Hey gang, I've been a proud owner for a the better part of two weeks. NO regrets. There is on thing however I need help with.

First off, I realize this is a sport utility vehicle, so please don't flame me for wanting better handling out of my GC.

I need to be sure I'm not the only one noticing this when driving.

The steering is just so sensitive that I sometimes find myself over compensating in just average lane changes. (Could be due to the stiff suspension in conjuction with the front strut tower brace):confused: On sweeping curves, I have to really pay attention to exactly where I'm going to put the GC in the lane before the curve approaches.

The reason I'm bringing this up is I've never driven a vehicle that was so attention demanding.

I've read the thread of lowering with the Eibach springs for the GC (non-SRT model) that had one coil cut off in the front spring installation and the rears bolted right up. I didn't want to go this route, but looks like I may not have a choice until another option is available....:o

Any help or input would be appreciated. I'm still on a learning curve with this. TIA.

Hey gang, I've been a proud owner for a the better part of two weeks. NO regrets. There is on thing however I need help with.

First off, I realize this is a sport utility vehicle, so please don't flame me for wanting better handling out of my GC.

I need to be sure I'm not the only one noticing this when driving.

The steering is just so sensitive that I sometimes find myself over compensating in just average lane changes. (Could be due to the stiff suspension in conjuction with the front strut tower brace):confused: On sweeping curves, I have to really pay attention to exactly where I'm going to put the GC in the lane before the curve approaches.

The reason I'm bringing this up is I've never driven a vehicle that was so attention demanding.

I've read the thread of lowering with the Eibach springs for the GC (non-SRT model) that had one coil cut off in the front spring installation and the rears bolted right up. I didn't want to go this route, but looks like I may not have a choice until another option is available....:o

Any help or input would be appreciated. I'm still on a learning curve with this. TIA.

Dont feel bad man. I am contemplating going the opposite way. I want it to ride better. I am thinking of Airbagging the rear.

That wouldnt take away from the handling too much but it would make it super smooth on the road.

My Mini Cooper S was the same way even with Fully adjustable suspension, I changed the Run flat and the problem was cured. They tend to grab every line in the road intern making you adjust all the time. I am sure someone will come out with a suspension kit. THe major problem is that there will have to be some major R&D to drop the JEEP more.

WE hope soon we will have options!!!

I changed the Run flat and the problem was cured.

I've heard this before about the Run-Flat tires. Maybe someone that upgraded the wheels and tires can chime in. I'm going to use this to help make my decision on what to do...either new wheels and tires (22-inch) or just changing to a Pirelli set-up (315's on the rear like the BMW X-5)

Thanks for the info......:)

a) Drift during hard throttle is normal due to the AWD.
b) Rear lift (bump steer) over dips at highway speeds is normal due to the live rear axle.
c) The steering has a tremendous amount of kick back/road feel and is normal.

If 2 or more of the above occur simultaneously, you do have to pay close attention. Basically, what you are experiencing is the characteristic of the vehicle. Once you become used to it you will find that this ride handles extremely well for an SUV and is actually easy to drive.

i have a dumb question....at highway speed when I hit a bump it seems as though the car jumps either to the right or left..anyone know what i am talking about...offer an explanation?????

I'd say the bounce is due to stiff suspension. This isn't a cadillac nor was it ever advertised as one. There is a give and take for performance. The jeep will pull around 0.9 g in the lateral curve which is better than alot of sports cars and outstanding for an SUV. It's a jeep with a different center of gravity than other lower cars are, so you have to learn to drive this particular vehicle but trust that it will perform. I love the attention the jeep gives to the bumps in the road. I am an attention-a-holic and need to feel, hear, and see everything so I see it as the jeep talking to you every second of the drive and that is GOOD!

i have a dumb question....at highway speed when I hit a bump it seems as though the car jumps either to the right or left..anyone know what i am talking about...offer an explanation?????
Haaa, engineering term is "bump steer". Yes it is a reality under some conditions.

I took the run flats off for parelii snow tires and believe half of the bounce is do to the run flats. With the snows on it really handles better. The run flats will not go back on mine, between the stiff suspension that is needed in order to get the handling we like, run flats just make things to solid. I realize we don't carry a spare but I for one believe it really does do better all the way around without them. Get better cornering with snows on dry than the goodyears and that just should not be so.

Hey gang, I've been a proud owner for a the better part of two weeks. NO regrets. There is on thing however I need help with.

First off, I realize this is a sport utility vehicle, so please don't flame me for wanting better handling out of my GC.

I need to be sure I'm not the only one noticing this when driving.

The steering is just so sensitive that I sometimes find myself over compensating in just average lane changes. (Could be due to the stiff suspension in conjuction with the front strut tower brace):confused: On sweeping curves, I have to really pay attention to exactly where I'm going to put the GC in the lane before the curve approaches.

The reason I'm bringing this up is I've never driven a vehicle that was so attention demanding.

I've read the thread of lowering with the Eibach springs for the GC (non-SRT model) that had one coil cut off in the front spring installation and the rears bolted right up. I didn't want to go this route, but looks like I may not have a choice until another option is available....:o

Any help or input would be appreciated. I'm still on a learning curve with this. TIA.


I think it handles amazing for an SUV. Check out my post about taking the GC on a road course http://www.cherokeesrt8.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3266 . I was outpacing 350z and keeping up with the new BMW 335 in an suv. I don't think there is another suv on the market that can do this.

...Basically, what you are experiencing is the characteristic of the vehicle. Once you become used to it you will find that this ride handles extremely well for an SUV and is actually easy to drive.
Excellent point. When I first got my SRT8 I experienced the same "symptoms". It's amazing how fast you will adapt, after a month or so they were hardly noticeable at all, it's like they all went away! The first time I did a WOT lane change it scared the hell of of me, now it's all second nature.

slow91, I wouldn't make any attempt to try and "fix" or change anything until you have a few hundred more miles on the vehicle. The "demand for attention" factor will slowly go away to the extent that it will hardly be an issue "down the road".

The first time I did a WOT lane change it scared the hell of of me,

That's EXACTLY what I experienced!!!!:eek:

Thanks for the info.:cool:

yeah i guess it's normal.. took some getting used to ('cause i usually drive w/ one hand) but once you get the hang of it i think the performance is great for an SUV. now no more one handed drive when im being a lil aggressive. ;)

The first time I did a WOT lane change it scared the hell of of me, now it's all second nature.
WOT lane changes in a JGC SRT8 are a wild experience, I'm not sure I will ever get used to them. I'm not saying it's a bad experience, but it's different. Concentration generally is not an issue with WOT lane changes! :D

What I have managed to do a couple times is get on it too hard during left-turns, if you do this by accident on wet pavement you will get a wake-up call. I found myself drifting up a bridge one evening with my rears happily spinning away! :eek:

I had the exact same experience with mine when I bought it. I would make an aggressive lane change and have to pay attention to catching the rear end when I straightened it out. As it turns out, the tires had too much air pressure.

After some playing around with pressures, I found that about 32 in front and 30 in the back calms it down to a more than acceptable level. I aslo found that 36/34 isn't too bad from a handling perspective, but it makes the tires a lot noisier. I'm still waiting to see what the tread wear pattern in going to be with the pressures down to 32/30. So far the only problem with lower pressures has been when the weather is below 40 degrees or so. It seems that the pressures drop dramaitically from 40 on down. I've had to adjust the pressures quite often in the winter to keep the warning system from yelling at me.

While there is a definate difference in high speed handling vs. a rear drive vehicle, once you find out what driving techniques it likes and doesn't like, you can really toss this sucker around. You just gotta learn what it likes! I just wish they had one of these out on the road course at the SRT Track Experience.

I actually meant left-turn at an intersection, not at WOT, but way too much gas. :eek:

You know when you're trying to beat oncoming traffic, you get on it, and in a normal vehicle you'd be fine, but whoops, you forgot, this thing aint normal and all of the sudden all hell is braking loose in the rear. :D

I find a lot depends with the temperature and conditions. If it's warm out and dry, you get through that turn with the tires barking and chirping away. When it gets to be 40F and the pavement is wet, pay attention to what your rear tires are doing under heavy acceleration.

To be honest while I was fishtailing up this bridge, I was somewhat under control, the fronts were still glued down, fortunately. I would have continued, just to see how it played out, while it's not the best use of rubber, except for the fact that I was on a bridge... Rear tires were spinning at an incredible rate of speed... Took my foot out the gas and everything returned to normal, immediately. http://www.cherokeesrt8.com/forums/images/icons/icon14.gif

...To be honest while I was fishtailing up this bridge, I was somewhat under control, the fronts were still glued down, fortunately. I would have continued, just to see how it played out, while it's not the best use of rubber, except for the fact that I was on a bridge... Rear tires were spinning at an incredible rate of speed... Took my foot out the gas and everything returned to normal, immediately. http://www.cherokeesrt8.com/forums/images/icons/icon14.gif

And ESP didn't step in and stop your fun?

Maybe it was going to, eventually...?

This all happened relatively quickly, er very quickly.

I actually went through the turn at a somewhat sane speed, on wet pavement with temps at 40F. I usually go WOT after the turn, or somewhere close to WOT, once I'm straightened out... But I was irritated and driving a little more aggressive than normal. Before I was fully lined up, still turning, I went WOT, and the back end just kept going, which makes sense...

Kind of took me off guard, as I had the radio cranked up and couldn't really feel the tires spinning (pretty smooth) or hear anything. The fronts were pointed in the right direction, but I could feel the back end of the Jeep trying to catch up with the front...

There must be a bit of delay on ESP, 'cause I reacted to it before anything kicked in. I wasn't that all that concerned with the direction I was going, I was just worried about how much lane space I was taking up, as there were cars parked to the right! :eek:

I think my experience on this occasion is pretty consistent with what these boys are talking about, here:

http://www.roadandtrack.com/article.asp?section_id=3&article_id=4065&page_number=3


Those are the ones this single-minded Jeep is aimed at; people who will go out and find its limits on a back road, and will find out that, yes, it can be provoked to oversteer on corner entry, and yes, again on corner exit as it spins all four tires.
You can get this thing to come unglued on corner exit if you put it's rather large amount of ponies and torque to the test. I grabbed the tiger by tail and she took off on me. :D

To be honest, while alarming, it was fun. It just goes to show how beastly these things are, and it did come right back to me without any issue once I got out of it. http://www.cherokeesrt8.com/forums/images/icons/icon14.gif

OK----I'm going to throw a twist into this tale in the form of another question:

At any time during the WOT lane changes or cornering, do you feel like the GC's high center of gravity (compared to a sports car) is going to be it's demise??

Only asking 'cause I'm trying to understand this beast before I bite off more than I can chew in the real-world testing I'm so good at putting my vehicles through. I'm used to high power sports cars with a low coefficient of drag....:D TIA.

i think that if you take your truck to an empty paved parking lot and drive pretzels trying to flip it, you won't succeed.

You know when you're trying to beat oncoming traffic, you get on it, and in a normal vehicle you'd be fine, but whoops, you forgot, this thing aint normal and all of the sudden all hell is braking loose in the rear.

I find a lot depends with the temperature and conditions. If it's warm out and dry, you get through that turn with the tires barking and chirping away. When it gets to be 40F and the pavement is wet, pay attention to what your rear tires are doing under heavy acceleration.

"To be honest while I was fishtailing up this bridge, I was somewhat under control, the fronts were still glued down, fortunately. I would have continued, just to see how it played out, while it's not the best use of rubber, except for the fact that I was on a bridge... Rear tires were spinning at an incredible rate of speed... Took my foot out the gas and everything returned to normal, immediately." You ought to try these maneuvers in an RWD '03 SVT Cobra and it will give new meaning to the phrase "all hell breaking loose" and you will have new appreciation for AWD. Trust me, I know. LOL. Have fun!

You ought to try these maneuvers in an RWD '03 SVT Cobra and it will give new meaning to the phrase "all hell breaking loose" and you will have new appreciation for AWD. Trust me, I know. LOL. Have fun!

I hear ya.....:eek: My TT300ZX is 460RWHP and being tweaked to be 600RWHP on pump gas and 700RWHP on race gas.......:D .....trust me, I do appreciate AWD...;) ....Perhaps I should mention I sold A '91 GMC Syclone to buy my GC.......:cool: