Driveline Vibration with Lift - vote yes or no!

Ok so after reading Steve O's thread, its made me slightly re-consider my soon to be setup of OME 881's with the wheeler's 5 leaf pack. Maybe I should just do brand new shocks at all 4 corners with new rack and sway bar bushings. I'd love to have the 2" of lift, but not at the expense of stupid vibration. My main concern anyway is getting rid of the pitiful, soft, jarring ride I am currently experiencing - 194k miles and all original suspension. My sway bar bushings look like somebody put them in the microwave for 2 minutes then reinstalled them.

So help me out on which direction I should go, is this a hit or miss thing? Or are the vibes more of an exception than the norm???

 

I plan on making some carrier bearing spacers to correct the vibes like tacomaman06 did. I will let you know how they work when I get around to it.

The vibes I have now really aren't bad though and only start after 55 mph.

 

I had two different vibes post lift. One at +55 mph and the other between 20 and ~28 mph. Figured out right away that I was too high in the front and adjusted the COs down. This eliminated the +55 vibe. The slow speed vibe was harder to figure out. It turned out to be driveline. A half inch drop of the carrier bearing eliminated the vibe.

 

Thanks for the replies guys...I'm going up 2" in the front and 1.5" in the rear, this is lower than most who do the 2.5-3.0" in front, so are my chances for vibration really minimal or is every truck different no matter what height over stock you go??

 

I just find I have a little vibration in the steering column when wheeling and it's only when goin over really bumpy stuff.

 

I put a 2.5 inch lift on and it sounds just like it did stock, no problems for me.

 

There does seem to be some inconsistencies from truck to truck. Those numbers (2" front, 1.5" back) are merely estimates. YMMV.

In general, you are less likely to have the vibrations I had.

 

Anytime you alter your driveline angles, there is a chance of vibration. 7 degrees differance is the absollute max a u-joint can manage. After that, it will wear and bind.
Shims to adjust the rear axle back to under 7 degrees will fix that. You may have to shim the carrier as well.
3" max lift on the front is recomended on the front cv joints, without modifications to the drive shafts.

 

Steve o, I have the CB shims that I removed from my truck after I removed the DB kit. If you need 'em let me know? I removed 2 out of 3 (per side) after getting rid of blocks. Much smoother now

 

Well, I already have the materials laying around so I think it'll be easier to just make them. Thanks though.

 

I got the OME 3" kit from toytec also got the front differential drop. Lifted it a full 3" in the front. AAL added about 2.5 in the rear. No vibes. Ride's a little stiffer, not too bad tho. Just need an alignment, which I haven't gotten yet.

 

I just got done making my spacers, I will test them maybe tonight.

 

You want shims. Cheap and easy and eliminate the vibration if done right.

 

nearly 3.5 inches of lift on mine, hopefully it will settle down once it gets broken in but to my surprise there arent any driveline vibes at all speeds. the angle looks a little severe but it functions perfectly

 

i take that back started noticing slight vibes at 53 mph hopefully a diff drop and carrier bearing drop will fix it up but ucas are still good to go

 

Take a close look at your CV boots. The high speed vibes might indicate the slightest touching of one of the ribs against another. If they touched, you will be able to feel it as a groove.

I'm still riding on one that has a groove.

 

well hopefully i can figure out something to fix it thanks for tha advice

 

Since the voting poll is closed, "Stop being a pussy and just do it, its not going to cause any issues" I've had a 3-4" lift with leveling kit on my Prerunner for 2+ years and have had no issues so far.

 

Easy for you to say, you don't have any front axles to worry about.