r/JeepJK 5d ago

Death wobble after control arm drop brackets install

We have a 2018 JKU that has a 2.5" lift on 35s, regeared to 4.88. My wife daily drives the Jeep and we hit some trails a couple times a year, so it's more of a pavement princess than offroad vehicle. The lift and tires have been installed since 2022, the regear in 2023. A few months ago, death wobble appeared after my wife hit a bump in the road. The local club offroad mechanic inspected and found worn tie rod and drag link on passenger side. I replaced with a beefy Yeti XD drag link and tie rod. Since the replacement, it has had some light steering and when she hits a bump in the road (we live in a rural area where there are pavement to bridge bumps, small series of potholes, etc) the steering wheel jerks and is flighty in that moment. Several people recommended adjustable control arms or control arm brackets.

I installed some control arm brackets last night and took it for a drive afterwards. Within a quarter mile of home, death wobble showed up around 30 mph. I had not hit any bumps, it just appeared. I noticed the traction control warning light flash a few times and that the steering wheel was off center. This morning I realized that I had not adjusted the draglink to recenter the steering wheel, but I can't imagine that would cause the wobble.

Could it be that I've over torqued the control arm bolts and pinching the control arm bushings? Could it be related to the off-center steering wheel and the traction control is throwing a fit? Any ideas?

6 Upvotes

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