Steering wheel vibrates while braking at freeway speeds

I have searched this forum and the internet for the culprit for my breaking issues and all replies that I have read state the reason is the rotors are warped. First the details of my Tacoma, it is a 2008 off-road DC 4X4 with 51,000 miles and has never been driven off road. I have replaced the stock tires at 40,000 miles with Michelin LTX M/S 2 tires and the wheels have been changed to FJ Cruiser SE anthracite wheels. Over the past year while driving at freeway speeds (65-75) and when applying the brakes at that those speeds my steering wheel would vibrate and I would not feel any pulsating in the brake pedal. For the most part my truck stays parked in the garage and only is driven 2-3 times a month due to having a work vehicle. The braking issue appears to be intermittent and never happens when driving at slower speeds off the freeway. I really did not think it was the rotors since the braking problem was intermittent and manifests itself at freeway speeds.

So these are steps I have taken thus far: checked the balancing of the tires at discount tire, checked the front alignment and that checked within specifications. Last week I purchased the EBC brake kit (Stage 5 super street) and I installed the new rotors and pads. I am still in the process of bedding in the brake pads to the new rotors. While applying very mild braking from 65 mph the steering wheel started to vibrate.

So here is what I am thinking, there might be a slight possibility I received a new warped rotor but since this braking problem is only at freeway speeds and I get no pulsating through the brake pedal I believe that is not the issue. I am thinking it might be a front end component a worn ball joint or front wheel bearing or some other related font end component. When I get the time I am going to jack the front end up and check for play by grabbing the wheel at the 6 and 12 o’clock position.

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thought I check in and tell everyone what fixed the vibration for me. First off I went into the local Toyota dealer to get the spiral cable recall completed and I had them check the brakes for the above mentioned problem. The service adviser calls me and tells me the after market rotors (EBC I just installed) are warped and there was no way for them to measure the rotors since they are slotted with dimples. He recommended replacing the rotors and pads with Toyota OEM parts. I told him no on the replacement pads and rotors. After searching the web I came across the Toyota bulletin to use the Haweka adapter. I returned to Discount Tire and they located a store that had the Haweka adapter and they re-balanced my wheels this past Friday. I have put over 300 miles since Friday on the Tacoma and the vibration is gone. The vibration demon was a balancing issue. I will be contacting the Toyota dealership and will be telling them they did not diagnose my truck correctly.

 

i have the SAME problem. Out of curiosity, which store did they locate that had such an adapter?

 

The Plaza Drive store (3836 Plaza Drive Oceanside CA) had the adapter.