Shimmy in steering wheel....

Ok fellas I know there is a thread on this particular issue already but I don't really have the time to read thru 35 pages of what to dos......so here goes.....just bought a pristine 2006 tacoma with access doors prerunner sr5 with only 60000 miles on it.....i test drove it when i got to the dealers and fell in love with it but didn't get a chance to get it at highway speeds....on the way home about a 2.5 hour drive at approx 70 mph i get a bad shake in the steering wheel....now coming from a TJ wrangler i know what death wobble is.....and this isn't anything like it....i don't feel it in the seat of my pants and it doesn't change with road conditions.....but it does seem to come and go at approx the same speed.....where should i look first.....what steps should I take before I start having to replace components? wheel balance? alignment? replace bushings somewhere? any help in the right direction would be greatly appreciated.....~Chris

 

What kind of wheels and tires?

I'm going to say it's a tire/balancing issue. I've owned 2 Tacomas and both had/have it. Hopefully my next set of tires makes a difference.

 

they are the stock steelies? I believe they look stock....and the tires are Michelin Latitude

 

i would balance all 4 and put the wheel that was zero or closest to zero on the front driver side, next best one to the front passenger side, and the other 2 on the rear. also, try and get the valve stems on the wheel to line up with the marking on the tire (usually a colored circle) for an even better balance. atleast thats what i heard...

 

Another vote for tire balancing.

 

Ok fellas that will be the first thing I will do and report back.....on a side note what should the PSI be for my particular tires they are size: 235/70/R16

 

I would go with whatever is in the driver's side door jam.

 

Ok fellas well this is interesting....I noticed in the door jam on the sticker it says the tires are supposed to be 245/75/R16s....not the 235/70/r16 that are on there.....do you think that this would have a significant difference in the driveablity of the rig and the actual shaking of the steering wheel?

 

I thought those tires sounded small. I don't see that having an effect on the balancing though.

 

Ok Fitz I appreciate the help....

 

No problem. Good luck, let us know how it turns out

 

If balancing don't fix it, I'd check the steering rack bushings. At 60k miles, they may be worn out.

 

I read a few posts about that in that long read about the wheel shimmy....any idea if you can get me a picture of what in particular needs to be replaced and if it's a hard thing to do with a garage and some tools?

 

I don't have a picture, but the steering rack bolts to the crossmember and uses rubber bushings that can wear over time. I'm pretty sure that there are urethane replacements available.

 

Hmm Ok mkw, hopefully somebody will see this and point me in the right direction