Re-centering Your Steering Wheel
If you’ve just installed a suspension lift on your Jeep JK Wrangler and without installing a new adjustable front track bar, your steering wheel will most likely be off a bit and it will need to be re-centered before you can safely drive it. Not centering your steering wheel will cause your ESP system to think you are in a slide and will try to compensate for it by activating your BAS. Depending on where you are when this happens, it can be an annoying experience to down right dangerous. |
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1. To re-center your steering wheel, use a 15mm socket or wrench to loosen the 2 nuts securing the turnbuckle in place on your Jeep JK Wrangler’s drag link as shown in the pic to the left. |
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2. Firmly grab the turnbuckle and then, rotate it clockwise or counter clockwise as needed while a friend watches the steering wheel (or you periodically check on it yourself) go back to center. |
| 3. Once your Jeep JK Wrangler’s steering wheel looks centered, tighten the nuts to 26 ft. lbs. of torque and take it for a drive to verify this. This may take a few tries to get it on 100% on but that’s all there really is to it. |
Setting Your Toe-In
Contrary to what you might think, your front wheels do not sit parallel to each other but rather, if you were to look straight down on them, they would be sitting with the front of your tires pointing ever so slightly inward. This is called a “toe-in” and it is set intentionally this way from the factory to help keep your Jeep driving straight. And, if you’ve just installed a new suspension lift and a bigger set of tires, you may feel the need to have your toe-in adjusted to help compensate for the bigger meats.
Now, if you just installed a set of 33″ tall tires, you most likely will NOT have to adjust your toe-in as the new Jeep JK Wrangler’s have been designed with a steering setup that has the drag link attached directly to the steering knuckle (as opposed to the tie rod as was the case on the older TJ model Wranglers) and your toe-in setting will not change from stock and this should be fine. However, if you’ve just install 35″ tires, you may want to consider increasing your toe in to about an 1/8″ and if you’ve installed 37″ tires, you may actually want to adjust it to being about 1/8″ toe-out. Please note, past experience has shown these numbers to work well under these circumstances but are not guaranteed to be what you need. |
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1. Park on level ground and then with the help of a friend, measure the width between the fronts of your front tires and then compare it to the width of the back of your front tires. It is important to use the exact same measuring point front and back in order to get an accurate reading. If your tires still have a mold seam, this is a good point to measure from. Or, if you have a toe-in alignment tool (can be purchased at Harbor Freight for about $20), that will give you the most accurate measurements. |
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2. Start up your engine, turn your wheels both ways fully and then straighten your steering wheel. Turn off your engine and then using a 15mm socket, loosen the nut securing the clamp on your Jeep JK Wrangler’s tie rod as shown in the pic to the left. |
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3. Firmly grab the tie-rod’s knurled adjuster and rotate it a little bit at a time taking measurements along the way. For 35″ tires, continue this process until the width in the front of your tires is about 1/8″ closer together than the back of them. Again, if you have 37″ tires, you may want to adjust them 1/8″ toe-out. Make sure to NOT exceed 1/8″ in either direction. Too much toe-in or out will cause your tires to wear funny and way too fast. |
| 4. Once your toe-in has been set, use a 15mm socket to re-tighten the nut securing your Jeep JK Wrangler’s tie-rod clamp. Tighten this nut to 45 ft. lbs. of torque and make sure that the tie-rod does not move while doing this. |
Re-centering Your Front Axle
When you lift a Jeep JK Wrangler 3″ or more, you really need to do more than just pop in a set of taller coils if you hope to maintain a good ride quality and handling. At the very least, you really need to address the shift in your axles by adjusting your track bars to compensate for the lift. And, while a relocation bracket is a great solution for the rear, I would highly recommend the installation of a good replacement heavy duty adjustable track bar up front so that you can set it precisely to where it needs to be. |
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1. In order to set an adjustable front track bar, you will first need to determine how much your front axle is off by. To do this, firmly hold a 2×4 up against the driver side front tire from the ground up making sure that it is aligned to the center of the wheel. Using a tape measure, measure the distance between the edge of your fender flare (or other pre-determined point like the spring perch) and the edge of the 2×4. If your 2×4 is making contact with a shoulder lug on your tire, be sure to make a note of it especially if the lugs are of different sizes or are located at different points along the edge of the tire and would influence your measurement. Repeat the process on the passenger side of your Jeep (again being aware of the shoulder lugs and how they might influence your measurements) and then calculate the difference between the two sides. If you do not have a 2×4 handy, you can use a carpenters level much in the same way. |
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2. Using a 21mm socket, remove the bolt securing your adjustable front track bar to the axle mount. |
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3. Using a crescent wrench, loosen the jam nut securing the rod end to the track bar. Then, rotate the jam nut all the way to the head of the rod end and measure the gap between it and the track bar edge. |
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4. With the help of a ruler for accuracy, rotate the rod end in or out until the gap between the jam nut and the track bar edge has effectively added or subtracted the length required to re-center your front axle. |
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5. Use a crescent wrench to secure the rod end jam nut in place and make sure that you still have both misalignment spacers in place. With the engine off, put your key in the ignition, make sure that the steering wheel is unlocked and then have a friend turn it in one direction or the other until you can line up your adjustable front track bar rod end with the axle mount hole on your Jeep JK Wrangler. Secure the rod end in place using the factory hardware. |
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6. Using a 21mm socket, tighten your adjustable front track bar to the axle mount of your Jeep JK Wrangler to 125 ft. lbs. of torque. |
| 7. Take your JK for a spin to work everything in and then repeat step #1 to verify that your axle is now re-centered. If not, calculate how much more or less you need to adjust your adjustable front track bar, and repeat the process until your axle is centered. |
Setting Your Caster
From the factory, your caster angle will be set at +4.2° and if you’ve just installed a 3″ or taller lift on your Jeep JK Wrangler and are now running 35″ tires or bigger, I would highly recommend that you increase the amount of caster you have to about +6°-7°. More caster will help your Jeep to drive straight, reduce or eliminate any “flightiness” or “dartiness” you might experience and it will even help prevent your ESP from activating. |
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1. Park your Jeep JK Wrangler on a level surface (or as level as possible). Then, place an angle finder on the flat base of your front axle as shown in this pic and determine what your Jeep JK Wrangler’s caster angle is and make a note of it. You should also place your angle finder on the ground as well and make a note of it’s angle if there is any as it will need to be taken into account when setting your caster. |
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2. Chock your rear tires and using an 18mm socket and wrench, remove the bolts and nuts securing your front sway bar links to the lower axle mounts. (NOTE: If you have a manual transmission, skip to step #3) |
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3. If you have an automatic transmission, use an 18mm socket to remove the 3 bolts (one on each frame rail and one on the cross member) securing its skid plate to the frame of your Jeep JK Wrangler. Remove the skid plate and set it aside for now. |
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4. Remove the bolt securing your Jeep JK Wrangler’s front track bar to the front axle mount using a 21mm socket. This can be a tough bolt to remove and an impact wrench or breaker bar will help to make this job easier. |
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5. Loosen (but do not remove) the lug nuts on your front wheels, raise the front end of your Jeep JK Wrangler one side at a time from the axle using a tall floor jack and then set it back down onto (2) jack stands, each placed just behind the lower control arm frame mounts as shown in this pic. |
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6. Remove the front wheels off your Jeep JK Wrangler using a 19mm lug wrench or socket and then place them under the frame rails for added security. Leave the floor jack under the front axle to help support it. |
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7. Using an 18mm socket and wrench, remove the bolt and nut securing your Jeep JK Wrangler’s front shock to the lower axle mount. |
| 8. Lower your front axle until the coils are no longer applying any force on it and then support the axle with 2 short jack stands. |
| 9. Because your Jeep is now on jack stands, the angle of your caster should be different. Place your angle finder on the base of your front axle again and make a note of what this difference is. You will need to take this into account when setting your caster angle. |
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10. Using a large crescent wrench, loosen the jam nuts on your adjustable upper control arms. |
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11. Using an 18mm socket, remove the bolts securing to your adjustable upper control arms to your front axle mounts. Then, starting on the driver side of your Jeep JK Wrangler, pull the upper control arm up off the axle mount and rotate it clockwise or counter clockwise to shorten (increase the amount of positive caster) or lengthen it (reduce the amount). Make a note of how many rotations you made and then loosely re-attach the control arm onto the axle. |
| 12. Repeat what you just did in step #10-#11 on the passenger side of your Jeep JK Wrangler making sure that you rotate the control arm in the same direction and the same amount of times. |
| 13. Check your caster angle again and repeat this process until you achieve the positive caster angle you are looking for. |
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14. Once you have things set to the caster angle of your desire, tighten the adjustable upper control arm bolts to 75 ft. lbs. of torque and then use a large crescent wrench to secure the jam nuts in place. |
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15. Using an 18mm socket and wrench, secure your front shocks to your Jeep JK Wrangler’s axle mount using the factory hardware and tighten the nut and bolt to 56 ft. lbs. of torque. |
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16. Reinstall your Jeep JK Wrangler’s front wheels, lower it back down on the ground and tighten the lug nuts to 95 ft. lbs. of torque. |
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17. With the engine off, put your key in the ignition, make sure that the steering wheel is unlocked and then have a friend turn it in one direction or the other until you can line up your front track bar with the axle mount hole on your Jeep JK Wrangler. Secure your track bar in place using the factory hardware. |
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18. Using a 21mm socket, tighten your front track bar to the axle mount of your Jeep JK Wrangler to 125 ft. lbs. of torque. |
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19. Reinstall your sway bar links to the axle mounts and tighten them to 75 ft. lbs. of torque. You will need an 18mm socket and wrench to do this job. |
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Disclaimer: Utmost care should be taken when modifying anything to your suspension. Injury to you, your Jeep, and/or others can result from improper suspension modifications or alterations. The author is not a certified mechanic and assumes no responsibility for damage or injury. |
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In the re-centering section of the article the first picture DSC03314 shows a front track bar relocation bracket (frame mounted) that looks like it is part of a Full Traction kit but I do not see it on their site. Is it manufactured by another comany?
It’s a Full Traction drop bracket. I just have a pre-production prototype on my JK. It will be released very soon.
Eddie
Thanks for the quick response, Eddie. I appreciate it.
Doug
I have a 3″ Full Traction lift but without the upper and lower control arms. I know I cannot change the angle without them but is it possible to replace the stock arms with new adjustable arms without disconnecting everything on the axle? I would think it would be easier to set the angle while it’s on the ground and possibly less time?
Dale
Yes, but it is a bit difficult to do with all the stress being placed on the components but, with a floor jack, some heavy duty ratchet straps, a pry bar and some help from a friend, it can be done with all 4 on the floor (I have done it
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Eddie
Thanks for the tips… worked like a charm……
So is it safe to assume that:
1) If the stock upper control arms are still in place the camber remains at the factory 4.2 degrees +/- with a 4″ lift and 35″ tires?
2)The slight “floaty” feel and ESP triggering will diminish (or be eliminated) with the installation of adjustable control arms and proper camber adjustment of 7-8 degrees?
Thanks.
Mark
Hi Mark,
1. Yes, but it’s the “caster” that will remain the same and not “camber”. Camber is only found on IFS vehicles and if your axle has camber on it, it is bent (which is very possible).
2. Yes, it will be greately diminished with +6~8° of caster.
Eddie
I installed the Black Diamond 3 inch lift which came with cam bolts. The instructions are not very clear as it just says Install the Cam Bolts from outside. But is that all or we need to rotate the washers in a certain way or install it in a given way. thanks
najeeb,
In order to use the cam bolts, you will need to knock out the tabs on your lower control arm axle mounts. This will effectively make the holes into slots and this will allow you to change your caster angle. However, I would strongly advise AGAINST installing these cam bolts as it has been my experience that cam bolts tend to come loose and shift under the strains of wheeling with larger tires. And, once you make your lower control arm mounting holes into slots, it will not be easy to return them to stock, at least, not without some welding.
Eddie
So then what do I do?. My Jk is pulling slightly to the left. I took it to an alignemnt shop and they corrected the toe in but that has’nt made any improvement. ALso my BAS, ESp and the skidding light has been on ever since
Adding cam bolts to adjust your caster will not correct a pull to the left. While there is a slight difference in caster angle is present on one side to the next to help compensate for road crown, a noticable pull to one side or another is typically caused by: 1) tire pressure differences 2) a brake caliper sticking 3) alignment off due to worn out or damaged steering/suspension components. Now, adding more caster to the passenger side might help to correct this problem on an IFS vehilce but on a soild axle, not enough caster can be added to make a real difference. For what it’s worth, I have a pull to the right and can tell you that it is being caused by the ‘C’ on my axle being slightly bent. This is creating camber on the passenger side wheel and is most likely causing my pull. Unfortunately, nothing can really be done to fix this.
Eddie
So can i just replace the front lower control arms on the front with adjustable ones and solve my flighty feel after a teraflex 3″ lift?
Hi tburk49760, adding adjustable lower control arms should help out a lot but they alone may not be enough to fix your ‘flighty feel’ as you can only add so much caster with them. Adjustable uppers may be needed to dial things in completely.
Eddie
So the caster should be around 10*? Should the 10* make the front drive shaft angle correct? I am running JE Reel 1350 shafts. Thanks
No, 10° would be way too mcuh especially if you are running U-Joint style shafts like JE Reel’s. I would think that at most, you could go to 6°.
Right now I am at 1 and it seems fine. It just looks like the drive shaft is not lined up with the differential.
I have a 4″ super lift that i installed with 35 mky baja claws and my tires seemed to shimmy when i hit a bump in the road i put a new sky jacker stearing stabalizer in and it seems to whant to stil do it a little but not as bad didnt know if i should get a dual one if that would help or if you thought it would be somthing els. thank Billy
Billy, a steering stabilizer will only mask whatever problem you really have and if I could guess, you have a loose track bar. Did you make sure to tighten the mounting bolts to 125 ft. lbs. of torque with the weight of your Jeep on the ground?
I just put a SuperLift 4′ kit on and 35 BFG MT K2s. I am experiening a slight pull to the left, more of a drift really. also some of what you guys are calling flightiness. Just doesn’t seem tight. I have verified my toe in and set my axle center. Does not seem to completely good. I don’t have adjustable uppers but I will get them if it will fix this. Can you elaborate on step 9. In the first step you have the angle finder on the wheel. In step 9 where would yo postion it on the axle? And how do you determine how much to adjust the control arm based on that angle. What math needs to be done between the measure when taken on the wheel and when taken directly from the axle? Any pics with the angle finder on the axle when dropped? Is there something else I need to check?
You might be able to help correct your drift by adding a bit more toe-in. Factory should be about 1/16″ and an additional 1/16″ might help out a lot. If not, adding more positive caster will do the trick for sure. FWIW, you can do this with your Jeep on the ground but you will need a heavy duty ratchet strap in order to pull the axle back once the upper control arm have been loosened. The best way to do this is to loop the strap on to the cross member under your transmission and then to the upper control arm mount on your axle. Working on one arm at a time, detach the arm from the axle and rotate the axle back using the ratchet strap until you get the angle you are looking for. Adjust your control arm to fit and then bolt it in place. Take a measurement of the control arm and repeat the process on the opposite side making sure the control arm there is set to the same lenght.
Eddie
So I would need to have adjustable uppers, right? If yes can I just install adjustable upper control arms in the front and leave the rest stock? Another question, I took my JK to have the toe in set and wheels balanced. The guy at the shop told me he was going to balance the wheels on the truck, I had never heard of this before. When I picked it up I asked if they added much weight to the wheels. He said no, in fact no weight to any of the wheels. I could not believe this,he sais it happens this way sometime. Can that be possible? Could this be adding to my issue?
Well, that depends on what uppers you get as you will need to shorten them less than stock. You might actually be able to do this by getting adjustable lower fronts and just lenghten them a bit for a similar effect. This would essentially be the same thing as installing cam bolts but is a better solution to them. Otherwise, yes, you can leave everything else pretty much stock.
Regarding your wheel balancing, it is possible that they just rotated your tire placement on the wheels a bit. Whatever the case might be, if you still have balancing issues, I would take your Jeep back to have them do it again.
Eddie
Yea, my kit came with cam bolts but from what I have read no one likes to use them. Just to be clear I would buy adjustable uppers. Which one, adjustable uppers or lowers would be the best solution for getting the caster corrected? If I could only afford one which is the best choice?
Hey thanks for your help by the way.
Hi have only installed and run Full Traction uppers and can tell you that you can shorten them up a little less than stock. But, after talking to some of my friends that have tried this, you might want to try getting some adjustable lowers as they would essentially give you the same results that cam bolts would.
Eddie
Thanks again for the info. After taking in all we discussed I called Superlift and asked them the same questions. They also suggested the lowers. I ordered them Friday and will install them this week. I will let you know how I make out.
On the wheel balancing, I took my JK to a reputible tire dealer and had the wheels balanced. They needed to add weights on all wheels. I guess I should have known. The JK is handling better as a result. Hopefully once I install the lower control arms and set the caster I will have it beat. Thanks again!