Drivability

You know; as I've never driven another Jeep other than my 66 CJ5, I wonder what the consensus is when it comes to street drivability. The ride in my jeep is terrible and you feel every crack and bump. Add to that that the steering seems to just not be as tight as it should be and boy does it wander around. Two seconds if inattention and I could end up God knows where!
Are all the small wheelbase jeeps hard to handle? Maybe I need to start over but I already replace knuckles and most of the front end. Any thoughts?

 

what exactly did you replace on the front end? there are a lot of components involved.

I drive a 95 YJ and its ruff ride too, however it doesn't wander. I have some steering issues on my 66.

 

old jeeps aren't real good road machines . its what you would call the white knuckle experience . the more you drive it . the better it will feel to you .I have had mine for 30+ years . but its had the PS swap years ago . yep they do tend to bounce around a little . you just got to get the feel of it . give it time . power steering would help . but that's just my opinion . on the same note brother has only driven the jeep once , and said he wouldn't ever drive it again . must have been 20 years ago , I still drive it now and then . just not the daily driver anymore

 

Old jeeps have character! The ride on mine is stiff, and long highway speeds make me feel like I need new kidneys. My steering is a little loose and the non power brakes take a stiff leg,. My wife drove it once.... and doesn't care to drive it anymore. It suits me just fine

 

it depends on tires , seats, springs, how much weight youve got in it, carpet, alignments. all factors add up to make your ride tollerable or deplorable. if your usto a 2013 bmw then you might just be in shock a little. These old machines take a bit of getting usto. once you get the feel of it you may be able to better determine its faults and things you can do to improve it.

 

I have pretty hefty spring packs, and I feel every bump, crack, patch in the road.

Wouldn't have it any other way. I can feel every rock I crawl over on the trail.

 

As said the steering and such make a huge difference. Mine has power Saginaw and about 5* of caster with a lift and 31"tires, while it rides rough it tracks the road well even at 70 mph. Disk brakes and a Dana 30 front also make a huge difference.

 

Mine drives really good. I have power steering that has no play in the front end. No wondering I do notice on really rutted roads it does want to steer out of the ruts. Nothing that's hard to control. Just a slight compensation to correct. I also have soft spring. It does bounce, but the ride is very good. So just to let you know. It can be fix so it drives good.

 

Wandering is optional, and not a good thing. Steering in good condition should be fine, even without p/s. Is the steering gear worn?

But a short wheelbase will always be choppy, even newer jeeps are... that is one reason that they keep stretching them, but you lose off road capability.

And as said above it was a different time. Even old Corvettes ride lousy.

 

What, I can't drive with my burger in one hand, soda between my knees, while wheel steering with my leg and fiddling the radio with the phone held in my radio hand?
I like my jeep because its too loud to talk on the phone...the world will wait for me. This will be my no phone zone. I plan on driving like a fogey... I will get a sticker ..."I may be slow, but you're reading this..."

i used a grinder to cut the radio off of the roll bar (see 'too noisy').

Wouldn't have one in my fishing boat either if it wasn't already there.

Why would I want blathering noise fouling my peace and quiet...

25 years ago it was Hagar, Dio, AC/DC, Mötley Crüe and lots of other hair... and 600W of guitar and drums... What? Huh? Add chainsaws and firearms... Hey? What's that?? Come again?

 

Getting your caster set properly will help tremendously with the wandering.

 

check the toe too

 

All the early Jeeps had short springs and plenty of leaves..........then as some do adding Lift by re-arching the spring package and in doing so it just adds to the already ruff ride..........the best spring out there for an early CJ is the Holbrook Long Leaves...... These springs are about 8 inches longer than a stock spring........this is done by moving the inside hangers on both front and rear closer to the middle on the frame. Since the spring is longer the rate and frequency is reduced amounting to a much softer ride and greater articulation off road.......On road I prefer a front sway bar to cancel some of the lean in corners, but others like it just the way they are...........One last thing , Most people tend to "Overshock" there applications , meaning using a stiff aggressive shock as if they were running trails at 130 mph in the Baja 1000.........the shock is there simply to control the motion of the front and rear axle up and down..........cruising around off road at 5-15 mph hardly requires an aggressive stiff shock. That in itself adds to the already rough choppy ride early CJ's are known for.

 

If the spring mounting points are moved closer together it will be harder to lift the jeep. I have to use long 2x4 on the front when using my hoist, because the lifting area is too close together even on stock jeeps.

 

I agree ...been there..done there..lot of times,too many..

 

The rear mount of the front spring and the front mount of the rear spring get moved..........in order to use the longer leave springs while still retaining the stock wheelbase.

 

yep aftermarket shocks that arnt made for a light jeep will rattle your bones too