2nd Gen Tacoma vibration wont leave

Hello, I have a 2013 tacoma double cab 4wd, It has a 3 inch lift in the front 2 inch add a leaf in the back. bought the truck used in 2019 with 68k on it. It needed new tires so I went with the les schwab open range a/t, But had a noticeable vibration between 70-75 mph (kinda a shimmy) and road noise, So I took the tires back and got the Back country a/t, the road noise decreased, but the vib was still there then les schwab said it needed ball joints so I replaced the upper control arms. Vib was still there. I replaced the u joints and carrier bearing, put axle shims, carrier bearing spacers, and had the brake rotors turned. vib got better but still there. I also had 2 different Les schwabs balance and road force test the tires. they even had to replace the r front tire to get it balance but that was on the second road force test. so then I had Les schwab check all drive, steering, and suspension components and they said it was fine. Please help me find this vibration, none of my other 14+ trucks i've owned have done this except for a few times but I was able to get them fixed.

 

I would get a second opinion, to be honest.

 

Does it go away when you put it on 4hi?

Is it worse at any particular speed?

Does it make a buzzing sensation?

 

It sounds tire related for sure, but try putting it in 4wd, and see if it goes away. If so, you will need one of these:

https://eastcoastgearsupply.com/i-8536125-toyota-8-clamshell-bushing-eliminates-needle-bearing.html

 

I have a post about the same issue. I just had some new wheels put on and had to take it back 3 times because of vibration and noise and it's still having the same issue, although not as bad as before. Still can't figure out what it is.

 

One other piece that would be needed to insure that the balance was done properly are Haweka adapters. It's a set of adapters that allow the tech to mount the wheel to the machine via the lug holes (to get it as close as possible to real world conditions), and not the hub alone.

I had a balance issue years ago with my wife's old WRX. It had smooth as glass factory wheels, and I swapped those out for some new wheels/tires. The vibes were bad. I ended up going to 3 different shops, did some Google ressearch, and found a shop with both a Hunter Road force Balancer, and a set of Haweka adapters. I got to the point where I was asking if I could go back, and watch them operate the balancer (after I still had an issue, but was a lot better than when I started out). I was the one that pointed out to them that I could visually see that one wheel was out of round. I replaced that wheel, and it was vibe free after that.

I don't think a wheel is your issue, but wanted to also make the point that even with all the proper equipment, tech experience with the machine(s) is still a big factor.

 

This particular place I went didn't have a road force balancer but there is another shop in town that does. It's $40 a tire though so pretty pricey. The next time I have my oil changed I may see about getting them to do it and see if that helps.

 

So here is a simple question. Did you have the vibration before you replaced the tires?

 

The tires are the same but I replaced the wheels. It didn't seem to be there with the OEM wheels. So I was guessing either the wheels are out of balance still or maybe one is possible out of round.

 

Sounds like you need to put some pressure on Les Schwab since their product/service is the reason you have the vibration.

 

I don't want to take it back to the same place since I've already been back 3 times. I don't know what else they would do at this point. I'm probably going to bring it in on my next oil change and have them looks at by one of the speciality shops here in town.

 

Did you replace wheels or tires? If wheels are they hub centric and 106mm bore? If not exactly bore of stock you will never get a good mounting and balance will be off.

 

I replaced the wheels. The tires I kept the same, which were on the OEM 17" wheels. I checked 4 or 5 different sites for fit including the manufacturer's and they all showed these as a fit for OEM size tires.

Specs are: American Racing AR172 Baja, 17x8 size, 6x139.70 bolt pattern, 4.5 backspace, 0mm offset, 108mm bore. So based on your previous statement, they are 2mm too large? It seems strange they would be listed as an exact fit for my truck if they were but who knows. I made sure to input the correct year and exact trim on each and every time they showed as a match.

 

Yup that's it 108mm instead of 106mm.
I have the same issue I put in shims and even with shims not 100% perfect.

Search TW there are dozens of posts about wheel bore and trying to get rid of vibrations.

They probably say that they work/fit because the hub cap is to act like a 2mm shim....my experience it's never perfect.

 

Ah okay, I see. So I would need a 108 to 106 hub centric ring? (to at least help it some)

 

Yes.
That's what I did and not 100% but best possible. Some wheels will have optional hub caps to fill up the 2mm but again not 100% perfect....

 

That are the wheels I got: http://imgur.com/a/ZdPbVx3

The caps on the middle come through the back of the wheel and have a lip that sits over the caliper. I don't know if that would qualify as filling up the space but they are default with these wheels.

 

Yup. I have the same wheels with same hub caps but in steel. They never mount perfectly...I have used shims and caps both with mixed results. Toyota stock wheels are 106mm fit tight stock caps clip on not through bore. These after market are sloppy.

All I can say is you're not alone...

You're ahead of the game the steel version also rubs up on the brake calipers....

 

Do you still have these mounted on your truck?

 

Yes I live with the vibe because I live in CA and mostly sit in traffic than reach the speed that the vibe comes in....LOL...
But really it does annoy me and if I ever can afford different rims I'll change them out for maybe some FJ TRD or something with the right bore.