# Why is my car squirrelly? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 16, 2017, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-car-squirrelly/793755 "2017-08-16T01:41:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2017, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-car-squirrelly/793755/1 "2017-08-16T01:41:49Z")
2005 Jeep Liberty It was a bit squirrelly and I had the front-end aligned but it still doesn’t feel right. The problem is intermittent and I notice it mainly when I’m on grooved pavement at speed (my tires are a bit aggressive, not off-road but more than street tire pattern) and there seems to be a bit of understeer in curves at speed and just a general feel of less traction than there should be. My thought is a bearing going bad but there is no sound. I don’t think it’s the tires themselves since I just had 3 replaced and the problem didn’t change. The front shocks were replaced about a year ago but the problem is more recent, maybe 6-9 months old. So what should I check out? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2017, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-car-squirrelly/793755/2 "2017-08-16T02:35:17Z")
Broken tire belts? ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2017, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-car-squirrelly/793755/3 "2017-08-16T02:56:17Z")
Jack up the jeep and see if there is any play in the tires/wheels. If the bearings are that far gone, you’ll be able to feel it when you push and pull on the tire. Might also be something like a ball joint or a loose tie rod end, or something along those lines. Again, if it’s that bad, I would expect you to be able to tell by yanking on the tire in various ways while the jeep is jacked up. If your mechanic was competent he should have picked up on any of these things when he did the alignment. Is there any kind of funny wear pattern in the tires? ---
**Author:** ![zombywoof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/9e8a1a/32.png) [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2017, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-car-squirrelly/793755/4 "2017-08-16T03:00:15Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > I don’t think it’s the tires themselves since I just had 3 replaced Why not 4? - maybe the mismatch is the problem? ---
**Author:** ![tonyfop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/85f322/32.png) [@tonyfop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tonyfop)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2017, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-car-squirrelly/793755/5 "2017-08-16T03:12:33Z")
Have you checked your tire pressures? If the tires are over-inflated it will cause the understeer problem. Over-inflate, less traction put better gas mileage. Under-inflate, better traction, worse gas mileage. Just a few psi will cause this. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2017, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-car-squirrelly/793755/6 "2017-08-16T06:11:44Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > [snip] … If your mechanic was competent he should have picked up on any of these things when he did the alignment … [snap] This … if your mechanic didn’t check all these things then we’re talking negligence … it’s pretty much automatic to check ball joints and steering once the front wheels are off the ground, bearings should be obvious as well … That leaves tires … ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2017, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-car-squirrelly/793755/7 "2017-08-16T09:35:29Z")
Well if you increase toe in to give it heavier steering, then you get more wear. You wanted a wheel alignment to reduce wear on the tires, so you get lighter steering. you also got new tyres. Are they a type that will give you more mileage from them ? Grooves road surfaces do that. Seems normal if its not annoying on regular ashphalt, and only slightly annoying on groved, thats all ok. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2017, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-car-squirrelly/793755/8 "2017-08-16T10:51:19Z")
Grooved pavement? Probably tramlining. My Ranger does it too. The tires are trying to follow the grooves in the pavement. Normal. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2017, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-car-squirrelly/793755/9 "2017-08-16T12:02:04Z")
Look up “death wobble” and see if it matches any of your symptoms. It’s very common on jeeps. Everyone has their own thoughts on the exact cause, but in the end, it comes down to excessive play in the steering or suspension system. So if your tie rod ends or ball joints (or anything else, even sway bar bushings) are worn out and you’re traveling at the right speed to get the system to resonate, it’ll rattle the entire vehicle. I’m not sure if that’s what’s going on with you, probably not or you would have mentioned it, I 'm just suggesting you look at it and see if it even sounds similar enough to take look in that direction. Could be worth having someone check everything out. Also, all cars get weird going through grooved pavement. They’ll track with the grooves. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2017, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-car-squirrelly/793755/10 "2017-08-16T13:48:58Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Look up “death wobble” and see if it matches any of your symptoms. It’s very common on jeeps. Once upon a time, I created a website called [The CJ2A Page](https://www.thecj2apage.com), because I had a CJ-2A and I wanted a go-to site for other owners. I had to sell my jeep when I moved up here, and I gave the site to one of my readers. He made _many_ improvements (though I’m happy he kept the format, which I made to match someone else’s The CJ-3A Page), including a _much_ better forum. But the Search box on the main page doesn’t show me anything when I look for ‘death wobble’. A [google search](https://www.google.com/search?q=site%3Awww.thecj2apage.com+%22death+wobble%22&gws_rd=ssl) has links to discussions. My own jeep had the ‘Willys Death Wobble’, and in my case it was the pivot pins. Of course my CJ-2A was a '46. I have no idea how similar the front suspension is on modern Jeeps. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2017, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-car-squirrelly/793755/11 "2017-08-16T15:48:28Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Once upon a time, I created a website called [The CJ2A Page](https://www.thecj2apage.com), because I had a CJ-2A and I wanted a go-to site for other owners. I had to sell my jeep when I moved up here, and I gave the site to one of my readers. He made _many_ improvements (though I’m happy he kept the format, which I made to match someone else’s The CJ-3A Page), including a _much_ better forum. > > But the Search box on the main page doesn’t show me anything when I look for ‘death wobble’. A [google search](https://www.google.com/search?q=site%3Awww.thecj2apage.com+%22death+wobble%22&gws_rd=ssl) has links to discussions. My own jeep had the ‘Willys Death Wobble’, and in my case it was the pivot pins. > > Of course my CJ-2A was a '46. I have no idea how similar the front suspension is on modern Jeeps. I’ve never heard of it until recently, I was just going through youtube and it popped up so I watched some videos on it. I have no idea if it plagued the older “real” Jeeps or if it’s just a Chrysler thing. One would hope that if a 1946 vehicle was having the issue they would have solved it by now. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2017, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-car-squirrelly/793755/12 "2017-08-16T15:57:41Z")
“death wobble” is a phenomenon mostly on trucks with a solid/live front axle. the Liberty has independent front suspension (upper/lower control arms w/coil-over shocks.) ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2017, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-car-squirrelly/793755/13 "2017-08-16T16:20:42Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > Grooved pavement? Probably tramlining. My Ranger does it too. The tires are trying to follow the grooves in the pavement. Normal. This. Motorcycles have the same problem. Any of the other mechanical causes are certainly possible. But they’d manifest themselves on non-grooved pavement too. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2017, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-car-squirrelly/793755/14 "2017-08-16T21:59:41Z")
Many Jeep owners put on taller wheels without modifications to the suspension. This will make the steering “twitchy”. Normal steering wheel movements will make the car jump in the direction it’s steered to. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2017, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-car-squirrelly/793755/15 "2017-08-17T00:19:22Z")
Have we had enough serious answers that I can suggest checking under the hood for nesting squirrels? ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2017, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-car-squirrelly/793755/16 "2017-08-17T00:25:55Z")
Under inflation on rear tires and bad rear shocks will cause squirrely behavior. Loose steering boxes are seldom a problem anymore. Possibly need a touch more toe in but I guess they checked that. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2017, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-car-squirrelly/793755/17 "2017-08-17T06:38:45Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > Have we had enough serious answers that I can suggest checking under the hood for nesting squirrels? You just can’t hire good hamsters these days. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2017, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-car-squirrelly/793755/18 "2017-08-17T07:19:44Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > **Why is my car squirrelly?** Tighten your nuts? ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2017, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-car-squirrelly/793755/19 "2017-08-19T02:54:23Z")
> [@HoneyBadgerDC](#): > > Under inflation on rear tires and bad rear shocks will cause squirrely behavior. Loose steering boxes are seldom a problem anymore. Possibly need a touch more toe in but I guess they checked that. Hmmmm … Maybe I should have the back shocks checked. I only replaced the front ones. And the alignment reduced the toe. The shock place did not do an alignment after they replaced them so all the wear was on the inside tread of my front tires. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Terrific](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tom_terrific/32/342_2.png) [@Tom\_Terrific](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Terrific)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2017, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-car-squirrelly/793755/20 "2017-08-19T11:16:15Z")
I had an F350 that was pretty squirelly. The problem with it was the tires squirm until some of the rubber got worn down. Going into a turn and getting a delayed response and then feeling as if the truck lurched sideways before proceeding around the turn like it should wasn’t fun. After driving for 500 - 1000 miles the steering went back to normal. The next set of tires did the same thing. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-car-squirrelly/793755.md?page=2)