotated the tires and the alignment came out almost perfect (so I didnt get charged for it.)

But rotating the tires got rid of the wobble completely. I do feel like something isnt as tight as it was stock though...i need to probably tighten the track bar like jerry said.

stedwest · 11-12-2006, 09:43 PM

Jerry's got you covered.... You said that both front tires are wearing on the outside edge? Since this isn't an independent front suspension, I would assume they are wearing a feathered edge across the tread pattern, which indicates too much toe-in. (The fastest way to wear out a new set of tires.)

11-11-2006, 10:44 AM	#4
None Registered User Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: East Coast Posts: 504 Profile Gallery Classifieds My Jeeps	I keep the PSI at 30. Im willing to bet its the tires and alignment. also adjusting and tightening some front end stuff should help...hopefully. good to hear that the 31s will fit the LJ with no problems....