Brake shimmy

I have recently noticed that my truck has really been shimmering when I'm braking. On the highway its real bad and on the roads its also bad and progressing. Its the steering wheel that shimmers when Im braking, I was on an empy road and when I was breaking for a red light I took my hands off the wheel barely to see how bad it is when I'm not trying to stop it the wheel from shimming, and it is bad. I thought it was because of my tires but it cant be because I would have noticed this when I first put them on. My friend said its because of some build up on the brake rotor and says they need a good cleaning. I dont know if He's right or what so I'm ask yall if ya know whats wrong.

 

Could need cleaned rotors....Could need to get the rotors turned....Could need to check the alignment and balance of the tires.

 

Yeah cause what ever it is, is getting worse, should I go to toyota about this or the tire shop

 

pull the pads and sand them lightly a bit, then put them back. if it still does it....chances are the rotors need to be turned. and the truck,if its the brakes....and not tire balance/alignment issues........it will shake/shimmy only when braking.

 

So if its not the rotors does this mean I need new brakes?

Cause I know that trying to stop a truck at 70-75 mph quickly isnt good at all, because I had to push the brakes to the ground a few days ago to avoid from plowing into the back of a lincoln town car that was doin 10 mph that go into the wrong lane right infront of me causing me to push my brakes do the ground and going off the road on the highway, i missed them but i know that wasnt good at all for my brakes

 

Basic brake pulsation replace your pads and rotors.

 

The rotor are most likely warped. Depending on how much wear is on them (have the brakes be done before), they can be turned. That will straighten them out and it will be less than replacing.

 

If you only feel the vibration when braking, then it's in the brake system. Sanding pads will help if you're experiencing "brake fade" under normal braking which removes a glaze from your pads and provides better contact between pad and rotor. However, it will not be a remedy for "pulsation" (the term used by technicians such as myself). Have your brakes properly evaluated by a reputable shop and be sure they measure the "run-out" on the front rotors. I suspect they should find it to be above spec and require machining or replacement of the affected rotor/rotors depending on their actual thickness spec.
Hope this helps!

 

I disagree that is MUST be the brake system. Loose wheel bearings, old shocks, worn springs, loose/worn bushings can all cause pulsations under braking that you may or may not feel while driving. I will give you that most likely cause is something brake related-but with the OP mentioning it getting worse- I was throwing out all the ideas I had at the time.

I do agree that working with the brake pads first and then taking it to a good brake shop to have the proper measurements taken is the way to go.

 

Thanks for the assist! You ever just talk about something so much you forget what got you to that point? Ya get off of work, crack open a cold one, search the forums and "BAM", your typing info out faster than you can think it! I gotta quite drinking and typing!
To disagree is our right as Americans!
"To come to a common agreement is only achieved by people willing to disagree but work on the resolution."

 

MMMMMMMM COLD ONES!!!

~peace

 

I know this thread is 2 years old but I had a wheel shimmy from day 1 pretty much. It wasn't that bad and it was a brand new truck so I thought it was normalish I guess. It got worse after tire rotations and brake inspections during servicing at the dealer. It would be bad some days and not very noticeable on others. This past servicing I did, they noticed a loose inner tie rod end so they changed that and did an alignment. Truck was all good, drove straight as an arrow but damn... the brakes would shake the truck bad. I wasn't happy and didn't want to bring the truck in again. Found this post so I went around to each wheel, loosened the lug nuts. Some were so tight I could barely loosen them, others were ok and a couple were loose. I torqued them all back to 85 ft. lbs. as stated in the manual and let me tell you what a difference! Better than new! I never would have thought of something this simple and I bet the dealer would have checked all the brakes and rotors, find nothing wrong, then do their shitty wheel torquing job and throw the truck back at me with the same problem. Thanks chris4x4... rep for you!

 

some wheel spacers can also cause this depending on the brand and if they were installed correctly