Lifted an inch, added a mile of problems.

So I recently went from ZJ coils and spacers to 4.5" RE coils up front. She was completely happy before but of course I can't leave well enough alone. I ended up running all new hard brake lines because the stock lines were rusted and one broke when I was installing the extended SS brake lines. I also had cut the old shock bolts because of rust but no big deal.

The big deal is that I now have crazy DW! I almost didn't make it to my run on Saturday because I had to drive at 45 mph and watch every bump.

So can 1" really make DW come out? I have stock UCAs but non-adjustable LCAs. I have an RE1600 track bar and JKS steering linkage. I've also recently done ball joints and wheel bearings.

I'm not asking what causes DW, I think we can all search for that. I'm just wondering if it is common to cause DW with only 1" more of lift.

Do I need UCAs? Trackrod bracket? Should I be looking at drop pitman arm?

Thanks

Get the tape Measure out and check the front end.That 1" can make the alignment off.

What Scott said. Moving the steering box an inch higher in relation to the front axle has pulled the leading edge of your front tires together, i.e. your toe-in has increased. With stock steering, this gets worse as you lift higher.

Any time you do something like this, you should at least do a driveway alignment.

Did you adjust the toe-in after installing the new lift?
Set it between 0-1/8"
http://jeep-xj.info/HowtoAlignment.htm

Have someone sit in the driver's seat and rock the steering wheel back and forth (running the engine if necessary) while you lay under the front end and feel for loose parts in the steering ans suspension. Keep you hands away from the belt and pulleys.

^^This can be and should be done engine off. You are looking at the track bar upper and lower mounting points in particular as it is the most common. I place a finger at the joint bridging the rod end and what it is attached to. Anything other that solid is an issue.

scottmcneal said:

Get the tape Measure out and check the front end.That 1" can make the alignment off.

Click to expand...

x2 toe would be the first thing to check.

id double check castor if you have the tools.

Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think vehicle lift affects toe-in. It CAN cause bump-steer (both wheels turn slightly as axle moves in relation to body), and lifting without an alignment will affect the steering wheel position in relation to where the tires are pointing. But if moving axle in relation to body affected toe-in, then the toe-in would change constantly as the suspension cycled. For OP's DW, I'd look closer to caster as the culprit, or other warn parts.

Yup, you're wrong. Lifting an XJ with stock steering will affect toe-in. As you increase the distance between the axle and the pitman arm, the joint between the tie rod and the drag link raises a bit. As the length of 2 legs of a triangle are fixed (passenger knuckle TRE to draglink/tie-rod, and driver's knuckle to draglink/tie-rod,) the remaining side gets shorter (passenger TRE to driver's TRE.)

You make bump steer problems when you put on a dropped pitman arm without changing anything on the trackbar, or change trackbar length & mounts with changing the steering, etc.

Wow lots of responses, thank you.

So at 4.5" should I now look into a drop pitman arm AND trackbar mount? I'm really liking the idea of replacing the stock trackbar mount with the Clayton piece as it will fit my RE1600 trackbar with just a little modification. My stock mount is so rusty it scares me...plus I hate single shear. They offer a drop mount and a stock height mount. I think it was 0-4 inches of lift for the stock and 5-8 inches of lift for the drop...but what if I'm at 4.5" haha

What does the stock steering linkage TRE max out at?