Ride too bouncy?

[ramkum]

Other thing - go test drive another liberty. In stock form, these things definitely don't ride like Cadillacs. It's a Jeep, it'll ride a little rougher. I like the ride in mine. Not too harsh, not too soft.

Yeah, I must do that. I do make it a point to watch other liberty's when they're running alongside, but they don't seem to wobble as much as mine, not that mine wobbles too much. They've all been newer versions though, and I haven't seen any 17 inchers yet. I did see a couple of old durango's wobbling as much as mine; that felt good

 

[-=JoN=-]

wow, I didn't think this forum would be so active!!

we're a few years old now.....i remember when it was so young......
hardly anyone at all...

 

[ramkum]

I believe I know what youre talking about with the bouncy ride, and thats normal. It sort of shimmy's up and down on each side when driving along a given piece of road.. Mine does the same with the OME lift, its just stiff suspension. And someone did a crappy job putting that blacktop down.

That's exactly how it feels. And its that way on almost all roads. I did a stretch of brand new really smooth tarmac on the highway once and there was hardly any wobble. But almost everywhere else there is. It generally doesn't feel too bad at highway speeds, but below 45MPH, it does feel a bit weird.

Stick around this place and you wont get bent over again.

I will!

 

[ramkum]

NOW I get this commercial.

LOL!! You ought to have put an NSFW warning there!

 

[Dave]

I just noticed on your bill toward the bottom it says "misc. supplies" = $30. That does not sound right because they should say what it is exactly.

Dave

 

[ramkum]

I'm not trying to be rude or anything, but did you test drive other Liberties before you bought this one?

I did do a test drive before I bought it. I was more focussed on how responsive the engine was and in testing the smoothness of the transmission. And it seemed pretty healthy!

Although the rims/tires/shocks/etc could be to blame, it is inherently rough on certain freeways. It is nothing like a heavy duty truck, but it is definitely no BMW.

I definitely didn't expect a car-like ride, but its quite the opposite of the behavior you've described. It feels a lot better on freeways! I drove down to NY and back last weekend (that's ~500mi in total), and it was only slightly less comfortable than a car. The rocking is a lot more pronounced at lower speeds. I was passing througha patch of broken pavement at about 25mph and had to slow down to 10 cos it started wobbling wildly. It felt like we were going to topple!

I was driving brand new rental merc milans and ford five hundreds for almost a year before I decided to settle down and bought the jeep. So my expectations could be misplaced. Anyway, its not too bad. I love the greatly increased visibility and the cargo capacity. I've heard its great on snow too, which is a big plus here in new england. And its a real looker. That my girlfriend's mom wasn't too comfortable in the back seat was an unexpected plus!

 

[LibertyFever]

Welcome to the wonderful world of Jeepin ramkum!

I'll add my two cents to this discussion...

Firstly, yes I have to agree to all the points they other guys have made. The Liberty is a relatively short wheel base (SWB) so it does tend to bounce over roadkill or other obstacles on the road. What's your tire pressure? Maybe its too high. I remember once driving out of my local garage after they put a set of new tires on for me. They had put 35 lbs in the tires, not that was bouncy! I'm now running about 22 to 25 lbs.

Dealerships aren't called "stealerships" for nothing. Recently I visited my "stealerships" for a routine 53,000 kms checkpoint. It involved changing oil & filter, the fluid in the diff's, the spark plugs and flushing the transmission. I was shocked by the $570 bill. I could have done the work myself but I'm trying my best to keep the drivetrain warranty valid as long as I can.

If you want to do your own maintenance then feel free to visit this forum as well as others for advice. Most of us know how to fix/repair most anything you can break.

 

[indianrefining]

They had put 35 lbs in the tires, not that was bouncy! I'm now running about 22 to 25 lbs.

I carry 36 lbs in the stock Wrangler HPs on my '07 Limited and it rides and handles just fine. The only time I notice any sort of bounce or shimmy is when it's clearly due to bad pavement.

 

[JeepJeepster]

22-25 psi is very dangerous at HW speeds. That causes the tires to over heat and in time can cause a blowout. If this happens, do not complain about how easy it is to flip a Jeep.

It also kills mpg.

I keep 36psi in my tires.

 

[-=JoN=-]

eek..22-25?!

too low..isnt the stock pressure like 33? on the 16"

I go about 38-40.....

 

[Marlon_JB2]

Stock pressure is 33PSI, but I've almost never run 33PSI. Anything under 30 in the Liberty feels quite dangerous. Very squishy and unstable. I keep mine around 38. 40PSI with the tires that I have caused the center to wear too quickly.

 

[Dave]

I also am running 36 pounds cold in my A/T's.

Dave

 

[jeepgirl0385]

I thought so too! They didn't feel too bad to me, though the foot travel in the brake pedal was kinda long. But they did work. The foot travel is definitely a lot less now, though its still a bit more damped than I would expect a new set of brakes to be! Perhaps its the weight.

Congrats on the Freedom Edition! They are awesome! I have a black one myself.

I don't notice any bounce to mine. I bought it new, and wore through those awful Wrangler HPs and now have a set of Toyo Open Country ATs. My only issue with mine has been brake wear/tire balance. We do have a wider tire than the other liberties, and the wider tires tend to track more. When the big trucks brake, it tends to make the road wavy, so maybe the roads in your area are bad. My bf has a 01 SS Camaro that has some super wide tires, and I guess it really tracks and picks up every little bump. We also, unfortunately, have less sidewall as well.

I recently had my brakes done. I didn't realize they were all that worn. Then they replaced them, and now they feel much more worn than the ones they took off! It's awful! I can't wait to get new brakes on mine. At least I am not the only one who feels the new brakes suck. Plus, they warp really fast, and I don't abuse my brakes, I try to use them minimally.

As far as the service, taking it to the "stealership" *****! They charge insane prices, and they overcharge in labor. I know that it takes less time than they charge to do a lot of the work (my bf is a fleet mechanic...but my parents owned the Jeep until this August and I was only allowed to bring it to the dealer). It is awful. I am going to try to learn to do some of the things myself instead of throwing away money I don't have.

 

[flair1111]

Hey one day when you have some free time PLEASE get a buddy to show you how to do some of those changes on your own next time. Changing fluid is easy and replaceing brake pads is simple. Turning rotors is as simple as taking them to a shop thatll usually do them for $10 each.

 

[Dave]

Hey one day when you have some free time PLEASE get a buddy to show you how to do some of those changes on your own next time. Changing fluid is easy and replaceing brake pads is simple. Turning rotors is as simple as taking them to a shop thatll usually do them for $10 each.

Ditto.....it is not hard. You just need someone to show you.

Dave