3" Suspension Lift - Tracking??

Hi All,

I have just finished fitting 205,75,15 off road tyres and a 3" suspension lift to my Jimny which include:

Springs
Pro Comp ES3000 Shocks
Castor correction bushes
Adjustable panhard rods
Rear shock repositioners
Extended brake hoses

I took it out for a quick spin today and have noticed that my steering wheel is out by 45degrees and the car wanders slightly. I only took it out for about 2 minutes on the private track next to my house because its not taxed. Is it normal that doing all this to the suspension and fitting larger 205,75,15 off road tyres will mess the tracking up to such an extent and will getting a garage to re-align everything sort the problem?

Cheers,

Adam

I experienced this when I put lifting shackles on my old SJ. I took them straight off as they ruined the approach angle but it was the same thing.

When you lift the vehicle you are increasing the space between the chassis and the axle with a longer spring. The steering box is attached to the chassis and has a drop arm on it connected to a steering rod.

That steering rod is connected to the hub which is on the end of the axle.

As the rod has not extended to make up for the extended distance the 2 places it gets connected to are apart, it has to pull on something. That something being the drop arm on the steering box if you like, thus pulling the steering wheel out of kilter.

So it will need adjusting to make it longer to fill that gap. I imagine by both track rod ends equally being the best way.

The track rod ends may need a bit of heat to relaese them if they are on an old car and have not been adjused for some time.


On my SJ I just unbolted the steering wheel and bolted it back on straight but that was not the right way but I took the lifting shackles off before driving it on the road so didn't worry.

Kirkynut

thanks for the response kirkynut. so will this cause any long term damage to the steering box or once adjusted should it be ok?

one further thought, if this has made such a difference to the length or the steering rod, what about the prop shaft? will I need a prop spacer?

When I bought my jimny the tracking was miles out and when I found some one who would adjust it (most ordinary tyre places looked in horror when I took it in) he also had to adjust the rear end alignment as well - so may be worth checking this too

No, you don;t need a prop spacer with a 3 inch lift. I have a 3 inch lift without one and no probs at all.

Just get your tracking sorted and all will be well I'm sure.

Kirkynut

kirkynut wrote:

No, you don;t need a prop spacer with a 3 inch lift. I have a 3 inch lift without one and no probs at all.

Just get your tracking sorted and all will be well I'm sure.

Kirkynut

Cool, well once I get it taxed I will get the tracking done then take it for a good spin to test it out. I have a feeling it is gonna do the whole "death wobble" thing so will probably have to start the process of elimination, clean the crap off the back of the wheels, king pin bearings, wheel bearings etc...

Does anyone have any suggestions with solving death wobble? What is the purpose of a steering damper?

A steering damper goes between the chassis and the drag link and adds some friction, hopefully reducing the wobble at the hubs.

The steering is actually damped by friction at the hub swivel housing.

Series LandRovers are prone to the wobble, and nasty wandering, caused by loose kingpin bearings. You are supposed to set them up with a spring balance to measure the pull at the steering arm to move them. Tightening, called pre-loading the bearings increases the friction, and prevents the wobble. (I fitted a damper to mine, not to reduce wobble, but to try and reduce kickback at the wheel off road. TIP: never let your thumbs hook around the wheel rim, if you hit something the wheel will turn and break them off.)

On a Suzuki, the kingpins are helped by the large rubber seal that goes around the ball joint. As well as keeping out dirt, it increases the friction at the swivel, and reduces wobble.


Larger wheels, with more offset, or spacers, make wobble much more likely.

Some people tighten up the kingpin bearings so much that they wear out in 5 minutes in an effort to stop wobble.

Obviously, wheels that are bent, running out of true, have half a field stuck to the inside of the rim or are well out of balance have an effect too. Some people report that corrosion builds up on the hubs and makes the wheel out of true, watch for this.


Bottom line:
1) balance wheels. Make sure they are bolted to a flange on the machine. The tyre place will try and use a cone affair that only uses the centre hole on the wheel if you let them, these don't work on our wheels, because it is the bolt holes that centre the wheel, not the centre hole like a normal car.
2) adjust kingpins to book.
3) renew ball seals.
4) if you must, fit a damper for the final belt & braces touch.

There is not that much resistance in the swivel on a Jimny. There is not supposed to be a need to use shims on the kingpins to give more tightness on the kingpin bearings but as Martin has documented, Suzuki has started to do them and Martin can supply them through the shop.

They are supposed the just bolt up to the required torque and be correct. The SJ's used to have shims and then you had to shim them to the correct pre-load with a spring balance to check it.

The rubber swivel seal does not add much resistance realy, not enough to make a noticable difference.

The symptom we are talking about here is steering wheel wobble, where is goes from left to right at it's own will usually at a set speed.

A steering damper ight supress this somewhat.

The other issue is shaking or vibration which could be due to the corrosion on the hub, out of balance wheels etc.

Worn kingpin or wheel bearings could contribute to either of these symptoms.

So replacing everyting and doing it properly to book spec is the only sure way of solving it and then add a steering damper if it is still there, which it might well be!

Kirkynut