First Tacoma Test Drive raises a question

Looking a trucks and Tacoma dealer was my first stop. First I drove 2013 SR5 4x4 double cab. Drove onto the highway and I felt every little bump in the road. Went down an old bumpy road and the ride was actually better. Heading back to the dealer on a grooved cement highway, the truck felt like it was wanting to go all over the place. I have never felt this while driving any other vehicle. On the spot I said I can never own one of these. I then took out a 2013 TRD off road along the same route. Smooth highway was just that...pretty smooth in comparison to the SR5. The grooved portion still produced some wiggle, but not nearly as bad as the SR5.
Question is....is this normal for the Tacoma to jump around (i think it called tramiling) while driving on a grooved highway?
I assume its the tires, but man,I don't know how anyone driving a lot on grooved roads can do it.

 

The sr5 might need an alignment

 

Different tires

 

Definitely not "normal" Drive a different one before you make the call...

 

I drive 200+ miles to work every 2 weeks and run into some patches of road like you're talking about. I get some wiggle but not anything alarming.

 

x2
as for the ride, the off road package has progressive coils up front so it should ride smoother than linear (sr5 and trd sport) coils.

 

Different tires, different suspension as well, just like you said. What doesn't help the ride on these either is that damned positive camber that these things have.

 

My DCLB Sport has no wander even with DuraTrac. Had a much smoother ride post lift kit, but it's a truck and won't ride like a car if that is what you are accustomed.

 

Forgot to add on the first post....other than the handling on the grooved highway, I really....really like the Tacoma.
Another thing I noticed was on the SR5 the brakes were pertty much the same as my other vehicles....kind of like the more you push the more it brakes. The TRD off road brakes in comparison were very grabby. Barley touched the pedeal and brakes took hold. Does anyone know if this is typical between the two trucks?

 

Same brakes except for the abs/a-trac system on the off road

 

I have never driven any other tacomas, but sometimes it feels like it over brakes when I press the pedal. Might be the brake assist.

 

Gotta be tires and/or alignment, most of us ditch the stock tires pretty quickly anyways, i drove a couple different tacomas and didn't notice what you are talking about and mine certainly doesn't wander, it's 5000lbs of brute force

 

The TRD Off has a hydraulic booster while the SR5 has a vacuum booster. So that difference is to be expected. The hydraulic booster is necessary for the ATRAC system.

 

I noticed the back end jumping around right off the bat on grooved concrete also. Once I got the topper on it there was a noticeable improvement, just needed a little weight on the back end to settle it down. Had the same problem with my 1998 until I put the topper on it.

I'm happy with the way the truck handles with the topper on it. I go through the canyons quite a bit and like to race other trucks, we do this all the time in Colorado. The only truck that can keep up with me is the Nissan Frontier. The older Chevy's put up a good fight.

 

Your right there. It needs some weight. Mine rode better immediately with side step bars.
Now,after different tires and a pelfrey front skid,it rides even better.

 

another thing i learned today

 

Horndog, I expect that the SR5 had Dunlop GranTrek tires. My truck was like what you encountered until I replaced the tires with Michelin LTX M/S2s at 1300 miles.

I am pretty sure there is a Purchasing agent at Toyota getting cash, booze and bimbos from Dunlop each month. The Dunlops are suitable only for growing petunias in the front lawn. They are ranked 53rd out 57 tires at Tirerack.com. I only question how they got that high of ranking.

 

I love my truck but I certainly agree with Wolftree: the Dunlop tires are a piece of crap. They are very "squirrely" on the road.

I have always owned Michelins on my previous SUV's and loved them. I am not in the mood to spend 700+ on a new set of tires at this point. I'll wait until they need to be replaced and put up with the Dunlops until then.

 

Tires or tire pressure.

 

I would also assume the SR5 had 4 leafs in the rear and the OR had 3 leafs. Stiffer rear would produce some wandering if the bed is unloaded. Add weight to the rear of the SR5 and the ride characteristics would improve.