Steering wheel wobble question

[68Yenko]

Has anyone who has/had the steering wheel wobble issue checked out or replaced their Track Bar Bushings, or Tie Rod Bushings?? Were they the culprit?
Thanks!

 

[Mutant138]

Has anyone who has/had the steering wheel wobble issue checked out or replaced their Track Bar Bushings, or Tie Rod Bushings?? Were they the culprit?
Thanks!

It's typically wheels that have been balanced by the wrong machine. Google around for t4r search results and you will find some discussions.

 

[Hans Moleman]

It's either bad balance, bad tires, or combination of both.

Don't bother with replacing bushing, steering racks, or other parts.

 

[axel1]

Sorry to bump an older thread, but I'm struggling with steering wheel wobble as well with my '14 SR5. I've had the tires (Wildpeaks) road-force balanced and rotated three times now and the problem has remained the same. The first time I had them balanced it got slightly better but came back within a few days. This most recent shop (Discount Tire where I originally bought the tires) said that all four were basically perfect on the machine.

Every time I've had them balanced they've been rotated and the problem has stayed the same which leads me to believe it's something besides tire balance. Anybody who's had this wobble problem found another culprit? I'm beginning to think it's possibly a warped rotor because I also have a slight pulsating in my brakes when stopping, and I'd imagine a slightly warped rotor would be enough to cause steering wheel shake at speed.

I've been fighting this for months now. It only happens between 55-65 mph so it wasn't a huge problem until recently where my new commute has me going that speed for a decent chunk of time.

 

[Mutant138]

Sorry to bump an older thread, but I'm struggling with steering wheel wobble as well with my '14 SR5. I've had the tires (Wildpeaks) road-force balanced and rotated three times now and the problem has remained the same. The first time I had them balanced it got slightly better but came back within a few days. This most recent shop (Discount Tire where I originally bought the tires) said that all four were basically perfect on the machine.

Every time I've had them balanced they've been rotated and the problem has stayed the same which leads me to believe it's something besides tire balance. Anybody who's had this wobble problem found another culprit? I'm beginning to think it's possibly a warped rotor because I also have a slight pulsating in my brakes when stopping, and I'd imagine a slightly warped rotor would be enough to cause steering wheel shake at speed.

I've been fighting this for months now. It only happens between 55-65 mph so it wasn't a huge problem until recently where my new commute has me going that speed for a decent chunk of time.

Never ending ordeal

 

[Charlievee]

From what I have seen, it means trade in the vic or part it out.

 

[axel1]

I'll have to try upping the PSI a bit. I'm still running at stock 32PSI right now and BCM in that thread said that fixed his issue. Might go up to 35 and see how that feels.

I'm definitely not trading it in. If I can make it better that's all I need. A little wobble is fine but what I've got is the wheel moving a good 1-2 degrees in each direction at around 60mph.

 

[Cymon]

I'll have to try upping the PSI a bit. I'm still running at stock 32PSI right now and BCM in that thread said that fixed his issue. Might go up to 35 and see how that feels.

I'm definitely not trading it in. If I can make it better that's all I need. A little wobble is fine but what I've got is the wheel moving a good 1-2 degrees in each direction at around 60mph.

I don’t know if it you checked around but when Road Force balancing make sure that the place doing it has a calibrated (some don’t calibrate correctly) Hunter Road Force balance machine. These tend to give better results.

With this and the correct equal tire pressure mine went from annoying to not noticeable.

I found the sweet spot with my LT tires is between 42-44 psi depending on load. I think your choice of trying 35-36 psi is a good starting point for something different.

 

[axel1]

I don’t know if it you checked around but when Road Force balancing make sure that the place doing it has a calibrated (some don’t calibrate correctly) Hunter Road Force balance machine. These tend to give better results.

With this and the correct equal tire pressure mine went from annoying to not noticeable.

I found the sweet spot with my LT tires is between 42-44 psi depending on load. I think your choice of trying 35-36 psi is a good starting point for something different.

I'm fairly confident discount tires all use Hunter machines. I've been to two separate locations and they've both said the balance looked good so for now I trust them. I'm running Wildpeak AT3's in the OEM size so I think 42 is a bit overkill. We'll see how upping the pressure a bit helps (or hurts).

 

[rics97toy]

I'm fairly confident discount tires all use Hunter machines. I've been to two separate locations and they've both said the balance looked good so for now I trust them. I'm running Wildpeak AT3's in the OEM size so I think 42 is a bit overkill. We'll see how upping the pressure a bit helps (or hurts).

I wanted to ask if you have fixed the problem because my wife’s 2012 limited 4Runner had the same problem.

 

[axel1]

I wanted to ask if you have fixed the problem because my wife’s 2012 limited 4Runner had the same problem.

That's a negative. I've been somewhat busy with work but the problem is still there after airing up. It's livable since it only happens between 55-65mph but still very annoying when I have to commute at that speed for ten minutes or so.

At some point in the near future I'll probably be going to the local dealership to get the airbag recall done, so I might have them take a look at the frontend and see if there's anything strange or loose. Maybe check the alignment too.

 

[rics97toy]

I wanted ask you when was the brakes replaced because my wife’s 2012 Limited 4Runner was doing the same thing. So a weekend I was free I decided to look at the front brakes because where I was getting the death wobble around 55-75 mph. After my inspection I found that both inner calipers has seized pistons and when I inspected the rear calipers they were also seized.

This was sad to hear especially we just purchased the 4Runner less that 8 months and have complained several time at the dealership we purchased from and they stated that their was nothing wrong with the brakes.

So I decided to inspect to find that front, back, and e-brakes had to be replaced. I just completed cleaning ,painting and rebuilding the calipers. Today I just finished installing the Power Stop kit front and back with stainless steel front brake lines and the car drives without the death wobble.

So if you need any help let me know.

Rich

That's a negative. I've been somewhat busy with work but the problem is still there after airing up. It's livable since it only happens between 55-65mph but still very annoying when I have to commute at that speed for ten minutes or so.

At some point in the near future I'll probably be going to the local dealership to get the airbag recall done, so I might have them take a look at the frontend and see if there's anything strange or loose. Maybe check the alignment too.

 

[axel1]

The problem seems to be that you went LTE over P. Usually people who complain use LTE tires (or grossly oversized tires on Jeeps).

Another possibility I read about in 4WD magazine is if your tires cool down and develop flat spots between the time you arrive at the shop and the time they get balanced. Then balancing accounts for the flat spots and you are back to vibrations on the highway. Again, the heavy weight/grossly oversized tires/very stiff sidewall tires are where that happens.

As for psi, to be on par with P-metric tires in terms of load capacity, LT tires must be run at very different pressures, normally 42-44 for a 4Runner. That almost nobody likes doing that is another story.

Here in the desert, I can see the LT argument and I might move to an LTC eventually (though I survive just fine on P). In the Midwest (or Northwest) I would not run an LT.

What makes you say they're LT? As far as I can tell the LT A/T3W's have a separate part number and I definitely went with the standard non-LT 265/70R17.

 

[axel1]

I wanted ask you when was the brakes replaced because my wife’s 2012 Limited 4Runner was doing the same thing. So a weekend I was free I decided to look at the front brakes because where I was getting the death wobble around 55-75 mph. After my inspection I found that both inner calipers has seized pistons and when I inspected the rear calipers they were also seized.

This was sad to hear especially we just purchased the 4Runner less that 8 months and have complained several time at the dealership we purchased from and they stated that their was nothing wrong with the brakes.

So I decided to inspect to find that front, back, and e-brakes had to be replaced. I just completed cleaning ,painting and rebuilding the calipers. Today I just finished installing the Power Stop kit front and back with stainless steel front brake lines and the car drives without the death wobble.

So if you need any help let me know.

Rich

I will definitely try this out. Not having a place to work on a vehicle makes it tough, but my brakes definitely need a bit of love. I think this thing sat on the lot for a decent amount of time before I got it, so I wouldn't be surprised if there was a seized caliper or two. I do have a bit of pulsating when I brake so if nothing else there's at least a warped rotor or something.

 

[rics97toy]

Let me know if you need some assistance and I recommend the front Power Stop brake kit. I think Amazon has the best price and free shipping.

 

[tri4cy]

I wanted ask you when was the brakes replaced because my wife’s 2012 Limited 4Runner was doing the same thing. So a weekend I was free I decided to look at the front brakes because where I was getting the death wobble around 55-75 mph. After my inspection I found that both inner calipers has seized pistons and when I inspected the rear calipers they were also seized.

This was sad to hear especially we just purchased the 4Runner less that 8 months and have complained several time at the dealership we purchased from and they stated that their was nothing wrong with the brakes.

So I decided to inspect to find that front, back, and e-brakes had to be replaced. I just completed cleaning ,painting and rebuilding the calipers. Today I just finished installing the Power Stop kit front and back with stainless steel front brake lines and the car drives without the death wobble.

So if you need any help let me know.

Rich

This gives me hope! I've noticed a bit of a wobble/shake in my steering wheel the last few thousand miles (couple of months). I've had new tires put on (which cut down on road noise but now makes me hear other things). I'm due for new brakes here soon and will replace the rotors as well.

I'm just trying to figure out if it's a wheel bearing or CV that's going bad. I'm at aprox 80,000 miles but do have a 2.5" lift on the front.