04" Dodge Ram 2500 (death wobble)

Most common causes of Death Wobble, on the Dodge Ram platform, in order of importance. 

#1

TRACKBAR ISSUES

           Problems with the trackbar is the most common reason DW happens on these trucks. As small as 1/16" of side-to-side deflection, can play a part in DW. Rubber/soft bushings, and exaggerated bends in the trackbar design, are the 2 biggest reasons we feel upgrading the trackbar on 2003-2013 Rams, is basically mandatory. Installing 2 piece soft Polyurethane bushings in the stock trackbar is no help, and can almost end up performing worse, after the first week of driving. Even if the bushing ends of the factory trackbar WERE made solid, that still does not address the flexy OEM bar shape, which ends up acting like a big spring. The OEM trackbar as a whole, is just a bad design.

          To clarify the track bar's importance, if you remove the trackbar, you can't even get out of your driveway. Back to the spring analogy....  This is where the design of the trackbar, as a whole, plays a huge part. Here is why.... The trackbar is THE ONLY support for the steering. As you steer left, you compress the trackbar. Steer right, stretch the trackbar. If the trackbar is allowed to compress and extend, the truck can basically steer itself when you encounter forces at the wheel, which can turn into DW oscillations. This is why death-gripping your steering wheel when you get DW, almost makes it worse, as you are HELPING the truck have a mind of it's own. This is why we say the trackbar design, as a whole, must be as solid and rigid as possible. This makes the truck stay on track, and inputs you make through the steering wheel, will actually get to the wheels!

Here is the more in depth explanation of what is actually happening, in regards to the trackbar playing a part of DW, when DW happens in it's most common form. 

1.  You hit a sharp bump on one side of the truck, or even more common an angled bridge crossing or something, where one tire hits the bump RIGHT before the opposite side of the truck does.
2. This sharp bump(or two) flexes the trackbar, and as the trackbar releases the bound up force, it kicks back and the tires simulate a turning force. This starts the oscillation, as the quick turn force kick makes tire quickly skid sideways(yes white tire smoke is normal when DW happens) , then it bounces back the other way. The weight of the truck is now basically bouncing on the caster forces, left-right-left-right.......  This is also why TOO much caster can make the DW worse, as the caster force/bounce can over ride the steering damper easier.

2013+ Ram "radius arm platform" track bar notes.

          Dodge improved the trackbar quite a bit, on this new platform, but it's still not perfect. The bends have been relaxed so the bar is less "springy", and the rubber bushings have been improved by having less deflection. Still, with std rubber torsion bushings, it's only a matter of time before they do go soft or fail. I estimate that approximately around 20,000 miles, you will want to plan on upgrading the front trackbar, especially if having increased suspension travel and a bit of lift.