Yeah, why spend 50 bucks when you can solve the same problem for a grand or more?
I added a Fox steering stabilizer so you didn't have to
- Thread starter kmas0n
- Start date
derekmac
TJ Addict
My TJ had a Fox damper on it when I bought it 3.5 years ago. It doesn't push to the left, so it's still on there.
I bought the Fox damper as well. My old one was worn out and I wanted to bandaid minor DW until my new suspension and steering was installed (now completed). It served that function well and I left it in because I had no issue with the shock pushing the steering to the left.
It seems in my case the restorative steering force (related to caster) easily overpowers the few pounds of force applied by the damper, especially at high speeds.
It seems in my case the restorative steering force (related to caster) easily overpowers the few pounds of force applied by the damper, especially at high speeds.
You're the one who slung hydro assist into a conversation about steering dampers, so yeah, solving the same problem for a whole bunch more money. I install hydro assist often. I use it to solve two problems, provide excellent damping and to protect the steering from the forces the rig endures turning the tires offroad. Done correctly, the force to turn the tires is the same all the time and I'm sad that whoever set yours up didn't do that. But, I do have to take into consideration that you are one of a few that can actually make that AGR crap work in any iteration so there is that. If someone came back and told me how light the steering was when they got back on the street, I'd take it all off and start over.
OP
Condescending?
Sarcastic, absolutely
cocky, yup
arrogant, probably
but who was I being condescending to? Was it the monkeys?
Just to clarify, I wasn't the one that opted to put the AGR system on the Wagoneer, and I did say "almost made the steering too easy". In comparison to a TJ the Grand Wagoneer's steering effort is almost too easy in it's stock form in my opinion. I'm not sure what problems you've seen with AGR that makes it crap. Is there something I should be concerned with such as catastrophic failure or safety concerns?
OP
The questions are Rhetorical but I'll play along. Gas charge serves to prevent foaming/cavitation of the shock oil and of course, the feature is reflected in the price tag. Also reflected are build quality, material components, research, and brand recognition. Of course, what you were actually asking is do you need a gas-charged floating piston in a steering damper? To which I say "no" you really don't.
Here's my proof. Just for you @jjvw I took an IR temp gun along with me for last nights off-road excursion. The trail I drove was Schnebly hill road, which is 5 miles of very bumpy, rocky terrain. The rocks are small (4-6") and speeds are 10-15 mph so the suspension and steering take a decent beating. I took the temps of the steering damper, the shocks, and the tie rod (for a baseline on how much heat comes from the engine). Ambient temp was 84 degrees. It should be noted test was done on a 2019 JLUR with factory everything, not my TJ.
at the house. Shocks 84, Steering Damper 84, Tie rod 84
start of trail Shocks 105, Steering Damper 105, Tie rod 106
End of trail Shocks 192, Steering Damper 115, Tie rod 105
The way I interpret the data is while the shocks heated up significantly, nearly 85 degrees, the steering damper only increased 10 degrees, indicating that although the damper is converting movement into heat, probably not enough to warrant a gas charge and IFP.
Great thread, it's nice to see some feedback like this. I always avoided these things cause I was always told that they caused the steering to push left.
Sounds like perhaps that isn't an issue anymore.
Sounds like perhaps that isn't an issue anymore.
Not knocking your r&d here, but don't the shocks move up and down loads more than the steering dampener ever would, on or off road hence the much larger temp diff? Or are your shocks gas charged too?
I wouldn't know unless I saw it in real time on a trail, video of dampener & shocks side by side.
Fox makes some great products. In this case the exposed shaft on the steering stabilizer is just begging to get nicked and possibly cause a leak in a seal when it is pushed into the shock. imho
Did you mean to say "very few are" If so that is good to know. I remember that I read here this upgrade is not a great one, but it sounds like it could now be a good one.
I did the tie rod upgrade from a Grand Cherokee and I liked that a lot, now I may add one of these.
No, very few stabilizers have the shaft protected, it lives out in the open. That is rarely the cause of failure.
Is it really begging to get hit by a rock? It’s probably the least likely part of the steering system to get hit by a rock..
Some come with boots to add some protection against that, however that tends to trap mud and debris. I've not been around the community as long as Mr. Blaine, however I haven't heard of a damper failing due to that.
If that is a real concern of yours and you've needed to replace them for that reason, I would probably just stick with the lower cost dampers as I don't believe that there is much of a performance increase as the price scales.
I recently hit a deer while driving 55-60 mph. There was blood and fur on several my steering components but I don't recall any on the steering stabilizer.
Jeep-1, Deer-0.