Automotive Chassis, Steering & Suspension Parts

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Imagine you are driving your link hidden, please login to view or heavy-duty truck down the highway when you hit a bump and suddenly the steering wheel starts shaking violently. The shaking is so bad you can’t stop it no matter how hard you try to steady the wheel and it only goes away once you are nearly stopped. This situation is known as “death wobble” and it has troubled drivers of mostly offroad and heavy-duty vehicles for decades. So, what is a death wobble and how can you stop it? What Is Death Wobble? link hidden, please login to view The term “death wobble” is not a technical term, but one made up to describe an occurrence when driving. While traveling straight at normal speeds and on flat roads, the vehicle has no issues. But if it hits a bump, an oscillation begins in the front wheels. The oscillation increases causing the front wheels to “wobble” violently back and forth. The wobbling motion is then transmitted to the steering wheel through the link hidden, please login to view. The forces are usually so great that the driver is physically unable to steady the steering wheel. Some drivers have come to accept the event as a normal part of driving their vehicle, while those who experience it for the first time are usually left shaken both literally and physically.  What Causes Death Wobble? The simplest explanation for what causes death wobble is looseness in the front-end components. Here are a few common causes: Loose steering joints link hidden, please login to view Track bar bushings worn Worn ball joints Sway bar bushings worn Worn out wheel bearings Out of spec alignment Depending on which part is worn out, it may only take one of them to induce death wobble. The more likely scenario though is that several parts are degraded allowing for a greater combined amount of looseness in the system. And as one part wears and creates more movement, it speeds up deterioration of connected parts.  There are reports of Jeep Wrangler death wobble stemming back for years, which are now joined by reports of link hidden, please login to view. While Jeeps are a large part of death wobble issues, there are also Ford truck death wobble reports (mainly in the link hidden, please login to view) and even some in the Dodge Ram truck line. The main connecting theme to these vehicles is a solid front axle. While some drivers have reported death wobble with independent front suspension vehicles, it is uncommon.  Oftentimes, tire shimmy is misidentified as death wobble. A vibration that appears at one speed but goes away at another speed is more likely tire shimmy or an out of balance tire. Most people peg it as Jeep death wobble though because of lifted aftermarket suspension parts, but stock suspensions are susceptible as well if worn. Larger tires, which cause more stress on suspension and steering components, can cause death wobble to worsen. Adding larger tires to a vehicle with no death wobble issues won’t cause an immediate change, but it can speed up the breakdown of components. Is Death Wobble Dangerous? Anything that affects your steering and interferes with your ability to control the vehicle is a dangerous condition. The greatest danger from death wobble comes when driving on slippery roads (rain, snow or ice) where reduced vehicle control can prevent an effective response in an emergency situation.  How to Stop Death Wobble Once the front wheels start to shake violently back and forth, the only reliable way to stop it is to bring the vehicle to a halt. Do not slam on the brakes, just slow down the vehicle in a controlled manner. You may still have some steering control, but it is difficult to grip the wheel, so don’t expect to make any sharp turns before stopping. Once the vehicle is no longer in motion, the shaking will stop. How to Fix Death Wobble The best Jeep death wobble fix is to replace loose or worn suspension and steering components. You must take the entire front end into consideration as a unit with every part having an effect on the others. All pieces need inspected for wear and looseness while leaning towards replacement of any questionable pieces. It is unlikely that death wobble is caused by a single loose component and is far more likely brought about by the sum of multiple loose joints. To inspect the steering components, have an assistant move the steering wheel back and forth quickly while the vehicle is flat on the ground. Observe the steering joints. You should see no delay in the movement from one part to the next connected part. Movement from the steering wheel should create movement at the front wheel nearly instantly. Any loose joints need replaced. An link hidden, please login to view whenever trying to fix death wobble. This ensures that all the front-end components are pointing the right direction and with the correct angles. Some link hidden, please login to view can affect the front axle caster, which you should check and correct if found out of spec. Sometimes vehicle owners will add a heavy-duty aftermarket steering stabilizer to remedy death wobble, but it is not a solution and may not stop the problem. You still need to address the underlying worn component issues. If your Jeep or truck is affected by death wobble, you need to deal with the problem sooner than later. Death wobble is curable, so there is no reason to live with it. Check out all the link hidden, please login to view available on link hidden, please login to view or trust one of our 17,000 link hidden, please login to view for routine maintenance and repairs. To learn more about how to fix death wobble, chat with a knowledgeable expert at your link hidden, please login to view. Photo courtesy link hidden, please login to view. The post link hidden, please login to view appeared first on link hidden, please login to view. link hidden, please login to view

Ep. 3: Liv Scaffidi | In the Aisles w/ Derek Bieri

Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Josh Berry made his third start for Hendrick Motorsports as the fill-in driver of the No. 9 link hidden, please login to view Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 as Chase Elliott continues to recover from a fractured tibia. It was Berry’s fifth career NASCAR Cup Series start. He rolled off the grid from the 21st position and took the opening stage to adapt to superspeedway-style racing in the Next Gen car, ending stage one in 28th. The Hendersonville, Tennessee, native improved to 11th in stage two. During the final stage of the race, Berry was battling inside the top 10 when he was involved in a multi-car incident on lap 190. The team made repairs and Berry was able to rebound for an 18th-place finish. Josh Berry qualified 21st for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway in the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. It was Berry’s third race filling in for the injured Chase Elliott as he continues to recover from a fractured tibia. Berry took the green flag for his first Cup Series superspeedway-style race and used the opening laps to get a good feel for his Chevrolet. The 32-year-old driver was scored in 20th when the first caution flag of the race was displayed on lap 11. Opting not to pit, Berry lined up in that same position after choosing the top lane and battled inside the top 25 once the race resumed. Berry got shuffled to the back of the main pack on lap 42, but was undeterred from the loss of track position as he made his way back up to 28th to close out the stage at lap 60. During the stage break, Berry reported to the team that the NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet was a little free on entry, but the balance got better on the longer run. Interim crew chief Tom Gray called the Hendersonville, Tennessee, native to pit road for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment. Berry took the green flag for stage two from the 26th position on lap 68 and continued his forward progress, settling in behind Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson in the 21st position. Berry was running in 15th when teams began making scheduled green-flag pit stops on lap 127. The driver of the No. 9 stayed out until Gray called him in for a fuel-only stop on lap 138. Back out on the track, Berry made his way to as high as ninth before taking the green-and-white checkered flag in 11th to end stage two. The No. 9 team made a stop for four tires and fuel under the stage-ending caution, sending Berry back out to start the final stage in 17th. After beginning the stage in the top lane, he made a move to the bottom and used that to his advantage to work his way to 10th on lap 182. Berry continued to race inside the top 10 until a multi-car incident occurred on lap 190, collecting the No. 9 Chevrolet. The NASCAR Xfinity Series regular was able to drive the NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet away and brought it to pit road for repairs. The team worked hard over the course of two pit stops to fix up the front-end damage, and Berry lined up 25th for the lap 200 restart. Less than 10 laps later another incident brought out the yellow flag, giving the team another opportunity to work on the No. 9. Berry was scored in the 23rd position for the restart on lap 216 and reported early in the run that the NAPA Auto Parts Camaro felt better after the most recent repairs. He battled hard in the final stint of the race, climbing his way back inside the top 20 and ultimately scoring an 18th-place finish in the 260-lap event. “I thought it was a solid day for the No. 9 NAPA Chevy,” Berry said. “I feel like we definitely improved. We got up there in the top 10 and we were pretty solid before that wreck. After that, the car was just a little too damaged to be too aggressive. All-in-all, we finished the race, learned a lot and had some fun.” Start / Finish: 21 / 18 Next Race: Sunday, March 26, Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas How to Watch or Listen: FOX, PRN and SiriusXM NAPA:  link hidden, please login to viewChase Elliott:  link hidden, please login to viewHendrick Motorsports:  link hidden, please login to viewNo. 9 Team:  link hidden, please login to view The post link hidden, please login to view appeared first on link hidden, please login to view. link hidden, please login to view

Returning to Pennsylvania for a second weekend in a row, the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series had dates lined up for both Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Penn., and Lincoln Speedway in Abbottstown, Penn. Unfortunately, mother nature struck again, and Friday night’s program at Williams Grove was canceled. Saturday at Lincoln was bitterly cold with wind and temperatures peaking in the 40s. Nonetheless, Lincoln Speedway is a track where Brad Sweet, driver of the No. 49 NAPA Auto Parts Sprint car, has been dominant, missing the top 10 only once in his last nine starts. With 49 cars in attendance, Sweet was slated to qualify seventh in Flight B. He hit the charts 14.660 second, placing him second in the flight. Starting from the first spot in Heat Race 4, Sweet was eager to get the jump on second-place starter Chris Windom. The NAPA Auto Parts No. 49 launched ahead to pick up the heat race win and lock Sweet into the Fast Pass Dash. “As we race, I think we are going to learn more and more about the tires, obviously, as the track changes,” Sweet said, drawing the second spot for the dash. “Hopefully, with our NAPA Auto Parts car, that was a good dash draw; we can keep it up front tonight.” With six laps to complete the dash, the Big Cat rolled off from the second spot with his eye on the lead. At the drop of the green flag, Sweet managed to pull ahead to the lead. The No. 49 machine took off in the clean air up front, and Sweet picked up the Fast Pass Dash win. That put the NAPA No. 49 in the first starting position for the 35-lap Lincoln Speedway feature. With Sweet eyeing victory lane, the green flag dropped. The NAPA driver jumped to the early lead before holding off the field while battling through heavy lapped traffic, but Sweet fell back to second with 12 laps to go. He held his line and brought the NAPA Auto Parts machine home in second place. “We’re never happy to finish second, but we had new tires tonight, and the racing was actually a lot of fun there in the A-main,” Sweet said after the race. “I was struggling to figure out how to get my car off the corner there a little bit better, but that’s a part of the learning curve… We are going to have to keep adjusting out setups and try to find a package that’s going to be better for the whole 35 laps.” Next up on the schedule is the Talladega Sprint Car Showdown at Talladega Short Track in Eastaboga, Alabama, on Friday and the World of Outlaws Black Ice Brawl at Magnolia Motor Speedway in Columbus, Mississippi, on Saturday. Start / Finish: 1 / 2 Points Standing / Total: 4th / 812 (-40) Next Race: Friday, March 24, Talladega Short Track, Eastaboga, Alabama How to Watch or Listen:  link hidden, please login to view NAPA:  link hidden, please login to viewBrad Sweet:  link hidden, please login to view Kasey Kahne Racing:  link hidden, please login to view The post link hidden, please login to view appeared first on link hidden, please login to view. link hidden, please login to view