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Another bump steer thread.

3car

3car

1/2 ton status
Joined
Dec 16, 2001
Posts
976
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Location
Hernando, Florida
Well, I bought and lifted a 90' sub last month and in that time I've been working the bugs out. 1/2 ton, 4" TC springs, blocks in rear, 4" raised steering arm, Rancho RS5000 shocks(single in front), and single stabilizer. The front end was aligned.

Drives kinda crappy. When you are on a rough road it has bump steer and bucks around a bunch. It will stay in it's lane but it's not fun to drive. This problem has gotten worse since the springs have started to break in obviously. I've read every thread on the board with "bump" and "steer" in them.

I decided to put the stock steering arm back on and get 2" drop pitman arm, lower the sway bar mounts, and return the front end to quad shock. Before I bought anything, I disconnected the sway bar to see what would happen. Well, the first thing I noticed after dropping the sway bar is that the steering wheel is now way off center. I guess it was bound up. It drives a little better over bumps, but its a squirly beeotch in turns and such. Definately going to reconnect that.

Any other suggestions?
 
agreed, some people have had a good results with the stock steering but IMO cross over is probably one of the best modifications you can do.cross over should eliminate all of your bumpsteer.
 
Cross-over will always be better than stock. Whoever thought of that stock steering needs shot. Check your camber as well. My 1/2ton had the same problem, with the same springs. Didn't change to cross over before it got stolen, but shimming the axle fixed most of the problem.

And my Daddy says sway bars are for sissies.
 
check everything to make sure they are tight, like ubolts, lugnuts, and all steering connections.
 
Cowboy_80 said:
Cross-over will always be better than stock. Whoever thought of that stock steering needs shot. Check your camber as well. My 1/2ton had the same problem, with the same springs. Didn't change to cross over before it got stolen, but shimming the axle fixed most of the problem.

And my Daddy says sway bars are for sissies.
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Your daddy may change his mind if he drove this truck around a few curves.
 
No, my daddy would just call you an idiot for wasting your money on a lift and tires, then proceed to tell you about the good ol' days of wheelin' when 35's were only on 'monster trucks', and 31's would get you anywhere you needed to be.
 
Cowboy_80 said:
No, my daddy would just call you an idiot for wasting your money on a lift and tires, then proceed to tell you about the good ol' days of wheelin' when 35's were only on 'monster trucks', and 31's would get you anywhere you needed to be.
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Sounds like a great guy. Good thing he has guns.:haha:
 
Well, I decided to make my own sway bar drop brackets this morning. I used 4" channel, and threw a ghetto paint job on them for now. I'll repaint them when I get my new bushings.

The truck drives MUCH better than it did with either the sway bar in the stock location or disconnected. Bump steer and wandering is pretty much gone. Now I wish I wouldn't have bought that pitman arm from Summit yesterday for $103.:rolleyes:
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Picture112.jpg
 
Holy cow, 3car, how much lift do you have that needs that much drop in your sway bar?

Sorry for the hijack, but I just put on a 4" TC spring lift and my K5 jumps to the left when I hit a bump or something. And my sway bar is in the stock location. Maybe I need to drop it down an inch or so?
 
wheels87k5 said:
Holy cow, 3car, how much lift do you have that needs that much drop in your sway bar?

Sorry for the hijack, but I just put on a 4" TC spring lift and my K5 jumps to the left when I hit a bump or something. And my sway bar is in the stock location. Maybe I need to drop it down an inch or so?
Click to expand...
Its just a 4" lift, and I dropped the sway bar 4". It made a 100% improvment.
 
I dont see how the sway bar did that, but if it did then thats good I guess. 31's might get you where you need to be but not where I want to be:D
 
wheels87k5 said:
Holy cow, 3car, how much lift do you have that needs that much drop in your sway bar?

Sorry for the hijack, but I just put on a 4" TC spring lift and my K5 jumps to the left when I hit a bump or something. And my sway bar is in the stock location. Maybe I need to drop it down an inch or so?
Click to expand...
with the sway bar in the stock location, the angle of the bar keeps the axle from being able to move rearward when you hit a bump. My truck now has no bump steer and rides smoother(than it did with the SB in stock location).
With soft flexy springs, you NEED to correct the sway bar or add disconnects to it.
 
guz71 said:
I dont see how the sway bar did that, but if it did then thats good I guess. 31's might get you where you need to be but not where I want to be:D
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there are two things that control axle movement. the springs, and the sway bar because its a solid connection between the frame and the springs/axle. Now, by lifting the truck and keeping the sway bar in the stock location, it creates a situation where the springs and sway bar are moving at different angles when you hit a bump causing binding.

It amazes me how much softer the ride is now.
 
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I bought a sway bar drop down kit that has the square tube. It will give it a 1 1/2" drop. Is this sufficient or is more needed?

I used the sway bar kit to drop the transfer case down to get rid of vibration....and it worked.
 
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