Wheel alignment and balance

[propjock]

I ust had a wheel alignment and tire balance done and the car still has a vibration around 65-70 mph abs pulls slightly right. The other day a firestone dealer said I need new shocks and struts. The 4runner only has 53000 miles and like everyone on the other thread said I'm am suspicious about the shocks and struts.
My question is what is still causing the pulling and vibration.

 

[gm350reratliff]

Sometimes a tire can be out-of-round. Meaning that you can balance it all you want but it will still be rolling like an egg. Also tires can have a dead spot in them that will allow the tire to compress slightly more at one point than the rest of the tire. As the speed increases it becomes more apparent as it starts to bounce. Road force balancers can help compensate for this or tell if the tire is unbalancable. Having tires out of balance can shorten the life of shocks and struts. Most OEM shocks and struts are weak anyway. Tires can also creat a pull to either side of the road. Road force balancers can also check for that. Check the air pressures in the tires then try rotating just the front tires and see if the pull goes away. Also check to see if the pull goes away when you apply the brakes. A frozen caliper will cause that. If it doesn't then you may need the alignment to be re-done. If the road crown is different where you drive vs. where the alignment tech drove your vehicle could also be a factor. Take them for a spin and show them. Make them fix it.

 

[4 Runner Bud]

I had my "Tire Shop" balance my wheels 3 times, and it still had a shake that drove me crazy. Then as I saw on this forum, I took it to a shop that had the "Road Force" balancer. What a difference! 70 dollars well spent. My so called "Tire Shop" is a thing of the past. Young kids on balance machines do not mix!:shrug: