Ride Quality or Fact of Life? -- 2" OME Lift with 33" KO2's

Thank you for the link! Do you have any personal experience with Balance Beads? This is the first I've heard of them. Is it really better than getting my tires balanced at shop via Road Force Balance?

 

I ran 35in cooper mud tires on my last truck. And thats how my mechanic balanced them. It was amazing how well it worked.

 

So I just watched a video on installing the checkered flag beads. Is it really as simple as breaking the tire bead and dropping the tire beads in and then reinflating the tire?

 

From what i have aeen, ypu use a funnel and pour them 8nto the valve stem q the schrader valve removed. Unsure if it will work that way w the tpms.

 

Yes, but you have to make sure there is no bead lube on the interior of the tire when you re-seat it. I use 6oz of Dynabeads in each 285/75r17 tire. Here's a pic of the tiny size of the Dynabeads, which is why you can also install them thru the stem:

 

you said it only occurs at high speeds on highway. I remember watching a TacomaBeast video where he had to replace the driveshaft due to the angle produced by his lift, wheels, and tires but that was at low speed and/or during acceleration.

 

The eggs bushing fixed my vibrations after lifting

 

Oh this is great to see! This seems pretty straight forward, especially if I don't have to break to the tire bead.

And call it a rookie mistake -- I never realized tires are supposed to be balanced every 3-6k miles ("palm to face"). It's been just over 5k miles since the tires were last balanced. This has me thinking it is likely a balance issue (or at the very least part of the issue). I'm now very interested to see the impact balance beads will have .


As for ECGS bushing -- I don't think this is the issue because at low speeds (<30 mph) I have no vibrations (other than road feedback from E-rated tires). I really only feel the odd vibrations at highway speeds (50+). Plus there was no difference between 2hi and 4hi. However, after doing research, I still intend to do this mod, along with replacing the carrier bearing plus bearing drop, and likely shim the rear axle.

If all it ends up being is a tire balance issue, it seems that the other mods are at the least preventative because of the slightly adjusted driveline. Am I thinking right here?

 

Only issues i ever had like this were the ball joints and alignment. Ran the full OME kit. Jba uca with moog ball joints after the ball joints went twice, until i switched to their HD balljoint. Do you grease the bj often? What spring rate you running for the coils?

 

I chased a random vibration with my truck and measured the driveline angle multiple times, tried multiple known fixes and finally did the ecgs bushing and it fixed the issue. Could feel the vibration in the steering wheel at time, in the floor or the seat and it all went away after doing the bushing. If your truck is lifted it's worth doing to rule it out.

 

I had 285 KM2s on my 1st gen and it always had vibrations at certain speeds no matter how many times I rotated/balanced them. This year I bought some Cooper STT Pros in the same size and load rating 100% better.

 

So I’ve done some research on balancing beads. Question:

is there any issue with putting in balance beads with mileage on the tires? Most people I’ve seen that use them seem to put them in at the beginning when they mount brand new tires.

 

Have you tried to adjust air pressure yet? You could save a lot of trouble if you have not and it resolves you issue.

Just my 2 cents, and I am in debt.

 

I can't say for sure, but I used them when I had new Cooper ST Max skinnies installed on my sport rims, then swapped those used tires to SCS F5 rims many miles later later with fresh balance beads. I didn't experience any difference. My YouTube-Certified Engineering degree says the inside of the tire isn't affected by outer tread wear, but idk.

 

An update for anyone still interested:

Turns out my tires were way out of balance. So I got them road forced balanced which has made a huge difference. However I still have some slight (and I mean slight) shaking at highway speeds.

So I have 2 thoughts:
(a) it is my understanding the KO2’s suck to balance. The tire mechanic explained that this is largely due to the KO2’s construction. They are two halves which are sealed together, thus creating a high point in the center.

Because of this, the mechanic explained that he can get most the shake out, but may not be able to get it perfectly smooth.

So this maybe as good as it gets with my current tires.

(b) I am going to investigate my driveline. I do have slight play in the carrier bearing. Not sure if this is normal, but when I pushed on the driveshaft I was able to move the shaft around a half inch or so where the carrier bearing is. I’m going to also analyze the driveline angles (found a great thread I saved somewhere here on TW), and from the analysis hopefully I’ll be able to determine if everything is good, if I need to shim the rear axle, or drop the carrier bearing (or both).

If half-inch play in the carrier bearing is NOT normal, then perhaps that is my key?

Finally, while I am going to do the ECGS swap, I’m doubtful this is an issue as the 4hi diagnostic does not change anything.

Thank you everyone this far — my ride is already improved!!!!

 

does the shaking come and go or is it always there and at what speed?

 

It’s always there, and I’d say now becomes evident at around 55-60mph. But much subtler than before the balancing.