Tire Wobble Diagnosis Help... Any and All Help!

[Brian757]

So I've noticed a mild humming sound on the interstate about a week ago. I figured I was out of alignment. Although I just got new 35 inch BFG All-Terrains mounted about 1200 miles ago, and the alignment came when I got them mounted and balanced.

I used my side view mirrors on the highway today and noticed my rear driver tire has a mild wobble to it. Got home, jacked it up and shook the wheel; tight as a nun. Pulled the tire off and tightened wheel spacers to 85ft.lb. and remounted the tire and tightened to same specs. Drove it and had same wobble.

What could the problem be? Could it be a bad wheel bearing? Couldn't be a bent axle as the passenger side doesn't do it. Anything, anyone?

 

[LittleCaesar]

How true is the rim? Did you get a printout sheet for specs after the alignment?

 

[Brian757]

How true is the rim? Did you get a printout sheet for specs after the alignment?

The rim is about 3 years old and haven't been abused. Check this out, the tech at the shop that aligned my truck said that the printer wasn't working for the alignment machine. But he handed me a large invoice to sign and I asked how he was able to print that out. He said they're seperate machines, so I believed him.

About 20 minutes later he calls me to say the printer is back up and I can pick up my printout whenever. I just let it go. I do have unlimited alignments for a year. Guess I should abuse that. I spoke to the same tech over the phone today and he said he doesn't think it's an alignment issue, that he believes it's a wheel bearing. Of course he doesn't want to take the blame, but it sounds like an alignment issue. I hear no grinding sounds whatsoever.

Although, when I rock the tire when jacked up, it does have play. It'll slap inside the hub when I rock it back and forth. Both sides do that though.

 

[JRZEE2000TR4LTD]

The rim is about 3 years old and haven't been abused. Check this out, the tech at the shop that aligned my truck said that the printer wasn't working for the alignment machine. But he handed me a large invoice to sign and I asked how he was able to print that out. He said they're seperate machines, so I believed him.

About 20 minutes later he calls me to say the printer is back up and I can pick up my printout whenever. I just let it go. I do have unlimited alignments for a year. Guess I should abuse that. I spoke to the same tech over the phone today and he said he doesn't think it's an alignment issue, that he believes it's a wheel bearing. Of course he doesn't want to take the blame, but it sounds like an alignment issue. I hear no grinding sounds whatsoever.

Although, when I rock the tire when jacked up, it does have play. It'll slap inside the hub when I rock it back and forth. Both sides do that though.

Definitely not alignment. Rim trueness, tire radial belts, rear axle bearings or bent axle.

 

[Brian757]

Definitely not alignment. Rim trueness, tire radial belts, rear axle bearings or bent axle.

Are you certain it isn't the alignment? And rim trueness? How would this be affected? The side that is acting up has never seen any real damage whatsoever. Also, I find it hard to believe the axle is bent. I'm almost tempted to say the wheel bearing is bad. Also, the BFGs are brand new. Chance the belts are warped?

Is it worth it to mention when jacked up in the air, it doesn't wobble?

 

[LittleCaesar]

I'd be leaning towards the rim. My brother had a t100, got 60,000 miles out of a set of BFs, put a new set on and one wheel hopped all over. Turns out the rim was slightly bent, where the old tire and rim were fine together the new tire on the bent rim did not jell.

I'd swap the rears around and see if it is still happening on that side.

 

[Brian757]

I'd be leaning towards the rim. My brother had a t100, got 60,000 miles out of a set of BFs, put a new set on and one wheel hopped all over. Turns out the rim was slightly bent, where the old tire and rim were fine together the new tire on the bent rim did not jell.

I'd swap the rears around and see if it is still happening on that side.

Hmm. Very odd. I will do this tomorrow. The wheels are alloy and I am converting to steel wheels by the end of August anyhow so if the problem is the wheels, the solution is near. But I'd hate to dock her for a month. (Waiting to regear).

 

[541joseph]

I'll bet on tires.

 

[Brian757]

I'll bet on tires.

I bought my tires from TireRack.com on June 26th and received them July 1st, and they sat in my garage until July 6th. So they've been installed for about 3 1/2 weeks. Do you think TireRack would do anything to resolve this?

 

[JRZEE2000TR4LTD]

Are you certain it isn't the alignment? And rim trueness? How would this be affected? The side that is acting up has never seen any real damage whatsoever. Also, I find it hard to believe the axle is bent. I'm almost tempted to say the wheel bearing is bad. Also, the BFGs are brand new. Chance the belts are warped?

Is it worth it to mention when jacked up in the air, it doesn't wobble?

Can't be the alignment because it's wheel wobble has nothing to do with alignment angles, especially in the rear of our trucks because it is a solid axle. With that being said, the wobble could affect an alignment being done but most modern alignment machines detect wheel wobble. I say this only because I would probably get it realigned after you fix the wobble as your thrust angle could have been affected by the wobble.
It most certainly is worth mentioning that is doesn't wobble when is in the air. That rules out a bent axle, as that would show up all the time. Sort of rules out a snapped radial in the tire for the same reason. But it could still be that as your watching it in your sideview mirror going down the road. Optical illusion. Maybe you could get a friend to ride next to you and see if the wobble is emanating from the tire or the rim. Just don't want you getting into an accident glaring at your mirror.
At this point it sounds like a axle bearing as it only shows up under load. Any gear oil leakage noticeable? I would think that much wobble would compromise your axle seals but I'm just speculating. Before all that just make sure your spacers are mounted flush along with the drums. Maybe put your spare on or swap tires around an see if it does the same thing. Good luck!!

 

[Hyde802]

You mentioned the tire having play in the wheel bearing? Did you look into that at all?

If you swap the tire/wheel to a different corner, does the new wheel wobble too?

Maybe it just needs to be balanced again?

How are your shocks?

 

[541joseph]

I bought my tires from TireRack.com on June 26th and received them July 1st, and they sat in my garage until July 6th. So they've been installed for about 3 1/2 weeks. Do you think TireRack would do anything to resolve this?

I'd take it back and have it re balanced and then if there's no change then yes I would call them and talk to them and I'd imagine they would do something about it they are a big company.

 

[Brian757]

Maybe put your spare on or swap tires around an see if it does the same thing. Good luck!!

Thank you for all of your information. I basically made the same assumptions as you about my tire not wobbling when in the air. Also, today I will be swapping tires to see if I still get the wobble on the rear driver side.

You mentioned the tire having play in the wheel bearing? Did you look into that at all?

If you swap the tire/wheel to a different corner, does the new wheel wobble too?

Maybe it just needs to be balanced again?

How are your shocks?

I haven't looked into the wheel bearing yet. I got home from work and laid down with my kid, haha. It's to the point now that I have more money than time. I will however swap the tires out today to see if I can manage a wobble again.

Should I also mention that when I rotate my rear tires in the air, I get an almost ticking sound? Its not like what people mention as a bad wheel bearing, sounding shrieking and horrible. I will take a video and post it here tonight.

The tires might need to get balanced again. The place that did my alignment also mounted and balanced the tires when I brought them in. I did it all in one shot. So I'm thinking the shop might have messed up the balancing. I didn't feel it prior, but I also had Nitto Mud Grapplers, and they shake like crazy. The shocks are in good condition as well.

I'd take it back and have it re balanced and then if there's no change then yes I would call them and talk to them and I'd imagine they would do something about it they are a big company.

I'm going to try and eliminate a few variables before bringing it back there. But trust me, I will be getting it realigned. If the wheel bearings check out, I will go through with re-balancing. I feel the same about Tire Rack.

 

[nevada]

to rule out the axle and bearing, just swap the tires side to side.


but, if its not causing you any problems, or strange vibrations, I wouldn't worry about it.

most tires will have some run-out, its common.

 

[Brian757]

[MENTION=84120]nevada[/MENTION], [MENTION=107674]JRZEE2000TR4LTD[/MENTION], [MENTION=69539]Hyde802[/MENTION], [MENTION=102285]541joseph[/MENTION], [MENTION=69868]LittleCaesar[/MENTION]:

Alright, so I've posted two videos showing the wobble/sounds of my rear driver tire/hub. For the first video regarding the wobble, it'll take good eyes to see it, because it's more noticeable on the highway. Although I didn't want to tempt fate or natural selection for that matter, so I stuck to my neighborhood.

For the sounds, is this normal? I wiggle it and then let go. Notice how it continues to wiggle on its own for a second. It has about 1/4" of play. Let me know of any ideas/concerns/opinions/suggestions. I don't think I tested them correctly, but am also assuming it could be a balance issue. Also, I had vertigo all day so I didn't swap tires. I got home from work and had enough energy to lift my truck, that's all. I will try tomorrow...

Tire Wobble:
<iframe width="640" height="360" src="//www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/BEST8fS4NxE?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Hub Sounds:
<iframe width="640" height="360" src="//www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/mqoNOo-n89A?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[541joseph]

That's a little more than normal but that's not what your looking for on wheel bearing play. You need to be looking for up and down play. That play is in your 3rd member which has your spider gears and ring and pinion.

 

[sterbenlicht]

I'm not sure I could see the wobble you're mentioning, but it has nothing to do with balance or alignment if you're going that slow, and would have to be so incredibly out of balance that the truck would be shaking violently on the highway if you were able to see wobbling. And it would never have anything to do with alignment anyway. There's no adjustment made back there. It's a front end alignment only. That sound is fairly normal, at least what I made out in the video.

If you're still hearing this humming, you're going to be looking at the parts you're already aware of. I wouldn't bother with the tire or alignment people any further though unless the wobbling is far worse than typical runout of a tire should be. If you've ever watched a wheel turn consistently, you'll see the side walls and tread often have a little bit of motion to them. On tires that big, I wouldn't be surprised to see a bit more than your average Camry tire.

In moments like this, it's good to have some small stock wheels and tires hanging around that you can throw on to help rule things out.

 

[Brian757]

That's a little more than normal but that's not what your looking for on wheel bearing play. You need to be looking for up and down play. That play is in your 3rd member which has your spider gears and ring and pinion.

I figured I motioned the tires incorrectly. After watching others, I need to grab and rock it toward and away from me. I feel dumb. I'm also starting to feel crazy, like I'm worrying about nothing. The only thing that concerns me is the passenger side drives true as can be. Hopefully the Yukon gears I get won't have as much play. I'm getting them set by ECGS and then I'm installing the 3rd.
[MENTION=111469]sterbenlicht[/MENTION]: I guess I worded myself incorrectly before, but I never meant to blame the alignment. I got my alignment along with the mount and balance done at the same time, and was referring to the balancing job performed by the alignment shop. And I know what you mean about larger tires having a bit of wander to them. But it seems odd the front tires nor the passenger do it. I guess it'll all come down to what happens when I swap tires around. I'm almost tempted to put beads in my tires when I get the steel wheels installed. Sound like a good or bad idea?

I just want to ensure everything is alright. I'm not trying to go through my new tires prematurely, ya know?

 

[sterbenlicht]

Oh okay, I gotcha.

I've never really figured out what causes that wander. I assume it's related to storage of the tires and the shape they've adopted. I often see only one or two tires in a set of four that I mount and balance that have a little more wobble than the others when I'm spinning them on the balancing machine. They always seem to behave properly on the road regardless of the runout though.

As the other guy said, if you find it's something in the bearing or wheel shape, you'll definitely want to realign it. I'm sure those tires are expensive haha. No need to take chances.

Edit: Ironically, I'm also a Brian living in 757 lol

 

[nevada]

[MENTION=84120]nevada[/MENTION], [MENTION=107674]JRZEE2000TR4LTD[/MENTION], [MENTION=69539]Hyde802[/MENTION], [MENTION=102285]541joseph[/MENTION], [MENTION=69868]LittleCaesar[/MENTION]:

Alright, so I've posted two videos showing the wobble/sounds of my rear driver tire/hub. For the first video regarding the wobble, it'll take good eyes to see it, because it's more noticeable on the highway. Although I didn't want to tempt fate or natural selection for that matter, so I stuck to my neighborhood.

For the sounds, is this normal? I wiggle it and then let go. Notice how it continues to wiggle on its own for a second. It has about 1/4" of play. Let me know of any ideas/concerns/opinions/suggestions. I don't think I tested them correctly, but am also assuming it could be a balance issue. Also, I had vertigo all day so I didn't swap tires. I got home from work and had enough energy to lift my truck, that's all. I will try tomorrow...

Tire Wobble:
<iframe width="640" height="360" src="//www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/BEST8fS4NxE?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Hub Sounds:
<iframe width="640" height="360" src="//www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/mqoNOo-n89A?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

I don't see anything out of the ordinary.

if its not causing a vibration, or other issue, I don't think you have a problem.

a tiny bit of run-out on tires is NORMAL, the larger the tire, the more run-out is to be expected.