Road Force Balance couldn't fix my steering vibrations, what's next.

Prerunner.

 

Not much to add, my 235/85R16 KO2 feel fine, balanced as well (or as poorly I guess) as any BFG I've ever had. I run them at 32 psi normally and the ride is good. I'll take them to 35 up to 40 psi in the back with a lot of cargo, but being E-rated the ride doesn't really change much when I do.

The right pressure is the one where the tread has equal force across the whole width and a chalk test is the easiest way to figure that out, along with watching the wear over time. In a Tacoma an E-rated tire like my KO2 will never have to be near the sidewall max of 80 psi.

 

OPs truck isn't 4x4, isn't lifted, and isn't oversized in tire.

 

Got it. It should ride at least as good as a 1973 Impala, then.

 

I run 34 psi in my E rated 265/70R17 KO2's. When I picked the truck up from the shop they were set at 50 which was way too much.

 

I should do a chalk test starting with the 40psi i have now and work my way down to 35 to see how its affected.

BTW, I'm running Load C.

 

I'd start at 32 instead.

 

I have the same problem with two of my Duratracs. I'm getting Michelins next time. I don't care if the tires look weak, I want a more comfortable ride.

 

I'd put the tire pressure at factory specs. Look at the door jamb. Balance them at that pressure. Make sure your alignment is good. Then see where you stand

 

Thanks but i think i'm done paying for balancing. Sounds like I got some bad tires, maybe i hurt them running them too high psi? For now, I've dropped the psi to 33pounds cold and I'll live with it until I'm ready to spring for KO2s.

-Rob

 

I had this problem with a set of duratracs. Tires were out of round. You can balance an egg but that won't make it roll like a pool ball.

 

Well put

 

I had this same problem with the KO's. They drove me nuts. I finally upgraded to Hankook MT's and a larger size and all steering wheel jitters went away.
The KO's were hit and miss. Many people experienced the same issue. Hopefully on the KO2's they tighten up quality.

 

Factory specs are only for factory tires.

 

My Hankooks shake... my Yokohamas NEVER shook....

I wouldn't buy the ATMs again... I did find that dynabeads helped...alot actually.... but they really aren't all that consistent.. if you drive straight for a while at a consistent speed...it's smooth as glass..if you turn alot...or change speed...or especially when they are first warming up...it will still shake...

But they did help.. I run 8 psi in the 2 tires that have the issues... the other 2 balanced well enough to be ok...

 

If they are the same size and rated the same as factory tires, I see no reason not to put them at factory spec considering not all tacomas come with the exact same tires.

 

They aren't the same size or spec. I think this is why folks recommend the chalk test. Or some people like to play with chalk.

 

UPDATE:

Tire Pressure
After reading through the suggestions, I arbitrarily chose a cold tire pressure of 33 psi and it got worse. Well, perceptively worse because now I was shaking and a little "mushy" up front. I am wondering if I messed up these tires running them so close to their max PSI, nothing I can do about that now so....this got me thinking about tire run-out again.

Run-out
Passenger side: First I lifted the front of the truck just enough so I could spin wheel freely. Second I put a flashlight at the front of the tire and put my head on the ground at the back so I could view the gap between the tire and my garage floor. As I spun the tire I could see run-out, I just don't know if it could be called excessive. (BTW, I tried to video this, it didn't show up well)

So now I attempted to measure the run-out with a stack of cards(credit card sized) I had from our local arcade. When the tire appeared at its highest from the ground I slid in as many cards as I could in that space. I then rotated the tire to see how many cards were pushed aside by the low spot. Three cards were moved completely and a couple more due to drag. I re-stacked all but three of the cards, slid them towards the center and rotated again. Not perfect but my run-out appears to be around the thickness of three completely random credit cards.

Next I moved to the back wheel. Jacked up the truck in a similar manner, etc. The run-out was almost not noticeable at all, but it was just enough to move one card so its at least better. I swapped the two wheels and took a test drive and the result was a significant improvement.

Drivers side: I'll check the drivers side today and report back, I ran out of time. If run-out is my problem, I should find more on the back wheel. I've never had these wheels half rotated in this configuration before so in theory this could be a solution but I need more driving time. I have had this misplaced confidence before after so many balancing attempts.

Hub-Centric
Just an aside, I popped the center caps when installing the front wheel...these are definitely hub-centric. My smallest feeler gauge (.22mm/.01inch) could not get between the hub and the wheel once mounted.

Aloha, Rob

 

Drivers side: I'll be damned, the tire with the least runout was one of the troublemakers after being road forced.... either it wasn't mounted right (doesn't seem possible given its hub centric or there is something completely different going on here. Either way, its livable for now.

I couldn't even get one card to move, that tire seems straight....straight round

 

Sorry for your loss