Rate your truck's highway manners

[TRD 4RNR]

What was the ride like before the swap? And was something wrong with the wheels/tires?

I couldn't get my old Goodyear DuraTrac tires to balance - they were out of round - so I got a lot of vibration at highway speeds.

 

[AssBurns]

Right now I’d say around a 5. A few months ago it was about a 7. I need to replace my steering rack bushings and just fixed my rear lower control arm frame mounts (bolt holes got wallowed out). Things that can make the rating go above 7 would be better front shocks, fix the very slight wheel vibration, and get rid of the roll oversteer when cornering.


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[bwarren]

I'd say mine is a 7. It's used as a family road trip/adventure vehicle and is comfortable going long distances.

 

[4Runner4Leon]

I'll have to reread these replies when I get back from travel and can view them on a bigger screen, but I really appreciate the feedback.

My observation from reading these replies is that when our trucks do vibrate, they do so at about 65-70 mph (just like mine) . It also seems that the vibration goes away at higher speeds (just like mine). And the vibration is usually low frequency, I believe someone mentioned 4 hz, which sounds similar to mine. Finally, the vibration has often been cured with new tires.

So I now have a theory on this problem, see what you guys think.

70 mph is 103 ft/sec. A 31" tire has a circumference of 16.2 ft. That means that at 70 mph, the tire needs to make 6.3 revs per second, or 6.3 hz.

So if a tire has a high /low /flat spot, that will be felt at a frequency of 6 hz at 70 mph, very similar to what folks are reporting and what I would estimate my vibration to be as well. A driveshaft frequency would be 4.1 times higher, so closer to 25 hz, and is definitely not what I'm feeling.

I'm beginning to think that our trucks have a resonance frequency at about 6 hz, which is why vibration is always most noticeable around 65-75 mph, and then goes away at higher speeds when the tire rotation frequency does not couple with the truck's resonance.

I'm also thinking that if a suspension or steering component was causing the vibration, it would be happening at different speeds for everyone, not at exactly 65 mph. So I suspect that the steering wheel shimmy is just a result of the resonance, which is why the tightened rack guide improves the shimmy, but the vibration in the seat is unchanged.

Seeing how many of you had the vibration go away with new tires (even if it did take several sets) seems to support this theory.

So I think I'll be focusing on tires first and foremost.

Thoughts?

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[Denis_Ruso]

I'll tag [MENTION=158195]thezentree[/MENTION] here cause he asked about some vibrations.

So, if you've read my posts from the past I had the usual vibrations at 65-75 MPH. Nothing to severe but enough to annoy me. It was a steering wheel vibe. Couldn't really feel it anywhere else. It was there when I purchased the truck stock last year.

I replaced the LBJ when I did my lift. At that time I also installed SPC arms thereby getting rid of the stock UBJ. I replaced my rack bushing and adjusted the rack guide. I verified all other suspension components where tight( tie rods replaced by previous owner less then 10,000 miles ago.) I balanced the wheels. I had one of the best alignment guys I know align it. I drilled my rag joint and put in a 3/16th roll pin. It still had that damn vibration.

I was positive it was in my rims by this point. They where the original split spoke design. I was deciding on tires at this point. The Nitto Ridge Grapplers where my top pick. That meant I'd have to get new rims since they are only made in 17's and up. After picking my rims MB 851's I found a great deal and purchased them.

My wife wanted to wait to get new tires since the old one's weren't quite done yet. As luck would have it about 2 weeks after getting the rims I punched a rock through the tread on the old tires. They where c rated and I assured my wife that would not have happened with the E rated tires I wanted to buy. She agreed and I got 295/70/17 Grapplers.

I had then mounted and balanced. No tire took over 2 ounces of weight which is pretty amazing for a tire that size. I got them home and mounted them up. Damn they looked good. Then I went for a drive. After hitting 85 MPH with zero vibrations I was pretty stoked. I waited a few days to report my findings to make sure the vibration didn't come back. It still hasn't 7000 miles later.

So that's what fixed mine. I can't say for certain if it was the tires or the rims but I'm 90% sure it was the rims.

hahaha so basically, replace everything!

I actually know where mine are coming from. Truck isn't aligned properly due to an accident. The adjustment on the driver side cant be made due to the tabs being bent that are supposed to allow the bolt to move the adjustment. Caused the truck to pull left, in turn has work the outer edge of the right tire. Which contributes to the problem. Along with the steering bushing probably needing a replacement.

makes for a fun drive. All vibration is on the steering wheel. My driveline seems to be just fine.

 

[octanejunkie]

hahaha so basically, replace everything!

I actually know where mine are coming from. Truck isn't aligned properly due to an accident. The adjustment on the driver side cant be made due to the tabs being bent that are supposed to allow the bolt to move the adjustment. Caused the truck to pull left, in turn has work the outer edge of the right tire. Which contributes to the problem. Along with the steering bushing probably needing a replacement.

makes for a fun drive. All vibration is on the steering wheel. My driveline seems to be just fine.

I'd say your first order of business is to address that accident damage. Got a few pics?

After that, LCA bushings, steering rack bushings, etc. It's a day's worth of fun. Ask me how I know

 

[Denis_Ruso]

I'd say your first order of business is to address that accident damage. Got a few pics?

After that, LCA bushings, steering rack bushings, etc. It's a day's worth of fun. Ask me how I know

No pictures of mine but essentially, it looks like the this and the red line is what mine looks like. So when you turn the bolt, it cant lean against the tab to adjust the camber. Needs to be bent back and bead welded. Might need it on the back side too. I've been too afraid to take it to the frame guy lol.

 

[2ndhandyotaman]

Mine drives like the truck that it is. It tracks reasonably straight, the brakes work ok. It will wander a bit left to right but it's 18 years old and probably past due for new control arm bushings and some other parts. When hitting pot holes or bumpy city roads, it lets you know that you're driving a truck.

It drives exactly how I want it to. If I want a cushy ride, I'll take the CRV. When I'm driving this old truck around the back roads, it makes me smile. I have a rugged vehicle that makes no excuses for what it is. When I decide that I want to go on a trail ride I won't think twice about it, I know that I have a capable vehicle and that part of the trade off of a rugged trail vehicle is the less-than-luxurious ride quality.

 

[4Runner4Leon]

Mine drives like the truck that it is. It tracks reasonably straight, the brakes work ok. It will wander a bit left to right but it's 18 years old and probably past due for new control arm bushings and some other parts. When hitting pot holes or bumpy city roads, it lets you know that you're driving a truck.

It drives exactly how I want it to. If I want a cushy ride, I'll take the CRV. When I'm driving this old truck around the back roads, it makes me smile. I have a rugged vehicle that makes no excuses for what it is. When I decide that I want to go on a trail ride I won't think twice about it, I know that I have a capable vehicle and that part of the trade off of a rugged trail vehicle is the less-than-luxurious ride quality.

To be clear, I don't need cushy. I just don't want a vibration and shaking of the steering wheel, which is not normal for even a truck, at least not one where everything is functioning properly. From the responses above, it appears to be possible to have a 3rd gen that is perfectly trail capable but does not vibrate at highway speeds; that's my objective too.

 

[theesotericone]

To be clear, I don't need cushy. I just don't want a vibration and shaking of the steering wheel, which is not normal for even a truck, at least not one where everything is functioning properly. From the responses above, it appears to be possible to have a 3rd gen that is perfectly trail capable but does not vibrate at highway speeds; that's my objective too.

It's possible. My rig is very trail capable. My rig is by no means "cushy" but I've done 12 hours highway hauls in it comfortably. Then hopped right on hard trails, comfortably.

Tires and rims finally solved the vibration for me and a lot of other guys. I still think it was my rims more than the tires but I can't be certain since I changed both at the same time.
You can read threads for hours about this and one thing they almost all have in common is tires or rims being the answer.

What rims are you running anyway?

 

[thecole1098]

It's possible. My rig is very trail capable. My rig is by no means "cushy" but I've done 12 hours highway hauls in it comfortably. Then hopped right on hard trails, comfortably.

Tires and rims finally solved the vibration for me and a lot of other guys. I still think it was my rims more than the tires but I can't be certain since I changed both at the same time.
You can read threads for hours about this and one thing they almost all have in common is tires or rims being the answer.

What rims are you running anyway?

To be fair, I have Pro Comp rims (see signature) and I still have a slight highway vibration. I'm almost certain its driveline related or perhaps just simply the kind of tires I'm running.

 

[4Runner4Leon]

It's possible. My rig is very trail capable. My rig is by no means "cushy" but I've done 12 hours highway hauls in it comfortably. Then hopped right on hard trails, comfortably.

Tires and rims finally solved the vibration for me and a lot of other guys. I still think it was my rims more than the tires but I can't be certain since I changed both at the same time.
You can read threads for hours about this and one thing they almost all have in common is tires or rims being the answer.

What rims are you running anyway?

I have the OEM 3 spoke split rims. I'll try to put a dial indicator on them tomorrow to check for runout

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[2ndhandyotaman]

To be clear, I don't need cushy. I just don't want a vibration and shaking of the steering wheel, which is not normal for even a truck, at least not one where everything is functioning properly. From the responses above, it appears to be possible to have a 3rd gen that is perfectly trail capable but does not vibrate at highway speeds; that's my objective too.

My apologies, I didn't read all of the responses so I wasn't completely understanding what kind of feedback you were looking for. With this in mind, I'd give my rig a 7-ish rating. I haven't driven it more than 2 hrs straight so I have absolutely no idea how good/bad it might be. I agree that steering wheel vibrations are not good, they indicate a problem somewhere.

On a cold morning ( we've had a few of those lately) my Runner has a noticeable "wobble" but once the tires get up to temperature the ride quality improves. I wouldn't be surprised to find that it's because of the no-name chinesium tires that my rig came with. While I haven't had to chase down a steering wheel vibration with this truck yet, my old VW's would have me scratching my head. More than once, the root issue came to be a slightly bent drive flange along with a bad wheel bearing. A few minutes with a mag base and a dial indication would show any lateral or radial run-out at the drive flange.

Best of luck getting to the root cause !

 

[theesotericone]

I have the OEM 3 spoke split rims. I'll try to put a dial indicator on them tomorrow to check for runout

Same rims I had. If you ever make it to Bishop before you get the vibration sorted let me know. We'll swap my rim/tires onto your rig and see if it changes anything.

 

[4Runner4Leon]

Gotta remember our 4Runners were designed around a federal speed limit of 55 MPH.

I keep thinking about that, but why does mine get smoother once I get above 75 mph?

 

[4Runner4Leon]

Gotcha. My third set of tires in 4 months got rid of the the bad holy-shit-I-might-die vibrations too, haha. The ones that I can't shake (see what I did there?) have got to be somewhere in the driveline.

Did you try three sets of the same type tire, or try different brands? What ended up working for you? Did you have trouble getting the tire shop to exchange tires?

 

[4Runner4Leon]

My apologies, I didn't read all of the responses so I wasn't completely understanding what kind of feedback you were looking for. With this in mind, I'd give my rig a 7-ish rating. I haven't driven it more than 2 hrs straight so I have absolutely no idea how good/bad it might be. I agree that steering wheel vibrations are not good, they indicate a problem somewhere.

On a cold morning ( we've had a few of those lately) my Runner has a noticeable "wobble" but once the tires get up to temperature the ride quality improves. I wouldn't be surprised to find that it's because of the no-name chinesium tires that my rig came with. While I haven't had to chase down a steering wheel vibration with this truck yet, my old VW's would have me scratching my head. More than once, the root issue came to be a slightly bent drive flange along with a bad wheel bearing. A few minutes with a mag base and a dial indication would show any lateral or radial run-out at the drive flange.

Best of luck getting to the root cause !

No need to apologize, all responses are welcome! I just wanted to make sure it was clear that I wasn't after cushy, just wanted to check that it was possible for our trucks to have the "OMG the steering wheel is going to jump out of my hands" vibration .

I'll try to make some dial indicator measurements tomorrow, I'm leaning more and more towards tire/rim issue based on what I'm reading here.

 

[4Runner4Leon]

Same rims I had. If you ever make it to Bishop before you get the vibration sorted let me know. We'll swap my rim/tires onto your rig and see if it changes anything.

That is a super generous offer, and that would be absolutely awesome (if I don't figure it out before hand). Such swap with a known-good vehicle would definitely help determine if the problem is tire/wheel related or not.

Thank you so much!

 

[Mark_BC]

But I can feel vibration through the seat, and I can see the cups shaking in the cupholders, so I think the tightened steering rack guide is just masking the real issue. The vibration is mainly between 65 and 75 - it smooths out above that. I'd say it's a pretty low frequency vibration, if that helps narrow down the cause. ).

Are you sure it isn't the freeways down there? I don't recall a smooth section anywhere near PV.

 

[thezentree]

Did you try three sets of the same type tire, or try different brands? What ended up working for you? Did you have trouble getting the tire shop to exchange tires?

Two sets of KO2s, one set of AT3Ws (current).

The first set of KO2s were replaced under warranty because after 5 (FIVE!) tries at multiple shops to get them balanced, the original tire shop decided they were defective. BFG didn't argue about warrantying them. The second set of KO2s were a little better, but still bad. I had them balanced twice before I gave up and just bought the AT3Ws. I'm still trying to sell the second set of KO2s.