If it is your first time dabbling with off-roaders, or big trucks and SUVs, chances are it is the first time you are hearing about a steering stabilizer. This is because steering dampers are only common on these types of vehicles.
A typical steering stabilizer is a small horizontal shock absorber mounted very close to the steering linkage. It works to cushion the steering system from all that sideways motion your tires get when clambering over rocks and obstacles.
ProTip: Some road going compact SUVs and sedans don’t have steering stabilizers because their tire size and use case rarely generate massive sideways tire motion to warrant an elaborate steering stabilizer system.
Steering Stabilizers Prevent Wobbling
The side-to-side motion, especially on your steering tires, translates to a wobble. Some vehicles like specific Jeep Wrangler models are known for the problem nicknamed the ‘death wobble.’
Stock vehicles with everything, from the suspension to the tires within factory spec, don’t have any wobble problems. The engineers have accounted for everything to keep tires stable at speed regardless of whether you have steering stabilizers or not.
Things start going south once you start modding your suspension. A lift kit, bigger wheels, or heavy-duty shock absorbers can throw this precise engineering calculation off balance, causing the wobble.
To prevent this, you will need some shock absorbers to dampen the wobble and keep the wheels straight until it detects a steady and robust force from the steering system.
Just like regular shock absorbers that keep your wheels pressed to the ground, steering stabilizers keep your wheels at a firm sideways alignment at all times.
What is the Difference Between Double and Steering Single Stabilizer
In most cases, a single stabilizer link is enough to iron out the wobbles and keep your 4×4 truck centered. If you have a bigger lift kit and bigger tires, the torque from the wobble will be more than what one steering stabilizer can handle.
In this case, you will be better off with two stabilizer links, one for each side. This is why they’re called double steering stabilizers.
How Do I Know If I Need a Steering Stabilizer?
Knowing the symptoms of a failing or missing steering stabilizer can save you a lot of pain on the road. Instead of struggling to hold a wobbling steering wheel straight or risking driving an uncontrollable vehicle, you will know it’s time for a replacement or installation.
The top things that hint at the need for a new or better steering damper include:
You Just Installed a Lift Kit and Bigger Wheels
If you plan to install a lift kit and bigger wheels on your truck and SUV, adding a steering stabilizer upgrade kit to the budget would be a good idea.
There is no way your bigger wheels on the altered suspension won’t wobble. Manufacturers have to walk a tight rope between function and affordability. This often sees them install parts that work for given specifications.
A lift kit and bigger wheels will be more than what the stock steering dampers can handle. The wobble will worsen if your car is riding on old steering stabilizers or doesn’t have any installed from the factory.
Your Steering Feels Loose
Loose steering feels vague, making the vehicle seem as if it is floating around. You will have a lot of steering input but no predictable results from your front wheels.
This is very dangerous as the front end will start wobbling, and the car might not react as you would want during a high-speed emergency or routine maneuver.
If you notice loose steering, have your steering stabilizers, and other front suspension parts serviced immediately. Ignoring the problem could be catastrophic.
Your Vehicle Shakes as You Drive
If you already have stabilizers, it might be time to replace them if your steering starts feeling loose than usual. Over time, your steering dampers might develop cracks in the seals containing the pressurized fluid.
When this happens and the fluid leaks out, the dampers can no longer work, and you will feel wheel vibration as you drive.
You can differentiate the vibrations from those caused by damaged tires, unbalanced wheels, or faulty brake systems. The vibration will be present at low speeds and gets increasingly worse as you accelerate.
You can pinpoint the problem by inspecting the steering stabilizers. If they’re leaking, you will see fluid sprayed all over or residue along the damper shaft if it is a slow leak, just as you would see on busted shock absorbers.
ProTip: If the shake feedback is on your steering wheel and isn’t a constant vibration but rather a choppy bumping, then perhaps the steering stabilizer stop is broken
How to Test a Steering Damper
Apart from hearing the above vibrations and the death wobbles, you can test your dampers to ensure they are not locked up. In most cases, the track bar is the leading death wobble cause, but faulty steering dampers contribute to the problem.
Just like regular shock absorbers, your steering stabilizers should be smooth when pushed in or pulled out. Here is how to run the test.
- Jack up your car to get some working space or park it on a service pit
- Unbolt the damper on the rigid side (the one towards the center of the vehicle
- Push the damper in all the way and pull it back all the way out
- Be on the lookout for any spots where it takes considerably less force or more force to move the damper
- No matter how firm it is, the motion should be even and smooth
- If it is stiff to the extent that you can’t move it (it is locked up), chances are it is damaged
ProTip: If you see any leaks around the boot between the shaft and the container, your steering damper is probably damaged or will be spoiled as soon as all the fluid leaks out
Can Steering Dampers Be Repaired?
If the damage is to the steering damper itself, you will have to replace the unit. Steering dampers are like shock absorbers. Once the leak or the shaft and casing are cracked, they stop working.
However, suppose the problem is on any attachment points or supporting parts of the steering stabilizer system. In that case, there are chances you could buy the specific components and repair the system.
Does Steering Stabilizer Tighten Steering?
Steering stabilizers reduce wobble and vagueness in your steering. They will also reduce how much vibration filters in through the steering system, making your car easier to steer and more comfortable to drive.
The act of ironing out wobble and vagueness could, in essence, be translated as making the steering tighter and more predictable. However, in reality, they just make it less wobbly and more precise.
Will a Steering Stabilizer Fix the Death Wobble?
Replacing or installing steering stabilizers is one of the go-to ways to fix the death wobble. However, they’re always not the solution to all wobbles. Here is a look at the top causes for the death wobble.
Alignment
Lifted off road rigs are very sensitive to misalignment. Taking your vehicle into a 4×4 specialty shop to dial in the alignment could sometimes be all you need to kill or reduce the death wobble.
In any case, if your wheels are not aligned, the severity of the wobble will reduce. Alignment is easy and fast. Don’t let it throw off your troubleshooting. It should be the first thing you do once you detect a wobble. Better still, drop your rig in for alignment as a routine service to catch misalignments before they cause more problems.
A Cheap or Incomplete Lift Kit
A wrong cheap lift kit with incomplete parts that want you to mix and match with existing stock parts. For instance, a kit with a lower control arm but no upper control arm could induce the death wobble on your live front axle if the two arms create a mismatched caster angle.
Solution: Get a high-quality lift kit with all the necessary parts or have a professional lift your vehicle for you.
A Mismatched Track Bar
Reusing the factory track bar could also cause the death wobble. Since it isn’t tuned for the new ride height and the lift kit, it can’t work with the unique angles the lift introduces to the front axle.
A complete kit with a track bar that gives you the right angles should fix the problem.
Wheels That Are Too Big
Once you have zeroed in on a lift kit, you can tire shopping. Just like a stock, lift kits have specifications on how big of a tire you can install.
Don’t go beyond spec. This will throw the suspension out of balance, making it wear out faster, inducing the death wobble or causing other catastrophic failures.
Install huge wheels and get a comprehensive suspension and differential overhaul to accommodate your new dimensions and unsprung weight. If you are confident of all the work, contact a professional lift shop to do it.
Do the Wheel Shake
Have someone wiggle your wheel back and forth as you inspect the front steering system. As the tires slightly wiggle left to right, the motion should be smooth and firm. There should be no loose joints anywhere in the entire system. Tighten any loose bolts or replace worn out bushing and parts that are creating an out of sync wobble
Wiggle the Tires to Check Your Hubs
This test checks if your hubs joints are in good condition and are not letting your tires wiggle.
- Jack up one side of the car
- Grab the wheel on the top and push it towards the car before pulling it back to you.
- Make the motion short and repeated.
You should be looking for any movement that leaves the wheels to wiggle horizontally alone instead of moving with the rest of the car. Such play will translate into significant wobble or vibrations when driving at speed.
Torque Everything to Spec
Get a manual or specifications for your lift kit or vehicle and confirm what torque spec they want on every bolt in the system.
After this, get an accurate torque wrench and ensure that every single bolt is torqued to spec. You can notice some bolts needing torquing from the wheel wiggle even if you don’t still go through all the bolts and ensure that they are all as tight as they should.
In most cases, the death wobble is caused by an incomplete low-quality lift kit, mixed and matched components that can’t work together, or a good kit installed wrongly. Do your research well and save money until you or a professional can do a safe and decent lift and modification on your suspension.
How Long Do Steering Stabilizers Last?
Steering dampers will last as long as or even longer than regular shock absorbers. This could give you anything between 50,000 and 100,000 miles on average.
Estimating the correct lifespan is impossible because different manufacturers build different quality parts. This, coupled with the fact that people use their vehicles differently, makes the variables too much.
For instance, a Jeep that rock crawls a lot will put more strain on its stabilizers than a daily driver that’s constantly cruising the highway.
Don’t use mileage to tell how soon you should replace yours. Symptoms and constant inspection is a better way to tell when you should replace your steering stabilizers.