Nasty Vibrations Around 55 - 60 mph

[ezjeep]

I brought my Jeep to a local shop for an oil change and tire rotation before heading to NY back in March (I know...I know...I normally do it myself). On my way to NY I felt a nasty vibration in the steering wheel while on a curved, bumpy higway on ramp. The steering wheel seemed to loosen up and shake back and forth pretty violently. I actually stopped at a rest stop and checked all the lugnuts.

The other day it seemed worse. I even felt it in the pedals. It normally happens a little bit around 55 - 60 mph, but it happens a lot when the road is bumpy and curved, and I'm above 55 mph. It normally goes away, but one day it was real bad.

I brought it in for an alignment this past weekend, but the problem remains. Any thoughts or suggestions

[Ghost00TJ]

sounds like it's real close to DW Death Wobble,
I would have the front tire balanced again many times the cause of DW is incorrect tire balance. I had it happen to me with BFG AT's and my TRXUS both times it went away after I had them balanced.

[RescueJP]

Steering Stabalizer will mask it if need be but will not fix it.

[ezjeep]

I researched JF for a while trying to find the root of the problem and I read a few threads that mentioned improper balancing...but I was thinking,"why only around 55 - 60 mph - wouldn't it always be there if it was a balance issue?"

worth a shot though...thanks for the input! I'm going to try to get them balance this weekend.

[ezjeep]

oh yeah, forgot to mention...no lift!

[CutterN55]

wheels out of balance can be felt at any or all speeds. I threw a weight a while back and at 40mph I was shaking pretty bad. Moved up to 50 & vibes went down to barely noticable. It's a quick fix. Hobby shops should have a balancer, or take it in. A cheap check before you dive off into something else.

[crazy4ink]

Check your wheels for any packed mud or dirt. That can act like a weight and throw your tires out of balance. If no dirt/mud is found, have your front wheels re-balanced. Death wobble comes from your trackbar and draglink being out of phase with eachother. Check all of your tie rod ends and trackbar ends. The slightest amount of play when the jeep is sitting static will magnify when you are moving.

Typically, if the wobble/vibration is at a certain speed, it's tire balance related.

[ezjeep]

so should I have all 4 wheels balanced, or only worry about the front 2?

[devildog4x4]

Front two are most critical. I like to do all four, but if you did not have the problem before you rotated you should be fine with the rear.

[theyeti1775]

so should I have all 4 wheels balanced, or only worry about the front 2?

Go up to Ft Belvoir Auto Hobby shop, let a few folks know when you will be up there and want to balance your tires. Can be done under a hour, so tell the wife 3 hours cause you have to allow for the bs time with the other MJ'ers that show up.