Patrol Wobbles

technical info
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Big Red
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Joined: Sat Apr 18, 2020 6:30 am

Patrol Wobbles

Post by Big Red »

---The things that can cause the dreaded Patrol Death Wobbles are :

Wheel balance, bent rims or mud in rims
Wheel alignment
Panhard Bushes, even new poly bushes can have wobbles as they are not a press fit like the genuine bushes so use genuine Panhard Bushes.
King Pin adjustment, sometimes removing the shims will work.
Drag link tie rod ends worn, these are not replaceable so use an adjustable drag link which has replaceable tie rod ends
Tie rod has worn tie rod ends, replace ends.
The steering box is tighter when it is centralised so if someone had done the old "remove steering wheel and put it back on straight" fix after a lift it can allow wobble and affect the steering turns from centre to either side to be different ... use an adjustable drag link and do it properly.
Steering box play, adjust play.
Caster angle wrong with large lifts, fit drop boxes or aftermarket drop arms if you want extra clearance at the expense of better road manners.
Steering Damper only masks the problem, you should be able to drive without one if all else is good.

"Wobbles" is the steering wheel shakes left and right violently caused by play in steering parts ... will be made worse by increasing the angle between the central pivot point of the axle and the central point of the tyre where it touches the ground ...neg 44 8 inch rims are the worst followed by neg 44 10 inch rims followed by neg 22 8 inch rims which are better
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---The things that can cause the dreaded Patrol Death Bump Steer are :

High Lifts ... can be improved by drop boxes, modifying suspension mounts or longer suspension arms

"Bump Steer" is when one side hits a bump and the front wheel and rear wheel on that side move further apart causing the car to "steer" to the side away from the bump ...IE: your cornering hard and hit a dip so the car turns even harder into the turn, Bump Steer is caused by the "relative angle" of the front and rear suspension arms being high which is why drop boxes are nicer to drive on than drop arms as the wheel do not move as far apart when hitting bumps.
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