Jeep Wrangler Forum banner

Bran new 13' unstable

7K views 48 replies 34 participants last post by  Birdman86 
#1 ·
I have owned a 01' sport and a 04' Rubicon. I just bought a 13' sport. It has 600 miles and completely stock. When driving on the freeway at around 65 to 70 mph the jeep begins to sway back and fourth. Best way i can describe it is if your behind a diesel trailer and when you fall back out of the draft zone you hit the wind vortex off the trailer and it sways your vehicle. There was no wind and the free way had no groves in the pavement.

I have never encountered this in either of my other wranglers. Im starting to have buyers remorse. I have a vacation planned in June for my 7 year old boy and I to go to Tahoe and now I am second guessing the trip because of this. You guys/gals have any ideas?
 
#2 ·
A few thoughts: you mention it has 600 miles on it. Did it get driven as a demo? Can the dealer check the alignment?

Also, check the tire pressures and make sure they are all correct. Our '12 and '13 do NOT have that problem.
 
#6 ·
Take it back to the dealer and drive some others along with the techs to get it looked at under warranty. That's not typical. Perhaps your rear swap bar is disconnected or some such thing.
 
#7 ·
Neither one of my 13's feel unstable and both have been to well over highway speeds. I second the tire pressures in questions. Afted I put 35's on my jk it felt really bad at 35mph. Tire pressures were to high, since droping it feels stable at any reasonable jeep speed.
 
#9 ·
Tire pressure and alignment . Mine came from the factory out of align and max psi on the tires.It floated around pretty bad till I let some air out and later did the lift and had it aligned.Its pretty stable now.Its seen some not so legal speeds and does as well as can be expected for a brick on wheels.
My sons TJ with 150k miles drives better than my JK did off the lot with 7 miles on it.Amazing what tire psi can do.
 
#21 ·
Sounds like crosswind to me. How do you know there was no wind? Crosswind at 50mph+ is FAR different when felt at a standstill.

The days that I really noticed this were completely still. Not a breeze or leaf moving and 95 degrees. I looked under the jeep today and checked the stabilizer. Everything felt solid. I made an appt with the dealer to check the alignment.
 
#16 ·
My 2013 also has an unstable feel to it at higher speeds, like you are describing...no vibrations, just swaying slightly. I feel like I have to fight to keep it straight. I'm a car guy and my background has always been sports cars with stiff suspension (M3, Si, 04 cobra) so maybe I'm just not used to a larger car. I'll start with checking the alignment as suggested here.
 
#17 ·
I actually had my Sahara going 90mph the other day with the top off, without even realizing it till I looked at the speedo. THeres a lot of wind noise, but the vehicle feels very stable at that speed. I would imagine that there is something wrong with yours.
 
#19 ·
I drove a Super Duty for years, so the 2dr fells like a sports car to me. However, the shocks on the Sport models suck. I already have a set of Rubicon take offs sitting in the garage to replace them.
 
#23 ·
I know mine is a 2010 but the suspension hasn't changed. My 2 dr has always been stable on the highway at 75MPH even with 35's now. I won't admit to going 80 but I would venture it doesn't there either ;)
 
#24 ·
Tire pressure is set really high at the factory, mine is 39 psi and goes up to about 41 when they're hot.

I've only felt something like you're describing when I'm on the freeway on a windy day... or when a semi goes by and the draft affects you. It's a high profile, box on wheels. It catches wind very easily. I also agree about the 2dr Sport's 'spongy' shocks... I'm sure some stability could be gained by swapping some heavy duty ones in there.
 
#26 ·
I'll throw my hat in the ring on this one too. MY 3012 Rubicon feels rather unstable at anything above 35 or 40 miles per hour.

I checked tire pressure and they were set at 40 to 41 PSI. I dropped them down to 35 and it seems to have gotten better, but still has some sway/drifting. Someone mentioned it could be a sway bar - and that's exactly what it feels like - like it's not even there. Crawled underneath and checked everything and it all seems tight.

Could be that I'm not used to it (coming from a Mustang GT), could be something else. I'm keeping my eye on it.
 
#28 ·
The day we drove our Jeep home from the dealer it did exactly what you described and scared the hell out of me as I thought I discovered death wobble in a brand spanking new vehicle. Turned out that I drove through a stretch of road that had major problems as a couple of days later I drove that same section and it jostled my car almost identically (though not nearly as bad). But I do know tire pressure can really affect the way a 2 door Jeep handles so be sure it's not aired up to 35 or more PSI.

BTW, my Jeep on 285/17s still drives pretty lousy on the highway but I blame that on the short wheelbase. But if you're on stock steelies those wheels are just too undersized for such a tall vehicle because once I replaced mine my Jeep handled much better (though I still need 2-hands on the wheel over 55).
 
#29 ·
Well spending my first week with the 2013 after 3 years with my 2008 there is a noticeable difference in handling. Can't imagine the 17" wheels on the 08 could make that much difference over the 18" wheels on the 14, so it's gotta be something else. I do find that the 2013 feels like it sways. Was thinking it was just a new car that I would get used to, but after reading this thread I think you guys are on to something here. Time will tell, but I have not felt unsafe at all even at 70mph on the thruway.
 
#31 ·
I get a little sway back and forth.. Nothing scary but i was thinking that slight difference in winds hitting rugged ridge flat fenders were the cause... It's lifted too but alignment is great. I'm running 35's.. Max psi is 56 on these Duelers but I run them at 40 for highway driving... 15-18 offroad.

I just have to remember to get a DD just in case if drinking... Then I won't be ALL over the place
 
#32 ·
I second the alignment. My 2012 was always squirrley and I attributed it to being a Jeep. When the lift went on a while back I had it aligned by the local 4wd shop and man what a difference. It is very stable now. I must have been misaligned from the factory although my tire wear was even with 5k rotations. It's a mystery to me how it could have felt so unstable yet not worn the tires unevenly.

That or the lift fixed it... hmmm there you go. You need a lift.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top