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Question about steering stabilizer and shocks

Bigjfb

NAXJA Forum User
Location
California
My 92 Cherokee has really light and sensitive steering. Too light. Would a fresh new stabilizer stiffen it up? Aftermarket stabilizer better than less expensive factory jobber?

Mine also has heavy duty Napa shocks, rides very rough on/off road. Is the ride rough because of the shocks, or is it the nature of the beast? What are the best riding shocks?


Thanks for any help.

Joel
 
Two subjective questions!

My 92 has much lighter steering than my 90 0r 98. Don't know why. You can replace the steering stabilizer with any aftermarket one you like. I prefer Monroe. It will only be noticable when on rough roads and the steering is affected by side forces (steer bump). Going down a straight or curvey road on pavement will not be noticed under any circumstances.

Not familiar with NAPA heavey duty shocks. Could be your tires. What rating do they have? Too many ply's will make for a stiff sidewall and a very rough ride. One shocks will not dampen much.

Don't forget, this is basically a truck with a solid front axle. Both steering and ride will not be car like and should not be expected.
 
It will stiffen it up "a little". Check the rest of your steering system for slop. Tie rod ends etc. Climb under there and have somebody turn the wheel back and forth, grab and shake steering components.

Better shocks will only really have an effect on the down travel, the springs control up travel...and yes, it's the nature of the beast. You can find softer "EZ Rider" springs but if you really want a smoother ride go for a 4Runner.
 
No slop in the steering at all, very responsive. Just really too easy. Takes no effort to turn the wheel with a pinky finger. Every little movement at the steering wheel gets a reaction from the tires.


My tires are BFG ATs, 50k miles and still more than half tread left. They are very cracked and weathered, rubber may have hardened? Ive never seen tires last this long. When I go off the pavement for long periods of time (in Baja) I let the air down to 15 psi, smooths the ride quite a bit.
 
Much better to have great steering than no steering, so do not fret on that. How much air do you run in your tires on-road? Thank can have a LOT to do with the "stiffness". Lift? Shocks wearing out? For a "smoother" ride a lot of people say go for some OME shocks.
 
Do you know what your caster is set at? Not enough caster can give you steering that feels a lot like a pickup truck that has too much weight aft of the rear axle.
 
Do you have a lift? If yes the caster probably changed and you have too much. Adjusting caster with shims is possible. Are the tires over inflated? If yes there may not enough contact of the tire to the road.

With the engine off, key on have someone move the steering wheel back in forth, not enough to move the tires just enough to determine how much play is in the steering. While your assistant is moving the steering wheel crawl under the front of the Jeep and look at each tie rod end. See if you can determine if there is sideway movement (slop) in the tie rod. Check the control arm bushings, are they torn, use a prybar and see if they slide back and forth easily or are they in there pretty stiff still. Even if the tie rods and bushings look fair, the sum of the total wear could give you sensitive steering.

The steering vibration damper will have some effect, but probably not noticable enough.
 
Somewhere between our '92 and the '95, the steering stiffened up a bit. Never noticed how light the '92 was until we got the '95 and the two '96s, all three later ones have a higher effort. I'd guess it's a function of the pressure the pumps put out. I had a '98 ZJ, with the 'stiffer' steering. effort slowly got higher, until it was like 'Wow, where'd the power steering go?'. New pump, back to normal. I'd never had a pump go, so I didn't realize that the effort may slowly build. But yeah, earlier ones were easier than later.
As far as dampers, I prefer the OEM types. A few years ago, I bought an OME, a Gabriel, a Rancho, and a stocker (Monroe, I think). OME got a dead spot, Gabriel was a wet noodle, Ranch SUCKED*, and OEM felt the best! Your results may vary.


*My opinion, certainly not scientific results!
 
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I think I may go with smaller Grant wheel, (mine is too thin and slick) new stabilizer, and some Monroe shocks. WIll report back if any improvement.

Thanks all so much
 
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