- Location
- Atascadero, CA
ok so i have heard that a dropped pitman arm will reduce death wobble and does it reduce the extreme play in my steering wheel? and if not what will eliminate the play in my wheel or death wobble? thanx
George2 said:The dropped pitman arm will help with steering system angles on lifts over 4", and I'm a convinced user. I have a 4.5" lift (which is actually closr to 6") and the
pitman arm did wonders for smoothing out the steering angles.
DW has many "causes", but from what I've picked up here, it's primary cause is due to losing camber due to the front end being lifted. You can return much of the camber lost back by using adjustable upper and/or lower control arms to get the pinion angle back, but it's a delicate balance between correct front pinion angle, and correct degrees of camber for your alignment.
Many (most?) times it's just a compromise- you have to decide what is more important to you, and how many bad side affects you're willing to live with. I found that when I adjusted my lower control arms to get a really "happy" front pinion angle, I lost all the camber I needed to keep the front end from being so touchy on bumps.
I'm now adjusted just to the other side of a good angle for my pinion and front u-joints, but the steering is rock-steady. You've come to the right place for all the informational resources you need- now spend some time studying what others have said. The search function is your best friend here, and keywords like "angle" "camber" "DW" will take you to posts that you need to read, and direct you to people who can provide some priceless information.
The final outcome, however, is up to you. I don't think ANYONE here will disagree with my statement that "no two XJ's are the same", and each and every XJ/lift combo will need it's own minor adjustments to make it "just right for me". Sorry if that sounds vague- but I had to learn the HARD way, because I didn't do as much reading as I should have, and I didn't go back and ask people with great informative posts questions about what they wrote that I didn't understand. Since then, I've gone back and asked those who had deeply detailed descriptions, and they've been wonderful about re-wording what I didn't get the 1st time, and even sending pictures when I still didn't get it.
Congratulations on your new lift, and your Mom is right- it needs to be fixed. If you can't do it yourself, look for a reputable shop to help you. Go to the lower section of the main page, and find your local chapters- then ask THOSE guys about reputable shops near where you live. I couldn't believe how many of the LOCAL members volunteered to either come over to my house and help me wrench, load my rig on a flatbed and drive me to a local shop, or meet me at said local shop to help explain my situation to the shop owner.