Steering stabilizer going??

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Apr 10, 2007 | 11:39 AM

#16

krewat

FTE Leadership Emeritus

Joined: Jul 2002

Posts: 42,561

Likes: 421

From: Long Island USA

Quote:

Originally Posted by EnviroCon

Unless there's obvious signs of leakage or damage to the rod or tube, there's no clear way to tell by looking at the shock that it's bad. You could unbolt the rod end of the shock and push on it to check for Resistance.

And, you can check for the "squish squish" you get when the fluid leaks out.

Quote:

Originally Posted by EnviroCon

Bumpsteer is that nasty jerk of the steering wheel that damn near rips the wheel from your hands when you hit a bump. It's the reason that most off-roader's know better than to hook their thumbs around the inside of the steering wheel.

Ain't that the truth. It's never a good idea anyway, just in case something breaks, a tire blows out, etc.

Quote:

Originally Posted by EnviroCon

It's caused by to much angle between the drag link and tie-rod. The greater the angle, the worse the bumpsteer.

I really don't want to beat a dead horse, but there are many causes of "bump steer", not just the angle of the drag-link, tie-rod, or pitman arm.

Hit a bump with one front tire hard enough, the caster/camber of the front-end WILL cause the road wheel to deviate from it's intended path, especially if the shock is weak enough to allow the road wheel to leave the pavement.

Not enough offset at the rim (or too much) and the caster/camber is effected. If both tires are on pavement going straight, no problem, they cancel each other out. Any rough road, change in adhesion (road surface changes), etc, on one road wheel compared to the other, and you will get oscillations or pulling.

Power steering boxes also lend to the bump-steer. One little change in road wheel direction, the steering box tries to counteract it - possibly too much or too little, and the road wheels will oscilate back and forth (death wobble).

What to do?

Good shocks all around, and a steering stabilizer, and all the INFINITE causes of bump steer can be dealt with.

Again, there are all sorts of causes of bump-steer. And we're probably not all talking about exactly the same thing when we say "bump-steer", lending to even more confusion, the "band-aid" aspect of steering stabilizers, etc. etc.

But good shocks and the right size (big enough) steering stabilizer, and you can go down the road knowing you won't hit a rough patch of road and wind up in the next lane. Like my 2001 Superduty did BRAND NEW.

Quote:

Originally Posted by EnviroCon

Steering stabilizer's are a great answer (because they're the cheapest answer, not the best one) for bumpsteer. They absorb the initial shock that would otherwise travel up the steering linkage and be absorbed through your hands, wrists, and arms.

Exactly. They also keep the steering box from rebounding too much, which can be good for the spool valve in the box. Which will only help the box last longer.

--

Key points:

"Bump-steer" as a term is widely used for many MANY different types of steering oscilations, caused by many different things.

There is no one cause, nor one cure.

But a good set of shocks and a steering stabilizer is still a GREAT investment.

If you still have situations where the wheels are going in an unintended direction, or bump-steer, or anything else, something needs to be dealt with.

Apr 12, 2007 | 01:20 PM

#17

modmxz

Junior User

Joined: Mar 2007

Posts: 81

Likes: 0

From: Columbia River Gorge

Dual Steering Stabilizer

I just put a dual stabilizer on my '01 F350 7.3l 4x4. I went with the Fabtech FTS8008 and noticed an immediate difference in the handling of my truck. I run 37x13.5x17 Toyo M/T's. I ordered the kit through the local Les Schwab for 165.00 shipped, but I think tha Off Road Adventures has them for about $10.00 cheaper.