For those of you that have been around since the beginning, you will enjoy this thread.
So I ordered 2 matching 392's, one for me and one for my older brother who always likes having the cool stuff but it comes with a price (for me).
His arrived first and he took so long deciding which wheel and tires he wanted the dealer got so annoyed he shipped it to me and told him he gets the next one. Those of you that have been around know the story him asking me what tire to buy every day for 6 months.
Well, then he finds this forum and "the steering issue"
The steering issue has been around, this episode of it, since the Launch Editions Gladiators hit the streets. Some Jeeps were programmed incorrectly, some had aluminum steering boxes, some metal, some got new stabilizers to shut people up, and the saga continues.
The steering issue was resolved way back before the first 392 hit the streets. But, of course, my brother has the steering issue that he and many of you all have have given life back to and now the steering stabilizer companies cant make them fast enough to resolve the steering non issue thats an issue. It reminds me of death wobble in JK's, every JK had death wobble, death wobble was then spreading to other vehicles in the family, ones with leaf springs and even vehicles made by different manufacturers.
SO, I picked up my brothers 392 to take it to get his AMP XL's that he has waited 6 months for as I wanted to see how he got the "steering issue" that has long ago been resolved.
I am headed South on 95 in Boca Raton doing about 80 and am realizing that this is worst driving late model Jeep I have driven to date. I have had three Gladiators and 5 JL's of which 3 have been 392's and none of them drove even close to how poorly this Jeep drove.
It was hunting like crazy and it wanted to go everywhere on 95 except where I aimed the steering wheel.
The shimmy was driving me nuts coming from the rear to boot. I called him and said you dont have a steering issue you have a tire balance and an alignment issue. He said omg no blah blah blah and I said ok lets let the equipment prove me wrong.
Suspect vehicle is a 392 with Fuel Wheels (18x9) and Toyo Open Country III A/T's 35x12.5x18
I get the call the Jeep is ready and I come to find out the following:
2 of the 4 Toyos were missing an ounce of the average 3-4 ounces they took and the Toe on the alignment was .31 which is a big FAIL number.
The Jeep arrived with the Fuels and Toyos on the vehicle and the stock wheels in boxes on a car carrier, the local Jeep dealer was asked to check the alignment and honor the one 12k or 12 month free alignment the manufacturer offers. My brother was told the alignment was fine the Jeep only has 3-400 miles on it.
.31 toe is horrible and would cause it to hunt and to an experienced Jeeper the butt alignement machine even out of calibration detected that.
So I asked the silly question, 85k Jeep and you thought it drove ok and his response was "I figured that was normal, its a Jeep". That would have been a valid statement back in TJ days.
the Alignment is perfect and the balancing is all goose eggs.
The Moral of the Story. A Majority of New Jeep products I have purchased have had unacceptable alignments and were out of manufacturers spec. But PLEASE start with the basics because if I have to read one more misdiagnosed "steering issue" I might throw my computer in the Intracoastal.
My brother now loves his Jeep and everyone on this forum can too. I am posting the alignment results for your viewing pleasure.
So I ordered 2 matching 392's, one for me and one for my older brother who always likes having the cool stuff but it comes with a price (for me).
His arrived first and he took so long deciding which wheel and tires he wanted the dealer got so annoyed he shipped it to me and told him he gets the next one. Those of you that have been around know the story him asking me what tire to buy every day for 6 months.
Well, then he finds this forum and "the steering issue"
The steering issue has been around, this episode of it, since the Launch Editions Gladiators hit the streets. Some Jeeps were programmed incorrectly, some had aluminum steering boxes, some metal, some got new stabilizers to shut people up, and the saga continues.
The steering issue was resolved way back before the first 392 hit the streets. But, of course, my brother has the steering issue that he and many of you all have have given life back to and now the steering stabilizer companies cant make them fast enough to resolve the steering non issue thats an issue. It reminds me of death wobble in JK's, every JK had death wobble, death wobble was then spreading to other vehicles in the family, ones with leaf springs and even vehicles made by different manufacturers.
SO, I picked up my brothers 392 to take it to get his AMP XL's that he has waited 6 months for as I wanted to see how he got the "steering issue" that has long ago been resolved.
I am headed South on 95 in Boca Raton doing about 80 and am realizing that this is worst driving late model Jeep I have driven to date. I have had three Gladiators and 5 JL's of which 3 have been 392's and none of them drove even close to how poorly this Jeep drove.
It was hunting like crazy and it wanted to go everywhere on 95 except where I aimed the steering wheel.
The shimmy was driving me nuts coming from the rear to boot. I called him and said you dont have a steering issue you have a tire balance and an alignment issue. He said omg no blah blah blah and I said ok lets let the equipment prove me wrong.
Suspect vehicle is a 392 with Fuel Wheels (18x9) and Toyo Open Country III A/T's 35x12.5x18
I get the call the Jeep is ready and I come to find out the following:
2 of the 4 Toyos were missing an ounce of the average 3-4 ounces they took and the Toe on the alignment was .31 which is a big FAIL number.
The Jeep arrived with the Fuels and Toyos on the vehicle and the stock wheels in boxes on a car carrier, the local Jeep dealer was asked to check the alignment and honor the one 12k or 12 month free alignment the manufacturer offers. My brother was told the alignment was fine the Jeep only has 3-400 miles on it.
.31 toe is horrible and would cause it to hunt and to an experienced Jeeper the butt alignement machine even out of calibration detected that.
So I asked the silly question, 85k Jeep and you thought it drove ok and his response was "I figured that was normal, its a Jeep". That would have been a valid statement back in TJ days.
the Alignment is perfect and the balancing is all goose eggs.
The Moral of the Story. A Majority of New Jeep products I have purchased have had unacceptable alignments and were out of manufacturers spec. But PLEASE start with the basics because if I have to read one more misdiagnosed "steering issue" I might throw my computer in the Intracoastal.
My brother now loves his Jeep and everyone on this forum can too. I am posting the alignment results for your viewing pleasure.
) to learn the ropes…
