Driveline Vibration

lsk@k2 - Your experience sounds very similar like mine, even still after they replaced and RFB both my Dunlops in the front. I'd be curious to hear if your problem "goes away" if you move the front wheels/tires to the rear, like mine did. At least it is narrowed to down to not being driveline related.
 
1engineer - What tires do you have on yours? Have you had to have an RFB done? If so, do you know your numbers? I am starting to notice a slight vibration again and it feels like it is coming from the rear this time. I am wondering if that tire that had an RFB of 13 could be causing it. it sucks my spare read 16. I know I am going to feel the bumps in the road more so in this truck then other vehicles but this doesnt seem to bumps in the road. It is interesting that you have a smooth ride and yet have instances where you can duplicate the exact symptoms we are having, or have had, in the thread.

I think I need to do some research on RFB and find out what is a good reading and if there is any validity to a statement I saw saying a number higher then 10 could cause ride anomalies.
 
gmoney2626 said:
1engineer - What tires do you have on yours? Have you had to have an RFB done? If so, do you know your numbers? I am starting to notice a slight vibration again and it feels like it is coming from the rear this time. I am wondering if that tire that had an RFB of 13 could be causing it. it sucks my spare read 16. I know I am going to feel the bumps in the road more so in this truck then other vehicles but this doesnt seem to bumps in the road. It is interesting that you have a smooth ride and yet have instances where you can duplicate the exact symptoms we are having, or have had, in the thread.

I think I need to do some research on RFB and find out what is a good reading and if there is any validity to a statement I saw saying a number higher then 10 could cause ride anomalies.
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No, I have not RFB'd my tires. In my instance I can't even identify the problem, other than it vibrates at 70 (very small high frequency sine wave type) on some types of road material and does not on others. If I take it out on the concrete interstate it has no vibration. If I take it out on blacktop interstate I have that vibration. RFB won't fix that. Has anyone put a brand new set of good tires (Michelin, Goodyear tripletred, Bridgestone Revo, etc) that have done the same thing?
 
Vibration

I have driven my 2011 SR5 for two weeks now and it drives smooth as silk. However, I took it from the dealership and had Michilen LTX tires put on. Based on 40 years of being a high mileage driver it sounds like there are two things going on. First the OEM tires just are not round and you may need to go to a better shock. The vibration is not being dampened. In the past when I have had the vibration problems I have had the tires remounted using lots of tire soap on the rim. It amazing how the tire will stretch and pull after being drive for awhile. I would start by having the tires remounted and check out the amount of weights they put on. Make sure the roadforce test give you low numbers or refuse the tire. Remember you can't balance an oval egg or tire.
 
1engineer said:
Oh, I have the Bridgestone Duallers running at 44 psi.
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I have new Bridgestone Duelers installed 300 miles ago. Not sure the psi at the moment. I am curious if Michelin is the end all beat all to this problem. It would also be useful we can get a collection of RFB numbers.
 
I will put the Michelins on. They have always been a great tire for me with no problems. Sandpiper has some good ideas and I agree that the OEM tire is crap. I would like to get some miles out of these tires though before I go spend $800.00 on new.
 
Sandpiper said:
I have driven my 2011 SR5 for two weeks now and it drives smooth as silk. However, I took it from the dealership and had Michilen LTX tires put on. Based on 40 years of being a high mileage driver it sounds like there are two things going on. First the OEM tires just are not round and you may need to go to a better shock. The vibration is not being dampened. In the past when I have had the vibration problems I have had the tires remounted using lots of tire soap on the rim. It amazing how the tire will stretch and pull after being drive for awhile. I would start by having the tires remounted and check out the amount of weights they put on. Make sure the roadforce test give you low numbers or refuse the tire. Remember you can't balance an oval egg or tire.
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In your experience with Michelin have you had to have them RFB? If so, what numbers did you get. I understand size and type play a big role. I am trying to figure out if it is the norm to expect numbers under 10lbs. With your new Michelins on the 4Runner did you alter the shock? Did you experience this vibration we are talking about? Last question... what was the cost to replace them?
 
Tire Vibrations

Good questions. I have had a couple tires from Mich. that just took too much weight to suit me and they are replaced free of charge. Keep in mind that if the tire will not go on round it will never run smooth. However it can still be balanced but it will not run smooth. The poor guys job that balances your tires job is to balance your tires and get you out the door. Thats fine if all you do is drive city streets but if 90% of your driving is high speed thats another story. Basically I don't pay too much attention on the initial install but I do take a note of the amount of weight it took to balance each tire. If there is a vibration I go back in a couple weeks and ask for a rebalance and then I watch each tire as it spins on the balancer. If it has a hop or wooble I have it turned on the rim and rebalanced. Keep in mind that after a tire has been run for several weeks it will stretch and pull on the rim and take a final shape. Many times the tire will not need much weight to rebalance it then. Most dealers are reluctant to print out the RFB results because it will only make it harder to get you out the door. At that point I insist on it!! If you are not pleased with the tire Mich. will replace it. Keep in mind off road tires just are not built to the same standards as high speed road tires. Sorry guys but its a fact. If you really want to get to the nitty gritty then look up the speed rating, tire wear rating and stopping distance rating and compare them and see what you are getting for you money.
 
Vibrations

After 40 years of on the road driving I pretty much have the drill down. First I call around and see who will give me the most for my OEM tires. In this case I got $100/tire for the Bridgstones. I drove straight to the Mich. dealer from the Toyota dealership so they were like new. I have driven the 4Runner at a sustasined speed of 80 mph and its smooth as silk. I normally don't do much with shocks until around 30,000 miles and then go to a premium shock (Bilstien etc). One other thing is that I never rotate the tires. I will only from front to the rear because the belts are worn in that direction. If you choose to drive them in reverse (rotate them) they will be lumpy for several thousand miles until the belts wear the other direction. I usually can go around 20,000 miles before I go front to rear. Just watch for cupping. The more aggressive the tread design or off road the tire is the more prone to cupping the tire will be. Good luck.
 
Well I am back. Problem is not gone at all. In fact now, I have this chugging like sensation felt mostly in the seats from 45-50mph. Hard to tell if it is tires or transmission issue. Steering vibration at 65 is not consistent but definitely felt if truck has not run in a few days or is cold. It would be my fourth time bringing back to dealer and to be honest, I just don't seem to be getting anywhere with them. Perhaps try a new dealer. The tech that takes it out does not feel either but he also does not drive like a normal driver - hammers on the gas then breaks.
Anyhow, reaching out to the forum to see if anyone has any updates on their situations. I am going to call toyota to ensure that my case is added to their case files and hopefully a bulletin may be issued.
 
EXACTLY what I have!!!!!!! I gave up on trying to have it fixed. I have been to 3 dealers, filed with Toyota over a month ago, and it has been 3 weeks since I have heard from anyone. I will make my payments for the next 24 months, bring it to the dealer, and never purchase from again. Absolute disgrace how I have been treated...
 
Steering vibration is pretty much gone. On a rare occasion if truck has sat for a few days and is cold out, you will feel it initially but then it is gone.

As for the chugging sensation felt in seats - constant! Exactly at 1200 rpm (45-50mph). Stops around 50-55. Very annoying but just not interested in taking back to dealer yet again for them to say they don't feel it.

When we bring it in for our 5000 miles we will mention it again.

GMONEY2626 - did your vehicle ever do the chugging thing in the seats or just steering vibration?
 
What changed to make the vibration go away? Time? or did a balance finally change things? I am curious as to what this chugging feeling is and wondering if it is also associated with the tires. I dont think I am suffering from this. You might want to try another dealer like Priority or Charles Barker.
 
I am having the same issue with my 4Runner. It has less than 1200 miles and the steering vibration is horrible at around 55-65 mph. Brought it to the dealer to get the tires rebalanced...did not help. Will take it to the dealer again today, will demand a resolution...
 
m777 said:
I am having the same issue with my 4Runner. It has less than 1200 miles and the steering vibration is horrible at around 55-65 mph. Brought it to the dealer to get the tires rebalanced...did not help. Will take it to the dealer again today, will demand a resolution...
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To recap and give you some pointers......

I started out with dunlops and now have bridgestones. I think the lot of tires Toyota factory received were bad. I know people that have had bridgestones that have experienced the same problems. Bottom line is you need to know the Road Force Balancing numbers for all 5 tires on your car. If you have those it will help. Two Toyota area reps were called and one stated the RFB number needed to be 18 and under and another said 17 and under. I read a post in the FJ forum that said a number of 10 or higher COULD...not necessarily WOULD cause ride anomalies.

Go to your dealer and ask what the RFB numbers are for all 5 tires. If they dont have them... get them. Dont go in there yelling and screaming... be straight, calm to the point and remove emotion. I was extremely pissed about the level of service I received but if I went in there yelling and screaming they werent going to help me.... it took a lot out of me to not chew someone's a$$. If they give you numbers and they are in the high teens tell them you want them replaced..... have them call Toyota and get a case number. Tell them there are plenty of people on the internet claiming the same issues with Toyota case numbers. Some of us have had luck with tire replacement and others haven't but its worth a shot. I brought mine in with these issues at 500miles and it was repaired with 5 new tires at 700 miles. I now have 2600 miles and havent had an issue.

In the future when it comes time to replace my tires I will make sure that I go to a vendor that will guarantee me 4 new tires with RFB numbers under 10.

Hope this helps
 
gmoney2626 - Thanks for the advice.

I went to the dealer on Saturday. The tech and the service manager dismissed my concern and told me that this is how the truck drives. I asked for the rfb numbers, they declined. Not sure what to do at this point... I also noticed that the vibration is a lot worse when the tires are cold. At this point, I guess, i am going to jack up the truck, check the bearings/ball joints and if they check out ok, try to find a shop that can do an rfd balance or just buy new tires...
 
m777 said:
gmoney2626 - Thanks for the advice.

I went to the dealer on Saturday. The tech and the service manager dismissed my concern and told me that this is how the truck drives. I asked for the rfb numbers, they declined. Not sure what to do at this point... I also noticed that the vibration is a lot worse when the tires are cold. At this point, I guess, i am going to jack up the truck, check the bearings/ball joints and if they check out ok, try to find a shop that can do an rfd balance or just buy new tires...
Click to expand...

Yeah I got the excuse "thats how the truck drives" at first and said to them that is a crap. I asked if they would be satisfied with that response after paying $30k+ for a vehicle. I then told them that if the vehicle I test drove performed like that I would have never bought the car. Do you have another dealer you could go to? The fact that they wouldn't provide you your RFB numbers is a huge red flag and horrible customer service. If you cant find another dealer save yourself a lot of time and find a shop that will RFB the tires and provide you the numbers. If your numbers are high call Toyota and file a complaint. I believe I posted my Toyota case number and others have as well. Keep us up to date on what your progress is.
 
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