Is steering shake definitely related to mods?

In almost every thread about the cursed steering wheel shake on 2nd Gen Tacos, a lift and/or aftermarket wheels are present on the vehicle. So far I've seen nothing conclusive about it's cause or can anyone say for sure it is the aftermarket additions that cause it.

So my question here is: does anyone have the shakes with a completely stock set-up regardless of year?

The reason I'm asking is that I do have aftermarket wheels, I have the shakes, and I'm about to go up a tire size and affraid it'll get worse if I further alter the truck. If going back to stock wheels will stop it, then I'll do that. I bought the truck in its present form with the aftermarket wheels so I don't know if it shook before.

 

what year is your truck and how many miles do you have?

 

'06 with 106K miles

 

My 08 Prerunner is stock with no mods & steering wheel shakes above 60 mph since new.

 

08 TRD O/R completly stock(wheels and suspension) and no steering shake watsoever...

 

My steering wheel shakes a little when braking at highway speeds...this is because the bushings in my UCAs are bad...I bought new ones and I'm gonna install em next week sometime.

 

lifted and taller tires no shakes, even spacers no shake.

If you have aftermarket wheels it is typically due to them not being hub centric to the drum/rotor hat. Aftermarket wheels have a larger hub diameter so they fit on multiple vehicles. A hub ring is needed so they will be hub centric a good shop will offer these for sale with the wheels.

The other issue is tire balancing. They should be able to get them to balance. Any tire needing more than 3.5 ounces should be swapped out by the shop with another tire since it is taking more weight than needed. Tire should balance down to .25 ounce. These specs listed are for tires about 2 sizes over stock and from reputable tire companies.

Wheels can be out of balance as well. A good amount of aftermarket wheels are just crap, especially chromed wheels when it comes to balancing them and being a true round.

Then add in worn components on your vehicle. Your shake in the wheels is due to one of those items listed.

Shaking while braking is typically warped rotors next on the list is worn suspension components.

 

I've heard this before and believe it's quite possibly my problem. If I don't know where the previous owner got his wheels whats a good way to find some hub rings to fit?

 

pull the wheel and see if the center hole on the wheel is larger than the hat/hub on the rotor/drum to see first if a hub ring is needed or not.

If you know the wheel maker you can typically just look it up on the net and save the trouble listed above.

Find the difference versus the factory size and order the ring from a online retailer. Not many shops sell them. Discount tire/tires america I know stocks them typically for the common sizes.

 

my truck, stock wheels with 265/75, small lift, butter smooth

brother's truck, aftermarket 18s, 285/65 (I think, maybe 285/60) shake since new off lot. dealer set it up that way

dads truck, stock wheels, 265/75, no lift, butter smooth

all trucks are 4x4, dads is reg cab, I have access, brother has double. year models 09, 08, 05 respectively

I vote wheels to be the cause of brother's shimmy shake. his truck has 40k miles, the least by far in comparison to me and dad

 

If I get some stock rims to lose my steering shake but miss my aftermarket rim off-set stance,
will spacers get me back in trouble or are they hub-centric like the stock rims are?

 

spidertrax are hub-centric

 

I have a 2013 dbl cab sb TRD OR package that now has about 6,000 miles on it. Everything is 100% stock. Mine has had this steering wheel shake problem since new. At about 4,000 miles the dealer I bought it from checked alignment and rebalanced the tires. They claimed everything checked out fine but at and around 60MPH the steering wheel still has this shake shimmer or whatever the hell you want to call it. When I get back to town it is going back to the dealer for this problem because it sure as hell isn't going to fix itself!!!

 

As mentioned already.. hub centric rings are gonna be your best bet. First find out the hub bore size of your wheels. Get the manufacturer name and brand.. then look them up on google. Ill take a guess and say they are larger than that of the Tacomas hub.. which is typical .. manufacturers make their wheels hub bores larger so that they are able to fit a larger variety of vehicles.

The tacomas hub size is 106mm for reference. Any aftermarket wheel that has a larger hub bore will be lug centric.. and you'll need hub centric rings to make them hub centric, this centering the wheels on the hub and not the lugs. You can find hub rings in various sizes.. for instance.. my wheels have a 108mm hub bore.. the truck is 106mm.. so im running 108mm to 106mm rings.. the measurements are OUTSIDE DIAMETER(108mm) to INSIDE DIAMETER(106mm).

 

only read thread title.

no.

 

Just ordered some, will report back in a few days. I hope this fixes it.

 

Im throwing mine on today.. so hopefully I can give a report as well. Ive read mixed reviews about hub centric rings, but most are positive about them. So we will see.

 

Mine shakes....but then again I have mud terrains so I don't know what to expect

 

for what it's worth, I had a steering wheel shake with my stock rims and dunlops. When i bought my 285 76 16 duratracs and procomp 7089s the vibration stayed exactly as it was with the stock tires.

I then had the duratracs road force balanced and the steering wheel vibration is gone.

 

I have 2013 Tacoma Sport TRD stock 17' alloy's and Dun-lop AT20 tires, shake started at 500 miles anything over 60. Dealer has rotated and balanced tires which didn't help, last to attempts to duplicate failed they said the vibration and feed back they felt was road feed back which is normal BS.

I have had some people reply back regarding by post to lemon law as being going over board, but we all put out our hard earned cash and work to pay for these Tacoma's. If it's not right then we should look at other options, $30,000 or more and these trucks should be smooth as butter.


Jon