I needed a Road Force Balance
Hi Everyone, I don't have the solution to this problem for everyone, but I wanted to relay my experience in case it's useful:
I have a lifted 2015 SR5. I bought some new Dean Backcountry SQ4 AT tires (275/70/17). Got them mounted on my stock SR5 wheels at my local Big O Tires, and driving was smooth across all speeds. Bought a used set of Fuel Hostage 17x9 wheels on Craigslist. Used Big O to swap the tires from my old wheels to my new wheels. Steering wheel vibration was rough at 50+ MPG (especially between 50 - 60). Took it back to Big O, and they said the tire wheel combos were calling for a lot of weight to be added on some wheels (up to 19 ounces on one). Based on this, they put balance bags in the tires, said that should do the trick and sent me on my way. The vibration was still there. They told me to give it a day to let the bags settle in. The day did nothing for the problem. I got in touch with the guy that sold me the wheels on Craigslist, and he said he got a Road Force balance from Toytec when he got tires mounted and never had an issue with vibration. I asked Big O about getting a Road Force balance, and they said it may help, but based on the weight being called for, there's probably something more wrong with the wheel / tire combo. They also said they didn't have the equipment to do a Road Force balance. With that, I took my car to Discount Tire who does have the Road Force equipment. They charged me $25 / tire, told me the previous balance job on the tires was horrible, and confirmed that the Road Force balance machine was reading zero for each wheel tire after the balance so I should be good. I've been driving on them for two days since the Road Force balance, and the vibrations are GONE. Not sure how long the balance will hold up. For those having the vibration issue that haven't tried a road force balance, but have tried multiple tires and or wheels, it may be the problem is the shop (even dealership) you are using isn't properly skilled or equipped to solve the problem. I would say take your 4runner to a shop that has a road force balance setup, and get that service performed. The output readings with the balance should give you the confidence that the tires are properly balanced and should run smoothly. If you get out on the road after with proper balance readings from the road force balance and still have the shake, well, Toyota's got some explaining to do.