Vibration in steering wheel & Chopping Tires

My wifes 2005 Tacoma Double cab has been one of the best vehicles we've ever owned. Only issue is we've been trying to figure out why when you are going down the highway the steering wheel has a wicked vibration to it. And the outside edges of the front tires are getting chopped up. We had the alignment done to supposedly fix it and it didn't help. Next we were told the front struts were bad so we had them replaced and alignment done again. But it's still happening. HELP! Have any of you folks had this issue and is there a fix? I want to put some killer wheels and tires on her pickup for her, but I want to get this issue fixed before we put new rubber on it.


thanks!

 

Still sounds like front alignment and wheel balancing. Try taking the truck to a different/better shop.

 

looks like the only thing not replaced in the equation is the tires. were they rotated with the maintenance?

 

I just had new wheels put on my 12 by Merchants and tried to get them balanced correctly and basically had the shop re-balance them about 5 times with no luck. Then decided to go to the local off road shop and explained what was happening and he asked if I had the right lug nuts on and I told him that the shop put on what came with the after market rims. Long story short wrong type of lug nut put the proper type on and problem solved.
They should look like this:


Not this:

 

That is an extended thread lug nut. Its the same as the other but can get more contact in the threads. You use these a lot on aftermarket rims because they are thicker than stock and you dont get much stud to put the lug nut on. The better idea is to get longer wheel studs but those will work

 

The guy explained that my truck is lug-centric instead of hub-centric therefore the longer sleeve helps center the wheel properly. Thought it was snake oil at first but hey it worked

 

Check for play at each tire on the front end to rule that out. If no play exists, which I'd expect is the case, then more than likely your tires are out of balance.

 

Tacomas are hub centric. Those lug nuts would make no difference as they're nearly the same thing.


I take it you're running stock wheels for now OP?

 

It helped because you didnt have enough thread to get it torqued right. Lug centric centers on the tapered part, not the sleeved part, I have the same lug nuts. Buuuuuut.......

^This

 

That can change with aftermarket wheels making them lugcentric correct? I'll admit I'm new to all this and just glad mines fixed. I will say it was abit of a work out torquing them bitches down to 83ft lbs. Lol

 

With aftermarket wheels, you get a ring that centers the wheel on the hub. Still hubcentric.

 

Regardless of how the wheel centers, those two lug nuts center the same way. If you can't get a matching hub bore diamater on your new wheels you can use centering rings to shim.