Installed A Rough Country steering stablizer last weekend, I figured if it could control wander and bump steer for a set of mud boggers it should help out a Lightning with the wide grippy tires that have a tendency to wander, and help out the high levels of bump steer we have when stock let laone when lowered.

I painted all components DSG, the plain white shock and gold zinc hardware was just too ugly....

The install was probably the easiest thing I have done to the truck yet and had some of the best results of any mod to date, bump steer is minimalized way below stock and the steering feels much smoother, the "tramming" on rutted roads has also been greatly reduced, not bad for $44.99 plus shipping.

the Item info is Rough Country item#87348

I bought it from http://www.rockymountainsusp.com/ind...umber=87348+HK it is $44.99

Fabtech makes one as well but it is more difficult to install, may not fit, uses the same damper, and it double the price.



and a couple of installed shots before I put the protective shock boot on.

 

very interesting

 

It is worth trying .....$44.99...... if you dont like it, just say Ian was a jerk I love this thing so far. and no issues steering when stopped, it only kicks in when there is a high speed shock to the system.

 

I agree it could be a good thing for those of us who have wondering problems, because of the wide tires.

I have a extra steering stabalizer off my Bronco so might give it a try

 

Not sure if the bronco job will fit, I was sent the 4x4 model by accident first and the bracketry is completley different, the shock though was identical.

 

Mark @ LFP will be selling these......give him a ring!

 

Man I almost wrecked her because of bump steer the other night. Going around a long sweeping 90 degree turn on the highway, basically at the apex, hit a bump and my truck felt like it jumped into the middle lane and the *** got loose, was scary there for a second because there was a car right next to me. I guess the combo of 22’s and the drop spindles makes the steering very sensitive. This seems like a cheap improvement that might be worth trying.

 

I might try this. Sometimes crossing the TzBridge I hit some minor ruts and the truck feels like its all over the place.

 

I have also noticed the extra "snappiness" of the belltech drop spindles, they do seem to make the steering much more sensitive to input. The stabilizer does not change the geometry of the steering so the sensitivity is still there but it reduces the twitchiness.

 

I HATE the damm expansion joints on the TappanZee, I have yet to drive over it with the stabilizer, but it helped on 684 and the Hutch greatly.

 

heres the looks pre-paint

 

You guys need to be careful with your terminology. If someone does a search for "bump steer" and comes across these posts, they will be getting bad information.

What you guys are describing does not seem like bump steer. Bump steer is caused by misalignment of the tie rods with the control arms:





Dampers are used on off-road trucks because there are always terrain features trying to rip the wheel from your hands. There is a bump, and there is steer, but this is not bump steer.

Back to the street, losing traction over a bump is also not bump steer. That's just too much spring, shock, or roll stiffness for the surface.

For instance, my rear hops out on bumpy turns. But that ain't bump steer. It's just too much spring and shock. Bump steer on the rear axle is theoretically possible (because the wheelbase gets a teeny bit longer as a rear-shackled leaf compresses), but for the amount of travel we are talking about on a normal roadway, it's a complete nonissue.

The most clear example of bump steer that I can think of is a sweeper near my house with undulations on the outside of the turn. As I go around the corner and the outside wheel goes over the bumps, the steering wheel gently moves a little from side to side. In a perfect world, the steering wheel would remain stable while the wheel moves up and down.

Now if you hit a severe bump at very high speeds, the bump steer effect can be sharp enough to be violent. If the bump is only on one side, the bump steer can cause the truck to move laterally a substantial amount. But a steering damper won't be able to help with that.

A steering damper can mitigate violent jolts to the steering, but it cannot mitigate bump steer. To do so it would have to prevent the movement of the suspension and steering parts shown above, which it can't. For instance, if the geometry is such that the spindle moves in .5" for 2" of vertical control arm movement, then the only thing that can stop that spindle from moving is stopping the control arm from moving. A damper can't -- and shouldn't -- do that.

I'm not saying that the damper is not a great idea. I'm likely to try one myself. But let's be clear about what it can and cannot do.

 

Thank you for the clarification Tim, on one of the other board I explained how this item does not alter the suspension geometry, but makes it easier to live with. Terminology aside, This has improved drivability and for $45 is one of the best mods I have ever installed. Do you have your new BT drop spindles on yet Tim?

Oh yeah, please AIM me so I can get your SN and stalk you at work...

 

That's really the bottom line. Again, just making sure that a search did not contribute the the already-existing body of misinformation on bump steer on these boards.

Not yet. Still waiting to get a machine shop to chamfer the edges of the hole. The first guy just left the inside and outside edges squared.

As much as I'd like to be stalked , I don't use IM -- and it's prohibited by most law firms anyway for security reasons.

Keep up the good work. My mods are going really slowly, so I'm vicariously modding through you.

 

Tim,

Very right, this mod will however reduce the effects of the existing bump steer by reducing the amount or steering movement when it occurs.

BT spindles: Dremel my man Dremel.....

IM: don't you at least use it when home....

I live vicariously through your garage, can you get me a I.T. sys engineer posistion out in LA, I can then leave on time and go to your place and mod for you..... or at least freeload in your garage, I will leave beer in the fridge.