Steering stabilizer

[CWebster]

Does anybody have any experience with the Trailmaster 4-way steering stabilizer? It has a coil over set up on it and looks pretty gnarly. Would like to get some good feedback if you've run it. Thanks... .

 

[CWebster]

TTT

here:

 

[John]

Well...

are there any opinions? How well do these function?

 

[24V-DSL]

Ya, what John says

John... . I knew the looks of this thing would catch your eye



mine too.....

 

[bbowe]

I'll bite...

I have had one on my truck for over a year and a half. I am a bad person to ask because my front end is far from set up. The best advice I can offer is that the stabilizer hasn't broke and the spring hasn't slipped from it's setup position the whole time I have had it. Basically I haven't touched it since I put it on.



One word of warning though, this stabilizer had the same problem that all the rest of them had in early 2000. It doesn't have the piece with the correct taper for my model 2000 steering rod. The place I bought it from gave me a bracket with two U bolts to install it that way. I put the two U-bolts on each side of the OEM mounting hole. They may make the correct taper for it now, I haven't looked into it.



Now for the disclaimer: I put some aluminum wheels on my truck for the summer with too large of an offset, messing up my steering geometry and scrub radius. I also have 265 tires that are close to bald and are inflated high to give me good mileage. Add a 2" leveling kit with new control arms (I also mucked with the alignment cams) and the original trackbar that has too much play. Also add two front shocks with worn out bushings and no alignment after it was all done. Basically my front end geometry is a mess, the axle is too far to the left, the truck drifts around the crown of the road, and the shocks only dampen the large bumps. The truck wanders all over the place, but it is my fault. The stabilizer doesn't help much there but I don't really expect it to. I don't get any bump steer though.



In about a month I will have a DT track bar, new shocks, the correct wheels, new tires, and aligned to the specs I saw on this site. Once I have all that fixed I'll repost on how I like the stabilizer. I think it will help a stock setup track fairly straight and at minimum it will return the steering for you when you turn a light corner.



And John, I'm sure the thing can be powdercoated black



-Brian

 

[John]

Re: Ya, what John says

Originally posted by 24V-DSL

John... . I knew the looks of this thing would catch your eye

You know..... I'm also interested in the Safe-T-Plus steering stabilizer (most applications are for motorhomes although they make one for the 2nd gen. Dodge Ram). They seem to want an arm and a leg for one of those. . I wonder why they're so proud of it? Anybody have one on their Ram?



Hey Brian, I knew I'd seen the stabilizer pictured above before however, I couldn't remember where... OOPS!

 

[illflem]

Most any stabilizer will last longer than the stock one, I replaced mine at 15k. I used a Heckethorn from JC Whitney for $32, it's been on now for 135k with no problems. Take care when installing a new stabilizer or getting an alignment that the toe in adjustment coupler bolts are pointed away from the stabilizer. It looks like there is plenty of clearance when the wheels are pointed straight ahead but in a sharp turn the coupler can hit the stabilizer and damage it.

 

[CWebster]

Stabilizer

Hey, there's my keyboard! Knew I put around here somewhere!



BBowe,



Thanks for the reply..... Did it help at all in keeping the truck pointed straight with the spring on it? Seems to me that if you installed it with everything dead on straight, the coil-over spring would keep the truck pointed straight. Turn one way and compress the spring, turn the other way and stretch the spring... each time returning to center. One question is how well does it work if your in a prolonged turn? Do you have to fight it because of the spring or does the power steering pump soak up the resistance? Could you always rebuild the stabilizer with a new spring? Anybody with any thoughts or comments please let me know.





Ifflem,



Thanks for the heads up. I just noticed where you are from... beautiful country!!! I got married there this summer. Wedding was in Hamilton at my wifes sister's house, reception was "out the west fork" at Triple Creek, and we honeymooned at Tin Cup resort in Darby. WOW ya'll have it good. I've never seen water runnin' so hard all of the time. Didn't matter if it was 2 feet wide or 200 feet wide..... it was cold, it had fish, and it was runnin' HARD of them mountains. Enjoy yourself out there you have been blessed!



Chris