Suspension Issue *Please Help*

Good morning all,

Here's my situation: I have a completely stock 2015 Tacoma, Limited, 6' bed. I have Michelin LTX's with about 40K on them and plenty of tread life. Two weeks ago, I replaced the rear shocks and front assembled coilovers with Bilstein 4600's as well as the front sway bar end links.

Bilstein 4600 Assembled Coilovers with OE Replacement Springs and Rear Shocks for 2005-2015 Toyota Tacoma (suspensionlifts.com)

Everything was tightened to spec upon re-assembly. I did not get a front-end alignment after project completion. While driving, between 35-45mph only, there is a strange, unbalanced noise in the front end (whomp . . . whomp . . . whomp). It almost feels that the tires are warped, or something is rubbing. The steering has no vibration and does not pull so I don't think an alignment is needed. Has anyone experienced this? I have set up an appointment with a Toyota dealer this Thursday and while talking to the tech on the phone, he asked if I had shifted into 4WD high and low recently. I did, and the noise persists. For an otherwise impeccable truck, this is annoying! I would be grateful for any troubleshooting advice.

 

Anytime you change front shocks you need an alignment.

 

Thank you for that, I have had conflicting advice on that topic, but hoping that I just need an alignment. At the dealer now, so I’ll know more tomorrow.

 

**Update**

Toyota dealer says the problem is the right front wheel bearing. Replacement of right front wheel bearing + alignment = $1,500.

 

Unit bearing is like $300 and an hour of work. Alignment is $80. Find an independent shop. Try and get a good unit bearing though. Japanese bearing if you can.

 

I am thinking I will order a Toyota OEM wheel bearing (Koyo) and do this myself. A little surprised that I had one wheel bearing go bad after only 97K miles. The truck has never been off-road . . .

 

Buy a pair from this guy.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/wheel-bearings-hubs-press-service-oe-nsk.537080/

Install yourself....save mucho dinero.

 

See the post above, definitely do that instead. Toyota does not sell the entire assembly.

 

Thanks again for all of the comments, advice; it is appreciated. I have reached out to 05Taco . . .

Does it make sense to replace both front wheel bearings? Or should I just replace the front right (the one that is going bad)?

 

As habit I like to install everything in pairs, unless I know the exact cause of a bad bearing. Whatever happened to the left side, chances are the right side drove through it too.

 

Change both

 

Yes, echoing the above. Replace both with a set from the guy linked above. 100k miles for front bearings is not unheard of on these trucks

 

Get oem parts, change both sides together and do it a good indy shop. $1K+ for 1 side is nuts.

 

I have had good luck with the AC Delco Gold bearings that are already installed in a hub for about $170. It only takes about an hour to change it out. You also don't need an alignment for it, but def need one for new shocks.

 

Update: Finally got my truck into a reputable shop to replace both front wheel bearings (which I provided from 05Taco). The problem ended up not being the wheel bearings, but the needle bearing. Had I known more about the needle bearing issue, I would have read this thread, which described my problem to a "T".

Needle Bearing - Yes, Replace It (ECGS) | Tacoma World

Anyhow, I have two brand new wheel bearings that I'll be looking to sell.