Wondering on the highway

[NJSalsaRed]

Truck has the TRD springs and shocks (For FJ) installed. I just had the Michelin LTX's installed and an alignment done. Didn't get the print out so I don't know the exact settings. Truck seems to track OK, doesn't pull but seems to wonder a bit on the highway. It was windy this weekend and the dam thing was getting blown around much more then norm. I've played with tire pressure, no difference. I also have this sort of slight clunk that I can hear and feel at low speeds over expansion joint type of cracks/small bumps. Can't seem to pinpoint where that's coming from. That started over the winter, normal driving above 20 MPH, I hear nothing. I had the shop that did the tires and alignment check everything, and of course said everything is tight.

Any ideas of where / what I should look at? Truck has 67K on it, no off road use.

Thanks guys!

 

[catrains]

toe is off .. need the front edge of tires in by 1/4inch .. use fishing line from rear wheel to the fronts .. front edge of front tire should be in 1/4 inch.

if not in then bring it back and have them do it again..

installing new springs you will have to wait for a couple of K miles to have the springs take a set .. when the new springs sag then the toe will change and cause a wandering ..

my runner when new was good but @2K miles I had to adjust the toe in because I also had the wandering ..

 

[pDubs]

What are you thinking about?

 

[jmf_tracy]

wandering not wondering

 

[Tejas]

Regardless of alignment the 4Runner is somewhat light in the toes and is easily blown around in high winds. We've owned three 5th Gens now and all of them have been like this both in stock form and when lifted. The only other vehicle that I noticed this in was my buddies late model Grand Cherokee and it felt much worse IMHO.

I have never felt like the 4Runner is very planted at speed and it's just something I have come to accept over the years, it feels like it's darty at speed and certainly in high winds. It is very noticeable when I jump in the 200-series, that thing is steady and planted, it feels like a tank in comparison.

 

[codyHTX]

when wondering on the hwy be sure to have your wench ready in case you end up in a ditch whilst day-dreaming, but hopefully your breaks are good enough stop you in time!

just bustin' balls.

 

[zzdocxx]

lol funny replies above.

When I replaced the original BFG off road tires on my pre-runner several years back, with the Mich LTX, I noticed for sure that it didn't track a straight line in the same way the BFGs did.

Just my experience. Different tire from what I had before.

What tires were you replacing?

Hope you have luck with the suggestions all the same, good luck !

:tea:

 

[Kohai]

I had one set of new stock tires that would track the grooves in the cement on I-15. The grooves are there to provide traction in bad weather here in Utah. Discount Tire said different tire designs would do that. It feels like you're getting hit by wind but it's the grooves man.... the grooves. (or maybe it isn't.)

 

[plasticsnaks]

You need to find out your alignment numbers...

Lifted t4r’s drive a lot better at speed (less wandering) with higher Caster (+2.5 or preferably higher). Camber and toe can be kept within factory spec. I have +4.2 caster on my t4r that’s lifted 2.5” up front. No wandering and very stable even in cross winds.

Getting the caster “right” or high enough and keeping camber +.5 to 0 will require the tech to know what he/she is doing and to actually take their time and do the alignment. I had to find a local “off road” shop to get mine right.

 

[NJSalsaRed]

You need to find out your alignment numbers...

Lifted t4r’s drive a lot better at speed (less wandering) with higher Caster (+2.5 or preferably higher). Camber and toe can be kept within factory spec. I have +4.2 caster on my t4r that’s lifted 2.5” up front. No wandering and very stable even in cross winds.

Getting the caster “right” or high enough and keeping camber +.5 to 0 will require the tech to know what he/she is doing and to actually take their time and do the alignment. I had to find a local “off road” shop to get mine right.

When the suspension was installed last summer they did get the caster to 3.8. I'm coming off stock Bridgestone tires, which tracked OK on the highway. I'll have the alignment checked again, I think it should track better with these Michelins.

No input on the clunk? Seems to be pronounced when I'm braking, at slow speed.

Oh and thanks for the grammer corrections, but that's not really why I came to this forum.

 

[zzdocxx]

I had one set of new stock tires that would track the grooves in the cement on I-15. The grooves are there to provide traction in bad weather here in Utah. Discount Tire said different tire designs would do that. It feels like you're getting hit by wind but it's the grooves man.... the grooves. (or maybe it isn't.)

Yep same experience here.

 

[plasticsnaks]

When the suspension was installed last summer they did get the caster to 3.8. I'm coming off stock Bridgestone tires, which tracked OK on the highway. I'll have the alignment checked again, I think it should track better with these Michelins.

No input on the clunk? Seems to be pronounced when I'm braking, at slow speed.

Oh and thanks for the grammer corrections, but that's not really why I came to this forum.

Since you just got an alignment with the new tires, that may be the first thing to check. They may have aligned it to “factory spec” with a lot less caster than you had from your previous alignment. I wouldn’t think the Michelin’s would cause issues with wandering at highway speed....but who knows!

As far as the clunk....if all your suspension components are tight, I can only guess...my 2nd gen Tacoma as does my daughter’s 2nd gen Tacoma had/has the clunk issue while braking under 20mph...its a known issues with the front brake pads moving (making a kind of clunky sound). Also, on my 3rd gen Tacoma I had to install a sway bar relocate kit cuz of the sway bar rubbing (clunk sound) on my front coils after installing bilsteins (2” lift). Tacoma’s are nearly identical front suspension as the t4r and FJ. One more thing to check is to make sure your lower control arm bolts are tight enough. They have to be torqued pretty dam tight. If not they can make noise as well.

I don’t think anyone posted any clunking sound probs in the big FJ bilstein pro suspension thread.
Hope you can track down the clunk.

 

[Mutant138]

Truck has the TRD springs and shocks (For FJ) installed. I just had the Michelin LTX's installed and an alignment done. Didn't get the print out so I don't know the exact settings. Truck seems to track OK, doesn't pull but seems to wonder a bit on the highway. It was windy this weekend and the dam thing was getting blown around much more then norm. I've played with tire pressure, no difference. I also have this sort of slight clunk that I can hear and feel at low speeds over expansion joint type of cracks/small bumps. Can't seem to pinpoint where that's coming from. That started over the winter, normal driving above 20 MPH, I hear nothing. I had the shop that did the tires and alignment check everything, and of course said everything is tight.

Any ideas of where / what I should look at? Truck has 67K on it, no off road use.

Thanks guys!

I don't see anything about upper control arms. Even tho they are not "necessary" below a three inch lift it helps to get the stock alignment settings correct. Without them your truck will track and wander at highway speeds. It sounds exactly like your driving lifted on stock UCA's.

 

[Jivewalker]

. I also have this sort of slight clunk that I can hear and feel at low speeds over expansion joint type of cracks/small bumps. Can't seem to pinpoint where that's coming from. That started over the winter, normal driving above 20 MPH, I hear nothing. I had the shop that did the tires and alignment check everything, and of course said everything is tight.

Any ideas of where / what I should look at? Truck has 67K on it, no off road use.

Thanks guys!

I would replace your sway bar bushings, do the front first. Known to cause clunks with even the slightest wear and they are inexpensive. You can remove the sway bar to see if clunk gos away, then you will know for sure.

 

[nb rob]

No input on the clunk? Seems to be pronounced when I'm braking, at slow speed.

I'm guessing that the LCA bolts aren't torqued to 133lb-ft.

I've witnessed these bolts being "torqued" with an impact wrench to a "seems pretty tight" spec. 133 is damn tight. Check it on the ground.

I have my alignments done at a toyota shop that is very familiar with 4runners. I've had one alignment done elsewhere at a tire shop, and even thought I provided torque specs, it was undertorqued. Less than 100 ft-lb, and that was the result. clunk from takeoff and approaching a stop. I corrected it myself and the problem was resolved.

 

[AsAkite]

I don't see anything about upper control arms. Even tho they are not "necessary" below a three inch lift it helps to get the stock alignment settings correct. Without them your truck will track and wander at highway speeds. It sounds exactly like your driving lifted on stock UCA's.

I would agree, after putting on my new UCAs and getting an alignment, my butt dyno says 82.6% increase in lateral stability :rockon:


Seriously though, (I really think) I could tell a huge difference.
Even my pops commented that my truck was the most street stable 4x4 he's ever experienced.

Total Chaos FTW