sloppy front end?

So I'm a little baffled here, brand new truck, < 2000 miles on it, TX pro baja, stock everything - I have tried everything from 35 to 65 psi on the all terrains and the truck just feels like I am driving a boat sloppy to respond and then I feel like I am correcting all the time.

It's been like this since mile 2 - initially I had tacked it up to lots of wind (and wind definitely effects the tacoma more than any other vehicle I have had) but today it was dead silent and the truck just felt like it was all over - it's bad enough that I can't take my eyes of the road for even a split second.

I realize all the "safety experts" on here will bitch about it but I also don't feel comfortable driving the truck with one hand on the wheel at highway speeds it's that sloppy...

IS this common? any thoughts? I'm stumped - honestly if it weren't a new truck I would feel like maybe damaged suspension or really really whacky alignment possibly.

 

If it's new take it to the dealer. Could be the alignment is off. These trucks are a little squirmy on the highway. Add a lift and knobbier tires and it just gets worse.

 

Not sure what you are used to driving, but All-Terrains won't track as well on the highway as a standard highway tire. I went from Rugged Fails to Michelin LTX AT2's, and the AT tires do track differently. I had the LTX MS2's on my '09, and they tracked fine.

But, I would definitely have them check the alignment on an actual rack (not that crappy thing they have in the drop-off bay, if they have that).

 

Well here are my comparisons

1. 1000 whp toyota supra - turns on a dime, and pulls over 1.01 on a skidpad
2. 2012/2013 F250 Diesel 4x4 - that truck basically drives itself
3. a Plethora of Lexus Gx/Lx and Toyota 4runner/LC models
4. 24' Larson Ski/Wake boat

of all of the above not one of them has ever felt sloppy on the highway like the tacoma does, well the larson was bad on open water, handled literally like a boat ... I'm wondering if part of it is the high profile all terrains, even on my F250s with 35" mudders or ATs they were still a lower profile tire...

It's brand new, I'll take it back to the dealer and have it checked but it's definitely a bit unnerving - I'd chalk it up to maybe not being used to a "low brow" vehicle - but the supra is pretty much direct drive and even with huge ass tires it doesn't feel sloppy in fact the only thing that I can compare it to is driving the supra on drag slicks and skinnies at highway speeds - that's about what this tacoma feels like.

 

bfg rugged fails, it drove ok but those tires blow

installed LTX ms2's, and mine drives no hands pretty much anywhere

something is jiggered in yours

 

Normally, the trucks handle relatively well under factory conditions. What tires and lift come with the baja?

 

comes with the BFG AT 265/70/16s - same size as the TRD ORs just in the AT instead of fails - and then comes with the baja suspension I'd have to go look up details - rear remote reservoir bilstein, front koni coil over, basically a 2" lift give or take.

 

I would just think it has to do with alignment. Only time I've had the same issues is when I had a 2.5" lift in the front and I couldn't get the caster corrected. The truck rode all over the road and felt really loose.

 

My fj and tacoma both wander around more than necessary. Not awful but I won't do anything about it until I lift it. It has to be the alignment. There just isn't anything else that's much different than any other A arm suspension. BFG all terrains are not the most straight line stable tire either. They wander and hook highway ruts more than other AT tires in my experience.

 

Does anyone know if the Baja actually come from the factory that way, or are those options done by the distributor? I am thinking distributor. Wondering if they forgot to align it after modding the front suspension.

 

I think its probably a combination of the BFG all terrains and the trucks alignment. In my own experience, i've had BFG rugged trails, BFG all terrains, and Mickey Thompson MTZ's on my truck. The BFG all terrains wandered the worse and was not fun when driving or towing at highway speeds. Im on my second set of mickey thompson mtz's and they actually track the best out of all three tires. Hardly any wander at all at any speed.

 

It's a bit of a combination of both - The truck comes "prepped" for Baja install stuff and then the Baja package is installed at the regional port - for Texas that is "gulf states toyota" just outside of houston. In order to get a baja truck you basically order a TRD off road truck with a special option code that is "TRD Off road for Baja Prep" - I think that means it doesn't get any wheels/tires (or is probably delivered on steelies or something to the port) and misc other things... Also when you order a Baja truck they are ONLY built out of the san antonio factory rather than potentially coming from Mexico, I don't know why that is other than possibly proximity to the port install location

I guess it's possible the alignment is off, I'll get it checked when i get back from this trip.