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kernel.panik

kernel.panik

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Thought that'd get some attention...

I've got the wobbles. Had them since I bought the truck 5 years ago. On my first trip out to Cali for thanksgiving 08 the whole truck shook above 50. Got to Cali and a tire shop said the sidewalls were splitting. He showed me the cracks. I bought a set of LT 265/75/16 BFG ATs. There was a little less wobble, but it's getting worse now. It's always wobbled above 50 and usually disappeared above 70. Now it rears its ugly head above 70. I've run them between 40psi and 32psi with little change in the wobbles. I'm getting really tired of it.

I've researched the Lug-Centric balancing, and I've called around locally. No-one supports the lug-centric balancing anymore, but will road-force balance the tires for $100ish. I'm due for new tires soon, these BFGs didn't last as long as the ones I used to run on my 81, 83 & 85 pickups... So I'm hesitant to spend another $100 on these tires.

So here's where you get to spend my money...

Should I go with some 265/70/17s for $1300 delivered from tirerack and try to sell what I have on there?
(5 spoke toyota wheels).

Should I go with the 265/75/16s for $1200 delivered from tirerack and try to sell what I have on there?

Should I get some new 16" wheels and wait till these tires are really done?
(so I can save some cash and keep the wife happy)

Should I suck it up and spend the $100 on the road-force balance?
(cheapest of all, but not guaranteed to fix the problem)

kp
 
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I would try to identify the source of the wobbling before I bought new tires. I wouldn't want to put brand new tires at risk for premature wear right off the bat.

You said the entire truck wobbles/shakes? Have you taken it to a mechanic to diagnose?

If your sidewalls are splitting and your truck wobbles, could it be your steering rack going bad? Or possibly just steering rack bushings?
 
I have the same exact problem, except mine have never wobbled above 70. The shop who gave me advice says its because my front tires were cupped on the outer edge. I could buy new tires and possibly loose the wobble but I'm afraid they will just get cupped the same way.
 
I have had the same problem with my 2000 4Runner, I put on different tires and Sequoia wheels and still doing it. I do have original front end, so was going to try steering rack bushings to see if that helped.
 
Brian757 said:
I would try to identify the source of the wobbling before I bought new tires. I wouldn't want to put brand new tires at risk for premature wear right off the bat.

You said the entire truck wobbles/shakes? Have you taken it to a mechanic to diagnose?

If your sidewalls are splitting and your truck wobbles, could it be your steering rack going bad? Or possibly just steering rack bushings?
Click to expand...

Everywhere I've taken it has said the front end is solid. The rack was replaced about 70k ago, but needs new boots. I just replaced the front suspension about 15K ago and everything seemed solid then. I also replaced the sway bar end links at that time. I was thinking of doing LBJs and a new rack, but all the threads I've read point to the lack of a good balance on the tires/wheels. None of those threads ever say "this solved it for me". Not one! So I'm going with the balance issue and see where that takes me.

Sidewalls split on the tires that came with the truck when I bought it. God knows what the PO did with them. Probably bought them used... I suspect the PO had a pink milkshake when he traded it in. Since I looked up the history on Toyota Owners, the tranny was serviced with the Timing Belt/Water pump, steering rack and radiator were all changed at 60K. I bought the truck with 94K on it and had to replace the transmission at 98K. I have 138K on there now.

I had a 2" lift on for about a month (Rancho Quick-Lift) and it sucked hard! I returned them (Amazon is awesome) and put the Monroe Quick-Struts in for a factory ride. They are nice, especially since the tires are pretty rough being LTs. CVs got noisy with the lift, so I went stock until I can replace those as well.

I just really don't want to spend hundreds of dollars at the stealership for them to tell me it's gonna cost $4000 to replace everything on the front end and still have it wobble at highway speeds.

...and no, I do not know a trustworthy mechanic in this state. I've been ripped off by so many mechanics it's not even funny. I've learned to do all my own work on trucks because of it. Tires, Trannys and A/C aren't my thing tho.
 
[MENTION=84359]kernel.panik[/MENTION]: Damn man, sorry for all the troubles your experiencing. That's pretty crazy to hear. I would have the stealership do at least a multi-point inspection, just to see if your balance is off, as well as all other aspects of your suspension. Or, I know the dealership in my area will at least do a free multi-point inspection if you have ANY service done there, so do an oil change or rotation/balance (something cheap) and get the multi-point inspection free. I know balance issues have symptoms of wobbling, but this problem is common and others have changed out their tires/wheels with no avail.

I just don't want you to shell out money for new tires and then experience the problem again, only with $600-$1000 in the hole and the problem persisting. Because then your new tires will prematurely wear again.

I wish you luck man, and all others experiencing this problem.
 
What kind of brake rotors do you have ? I had eBay rotors on my camry ad the excessive runout caused this ... Sounds crazy huh?
 
I just (in August) replaced the rotors with AutoZone ones and put new pads on as well. The old ones were warped and only issued when braking. I spun the hubs on both sides before I put the wheel back on, fixating on the brake pads and saw no movement in relation to the pad on the new rotors, also checked them for "flatness" before putting them on. They are good.

It's not a u-joint. I know the difference, it's definitely something up front that makes the steering wheel wobble back and forth only at highway speeds.

I have two thoughts on this.

1) Maybe the tires and wheels are horribly balanced, but they have been balanced 4 times by 4 different shops. If the wheels really need the lug-centric balance, then why aren't there thousands of people complaining about not being able to balance these wheels? I see these 5-stars on TONS of 4Runners all the time.

2) If it's not the wheels and tires, why wouldn't it happen at all speeds?

I know I'm going to catch a ton of crap for this, but I've thought about selling this truck because of this issue. I've seen countless threads here and other forums about this wobble and no one has ever posted that they've found a fix. I cannot afford a complete front end for this truck, I've got too many other things to do...T/B, W/P, CVs, Steering Rack and/or just boots, Radiator, Tranny Cooler, Dealer says I need an ORV valve and it's $500 to drop the gas tank to get at it (yet they don't list any such part on Camelback Toyota Parts website. Throws a 440 and sometimes a 446 or 442, don't remember) Needs all new diff fluid and trans case fluid, needs new rear shoes...and I really should switch over to synthetic...ouch.

I'm just trying to keep her going. My wife's highlander just got a $1400 service at 90K and we're still recovering from that.

frustrated...

edit: Oh, and I've paid for 3 alignments since I bought it...
 
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kernel.panik said:
I just (in August) replaced the rotors with AutoZone ones and put new pads on as well. The old ones were warped and only issued when braking. I spun the hubs on both sides before I put the wheel back on, fixating on the brake pads and saw no movement in relation to the pad on the new rotors, also checked them for "flatness" before putting them on. They are good.

It's not a u-joint. I know the difference, it's definitely something up front that makes the steering wheel wobble back and forth only at highway speeds.

I have two thoughts on this.

1) Maybe the tires and wheels are horribly balanced, but they have been balanced 4 times by 4 different shops. If the wheels really need the lug-centric balance, then why aren't there thousands of people complaining about not being able to balance these wheels? I see these 5-lugs on TONS of 4Runners all the time.

2) If it's not the wheels and tires, why wouldn't it happen at all speeds?

I know I'm going to catch a ton of crap for this, but I've thought about selling this truck because of this issue. I've seen countless threads here and other forums about this wobble and no one has ever posted that they've found a fix. I cannot afford a complete front end for this truck, I've got too many other things to do...T/B, W/P, CVs, Steering Rack and/or just boots, Radiator, Tranny Cooler, Dealer says I need an ORV valve and it's $500 to drop the gas tank to get at it (yet they don't list any such part on Camelback Toyota Parts website. Throws a 440 and sometimes a 446 or 442, don't remember) Needs all new diff fluid and trans case fluid, needs new rear shoes...and I really should switch over to synthetic...ouch.

I'm just trying to keep her going. My wife's highlander just got a $1400 service at 90K and we're still recovering from that.

frustrated...

edit: Oh, and I've paid for 3 alignments since I bought it...
Click to expand...

Here's what I suggest - Trying getting a buddy on here and swap front tires that's roughly same size. Check your tires on his rig see if wobbles and vice versa process of elimination. Then you'll know if its your tires or what. Worse gets to worse it might be the hubs. When you did your whole front end suspension, did you change your steering knuckle and LBJ? Are you running spacers? And people should think in lifetime alignment if they're gonna own their rig for a long time.
 
I got the same problem aswell not cool :/ ...But mine shakes around 65mph it's not the tires because I recently bought some Yokohama tires and the problem is still their.
 
I would imagine front wheel hubs or steering rack & pinion. You could also check your inner/outer tie rods, & upper/lower ball joints. I know you said you've replaced some of these parts, but don't exclude them from your inspection. Check on those systems and let me know what you find. I just want to play "process of elimination."

If you've gotten that many alignments & balance/rotations, especially from different shops, then I find it extremely hard to believe it's your wheels & tires, although, I can't say that's definite. Alignments aren't rocket science. If you continue to have these problems, it's probably another component.

Many failing parts will cause wobbling at high speeds. The faster rotation of the tires creates more vibration, and with a failing part, it will only magnify the problem.

Even if you've changed parts in the near past, don't exclude them from being possible culprits. I have seen guys replace LBJs and within 30,000 miles, they needed new ones. All I'm saying is to give the truck a nice shakedown before adding tires.

And also... :worthless

This also sounds like a shitty method but do like some of my BMW friends do, and ride it 'till the wheels fall off. Well, not literally but let the problem get so bad that it presents itself to you.
 
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I also get a wobble from the front end of my '01 above 50 mph. The steering wheel wobbles in a clockwise/ counter clockwise back and forth motion very fast. Once I get over 65 mph it settles down to a very little vibration.I have the Wheeler's rack bushing kit , just gotta find time to install it. If the bushings don't solve the problem then it's on to the LBJs and inner/outer tie rod ends. I have new tires and it had the same symptoms with the old tires.
 
Brian757 said:
I would imagine front wheel hubs or steering rack & pinion. You could also check your inner/outer tie rods, & upper/lower ball joints. I know you said you've replaced some of these parts, but don't exclude them from your inspection. Check on those systems and let me know what you find. I just want to play "process of elimination."

If you've gotten that many alignments & balance/rotations, especially from different shops, then I find it extremely hard to believe it's your wheels & tires, although, I can't say that's definite. Alignments aren't rocket science. If you continue to have these problems, it's probably another component.

Many failing parts will cause wobbling at high speeds. The faster rotation of the tires creates more vibration, and with a failing part, it will only magnify the problem.

Even if you've changed parts in the near past, don't exclude them from being possible culprits. I have seen guys replace LBJs and within 30,000 miles, they needed new ones. All I'm saying is to give the truck a nice shakedown before adding tires.

And also... :worthless

This also sounds like a shitty method but do like some of my BMW friends do, and ride it 'till the wheels fall off. Well, not literally but let the problem get so bad that it presents itself to you.
Click to expand...

Did you want pics of the wobble? :dizzy:
I've thought of installing one of those cams under my truck to video the front end...don't want to spend the money on it and I am NOT putting my new iPhone under there...

I will look into the rack and ball joints, but it may take a while if I get the stealership involved. I will most likely pay them to diagnose it and then do the work myself...

Thanks for everyone's suggestions and saving me from the $1300 wheel and tires bill. Although I would like new tires and wheels, it looks like I'll be spending money elsewhere for now.

I'll report back if I find anything.

kp
 
chimpy said:
I also get a wobble from the front end of my '01 above 50 mph. The steering wheel wobbles in a clockwise/ counter clockwise back and forth motion very fast. Once I get over 65 mph it settles down to a very little vibration.I have the Wheeler's rack bushing kit , just gotta find time to install it. If the bushings don't solve the problem then it's on to the LBJs and inner/outer tie rod ends. I have new tires and it had the same symptoms with the old tires.
Click to expand...

That's what is happening with mine, only recently it hasn't settled down above 70.

Stupid annoying thing happened this morning on the way to work...
NO WOBBLE at 65... :wtf:
pulled off the freeway and it wobbled a bit at 50ish and from then on I was below 45.

:Cry:
 
Ok, so this is my first post here. I just picked up a 99' Limited and its completely stock right now. It also has the wobble between 60-70, and then it will go away. It does it worse when hitting bumps or braking. My sister also has a 99' SR5 and it does the same thing. She has new tires on hers also. My room mate has an 03' and it does the same thing. I'm sort of new to the whole Toyota thing as I have always owned lifted jeeps. This seems like a Toyota thing to me as no one seems to know how to fix it. I just ordered some new Duratracs and Toytec Ultimate Lift. I am hoping it doesn't make the problem worse.
 
I had this problem with my 2002 Runner which I bought new.

It went away after I replaced the stock wheels. Back around 2002 to 2004 a lot of the members at YotaTech were replacing the stock wheels because hardly anyone could get them balanced correctly.
 
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