Going back to stock height for better handling

Billyhuss

Billyhuss

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Oct 9, 2020
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Fairfax, VA
Hi everyone,
I recently acquired a 98 TJ Sport 4.0L I6 5-speed with about 143K miles. She runs and drives with no major issues other than the fact that she handles poorly when at high speeds and while braking. The jeep came with a 4” skyjacker lift and shocks + 33” bias ply MT’s. I swapped out the tires for BFG Ko2’s and also had my mechanic swap the steering damper. These 2 adjustments helped a little bit where I am now able to take the jeep up to 60-65 on the freeway but soon as I get to 70 she starts to vibrate a bit on the steering wheel and sorta the seat. I’ve read through some of the forums already regarding this topic but can’t seem to find the answer that suits my issue which is why I created a new thread. I’m thinking of going back to stock height (keeping the 33’s) using Moog springs 3224 and 3229 (suggested by moog) and Rancho RS500X shocks. I’m not sure what else would need to be changed or if anyone has any advice on improving the handling and stability and if going back to stock will help with that?
Thank you!
 
You can't go back to stock height and keep the 33s (PIC). You just need to figure out what the problem is. Lowering it might not fix the issues. You might just need to replace some worn parts like tie rod ends, ball joints, Skyjacker control arm bushings, etc.

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Start isolating the problem. Remove a driveshaft and see if the problem goes away. When was the last time you balanced tires?

FWIW--MC claims are marketing gimmicks. You're not going to run 35s on stock suspension very well with their fenders
 
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tworley said:
Start isolating the problem. Remove a driveshaft and see if the problem goes away. When was the last time you balanced tires?

FWIW--MC claims are marketing gimmicks. You're not going to run 35s on stock suspension very well with their fenders
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I balanced tires when I got them ~200 miles ago and also got an alignment - this helped a little went from staying at 50-55 mph on the freeway to 60-65 mph and its not as scary anymore, however, I still get some sway at high speeds and while braking - the jeep wants to go right or left its super weird. I know the shocks and coils are pretty worn (they look it).

If removing the driveshaft doesn’t work, what would be the next suggestion?
 
tworley said:
FWIW--MC claims are marketing gimmicks. You're not going to run 35s on stock suspension very well with their fenders
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But they said I could do 38s!

kidding aside, agree with both above - you need to isolate the issue. Throwing parts at it blindly (either to return to stock or just swapping things) won’t likely get you far.

Look for loose, worn, and/or cracked rubber in bushings. Do a dry steer test, check your tires (shops love to overinflate), etc.
 
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I had vibrations at 65ish, my issue was the transmission mount bushing. Replaced that with another OEM bushing. $100 and an hour later and my vibs went away, the thing drove like a damn new jeep. The PO had replaced some steering components, added a steering stabilizer, etc that didn't fix the issue.

I don't have a lift, so it could be literally anything else as mentioned above, but that might be worth checking.
 
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Billyhuss said:
I balanced tires when I got them ~200 miles ago and also got an alignment - this helped a little went from staying at 50-55 mph on the freeway to 60-65 mph and its not as scary anymore, however, I still get some sway at high speeds and while braking - the jeep wants to go right or left its super weird. I know the shocks and coils are pretty worn (they look it).

If removing the driveshaft doesn’t work, what would be the next suggestion?
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I know the old Skyjacker 4" lifts came with a dpa. If you have one, remove it and go back to stock and most of your troubles will be gone. It sounds like your shocks and springs are just shot.

p.s. I wish you were a little closer to Charlottesville or I would come check everything out for you.
 
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On 3 different Jeeps, with 3 different people, using a mix of different components, it has not failed that, going from 4" of lift back to 3" of lift has made all the difference on the TJs. I'm no engineer, so I can't speak to roll center angles, and anti-squat calculations. I can only speak from experience. Since you are willing to go to stock height, let me suggest a 2" lift of your choosing. It will let you get away with the 33's (you'll probably need to adjust bump stops a bit) and I think you'll be happy with the handling. Heck, if nothing else, get the factory height springs you referenced and install them with some 2" spacers, with the appropriate sized shocks. If it still doesn't suit your needs, plenty of folks here will take the nearly new spacers and shocks off your hands, and you go with your original plan.
 
-T. said:
On 3 different Jeeps, with 3 different people, using a mix of different components, it has not failed that, going from 4" of lift back to 3" of lift has made all the difference on the TJs. I'm no engineer, so I can't speak to roll center angles, and anti-squat calculations. I can only speak from experience. Since you are willing to go to stock height, let me suggest a 2" lift of your choosing. It will let you get away with the 33's (you'll probably need to adjust bump stops a bit) and I think you'll be happy with the handling. Heck, if nothing else, get the factory height springs you referenced and install them with some 2" spacers, with the appropriate sized shocks. If it still doesn't suit your needs, plenty of folks here will take the nearly new spacers and shocks off your hands, and you go with your original plan.
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If I go for what you suggest a 2-3” lift, would I need anything else other than shocks and sprints to replace my current set-up? Also what brands would you recommend?
 
TheBoogieman said:
I know the old Skyjacker 4" lifts came with a dpa. If you have one, remove it and go back to stock and most of your troubles will be gone. It sounds like your shocks and springs are just shot.

p.s. I wish you were a little closer to Charlottesville or I would come check everything out for you.
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Thanks, man. What is a DPA exactly?
 
Billyhuss said:
If removing the driveshaft doesn’t work, what would be the next suggestion?
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If braking pulls to one side look at your calipers. You could have a sticky caliper.. For other items do what @rasband mentioned and do a dry steer test.

Dpa = drop pitman arm. Not needed on tjs
 
Hey everyone, thank you for all of your responses. Its been really helpful and I appreciate it very much!

Quick update so far - had my mechanic take a look and the shocks are definitely shot and need to be replaced, coils probably too. Im not sure if that is causing the swaying when I hit a bump or dip and when I brake at high speeds. Also doesn’t solve the vibs. He did mention that I should replace the swaybar links as they appear loose. Some of the bushings also seem worn out so may need to replace those.

I’m going to take my jeep to a local “jeep” mechanic in the NoVa area which is seemingly hard to find. I’ll mention to him what you all have mentioned above and take it step by step from there. Will keep you all posted. Hoping to go back to a stable Jeep.

p.s. just to be clear, I don’t mind the lift even tho I don’t wheel and go off road much. Just figured going back to stock height would solve the stability issue.
 
This TJ has common post lift issues...I’m not slamming the OP at all......this is so common in the market. That TJ will have some or all of - ujoints that need replaced, bushings shot, sway bar links set wrong , 1-2 bad tie rod ends, fried brakes , old fluid, messed up axle centers or wheel spacing , bad control arm bushings , borderline pinion angle, bad shocks, drive shafts that need balanced, over inflated tires, missing spring isolators and bad mount/mounts .

Am I condemning it? Absolutely not...but you will be going down a long road of parts replacement if you don’t get a good overall evaluation of the shape it’s in.

Please, don’t take offense...I’ve bought similar TJs . It isn’t the lift height , it’s the quality, condition and set up of components.
 
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Billyhuss said:
I was thinking of getting the metalcloak fenders to give clearance for the 33s ive seen people online with those fenders and 35s
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That's not going to work unless they are highline fenders, which Metalcloak fenders are not.

Bad idea. Like @TheBoogieman said, you need to figure out what the actual issue is, as it's not the right height.

The POS Skyjacker lift likely isn't helping though (and I say that as politely as possible).
 
You don’t need to get rid of the lift if you like the height and 33’s to ride smooth. I just learned all this here and did a lot since April.

Can you post some pics? If you steering, the Pitman Arm, the control arms and bushings and sway bar link bushings and track bar bushings .

1, Bump steer is when you hit something normal and the Jeep pushes left or right. 4” lifts will have a drop Pitman Arm, look it up on this forum, then put on the OEM Factory, 5” or less you don’t need a drop. If you have it get a factory, the. Re-center steering wheel and align it.

2. Replace all worn bushings, when you step on brake, the force with loose suspension bushings will pull to weakest area.

3. Dry steering test , running have someone sitting in the Jeep turn from lest time right 10-2 and look in. Front for Loose steering.

Control Arms, Track Bars Sway Bars, then steering and recheck tires and put them between 26-28 psi .
 
AndyG said:
This TJ has common post lift issues...I’m not slamming the OP at all......this is so common in the market. That TJ will have some or all of - ujoints that need replaced, bushings shot, sway bar links set wrong , 1-2 bad tie rod ends, fried brakes , old fluid, messed up axle centers or wheel spacing , bad control arm bushings , borderline pinion angle, bad shocks, drive shafts that need balanced, over inflated tires, missing spring isolators and bad mount/mounts .

Am I condemning it? Absolutely not...but you will be going down a long road of parts replacement if you don’t get a good overall evaluation of the shape it’s in.

Please, don’t take offense...I’ve bought similar TJs . It isn’t the lift height , it’s the quality, condition and set up of components.
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None taken and I agree. Not sure what parts are needed to be replaced but any ideas on where to get it evaluated or by whom? Feel like every shop I take it to (at least around here) doesn’t seem to know much. Going to one more shop next week that I’ve heard good about.
 
Chris said:
That's not going to work unless they are highline fenders, which Metalcloak fenders are not.

Bad idea. Like @TheBoogieman said, you need to figure out what the actual issue is, as it's not the right height.

The POS Skyjacker lift likely isn't helping though (and I say that as politely as possible).
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It certainly is a POS lol. But yeah I get it, going to find the issue before changing things out
 
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cpwolf said:
You don’t need to get rid of the lift if you like the height and 33’s to ride smooth. I just learned all this here and did a lot since April.

Can you post some pics? If you steering, the Pitman Arm, the control arms and bushings and sway bar link bushings and track bar bushings .

1, Bump steer is when you hit something normal and the Jeep pushes left or right. 4” lifts will have a drop Pitman Arm, look it up on this forum, then put on the OEM Factory, 5” or less you don’t need a drop. If you have it get a factory, the. Re-center steering wheel and align it.

2. Replace all worn bushings, when you step on brake, the force with loose suspension bushings will pull to weakest area.

3. Dry steering test , running have someone sitting in the Jeep turn from lest time right 10-2 and look in. Front for Loose steering.

Control Arms, Track Bars Sway Bars, then steering and recheck tires and put them between 26-28 psi .
Click to expand...
Thank you, that’s super helpful. I’ll give those a go and also post some pics today.
 
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