Anyone else experiencing unstable driving?

I have an 08 4-door short bed. I have 265/75-16 Nitto terra graplers. This truck seems very unstable on the roadway. The slightest gust of wind or uneven road and my truck will go were it wants to. I aligned the the truck when the new tires were put on. I have about a 1000 miles on the new tires. About 12,000 on the truck. Any advice?

 

I hope we both get some advice!

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/32862-alignment-advice.html

 

Only when I've been drinking.

 

make sure your tire pressure is at or below 35psi for starters. I like 32psi.

 

mine did the same thing when i put the bfg at's on, had to get it aligned twice, no more wondering.

 

I've found that if the pressure is too high in the front tires, the front end feels like it's floating at highway speeds. I go by my doorjamb sticker now: 29lbs/front & 32lbs./rear, I think. No more wandering on the highway ever since. Btw, I run A/T Revos.

 

i think it is just because the tacoma's are light trucks.... immagine how mine does in the wind....

 

Dueler A/T Revo's here at 32psi all around with stock suspension.

In a cross wind it's no fun to drive, but otherwise mine seems to track OK. Well worn pavement (the kind with the tire track gulleys) is difficult to keep it tracking straight, but no more so than the other cars I've driven.

 

It may be the tires. I had BFG G-Force tires on my truck and the tires would grip any ruts in the road. If you didn't have a tight grip on the wheel at all times, it would yank it out of your hands when I would hit ruts in the road. Alignment didn't help. It is the nature of the tires. When I changed my tires to Nitto NT's and the problem went away.

 

Discussing this in two threads, check out the link above as well. Do you guys both have C-rated Revos or are they P-Metric? Are they stock size or 265/75R16? I'll try lowering my tire pressure again to see if that makes a difference, currently running at 40psi, but I tried that when I first got the suspension and tires done and thought it didn't feel right.

 

my brg's run good at 35 and 40 psi, the max is 50psi, but i have 17's, just play around with your tire pressure and see how it goes.

 

I hear exactly what you are saying. I just traded my new 09 DC Sport in for a new 09 4Runner Sport Edtion.

The Tacoma was just far too unstable. I was constantly correcting the steering - at times, having to use both hands to just keep it in its lane. Kinda felt like I was a bull rider at a rodeo...lol... On smooth roads it was fine, but with the winters we have in Wisconsin - there are few, if any, smooth roads.

In the city and for short highway trips it was OK, but we have some road trips planned for later spring and summer and there is no way I would want to be fighting this for 100+ mile trips.

 

Well that's not very encouraging. Your description matches my experience exactly and it was not fun to fight for an 800 mile round trip. Are the 4-Runner and Tacoma front suspension the same? If so, then is it the lighter weight of the Tacoma that causes this issue? Wonder if installing a bed shell would help by adding weight?

Is this the unspoken achilles heel of the 2nd gen Tacoma? I'd like to hear from more people that DON'T have this issue and what setups they're running.

Not trying to hijack your thread jrotts, we're both searching for the same answers.

 

I have a '09 TRD Sport DC and haven't found anything unusual with the ride characteristics on any types of roads.
Also did a 500 mile trip and a few 100 miles trip and found the truck to be like any other truck or SUV.No problems at all.In fact the ride was pretty comfortable for a truck and that's with a more aggressive stock size all terrain Silent Armor tire.
After reading sbeau1960's thread,I'm leery about going with 5100s at .85 now like I had planned with an appt for the install next Monday.

 

Hi Sbeau,

Yeah - the suspension is different on the 4Runner.

I responded to a post last week here about the same issue. It was recommedned that I take it to the dealer to check the alignment. So, I went to the dealer and they tested it and the alignment was fine. Which didn't surprise me, because on smooth flat roads, it was fine - no pull in either direction.

While I was waiting at the dealer and chatting with the salesperson, he mentioed that if I wanted a more stable ride, maybe I should test the 4Runner. I did just that and it was a night and day difference. I actaully went about 20 miles on the freeway (something I should have done with the Tacoma before purchasing). Being that they are both 'body on frame' trucks, I was really surprised that they could ride so differently. In the 4Runner I feel very secure and connected to the road. When I look back to check my blind spot, it holds its lane well. I am just not fighting it like I had to with my Tacoma. It seems to want to go straight and hold a line on its own. I don't need to keep both hands on the wheel and correct steering every couple of seconds.

The main reasons I wanted the Tacoma were for the solid frame toughness and durability and towing ability and off-road ability. I find that the 4Runner gives me all that and a safe and secure feeling ride, too.

By the way, my setup on the Tacoma was completly stock. 09 Double Cab TRD Sport package.

Tacoma's are great trucks, with many hundreds of thousands on the road, so I am sure people manage just fine with them. Maybe bed caps, different tires, suspension, etc... could improve the stability. For me, though, the easiest and best way to resolve the issue was the trade.

 

I have an '07 and its starting to sway a little bit. I have 52k on it and 2" blocks in the front. I was thinking, after reading the negatives on spacers in the front, that was the problem for me. I ordered some 5100's and, depending how everthing looked when i was installing them, that i might replace my uca's.

 

I have the same tires and size as you too...

 

Thanks for the detailed history of your experience. I'm wondering if it's just a common characteristic of some Tacomas and my suspension and tire combo has exaberated the problem.

 

So anyone and everyone throw out ideas on how to remedy the problem. Specific values for the alignment. I never took any interest in those values but maybe it is time. As far as tire pressures I started out at 40psi. Then went to 38psi and currently at 35psi. This is a tire rated for 45psi. Terra graplers D-rated 265/75-R16. I wrote Nitto twice asking for tire pressure recommendations based on truck weight and no response from them.

 

Posted my alignment specs in the other thread...http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/32862-alignment-advice.html#post515163