I've had this happen in 2 separate Jeeps....a JKUR and JK Sport so it seems like wheelbase (jk vs Jku) can be eliminated but on washboarded surfaces including gravel as well as packed dirt, the Jeep seems to lose its composure quite easily and at very low speeds.
By losing its composure I refer to the rear end stepping out and fishtailing and swerving fairly severly.
Is this a characteristic of the breed? Related to tire pressure, or?
it seems to be related to tire-pressure and shocks.. airing down to 12-15PSI helps greatly.. When I upgraded my shocks and springs, that helped even more.. But, a bad washboard road is still a bad washboard road..
I had that too with my stock 15 JKUR. But after that I added reservoir rancho shocks and TeraFlex springs during my 2.5 inch lift the problem went away. Not sure if related, but I keep my tire pressure at 30.
How do you figure out what upgrades to do to your Jeep after awhile? What I mean is, how do you decide you need something like this upgrade on the pic?
Getting squirrely on washboard roads is not a Jeep specific thing.
It has to do with the size and frequency of the washboard, the wheelbase of the vehicle, and the speed of the vehicle. I'm sure there are other factors at play.
Going too slow can magnify the effect as well as going too fast (but less so).
For the vehicle and road, there should be a sweet spot regarding speed, where things smooth out.
FWIW, I drive a lot of different vehicles, from F250 SuperDuty, to Dodge Power Wagons, to Chevy Tahoes, Jeep JK/TJ, etc, over washboard roads and they all step out at certain speeds (usually slow speeds) and smooth out when going a little faster.
Getting squirrely on washboard roads is not a Jeep specific thing.
It has to do with the size and frequency of the washboard, the wheelbase of the vehicle, and the speed of the vehicle. I'm sure there are other factors at play.
Going too slow can magnify the effect as well as going too fast (but less so).
For the vehicle and road, there should be a sweet spot regarding speed, where things smooth out.
FWIW, I drive a lot of different vehicles, from F250 SuperDuty, to Dodge Power Wagons, to Chevy Tahoes, Jeep JK/TJ, etc, over washboard roads and they all step out at certain speeds (usually slow speeds) and smooth out when going a little faster.
This mirrors my experience. The jeep hasn't been too bad actually. My Ram 1500 felt like it was all over the place on heavily wash boarded roads if I was in the right (or wrong depending on how you look at it) speed range.
This is from a 2013 video we have of our run out to the Racetrack. We found this Farrebee rental a 13 Rubicon on the road. It had 21K miles on it and as can be seen it has a broken axel. Yep rental folks drive them hard.
I have broken a few Enterprise rental cars before...on pavement (my kids helped) LOL
We took the Farrabees Jeeps to the Racetrack, up Warm Springs Canyon, crossed Mengel Pass in them, did Goler Canyonrom Barker to Panamint, and even got ticketed for driving on a closed (washed-out) Trona -Wildrose Road....if the axle had broken in some of those spots we'd still be waiting for help!
Notice the bumper skins are removed, as is the carpeting. He replaces those when he retails the Jeeps after durability-testing them in the hands of the renting public....(my guess is while they are still under the factory warranty)
I took my 2-door Rubicon and my buddy his 4-door Rubicon to Death Valley's Racetrack, which has a long washboard access road.
We aired down to 14 psi and engaged 4-Hi and were able to cover tens of miles of washboard road at 50-60 mph. The 4WD helped a lot, especially steering those wide turns under control.
I was truly amazed by the amount of washboard pounding these JKs are capable of taking.
the vehicle does not matter. We are talking about frequency of contact of the tire to the surface you are driving on. On washboard surfaces, your tire is actually not making constant contact with the road surface - meaning traction is significantly reduced.
My Suburban does the same thing. o does my JKU. It is normal.
Don't make any sudden wheel movements and you will not fish-tail. Also, ease off the gas and things will be better.
Speed, wheel size, vehicle mass, air pressure, stiffness of suspension, pitch and spacing of washboard, all are variables in a game of harmonics. I'd go with lower tire pressure and seek the ideal speed.
Heading out to DV in about 6 weeks for loads of fun and relaxation.
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