Vibrations

Taco's seem to have a mind of their own when it comes to vibrations....

When you finally solve the mystery, in my case, 2 years and 9 months later, OMG....

Anyway, this is what finally solved the problem...yes, I had driveshaft vibes, fixed with new center support bearing and some dabs of silicon, also dealt with an out of phase driveshaft by previous owner....never could get the original 15" alloy's mounted with Michlein's M/T's perfectly balanced, always a problem from day one of tire purchase...

Finally, on a trip to California from Virginia this last March, I just couldn't take it anymore and got a set of 17" alloy takeoff's (2009/2010 Tacoma hubcentric originals) and 4 new skins, this time BF Goodrich Long Trail, 265x75x17....purchased at Americas Tire in California...same people as Discount Tire Nationwide....that hurt a bit on the pocketbook...

Boy, it sure made a difference, but it still wasn't quite right, just seemed like it was a little off....so, upon return to East Coast I stopped in to a Discount Tire in Mooresville, NC, for a free balance...I asked them to check the current balance prior to rebalancing and every wheel/tire was off by at least an ounce...

This can't be true I argued, they only have 4000+ miles on them...they explained to me that the shop in California did not have the special attachment needed to balance these types of alloy rims properly, thus explaining why I was never satisfied with the balance, EVER....the local shop in California thought I was nuts as I had been using them for at least 15/20 years when I lived in California.....

Anyway, Nirvana now....hopefully all the Discount Tire/America's Tire shops will have the new equipment by end of year (Hunter machines and all the proper attachments)...I had tried numerous other shops, paying for the balancing, all with similar unbalanced results...nothing like stopping at a shop in the middle of Nascar country, they know their stuffs....

Along the way I replaced a whole lot of parts, inner and outer tie rods, ball joints, all bushings and grommets, every step helped but didn't ultimately solve the problem....

So, for those with hippity hop problems and factory alloys, a place to reconsider all over again...drove me NUTS for a long time....

Also, when I replaced the center support bearing I used the wrong one (HB31 instead of the HB26 it calls for), then flipped it before mounting, ie, drain hole facing up instead of down, it lowered the shaft without the use
of washers and stopped all driveline problems...lasered the two shafts to straight, done...

Don't get me started on the double cardan joint, it is the primary reason for center support bearing failure, friggin' weighs a ton and the reason I silicone the support bearing...

I was fortunate that all the universals were still good...

Just sayin....