Bought used from dealership and trying to figure out modifications

Now it all makes sense lol. I was wondering why an ex-gf would be telling you to stay away from Rough Country. Sorry again.

 

This, clamshell bushing immediately jumped out to me.

Unfortunately this is a cheapie lift on this truck, so the chances the bushing was done is highly unlikely. I wonder if that’s one of the reasons the truck went for sale.

@lboswell3 do the 4HI test on a flat road prior to anything suspension related. If the test proves it needs the bushing, have that done and then evaluate everything moving forward. When I lifted my old 2013 I didn’t do the bushing and it felt like I was driving over a rumble strip after 30 MPH. I replaced the bushing and the truck drove as if it was stock. I did the bushing on my 2016 when I did the suspension and had zero issues.

There are a lot of good recommendations in the thread and things to do moving forward, but for now make sure you know the problem before you start throwing money / parts at it.

 

Congrats on the truck!

Those tires look badass BUT they're 67 lbs and 10 ply which means a very heavy wall.. they'll be a harsh ride with your stock suspension setup. Just so you know.. you're paying for those heavy tires with not only a stiff ride but also slower acceleration and worse mpg. On the flip side you're ready for some serious off-roading if that's your thing. So even if/when you get the tires balanced they may not meet your needs.. there are other good looking tires out there that are lighter, provide good traction and still look cool (at the cost of being super heavy duty.)

 

Okay- I apologize if I sound condescending, but you mentioned that you're knew to trucks and working on cars in general, so I'm gonna break down and summarize this thread very simply, perhaps even too simply.

The lift on your truck
As you've been told, you have a "Spacer" lift. This type of lift achieves the added height by putting a piece of rubber or metal under (or above) your stock suspension. This is the equivalent to putting a thick sole on a shoe to gain height. Makes you taller, doesn't do much else. You'd walk the same, and do everything the same, but you'd be taller. This also is true for the truck.

Tires and Rims/Wheels
Let's get something straight really quick, because it can get confusing for people who are new-

Wheels/Rims- Metal Part.

Tires- Rubber.

Your tires are what seem to be causing the issues here. You mention a "bumpy" ride and "shaking above 50 that makes it hard to hold onto the wheel". This sounds like an out of balance tire. Tires are balanced by adding weights to them, to make it so that they rotate smoothly. If they do not have these weights/have the incorrect weight on them, they shake exactly like you're describing. It can be either one tire, or a few tires. Taking them to a shop and asking for them to be balanced would possibly solve your issue, and would be the first step to take. It would be very cheap and take little to no time to do.

Your tires specifically
You have BF Goodrich KM3 mud tires. These are extreme off-road mud tires- very heavy, very tough, and will do very good in the mucky shit. However, they are VERY heavy and have a VERY aggressive tread pattern (the part of the tire that touches the road). What does this mean? Well, this will make your truck slower, make it work harder to hold a speed, the tires will make more noise and make it get worse fuel economy. If you don't plan on off-roading, I would sell those tires (plenty people would take them) and get some new, slightly smaller ALL TERRAIN tires. These would ride better, are lighter, get better fuel mileage, and look just as cool.
Falken WildPeak A/T3W are my personal favorite. Your wheels are just fine.

This is just a start- if rebalancing your exiting wheel/tire setup doesn't fix anything, then we start getting into more complex work, which I'll let the experts here explain.

 

Thank you! Ive wanted a Taco since i was a kid. The plan is off roading with it and lots or travel. The shaking doesn’t both me i just didn’t know if it was a problem i was unaware of but im gathering there are a few things i can try to fix the shaking and also. The lift is cheap and suspension is stock. But im not gonna be changing anything soon. Unless i need to for safty.

 

thank you this is actually very helpful. I really appreciate this seriously. Im anxious to learn more because i honestly love work on projects and I’m really excited about the truck.

 

Feel free to PM me if you have ANY questions. I work for Toyota so I've had a good way to learn.

 

Okay i do that this. I know this is a big air rn take but im not really sure what that means.

 

Would this be it?

 

OK so I tried switching from 2wd to 4h and when I switched back to 2WD it stopped shaking completely is it possible that it was stuck in between the two and grinding thats why it was shaky. Because it still find out other than driving through Atlanta with all these potholes.

 

Welcome to TW! I still get called dude or bro even though it says female in my profile lol. Dont get too hurt about it. There are a ton of guys here, and they are VERY helpful and nice to converse with. Don't get discouraged! I enjoy reading through the forums, and it'll help you learn everything about these trucks. Good luck with everything.

I have BFG KO2s on my truck, and I know for sure they have made my ride a bit more rough than stock (even though they are less aggressive than yours). I love the tire off road though in the desert where I live.

 

That's actually a decent intake. Basically, this helps the truck take air into the motor better. Simple as that. It's heavily debated if these actually do anything besides make cool noise, but hey, who doesn't like cool noise!

 

It sounds awesome. I get so many looks when i drive by other trucks or men. Its hilarious because im literally so small.

 

I'm 6'4, so I often get looks because I probably look like a clown folding myself out of smart car.

 

Couldn't really be that (in short, just not be possible). But, if it's fixed now, hell, I wouldn't question it, just enjoy

 

OP, the block will be sitting on the axle. Take a picture of where the leaf springs meet your axle, then we'll know for sure.

 

No, if the ECGS bushing were the fix, you would be vibrating in 2wd, and the vibes would go away when switched to 4wd, but vibes would still remain when switched back to 2wd. Next place to look would be the tires. BUT, if you're claiming you have no vibrations at all now for some reason, and the issue somehow fixed itself, I think we'd still be leaning towards you had a tire out of balance, maybe from a big rock wedged in the tread somewhere and it finally dislodged itself, caked on mud on the wheel, or who knows. If you're satisfied with the way it drives now, great! If you still get vibrations/steering wheel shake only at certain speeds, have the tires balanced. Otherwise, enjoy the truck and feel free to ask questions!

The leaf springs are these:


If you have a "block" lift to lift the rear of your truck, it would look similar to this:


Exactly as it sounds, a block of metal or hard plastic/rubber that sits underneath the leaf springs, on top of the axle. Its easiest to see this from underneath the truck looking from the back of the truck towards the front. The thickness of that block is the amount of lift you have in the rear of the truck. If you don't see a block there, and the leaf springs are sitting directly on the axle, you may not be lifted in the back. Its not uncommon for people to have "leveling kits" installed, meaning they're just leveling the front of the truck with the rear (because the rear is a little bit higher than the front when its stock- thats called "rake").

 

There's your block for the lift..