If you read my article Dealing With Disappointment – Jeep Dealer Debacle, you already know all about their attempt to fix death wobble with a steering stabilizer. You also know they tried to diagnose the issue without looking at any parts or driving the Jeep. If you didn’t know all of that… you do now.
How did I fix it?
I ordered a new draglink from Synergy Suspension and installed it. It is a well-known fact that if you replace a damaged or failed part it fixes issues caused by that part. Did you know that putting new parts on that don’t replace the bad part doesn’t do a damn thing?
I am still running all of the other factory steering components.
How much better is the new part?
Quality is hard to quantify easily. The Synergy part is made from thicker-walled tubing and fitted with upgraded tie rod ends. Although the new tie rod ends come pre-greased it is not my favorite thing to add parts that need more maintenance.
The bar is CNC formed for consistency, none of the factory parts are reused and the new ends use castle nuts with cotter pins. That extra bit of security is nice to have.
The draglink is adjustable using a collar on the Pitman arm end. It’s very similar to the factory adjuster and the new part also uses pinch bolts instead of jam nuts. A welcome addition for easier maintenance and replacement. The Pitman arm tie rod is also a single-plane design that eliminates flop. It definitely is less loose than the factory unit.
One last tidbit. The new draglink is capable of running under or over the knuckle. It comes with a flip adapter collar in the kit. (Note: This does require drilling the mount on the knuckle.)
What’s next?
The next step is to upgrade the rest of the front end. I have a new tie-rod and new trackbar to install. I also opted to add the Synergy stabilizer relocation bracket and I will run a new stabilizer to go with it.
I did this in two stages to prove a point. It is very frustrating to take your vehicle to any repair facility and have them ignore what you are telling them. It is even more frustrating when they don’t bother with basic problem-solving methods to identify an issue.
