steering stabilizer; are they necessary?
Freshman User
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 43
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From: Indiana
steering stabilizer; are they necessary?
My 78 F250 4x4 has some sort of mounting bracket on the tie rod with nothing attached to it. Now,I can recall seeing similar trucks with a shock absorber-lookin' deal across the front suspension. My truck has a slight wandering problem (sorta like my mind). Could this be my problem? Do all similar trucks have them? Where does the other end attach? Enlighten me, please.
Freshman User
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 25
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From: Sullivan
steering stabilizer; are they necessary?
hi, on my 78 f-250 I have a steering stabalizer on it because of my big tires, your passenger side shock bracket should be in front of the axel and drivers is behind. Mine has a special bolt through the pass. side shock bracket. The other side of this goes to a bracket w/ u-bolts on your steering linkage. TO be honest they dont help tremendously,but they help save your gearbox,which our trucks seem to eat. This is why your truck wounders all over the road. You can adjust this out but youll have to ask someone else,very tricky, if you dont watch it youll turn your wheel an inch and be in the ditch.
Senior User
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 106
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From: Blountsville USA
steering stabilizer; are they necessary?
Redeye rye,
I have a steering stabilizer on my 75' F-100 4x4. I would not think of leaving it off. All it does is dampen the movement of the steering linkage. If you drive offroad, they are a big help. You can't tell much difference on a good blacktop. They save your hands and fingers when you hit something that tries to jerk the wheel out your hands. It seems like the bigger the tires, the more the wheel wants to jerk. If you have normal sized tires and drive and good roads all the time, don't worry about it too much. If you go offroad and/or have big tires, I think you will tell a noticeable difference. I think it will have little effect, if any, on the truck wandering.
Dave
I have a steering stabilizer on my 75' F-100 4x4. I would not think of leaving it off. All it does is dampen the movement of the steering linkage. If you drive offroad, they are a big help. You can't tell much difference on a good blacktop. They save your hands and fingers when you hit something that tries to jerk the wheel out your hands. It seems like the bigger the tires, the more the wheel wants to jerk. If you have normal sized tires and drive and good roads all the time, don't worry about it too much. If you go offroad and/or have big tires, I think you will tell a noticeable difference. I think it will have little effect, if any, on the truck wandering.
Dave
Junior User
Joined: Jan 2000
Posts: 55
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steering stabilizer; are they necessary?
you should run some kind of steering stablizer, at least
a stock one, all of the companies have replacements.
there should be a bracket on the axle also, on the passenger
side. and there is the tab on the tie rod.
having one make it a little easier on your steering components.
good luck
glenb@ev1.net
1977 f350 4x4 460
a stock one, all of the companies have replacements.
there should be a bracket on the axle also, on the passenger
side. and there is the tab on the tie rod.
having one make it a little easier on your steering components.
good luck
glenb@ev1.net
1977 f350 4x4 460
Freshman User
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 43
Likes: 0
From: Indiana
steering stabilizer; are they necessary?
Thanks for the input, guys. I'm running 33's, and I plan on hittin' the river bottoms and hills real soon. Sounds like a stabilizer would be a wise investment if only to save my steering box. I did a search on the subject and have decided my wandering problem is probably due to front AND rear sway bar (?) bushings being shot. One is missing completely! I just bought this ol' truck as a beater to haul firewood and to generally abuse 'till it died, but the more I drive it, the more I like it. It really looks like crap with a red rusty cab, a maroon bed and a blue tailgate with plenty of "character dents", but the lines are truly classic and I feel more and more like she's a diamond in the rough with unbelieveable traction in the worst of conditions. I REALLY like embarrasing those bowtie buffoons in the mud, so I think I'll keep her. It will behoove me to invest a little.
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