I have a 96 bronco and just put 33x12.5x15 tires on it. The guy installing them said my truck doesn't have a steering stabilizer on it and said he could get me one and install it for $120. Do I really need this and is $120 a good price? Thanks

 

It's good to have, but not absolutely necessary.

 

I had one on a 85 Jimmy that I used to have. It was a straight axle up front. I have been told that it really helps with a straight axle but with our TTB it does not help that much.

 

True, since the tie rods move independantly of each other when the suspension articulates, only the tierod with the stabilizer would see any benefit from it. And too, with the stabilizer only attached to one tierod bump-steer cause by force on the tierod WITHOUT the stabilizer would feel even more amplified. Bump-steer will still occur on any TTB truck even with the stabilizer. Stabilizers are used w/ solid axles moreover to help reduce the bump-steer effect.

 

is a good price. I would try to get a stabilzer that is dual shocks and goes inbetween both tierods. JCWhitney has a good one for about $100

 

Here is the Stabilizer I was talking about...

http://www.jcwhitney.com/autoparts/P...splay/ss-10101


If the link doesn't work....run a search on JCWhitney for Part # ZX502336N

 

thats not a good price. install it yourself. the stabilizer should run less then $50 and take 30 mins to install. its easy but like greystreak said not necessary. if you are having issues with the front wondering you need to look at tierods,balljoints and steering shaft issues

 

So, would the dual stabilizers be better then? I've been considering these. My only problem is when it rains and I hit a puddle with only one side the truck pulls to that side pretty bad. Would they help in this situation?

 

thats hydro plaining your tire size and tread cause this so im not sure a stabilizer would fix that or not.

 

That same problem happens to me. Replacing my front sway bar bushings helped, but didnt get rid of this problem.

Are you running larger tires?

 

Steering stabilizers are the phony fixes for dead or dying steering and frotn end suspension components. The ONLY time thy truly help is with manually steered vehicles. They lack the hydraulic assist and can therefore yank hard on the wheel should they hit deep holes or large obstacles and when running at highway speeds the small amount of "slop" in the linkage can cause terrible over-correction problems. Its just a "shock absorber" for lateral movement of the tierod assembly. The symptoms described will not miraculously disappear with one installed. Ask any one who drives a Bronco or F-series with a good alignment and strong front end and suspension components, its just not necessary. Where is JBronco when I need him? He can certainly attest to what I am saying.

With larger (especially wider) tires you are going to naturally "feel" more through the steering because the contact patch on wider tires increases the amount of rubber in "contact" with the road. This is why the response of the steering improves as well. If it doesn't, then look seriously at problems with tierod ends, ball joints, axle pivot, radius arm, and sway bar bushings. If you swapped from stock tires down to narrower tires you would feel less response and less "pull" in the same situations because there is less contact with the road on narrower tires.

 

I've got a TTB and a stabilizer on my F250. I wouldn't have the stabilizer if the front end was not 100%, it won't fix anything. What it does for me is dampen the "Bump-steer" when I am in the deep mud/red clay. You run into things that were discarded like tree trunks, big limbs, and concrete from washout. I am not travelling at high speed and in all reality, it probably doesn't help more than 5 to 10%, if that much, but it makes me feel better. Any truck is going to have "drag steer" when hitting a large, deep puddle on the side of the road. It's not actually hydroplaning as it jerks you to the puddle side, it has dropped into a "hole" with a viscous substance filling it. A steering stabilizer won't correct that propensity. The larger the tire entering the "puddle", the more resistance it meets and transfers to the truck.

 

Well, that just saved me a few bucks then! I never really noticed it, at least don't recall, when running the 31 x 10.5's but did notice when I put the 33 x 12.5's on.