2018 TACOMA Shimmy with LTs - Nothing Dealer Can Do!

The rack is under built for these trucks and toyota keeps getting away with it.

 

Hey all,

I got the truck back today and am happy to report that the shimmy is gone!

The service department said they had their best tire tech (30 years in the industry) work on it all morning. They did all of the above and were able to balance them perfectly! So I have excellently balanced KO2s on new wheels.

I took it out for a drive on the highway and it was very smooth at speed! I can feel the bigger tires and road feedback more than the OEM P tires for sure but it is way smoother now and the way it should be.

Great guys for working at it for me. Very happy now.

Thanks for all the advice and help here.

Cheers all!

 

put the lighter tires back on

 

Glad to hear they got you fixed up.

 

Well,

Problem not gone...I may have been a little over zealous haha. I tried to be optimistic when testing it and really WANTED it to be better and I think that affected my judgement.

I took a trip home the weekend to do some enduro riding (approx 350km each way) and it shook the entire trip. Had to switch hands often to get rid of the numbness.

It's just not a comfortable truck to drive at all...


I called the dealer back to let them know and we discussed what we're going to do. They said I am the third customer (same truck, same tires) right now with a file open on this. They have stopped offering these tires for the tire upgrade as of now.

I said I would like to be there when they check them out this time and I'd like the following checked:

Rotor & Drum truness
wheel alignment
Tire side play or movement.
Replacing one tire at a time under warranty

I mentioned that even though the truck felt fine with with the stock tires swapped in, these could be making a small shake, in say a rotor, more prominent.

If all of the above check out and it still doesn't get straightened out, they will look at a different tire all together. I would really like to keep these but can't have it this way.

Anyone have any ideas on a similar good tire?

Cheers

 

that's unfortunate.

 

Yep...

I just checked out the wheels closely.

Front Left - No weights at all (no signs of any applied)
Front Right - 2 1/2 oz
Rear Left - 3 1/2 oz !!!
Rear Right - 2 1/2 oz

It seems to me that the rear left has a lot of weight and that the tire should be rotated at least 180 degrees to reduce the amount used. Am I correct?
Front Left with no weight. That I can't believe....

I think before giving up on these tires I need to get a second opinion....

 

I think so. Afterwards, you might also consider balance beads instead of weights on the wheels.

 

Kudos to your dealer for putting in all this work so far. Most would be like because BFG's & send you on your way.

 

why do you need an e rated 10 ply tire?

 

What forum are you on?

 

it's over kill. those tires have load limits of almost 4klbs each. people have problems getting c and d load tires balanced on these trucks. the rack just isn't designed for that much tire. you'll never get that tire perfectly balanced. go with a lighter tire or a less aggressive tire and you'll have less issues.

 

Hey all,

Sorry it's been so long since I've replied. Been busy with work and getting this straightened out with the dealer.

It seems we've finally solved the issue! I'm very happy with the result!

So here's what we did over the past few visits:

I went back on Wednesday and spoke with the tech again who balanced the tires. He said even when all 4 were showing balanced perfectly, the KO2s were shaking the crap out of the road force balancer! He had tried it before giving it back and said to the service guys that "it was better than it was but still not right". He said all 4 were shaking the balancer, not just one.

They touched base with other Toyota dealers. The other dealers said the last few years have been a nightmare with KO2s on Tacomas and Tundras. Most of them have stopped offering them as an upgrade.

I worked with the parts department who was in contact with the other local tire dealers. They found another tire they thought would work and ordered in 4 new Toyo Open Country AT2s in LT 265/70R17. These are still an E rated 10 ply but have a much less aggressive tread.

They were not available in the stock 265/65R17 size. I was more than happy to go up a size especially when the dealer offered to put on file that they were recommended. This would not leave any reason for Toyota Canada to deny warranty etc (for example a pre mature failure of a wheel bearing) due to a non OEM size. They would take it on themselves to ensure any issues were covered.

Instead of ordering these through Toyota, which would take a week, they got them from the local O.K. Tire who had them in stock.

They were installed yesterday afternoon and I picked up the truck after work. I took a drive on the highway and on some dirt roads. Really gave it a good test.

Man what a difference! These tires feel very smooth much like the OEM tires. They're loud as balls but are smooth with no vibration what so ever!

I just got back from a 100km trip on the highway and a rough road to the lake with the young fella. Tires performed awesome the whole trip! Smooth as glass on the highway and rugged yet plush in the rough!

Another issue that came up:
-----------------------
I live in Newfoundland Canada. We get some of the harshest winters in North America. One of the main reasons for purchasing the KO2s was the fact that they were a winter rated tire with the snowflake certification. I had planned to use one tire year round. When we were looking for tires at the dealer and O.K. Tire, they were sure they were snow rated. Unfortunately, they are not.....

In the midst of finding the right tire and trying to install them with a perfect balance, I guess the dealer and I overlooked this. Definitely wasn't all their fault as I could have researched them more before giving them the go ahead.

I went in for a chat about it today. We decided that it wasn't practical to try a new tire and chance it not being right. Without hesitation they offered up a set of brand new winter tires. They are P rated Firestones which are more than enough for my winter use. In the winter I rarely, if ever travel on the highway and certainly never use the dirt roads. I live 2.5km from work (haha) and put about 2500km on my truck from November to May. My sled stays at the folks house and never goes in the truck. We usually take the car back and forth.

I purchased 4 steel wheels, lug nuts and said I would pay to have them mounted and studded. I can swap them over myself at home now. They also gave me employee pricing on all that!

I have to say, what a truly awesome bunch for sticking it out with me! Most other dealers here would have told a customer to go f***k themselves after the second visit!

It was their break time just after I left so I brought over Coffee and donuts for everyone just to show that I really appreciate what they did!

Extremely happy how it all worked out!!

Thanks for the suggestions here! I kept it all in mind while we were working it out.

Cheers guys!