New Taco jittery ride

I have a 2018 Limited and I’m pleased with the ride. It’s not as smooth as my 2012 Tundra, but considering the shorter wheelbase and stiffer suspension, I’m pleased overall. My empty passenger seat gets jittery when it’s left towards the end of the slider track towards the back. If I push it to the middle of the track the jitteriness goes away. Hope this helps

 

Check them cold, like first thing in the AM before driving anywhere. I wouldn't go below 30 in the front. with an empty bed you could probably go below the sticker a bit in the rear. start at spec if its a touch high and see how it feels. go down from there if you feel the need. more than a couple psi below the sticker spec is asking for trouble/excessive wear/etc.

 

It took some time to get use to the ride of my 2020 tacoma after coming from a very plush 2001 tundra. I think like my dealer claimed, those tacoma's tend to ride better once they accumulate at least 5k miles. I'd have to agree..at 11.7k miles my truck does feel more compliant on the roads here compared to what it did over a year ago.

 

My stock SR handles and drives very well, I run 32 psi in the tires per the door sticker. I recently had the 10,000 mile service, tires rotated, etc and on the drive home it was a harsh jarring over bumps ride and the steering was twitchy. After I got home I let it cool down and found they had set the tire pressures to 37 psi. Lowered it back to 32 psi and it was fine handling and sure steering again.
that tire sticker means something for stock tires, that’s where your best ride is.

 

My new stock OR shocks and no extra rear weight it felt like the rear axle fluttered a lot going over bumps. Just that kind of squirrely feel, like it takes a second to get the wheels back on the ground tracking straight.

Adding ~100lbs weight in the rear makes a significant difference on stock truck.
New 5160s and a little weight from a aluminum tonneau took care of it for good.

 

OP, concur with the others. Reduce the COLD tire pressure to the pressure on the placard on the drivers' door jamb.

Then open the Owner's Manual, look up the TPMS information. Read it. This will detail the purpose of the "handy pressure monitor on the dashboard".

If that doesn't solve the "jittery" then have the dealer run a tire balance.

 

They all ride like that. My 15 sport with 5100s does and so does my 3rd gen sr5. Some are just more sensitive to it then others.

 

I've never noticed a real difference with tire PSI. Sometimes I'll fill up to 28/29 and sometimes I'll fill up to 37ish and I really don't notice a difference in how the truck handles to be honest. maybe because I don't have a swaybar so its always just doin its own thing.

 

Google 'chalk test' and do that to get the right pressures.

Put a couple hundred lbs of sandbags (or similar weight) right over the rear axle and see if that helps.

Rotate the tires front to rear. If the shake moves from the seat to the steering wheel, you have a tire problem, balance or out of round.

Relatively free / simple things to try before unloading your wallet on suspension changes.

 

this. "Tacoma Jitters" is a thing. especially if it's coming from the rear. there is no better solution: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/tacoma-hammer-hangers-soa-sua-archive-garage.519625/

 

Thanks everyone for the tips and input - I'm less concerned about the way it rides than I am with just making sure that this is how it's supposed to ride, if that makes sense.

 

Ride quality is very subjective.

 

i decided my Tacoma should not ride like that, and i didn't like how it drove and handled from the jitters. so i went reinforcement-crazy starting with the Hammer hangers. it was one of the best things i did for my truck, and especially for my ability to enjoy driving it.

 

Its the nature of what these trucks are. They do get more compliant over time, but the ride quality will never be as cushy as a full size truck like a tundra.

 

Just get used to it. The hitachi shocks firmer ride than the off-road cushy ride

 

lol what a variety of responses, everything from normal, to tire pressures make no difference to check your tire pressure and go by the tire sticker pressure, to you need hammer hangers. If I didn’t have 45 years of driving experience and had to use the advice in this thread I wouldn’t know whether to shit or go blind lol.
It’s really not that hard. Try using the tire sticker pressure first, tire pressure does make a difference in ride, it’s physics. If that doesn’t help then see if you can get a ride in a another stock truck like yours, make sure to ask what tire pressure they run. Is it the same ride with the same tire pressure? Then it’s normal. And so on until you find a real fix or decide to live with it. I wouldn’t go throwing parts blindly at any problem.

 

run 28-30 psi in the rear. 32 psi is too high if you have nothing in the bed. causes it to bounce.

 

Idk, if thats more bs, or not. I've ridden in my buddies 2019 trd or that its back to stock now...no more lift. It has all the oem bilsteins back on. That tuck doesn't ride really any better than my 2020 sr5 on the roads here. I can't even tell much difference on our dirt road.

 

Lol

 

With no load our Tacomas just ride like the pick-up trucks that they are.
--Try adding 100 or 200 lbs of sand bags (1/2 of it near each rear wheel). Its cheap (less than $5 per 50 lb bag at HD or Lowes). I put my sand bags inside garbage bags to keep the sand that leaks out of the paper bags from making a mess.
You will be amazed at the difference in ride. Jitteriness gone.
--As for all those who say change your shocks or springs--don't fall for it. Try this really easy and cheap fix first
Also helps with traction in wet or icy weather--something I don't worry about now that I live in Arizona.