Death Wobble experience
Posting Guru
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 1,777
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But a steering damper is not the root fix for wobble. All it does is mask the problem. The parts I used were just new OEM parts. The ball joint had some bad side to side play in it
The truck is so solid now, no wobble whatsoever. I cant point out one part as defective but i would say if you do have the wobbles replace the track bar bushing and the ball joint (easy job) and then get your caster set as far positive on the factory spec. You might as well replace the damper as well for good measure.
When I experienced it with my Jeep, I got lucky. I know of guys who spent a lot of money chasing the problem.
Post Fiend
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 5,158
Likes: 35
From: North of Salt Lake City
Not enough positive caster will induce instability in any front end. Epic provered that with his leveling kit.....these trucks come from the factory with the caster set to a range of measurment ......his was most likely set closest to "vertical" in the range and when he put the leveling spacer on it "pushed" the caster past the factory spec which introduced instability in the front end. By adding positive caster....ie: moving the top balljoint back.....he added the lost stability back into the front end. On the flip side to much positive caster can be bad also because it will cause "heaviness" in the steering wheel.
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Laughing Gas
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 852
Likes: 12
From: Kentucky
I know tire wear can be bad if things are not right, but what else is wrong with it?
Post Fiend
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 5,158
Likes: 35
From: North of Salt Lake City
It's the perception of heavy duty axles vs. two light-duty half axles. Intuition leads one to believe the Ford front end is better suited to heavy service over the Chev independent front end. It would be nice to have some real engineering performance and longevity data.
Postmaster
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 2,598
Likes: 5
From: Maryland
Lets not forget what Ford's attempt at IFS was like a few decades ago! Thank God that the Superduty ended the run of the worst front axle ever. My brother's F250 rode far worse than any solid axle truck I've driven.
I also beat myself around 200,000 miles in a 91 Explorer with that suspension under the front of it. The solid Dana 60 works great, if anything they need to four link it instead of the poor setup that they have now.
I also beat myself around 200,000 miles in a 91 Explorer with that suspension under the front of it. The solid Dana 60 works great, if anything they need to four link it instead of the poor setup that they have now.
Post Fiend
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 6,521
Likes: 11
From: Greenwood, SC
All I know is this, our company drove GM trucks from 1998-2008 and replacing tie rods and steer tires every 50,000 miles was like clockwork, very predictable, even on 1 ton duallies. Tires would wear faster than that, more like 25,000 on those. They would be so un even and noisy you could not stand it.
Since 2008 when we went with the Ford, we consistently get perfectly even tire wear, run 50,000 or more on tires, and never have to mess with the tie rods or alignment.
My personal opinion is that the front axle stands up to being pushed around by trailers very easily, well within it's design limits. Heck, I have close to 58,000 miles on the original equip Michelins right now and they are perfectly flat and quiet, no wear pattern at all.
Since 2008 when we went with the Ford, we consistently get perfectly even tire wear, run 50,000 or more on tires, and never have to mess with the tie rods or alignment.
My personal opinion is that the front axle stands up to being pushed around by trailers very easily, well within it's design limits. Heck, I have close to 58,000 miles on the original equip Michelins right now and they are perfectly flat and quiet, no wear pattern at all.
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It's the perception of heavy duty axles vs. two light-duty half axles. Intuition leads one to believe the Ford front end is better suited to heavy service over the Chev front independent front end. It would be nice to have some real engineering performance and longevity data.
I don't have any actual data other than I prefer Ford's SFA for the assurance it will hold up but I've never broken a vehicle with the SFA or IFS.
It is perceived to be more durable, less costly and is a bit less complicated.
Some (including a few passengers) don't like the SFA due to a slightly rougher ride on pavement but I didn't buy a luxary car.
I ride in a 2500 GMC Duramax several times a month and I will admit the front end does handle a crappy paved road a little better.
Wherever I could take my stock F-250 with these ContiTracs, a 2500 GMC isn't going to break because of GM's IFS.
My logging roads aren't bad but I feel I have assurance the SFA isn't going to have something break driving down a badly washed out road.
This is just how I feel about it and everyone has an opinion.
Kind of like the great oil debate.
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Brakes, Steering, Suspension, Tires, & Wheels
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May 2, 2015 09:19 AM
