Steering stabilizer - what do I need?

[620mac]

You can see my mods in my signature. I just ordered a SkyJacker 9000 to replace the OEM stabilizer. The guy at AutoAnything said that should be good since my tires are under 35" and I don't plan on going bigger.

My questions are:

Do I need dual, or will single work fine?

Can I leave the stock one on and add on the new one? Will that help at all, or just replace the OEM?

The issues I'm having are:

wobbling (truck itself, not steering wheel) intermittently at speeds 70 - 80ish mph, comes and goes

bump steer? - I hit washboards, etc and truck wants to go all over the place

understeer - steering is nowhere NEAR as tight and responsive as it was before the lift and tires

Any input would be great.

 

[AustinB]

1500?

If so, a steering stabilizer is probably the last thing you should get, until exhausting all possibilities of the problem.

My guess would be too much preload on the springs up front, for the "bump steer"..(if there are any, not familiar with your kit)

Post some pics of your front end, etc..

Brandon has a good eye for spotting any issues.

 

[620mac]

Yes, 1500 but I'm under the assumption that the Bilsteins won't affect the springs in that sense because of their design. Basically the preload doesn't compress or extend the spring, it just moves it up or down, and the only thing that is really extending is the shock itself, which those are designed to be able to do. Correct?

I've been reading up a lot on these stabilizers and it seems a lot of people that are having my issues are resolving them with one of these. My truck has 25k miles so nothing is wore out or anything. I'm just under the assumption that with a lift under 3 inches and approx 34" tires a stabilizer will basically tighten things back up and help support those changes more than the factory one.

 

[620mac]

Where is the stock one located? We looked and didn't see it. Anyone have pictures or diagram?

 

[AustinB]

So just bils?

Check to make sure the spring plate isnt upside down.



You shouldn't have any bump steer at all.

 

[AustinB]

Where is the stock one located? We looked and didn't see it. Anyone have pictures or diagram?

Isn't one. No need.

 

[brandonjansen]

Steering stabilizers aren't going to do anything on your 1500. You have independent front suspension with a rack and pinion steering. Any steering stabilizer you add will essentially just be for looks. As Austin said, your truck doesn't have one stock; they only come on the 2500/3500's which have solid axles and a completely different steering setup. So I'd recommend returning whatever you bought as it's not going to work for you.

If the truck itself is wobbling the first thing to do is check everything underneath to make sure it's tight and up to the proper torque spec. Anything that's even slightly loose can affect the truck at higher speeds.
Second thing to check is your alignment. I'd bring it to a different shop than whoever did your first one and see how everything's set up.
Are you running stock wheels still or have you gone to aftermarket? If aftermarket did you install hub rings with them?

You're not getting bump steer. Again, not possible with the type of suspension/steering setup that's under your truck. The cause of bump steering is from the front track bar and drag link being at different angles; you have neither of those.

The steering isn't going to be as responsive with a lift and tires. That's just how it goes. A wider, larger tire takes more to turn. Lifting changes the angles of the suspension and steering components. There's just a handful of things factoring into this that aren't the same. But again, this could also be due to something on the front end being loose which is why that should all be checked first.

Also, it sounds to me like all the information you've been reading up on about your issue is from 2500/3500 trucks which as I said, is nowhere near the same suspension/steering setup as your 1500. So make sure that anything you are reading is pertaining to 4wd 1500's only.