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Steering Stabilizer Upgrade?

3K views 22 replies 7 participants last post by  jtgf250 
#1 ·
Hey all,

I have a 2008 SuperDuty 4x4. I have a basic Fabtech 6" lift kit on it. I also run a 22 x 11 wheel with 37/13.5 toyo's. I'm not really certain what I can do to upgrade my ability for easier/smoother steering is and was hoping for some input/advice. It really isn't that bad to steer, but I drove another lifted super duty that had a better steering stabilizer and I certainly loved the difference.

I'm guessing what I have currently is considered a "single" stabilizer from what I have researched. Will upgrading steering stabilizers alone help this much?

Is this something I'll be able to install, and what are we looking at cost wise?

Thanks for any assistance. Here are some pictures of what I currently have going on...







Thanks
 
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#2 ·
Hey all,

I have a 2008 SuperDuty 4x4. I have a basic Fabtech 6" lift kit on it. I also run a 22 x 11 wheel with 37/13.5 toyo's. I'm not really certain what I can do to upgrade my ability for easier/smoother steering is and was hoping for some input/advice. It really isn't that bad to steer, but I drove another lifted super duty that had a better steering stabilizer and I certainly loved the difference.

I'm guessing what I have currently is considered a "single" stabilizer from what I have researched. Will upgrading steering stabilizers alone help this much?

Is this something I'll be able to install, and what are we looking at cost wise?

Thanks
Ok, what do mean "easier" steering....like what u have is hard to turn? What was the difference in kits from the "other" superduty you drove? It might of bad more or less caster which will affect steering greatly.

2nd.. You have a DUAL steering stabilizer set up NOW! Single means just 1, like stock.
 
#3 ·
Yea mine is a little tougher to turn, especially when parking/backing up.

I figured mine was a "dual" setup now, not sure what I was thinking when I typed that up.

Can it get better by adding a better system or is what I got, what I got?
 
#5 ·
I may be wrong but when I look at your image it appears to me that your stabilizers are for looks and don't work. Again I'm new to this stuff and could be wrong but in the picture they just appear to be sitting on your tie rods. Are the attached via something on the back side?? If I'm wrong again my bad and please correct me.
 
#7 ·
They definitely aren't just for looks. Now how good they are may be debatable.

Honestly, driving around, it isn't that hard to steer. But I have noticed in parking lots, or maneuvering my boat at the boat ramp, sometimes it just feels real "tough" to steer, and I was wondering if there was an upgrade. I seen, one truck with these Dirt Logic steering stabilizers, and that that truck turned real easy (with 24"s and 38"s)
 
#8 ·
To answer your question, upgrading steering stabilizers wil not make it any easier. I'm going off the assumption your talking about really heavy steering. When you put a 6" lift or more the drop pitman arm makes it very heavy to steer. Every superduty is like it. Maybe your power steering pump is weak ?
 
#12 ·
Incorrect, every super duty is NOT like that. I had 11" lift on my 08 on 40s with 14" wide wheels.....no problems turning sitting still. You are on the right track as far as the "the drop pitman arm making it heavy to steer". It's the "swinging radius" of the pitman arm, the throw of it. The distance between the center of the gear box and drag link hole.....the shorter the distance the harder the steering, the bigger of a turning radius. If its a longer distance, it'll have more steering power and a tighter turning radius. Think of a breaker bar, you put on a nut straight up and down......try turning it, no power to break nut loose. But if you put the breaker bar flat, increasing the "throw" it'll break loose no problem.

Also caster will make a difference in how the steering feels....to much positive caster (top of axle rolled back towards rear of truck) will make steering more "heavy" but that's more while going down the road vs in a parking lot.

Could your pump be weak, maybe, but to do I think that's what it is.... No. Steering stabilizers CAN make it a "harder" feeling to turn but I've only seen that with a dual fox shock set up where it took everything under the sun to compress them to be able mount them. Dual Bilstiens might making a bit "harder" but doubt it. When putting bigger then 35s on a truck, rolling turns are always best...easier on everything. The other option you could do would be Hydraulic steering set up......bout $1100, but WOW what a difference no play in steering, no movement going down the road and the ability to turn 53" tires sitting still no problems.
 
#9 ·
So no fix for it ? I wonder why the lifted 6.7 I drove with bigger wheels and tires and bigger lift turned so easily then.
 
#10 ·
I don't think so. The new 6.7s are a totally different beast , everything's different in those. Has to have a stronger pump . That would be my guess. With my 6" and 37s it's a pain in parking lots. Roll turns are the only way to go
 
#13 ·
Ok I stand corrected. But in every 03-07 superduty I've been in that's lifted with big tires the steering has been heavy

Coincidence ?
 
#15 ·
I have heard comments on heavy steering from many but also many who have no issues

but mines easy to turn and has 3 stabilizers because I haven't pulled the Rancho OEM location one since I did my duals

I also don't agree on a longer pitman arm making it easier to turn
the leverage thing doesn't apply in this case since it's actually backwards of that breaker bar theory and the " bolt (sector shaft)" if you will? is trying to move the object at the other end IMHO
 
#16 ·
Back wards or not its doing the same thing. The sector shaft is the "bolt"....the length is the pitman arm would be the length of the breaker bar. The longer the easier, hard to grasp...I'm sure, it was for me also till I actually took a rose bud (heating head for a torch) made a 6" drop pitman arm a 4" drop as I "flatten" (lengthening the breaker bar per say) it out and the truck now turned with ease. After doing that, I turned the steering stops in (located back side of knuckle) and the truck now was able to turn way "shaper"...lack of a better word
 
#17 ·
In the second picture, look at the bars running up on an angle from the passanger side to the pitman arm and the bracket just behind it. The more parallel these two run together the better quality steering and ride you will have also. On different angles as they are now makes them fight each other a bit. May not help with your turning while stopped but I would get it fixed.
 
#19 ·
We have people saying spectrum opposite things. It only makes sense that a drop pitman arm makes I harder to steer. All of my experience points to that.
 
#21 ·
LOL

You'd be right, I was trying to say on opposite sides of the spectrum
 
#22 ·
the parallel relationship of the trac and steering can be deceiving

Trevor at PMF showed Me on my truck that the lower portion of the trac bar that u need to draw a line to the ball joint to the upper attachment point mount since that is the fulcrum point

so a trac bar may look out of parallel but be a non issue
 
#23 ·
True, just seen on some were it has been an issue and increased the "wobble" while running down the road. Just didnt know if he had looked at or was aware of it possibly being an issue.

I did notice on my truck the other day when replacing a torn boot on my stabilizer that the shock was rubbing some, adjusted the center bracket down a tad and it made a huge difference in the handling, for the better.
 
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