After spending hours on this site reading about the 2nd gen track bar conversion/fix, I am still undecided on which one to go with. I am leaning towards Thuren but just not sure. Does the Thuren and 3rd gen both cure the death wobble? What are the pros and cons? I do plan on adding the DSS at the same time. Any help would be appreciated.

 

Main differences I see:

Third Gen track bar
-no ball joint to wear out and have to rebuild
-not adjustable, but offset bushings can be used to re-center the axle after a leveling kit
-requires conversion kit + 3rd gen bar

Thuren
-ball joint on the frame end, so it may need to be rebuilt as it wears
-adjustable length for centering the track bar
-uses stock mounts

With that said, I'm going with a 3rd gen conversion. Found a bar for cheap and picked up a conversion bracket from Lazarsmith.

 

SSI(Solid steel Industries) makes an adjustable 3rd gen track bar, or a regular bar,
I'm happy with mine, its equipped with energy suspension bushings

 

It's hard to choose between the 3rd gen conversion and Thuren bar. Can't really go wrong with either. Both will fix death wobble if that's the problem. I just did a Luke's Link for $85 and it's holding up well, but if price weren't a concern I'd go 3rd gen conversion.

 

The DT ProFab setup is adjustable and looks pretty hefty for less than the 3rd gen setup....

 

The track bar fix may or MAY NOT fix your death wobble. I had a 01 with DW and it had a 3rd gen bar on it. Plus, 3rd gen's get DW also. You have to look at all of the steering parts from tires to hubs to links to steering box. Slowly work to take out as much movement as possible. My 01 required new links and new E rated tires. D, or even worse, C rated are not recommended and can cause DW.

 

I put the Moog trackbar on mine, the joint is at least 2x the size of the original and has a lifetime warranty ~$200.

 

oem is 1 5/8" while moog is 2" trust me the moog is not much better, depending on your trucks use, it might last for a little while, before you need another

 

I haven't had the DW since I had the track bar replaced and put on my leveling kit. That was about 25,000 miles ago. I do have the steering wander and I am starting to have a popping noise in my front end when I turn into driveways. I had that same popping when my bar went out the first time. I am hesitant about the 3rd gen conversion because I have heard that they also get the DW.

 

I've heard that the bolt on bracket for the 3rd gen track bar conversion will flex if it's not welded. Anybody know about this problem, true or not true??

 

any answers to this theory?

 

My two cents is get a oem replacement with a life time warranty. I have 109,000 on my original. When it gets loose enough that is what I will do. To me why waste the money on other fixes that still seem to have issues. Buy a replacement and if it fails you get a new one.

 

I've got 30,000 on my Thuren track bar and it's still rock solid.

It seems like the two biggest issues that contribute to DW are the track bar and the alignment. I called the biggest lift kit installer here in town and asked who did their alignments for them and then took it there. I'm not a front end expert by any means, but I believe they need to crank in some extra caster.

 

I went with Thuren 3rd gen & bracket. Talk to Don before ordering to make sure it will fit your specific truck. On an unlifted truck 4X4, his 2nd gen may not fit but 3rd gen will. Outstanding quality & knowledge. Firestone has lifetime alignment for $130 out the door. It's worth it since these front ends are so shoddy stock. When EVERYTHING is correct, you won't have DW.

 

Also, it's very important to have your alignment done correctly. Search on here for the proper specs.