What size Caster shims needed for 3inch lift?

I have zero DW and the xj(3inch lift upfront 4inch rear) is stable up to about 90 mph. If i hit roadwork or different elevation in roads it just seems jerky and unstable.

I have replaced numerous things and before i go any further i would like to shim my lower controls to get the proper caster.

So what size/degree shims have members here used for 3inchs of lift?

Go to the junkyard and grab a couple of shims and throw in one per side and see how that does....@ 3" of lift you shouldn't need more than one shim per side(ontop of what you have in there now)

outlander said:

Go to the junkyard and grab a couple of shims and throw in one per side and see how that does....@ 3" of lift you shouldn't need more than one shim per side(ontop of what you have in there now)

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i dont have any quality junkyards here on long island.

i am most likely going to hit up carquest or the dealer.

and as far as what i have in there now. looks like they might crumble as i loosen the nuts.

i am doing this to correct my bump steer.

any other suggestions? i just ordered some new sway bar bushings and i might upgrade my tierod soon.

On gojeep's site, he suggests that 1/8" is just about right for a 3" lift. There are so many variables that I'm sure your results will vary. I put 1/4" worth of shims in on my 5.5" lift and that didn't even get me close to the proper caster angle. It did however push my pinion angle about as far out of whack as I'm comfortable with.

fyrfytr1717 said:

On gojeep's site, he suggests that 1/8" is just about right for a 3" lift. There are so many variables that I'm sure your results will vary. I put 1/4" worth of shims in on my 5.5" lift and that didn't even get me close to the proper caster angle. It did however push my pinion angle about as far out of whack as I'm comfortable with.

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whoops just saw that i guess i didnt read far enough the first time.

is that 1/8 total. or an additional 1/8?

Six-pack of caster shims $19: http://www.rocky-road.com/xjalign.html

Article on bumpsteer: http://www.naxja.org/html/techarticles/bumpsteertech.htm

toates89 said:

is that 1/8 total. or an additional 1/8?

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I would assume this is 1/8" additional if you already had shims in there from the factory. If the shims were added by the previous owner, then all bets are off. Just measure your current caster, add a shim, and then measure again to see what the result is. It will probably take some playing around with it to find an acceptable balance between pinion angle and caster. I found you can put a max of about 5/16" total in there before you run out of threads on the bolts sticking out the back of the adjustment shoe.

i dont think caster is much of an issue at 3" on stock arms. i believe its a problem with the stock arms themselves. when i first lifted to 3" with just springs and new shocks, steering and ride felt a bit unsable, especially when on rough terain. not until i swapped out the stock arms for tubular arms did that shakey unstable feeling go away. could have been bad stock control arm bushings, but new tubular arms made a huge difference in ride quality.