Test drove a '15 SR5 4WD...steering wheel feedback/vibration/resonance

[wkilby9]

Hey all, I'm in the market for a 5th Gen and test drove an SR5 Premium today with 63k miles.

Very clean, but I felt some feedback in the steering wheel pretty much at all times that didn't feel normal to me. I wouldn't call it vibration, more of a resonance that I don't feel in my 09 RAV4. I've never driven a T4R before this one, so I don't know really know if this is normal or not. It does have a set of pretty worn Goodyear Wranglers that look too dry-rotted to be on a 4 year old vehicle...guessing the dealer/someone else threw these on there because the tires it came with were bald. Seemed like I heard a tire roar that may or may not be normal or related to the vibration/resonance as well.

I guess the best thing I have to compare to is my dad's '14 Silverado with 120k, which feels smooth as silk compared to what I drove today. The 4Runner felt more like my lifted '06 Silverado when it came to the steering.

Definitely planning to drive more to compare. Little things like this are making me think I should buy CPO...thoughts on what could be the culprit or is this normal?

 

[Horsethief]

I'm not sure what the culprit may be, you could be on the right track with the tires.

I'll say that my 13 Trail that I purchased this past Feb with 79k miles (90k on it now) does not do that. It came with a nearly new set of Dueler HT's though.

 

[FrenchToasty]

If your interested tell them to swap tires and see what you think. My mom has a 10’ rav I think, and it’s hard to compare that to a 5th gen. Everything in road feedback is different between the two, drive train, power, height, size of tires and rims.

 

[wkilby9]

If your interested tell them to swap tires and see what you think. My mom has a 10’ rav I think, and it’s hard to compare that to a 5th gen. Everything in road feedback is different between the two, drive train, power, height, size of tires and rims.

Yep I agree. I just know I've driven a lot of full-size trucks also that didn't have this all the time so it can't be normal. I wonder if they actually would switch the tires if I asked.

 

[a47chuck]

Are your roads grooved from Subarus or Camrys with studded tires? My Gen 4’s and Gen 5’s don’t fit in their tracks, especially under braking.

 

[wkilby9]

Are your roads grooved from Subarus or Camrys with studded tires? My Gen 4’s and Gen 5’s don’t fit in their tracks, especially under braking.

Is this serious? If so I didn't know that was a thing...but no, in central NC so very little need for studded tires.

 

[Cymon]

Hey all, I'm in the market for a 5th Gen and test drove an SR5 Premium today with 63k miles.

Very clean, but I felt some feedback in the steering wheel pretty much at all times that didn't feel normal to me. I wouldn't call it vibration, more of a resonance that I don't feel in my 09 RAV4. I've never driven a T4R before this one, so I don't know really know if this is normal or not. It does have a set of pretty worn Goodyear Wranglers that look too dry-rotted to be on a 4 year old vehicle...guessing the dealer/someone else threw these on there because the tires it came with were bald. Seemed like I heard a tire roar that may or may not be normal or related to the vibration/resonance as well.

I guess the best thing I have to compare to is my dad's '14 Silverado with 120k, which feels smooth as silk compared to what I drove today. The 4Runner felt more like my lifted '06 Silverado when it came to the steering.

Definitely planning to drive more to compare. Little things like this are making me think I should buy CPO...thoughts on what could be the culprit or is this normal?

There are numerous threads on this issue. The reality is that the steering vibrations are normally attributed to slight variations in tire balancing and tire pressure. I had the same issue when I got new tires, hunter road force balancing and correct tire pressure for the load in the vehicle made it all go away. I would recommend test driving another 4Runner, and as a point of sale on the used request new tires and having them road force balanced. Also see if they would give you a certain amount of time and mileage for a return (a lot of used car sales will do this, ie: 1 week buy back guarantee).

 

[Duuuuuuuude]

My '11 with 165k does it too, at least until the tires warm up. After that it's fine. Some days it doesn't do it at all.

 

[wkilby9]

Whatever the issue is, I'm not going to spend $30k on a vehicle that I have to put tires on right away. So I told the dealer that I wasn't interested because of the tires, we'll see if they reach back out next week. Found a '16 with 77k I may go test drive tomorrow.

 

[RPStandard]

My 18 SR5 does the same thing and it seems to be getting worse. My steering wheel is shaking all over the place at 60mph. If the dealership can't fix it, I might have to ditch the 4runner altogether, which kills me.
Edit: Rotated the tires and the shaking went away, so I'm not sure what the problem was, but I'm happy.

 

[kenwilliams0803]

My 18 SR5 does the same thing and it seems to be getting worse. My steering wheel is shaking all over the place at 60mph. If the dealership can't fix it, I might have to ditch the 4runner altogether, which kills me.

They can get it right but you have to be prepared to keep on them and go back again. It takes my dealer 2 tries every time I get the tires balanced. Sometimes 3.

 

[badattitude]

I'm of the opinion using a finger plate adapter during balances corrects this issue. It worked on 3rd and fourth gen 4runners.

Currently my steering wheel doesn't shimmy so I'm not balancing what an't broke on my fifth gen.

 

[waypoint]

My 18 SR5 does the same thing and it seems to be getting worse. My steering wheel is shaking all over the place at 60mph. If the dealership can't fix it, I might have to ditch the 4runner altogether, which kills me.

Find a reputable shop with a Hunter Road Force Elite GSP9700 balancer, and it will be done correctly. My 4th gen with 18" rims gave me fits after my first tire replacement, even the dealer couldn't get it to ride smoothly at highway speeds.

Hit the website below, enter your location, select the Road Force Elite check box, and find one you can get to:

GSP9700 Locator