Steering Stabilizer Question
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5th Wheeling
Joined: Mar 2019
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Steering Stabilizer Question
I got the King steering stabilizer to hopefully help with the death wobble issues on my 2018 F250.
Does anybody know the official torque specs for the bolts? I am kinda **** about not over torquing stuff.
Thanks
Does anybody know the official torque specs for the bolts? I am kinda **** about not over torquing stuff.
Thanks
Lead Driver
Joined: Dec 2020
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I'm not a believer in death wobble being caused by a bad steering stabilizer, so that wouldn't be the problem imo. It might do a better job at keeping the DW at bay, or lessen the occurrence of it for awhile. I'm sure you've read through some of the many threads on this, there are some that swear a new stabilizer(s) fixed their DW. It can't hurt.
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5th Wheeling
Joined: Mar 2019
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I had the alignment checked. It checked out fine. All front end parts are ok. This is a tow vehicle. It doesnt jump curbs at job sites or anything. The wobble is really only noticeable when I hit a bump at high speeds with the wheels turned a little, like going around a curve or something. It gets really bad to the point the dash shakes violently.
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Fleet Mechanic
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From: Rome as it burns
I had the alignment checked. It checked out fine. All front end parts are ok. This is a tow vehicle. It doesnt jump curbs at job sites or anything. The wobble is really only noticeable when I hit a bump at high speeds with the wheels turned a little, like going around a curve or something. It gets really bad to the point the dash shakes violently.
I tow heavy with my long bed single rear wheel truck all the time.
My death wobble was only on highways when I hit some rough pavement, straight or in a curve no matter.
It would vibrate the truck to the point of thinking that it was going to blow the doors off. Totally unmanageable. Ive witnessed two SDs on the highway do the same thing right in front of me and if you think it is violent in the truck, try watching it outside. Looks like the front wheels are about to fly totally off the truck as the driver fights to get it to the side of the road.
FWIW when Ford "fixed" mine, they replaced "drag link rod, steering damper assembly, and tie rod ends" according to what I can read of the ticket.
I had no problems since.
Get it done asap. I dont know if there is a story out there of an accident caused by DW but I have a hard time believing that there is not. It scared the be-jeezeeies out of me every time it happened.
More Turbo
Joined: Jun 2021
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Just said it in another new death wobble thread earlier, the trucks need more caster. I replaced the radius arms on my '21 F350 with a 4-link, and my '22 F450 with a 3-link, both of which had additional caster put into the alignment. I've never had death wobble. Steering stabilizer will only mask the problem
3rd Gear
Joined: Jan 2023
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Just said it in another new death wobble thread earlier, the trucks need more caster. I replaced the radius arms on my '21 F350 with a 4-link, and my '22 F450 with a 3-link, both of which had additional caster put into the alignment. I've never had death wobble. Steering stabilizer will only mask the problem
Lead Driver
Joined: Feb 2022
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Cause of DW is the shopping cart effect on the wheel spindles. If you ever had one of those carts where the front wheels wobbled like mad, that is what the truck is doing. Increasing caster reduces the effect when parts start to wear. What sets DW off is a worn bushing on the track bar, or as someone else pointed out, to a lessor extent, the radius arm bushings.
The shock absorber between frame and drag link is a damper, not a stabilizer, it dampens the shocks of road bumps from being transmitted to the steering wheel and helps dampen them to the rest of the components, but is in no way a cure for DW. If you put a good one on, you will still feel DW begin, but the dampening stops it from going full tilt. More than likely the frame end bushing has play, as well as a little play in the ball joint end of the track bar. The bar itself is strong enough to handle the forces, but the stock bushing and ball joint wear too quickly.
DW is a cascade effect, once the axle starts it's side to side motion, the lack of caster sets the wheels in motion and you get a full blown oscillation movement that only slowing way down will stop. Good bushings and increased caster will prevent DW down the road. You want at least 4 degrees caster to help prevent this.
I just had my RAV 4 aligned after they did some recall work, the caster on that is 4.9 to 6.4 degrees.
The shock absorber between frame and drag link is a damper, not a stabilizer, it dampens the shocks of road bumps from being transmitted to the steering wheel and helps dampen them to the rest of the components, but is in no way a cure for DW. If you put a good one on, you will still feel DW begin, but the dampening stops it from going full tilt. More than likely the frame end bushing has play, as well as a little play in the ball joint end of the track bar. The bar itself is strong enough to handle the forces, but the stock bushing and ball joint wear too quickly.
DW is a cascade effect, once the axle starts it's side to side motion, the lack of caster sets the wheels in motion and you get a full blown oscillation movement that only slowing way down will stop. Good bushings and increased caster will prevent DW down the road. You want at least 4 degrees caster to help prevent this.
I just had my RAV 4 aligned after they did some recall work, the caster on that is 4.9 to 6.4 degrees.
Laughing Gas
Joined: Dec 2005
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From: Reno, NV
No, you can just put in new caster shims. I've been told around 4.5 degrees is good. Increased caster can also help reduce steering wander.
Cargo Master
Joined: Mar 2021
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if you are stock height some shims durin alignment should get you any added caster you want. If the trucks lifted at all then there’s only so much the shims can do and radius arms would become necessary to adjust further.
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