Steering wheel shakes on highway

[Gouranga]

Brand new 21 venture. I can't tell if it's just because it's windy usually on the highway and stock tires 265s
The steering wheel shakes just a lil left and right but constantly is this normal?

Would getting a lil bigger tires like 275s will help being more stable with wind? Unless it's! Not the wind that's causing this?

 

[thirteen]

Get your wheels balanced. If that doesn't fix it, you have another problem. The car is brand new, so the dealer should fix the issue for free.

 

[tm965]

you need to have your tires road force balanced by a competent shop. make sure the smart balance feature is turned off. if that doesnt fix it the junk stock tires are the issue. if you want to get bigger tires, just go ahead and do it and have those RF balanced as well.

 

[ahtoxa11]

you need to have your tires road force balanced by a competent shop. make sure the smart balance feature is turned off. if that doesnt fix it the junk stock tires are the issue. if you want to get bigger tires, just go ahead and do it and have those RF balanced as well.

FYI, it's called "Smart Weight" rather than smart balance, at least on Hunter machines that are commonly used. I wouldn't say junk the tires immediately, though. There are so many things in play here, that sometimes it takes some time to get right. 4runners have very sensitive steering geometry and even a little imbalance can be felt. Even alignment can contribute to this to some extent, though it wouldn't be the first thing I'd be looking at for sure.

But yes, balance and road force. Make sure the dealer is using adaptor plate to balance. If they are not, find a Discount Tire that does. Sure, it will cost you to balance, but it's worth the time wasted at dealers, finding the dealers, driving and then waiting.

 

[Gouranga]

you need to have your tires road force balanced by a competent shop. make sure the smart balance feature is turned off. if that doesnt fix it the junk stock tires are the issue. if you want to get bigger tires, just go ahead and do it and have those RF balanced as well.

this is a brand new venture with stock rims and tires from the factory
they only shake on highway but not on streets where im going 100km
hence why thought its highway wind

 

[chubbena]

this is a brand new venture with stock rims and tires from the factory
they only shake on highway but not on streets where im going 100km
hence why thought its highway wind

If they shake at a specific speed then likely tire balancing. Should take it back to dealership since it's new.

 

[ahtoxa11]

this is a brand new venture with stock rims and tires from the factory
they only shake on highway but not on streets where im going 100km
hence why thought its highway wind

My '19 shook slightly from new. When I went to balance the tires, I was told the tires and wheels were never balanced when they were installed. At all. Could be your case, too.

 

[Hans Moleman]

Could be bad tires (high probability with Dunlop AT20) and no amount of balancing will fix it.

 

[Gouranga]

Could be bad tires (high probability with Dunlop AT20) and no amount of balancing will fix it.

i have 2021 venture they came with BRIDGESTONE - DUELER H/T D684

so no way wind would make the car shake the steering wheel a little ?

 

[BobWheelerJr]

Slim chance, but possible...

If you have (or had) a nail or other similar object in your tire, or hit something hard enough to create a problem, and it caused a tear in a steel belt in the tire, that can happen. What happens is that when you're tooling around town your tires are not really hot. After a little while at 60+ MPH the tire heats up and the steel belt starts to separate and get out of kilter. It causes a lump in the tire, and that makes the steering wheel shake like hell. It feels like your tie-rods are jacked up.

If nothing else is the answer, pull over and run your hands over your tires to feel for a bump after you've been on the highway a while.

 

[Gouranga]

If you have (or had) a nail or other similar object in your tire, or hit something hard enough to create a problem, and it caused a tear in a steel belt in the tire, that can happen. What happens is that when you're tooling around town your tires are not really hot. After a little while at 60+ MPH the tire heats up and the steel belt starts to separate and get out of kilter. It causes a lump in the tire, and that makes the steering wheel shake like hell. It feels like your tie-rods are jacked up.

If nothing else is the answer, pull over and run your hands over your tires to feel for a bump after you've been on the highway a while.

i have 140km on the ODO....

 

[Gouranga]

If they shake at a specific speed then likely tire balancing. Should take it back to dealership since it's new.

so turns out i was right.. this shaking that i feel in the steering wheel is from the wind........ (PS: i have the venture with the basket so maybe thats why)


today i drove down same highway but no wind and zero vibrations
i believe the wind + basket+ Duelers tires = shakes the car left and right as you drive making you feel the steering wheel shaking slightly left and right

 

[ahtoxa11]

so turns out i was right.. this shaking that i feel in the steering wheel is from the wind........ (PS: i have the venture with the basket so maybe thats why)


today i drove down same highway but no wind and zero vibrations
i believe the wind + basket+ Duelers tires = shakes the car left and right as you drive making you feel the steering wheel shaking slightly left and right

The wind cannot cause you steering wheel to shake. It can cause your truck to wander in the lane and want to pull to either side if the wind is sustained.

The steering shake is very likely a balance issue and even on the same route it's not always apparent. I have noticed that even outside temperature differences can cause the symptoms to either show or not at all.

It will likely present itself again, and when it does take your truck to the dealer for tire balance. I'd put money that you'll notice it again. It's a common thing with these, and mine did the same when new. I had to rebalance.

 

[Gouranga]

The wind cannot cause you steering wheel to shake. It can cause your truck to wander in the lane and want to pull to either side if the wind is sustained.

The steering shake is very likely a balance issue and even on the same route it's not always apparent. I have noticed that even outside temperature differences can cause the symptoms to either show or not at all.

It will likely present itself again, and when it does take your truck to the dealer for tire balance. I'd put money that you'll notice it again. It's a common thing with these, and mine did the same when new. I had to rebalance.

im pretty sure wind can do that... the car is being tilted.... its not a matter of side to side but the fact its being pushed by wind to the left while on a highway would tilt the car left raising the right of the car ever so slightly including the tires... then drop back down causing the steering to shift ever so lightly then back and forth .. i can see it

i drove all day today was a non windy day and zero issues.. lets if it happens again with no wind.. and if it only happens again next when again its a really windy day here then ill know

 

[CutthroatSlam]

so turns out i was right.. this shaking that i feel in the steering wheel is from the wind........ (PS: i have the venture with the basket so maybe thats why)


today i drove down same highway but no wind and zero vibrations
i believe the wind + basket+ Duelers tires = shakes the car left and right as you drive making you feel the steering wheel shaking slightly left and right

My money says you will be back with the same steering wheel shake complaint on a windless day.

 

[Gouranga]

My money says you will be back with the same steering wheel shake complaint on a windless day.

time to pay up boyo like i said its the wind

i was driving 500km from ottawa to toronto the other day
each time im on open highway shakes a lil when high wind soon as i go through trees on both sides of the highway shaking stops and soon as i come out and wind the shakes starts

its the shitty stock tires Bridgestone Dueler H/T 684
because the edges on then are really narrow and soft so when wind pushes left and right starts to tilt you side to side while going highway speeds the rubber basically softens up on the edges cuz of the rebound effect of weight side to sid causing the streering to turn left and right ever so slightly hence feeling the stterring wheel slighht move from left to right over and over

now pay up

 

[repo]

Welcome to the thrills of driving a giant brick with factory sloppy steering in windy conditions.

 

[Gouranga]

Welcome to the thrills of driving a giant brick with factory sloppy steering in windy conditions.

well thats exactly what i expected but people keep trying to blame the tires instead of the obvious lol

 

[repo]

well thats exactly what i expected but people keep trying to blame the tires instead of the obvious lol

Well to be fair vibrations and shimmys usually do come from unbalanced tires and I suspect it would exaggerate the wind effect. Playing around with different tire pressures can help. I notice it less with heavy E-rated tires. There's probably all kinds of factors like how much weight is in the back, sway bars, panhard bar, lift height creating more updraft, suspension stiffness, etc that amplifies it. On my 3rd gen I actually changed the steering rack guide/spring/torque to tighten up the steering a bit and it feels like a BMW now compared to the 5th gen. In fact I much prefer driving the 3rd gen from how it handles. Also have poly rack bushings. I wouldn't screw with it on a new one though.

 

[ahtoxa11]

well thats exactly what i expected but people keep trying to blame the tires instead of the obvious lol

Actually, tire shake is not as simple as it seems. Yes, balance is often key, but how much of that imbalance is felt by the driver -- that's where it gets more complex. Suspension design including geometry, bushings, materials, etc., all of that comes into play. You also have external factors because no tire is naturally perfectly round or perfectly balanced. There is also air pressure in the tire and conditions of the road. Road imperfections can make the assembly hit just the right resonance of vibration where vibration increases and is felt by the driver.

Wind, however, is a far smaller force when you're talking about all of those above, but it's plausible, I suppose. I'm not necessarily disagreeing with you, but I still have my doubts based on personal experience.

But overall, because there are so many factors, is why no one has defined the one single solution to the highway vibes.