We test drove a 2004 Jeep Wrangler this evening. Only 66k miles and very clean and rust free. It had a 3" Skyjacker lift kit installed and some 265 R15 Tires 60% tread and polished aluminum wheels. Every bump in the road the truck felt like it darted side to side. Could that be an alignment issue or is it the lift kit making it do that. By hand, nothing seemed loose under the front end.

thats what jeeps do when you install a lift kit..i bet if you turn the steering wheel one way it turns sharper then the other way..
run forest run! gets worse as you go faster..

Jeeps get real squirelly when lifted, just part of the game, Smith

They don't do well in impact tests either. lol

It could be the lift kit and who installed it or the Jeep may have been wrecked.

When you lift a Jeep it changes the steering geometry and caster angle. To get it correct again is not easy. A good, reputable 4x4 shop can get it right.

The other thing is; think of the tires and rims and gyroscopes. The bigger they are and the faster they are turning, the harder they are to control after a bump or turn.

If you want a lifted Jeep, keep searching. Don't buy one that you think you can just have it "fixed or aligned". Even though a lifted vehicle will never drive the same as a stock one, when done right there are nice drivers out there.

Thanks guys. I was reading on some Jeep forums that some times it's to high of tire pressure. Sometimes an after market steering stabilizer, or a dual stabilizer helps.
My wife is going to be the main driver of it to keep her black Escalade a little cleaner. She likes the look of a lifted Jeep, but she can't be afraid to drive it. We had better find a few more lifted ones to drive.

I have an 03 wrangler Rubicon, have a fabtech 3" lift on it w 33" inch tires. When you have such a short wheelbase and larger tires it is inherent that it is going to track with the road, especially if you get on a road with lots of truck traffic and the road is grooved. personally I wouldn't buy one already done as you don't know if it is done right, there are too many fly by night lift kits out there. a good shop will change the pan-hard bars , pitman arm and everything needed to keep the geometry. also adding a dampener shock on the steering bar helps tremendously as well.

Buddy of mine has an 04 Sahara w/35" tires....its a fun truck but not a daily driver. The darting around gets tireing...he has taken it to multiple shops and each one has done something different...between aligning the tires and cranking down on the uuper controll arms it has helped but still not 100% He currently has a single stabilizer and thinking about going dual..
He has it down to where its tollerable, but again...i wouldnt want to drive it everyday...but they sure look cool

I worked at a new car dealership and sold Jeeps for ten years. My demo would always be a new 4x4 and I would have the body shop lift it and put wheels and tires on it. We tried most of the lifts Fabtech I thought was the best riding and handling. I never liked any of the Skyjacker lifts didn't like the way they rode or handled (IMO) on a jeep ether. The choice of wheel and tire is very important it can make or break a lift with ride and handling. Offshoredrillin has a nice set up for a Jeep. I would bet if you drove his would throw rocks at that Skyjacker.

Mark,

Buy a STOCK Jeep and have it done yourself. I've bought a couple altered suspension vehicles, and I have had to sink money into each one. Buy a clean stock one, and then have a reputable shop do the exact work you want. You can change the fenders and a few other things and get an aggressive look withOUT having to jack it up too far. Have a NIPSCO buddy that is there in NW Indiana that I can hook you up with, and he runs with a Jeep club including his own modded Wrangler. He can help you find some local resources.