Truck difficult to control

Were you in the slow lane at all? That's where it's bad, as I said from the big rigs with their chains on... it gets really bad eastbound right before the summit between kingvale and boreal... every car I have taken in the slow lane on that stretch wanders like a mfer

 

No mods. Nothing that would affect this anyways. I have a shell on it.

 

Yes, sometimes in the slow lane when CA drivers refuse to move out of the fast lane. It is very bumpy yes, but steering is no problem.

 

Both sides. Worse the ruts, the worse it is of course. I would chalk this up to shite roads, but I've done this pass before and others like it in the past without any issue at all. Somethin's changed.

 

Have you checked the bearings/hubs yet? Put the front end up on stands and wiggle each wheel with your hands. Up/down, side to side. Excessive play from a loose hub or worn bearings will cause the darting that you describe.

 

What's your tire pressure? Sounds like the issue my friend had where they were running 40-50 PSI and floated all over the road. Dropped it to 30-35 and it was like you'd expect.

 

Stock OR tires seemed to wander around in the ruts as they got older, very noticeable too. New Generals cleared that up for me.

 

^^^ This.
You can even give the top and sides a tug when on the ground. Any little movement other than the rubber on the tire will be magnified on the road.

 

Yes. Side to side, up and down. Used a pry bar under the tire to look for any movement. Maybe the dealer will see something I'm missin...

 

Did the alignment shop reset the electronic steering? Some places dont have tools do it yet. It can cause the steering wheel to jerk if the truck doesnt think it's going straight at high speeds

 

Currently 30. Was at 35 when I went over the pass.

 

I considered grabbing some tires, but seemed like reaching at straws. If the dealer says all ok, i may bite the bullet and get a set. Hate to take off tires with lots of life left tho.

 

Now that you have the caster where it should be, I suspect the toe out is still a little more than you like, even if it is 'in spec'. Spec is a broad range, and there is room to play. In the autox world street class, it's typical to run toe out on the max side of spec for more 'responsive' steering. Making it very darty at speed and even worse on rutted roads.

You've addressed tires/rotations and had an alignment. Assuming you don't have enough miles for a worn parts issue and haven't bent/broken anything (which should have been found by a good tech anyway) that only leaves a couple of options.

Tire pressures too high making steering light/twitchy

Toe out a bit too much for your particular conditions.

I found big box alignment shops horrid in doing what I wanted, they just want to get 'green lights' and roll you out. The ONLY way I'd ever use a big box shop OR a dealer was if I knew the tech personally, and knew he'd align to my request, not just a 'range'. And he assured me that the machine was calibrated on a regular basis. (Something we don't think of often).

For my autox car I found a shop that specialized in sports cars AND had his machine calibrated on a regular basis.

For the truck and CUV, I found a shop that specializes in trucks of all types.

Both have done great work for me. No, they don't give 'lifetime' alignments. Yes, they cost a bit more than a big box store. I guess it just depends on if you want to be sure it's right or not.

 

This happened to me when I first got my truck, the dealership put 45psi into my E rated A/T tires and the steering felt very floaty, and every little bump in the road made it feel like the truck was going to lose control.

 

All I can say is I drove on 80 a week ago and was in the slow/truck lane for a short amount of time, and it was not a pleasant time. Those grooves are deep and like to hold you - if you leave them at all, you're gonna have a bad time. Then you have certain stretches where the other lanes are paved higher so when you switch, it's a large bump.

 

My truck rides straight, but inside Eisenhower Tunnel Eastbound it wanders all over the place. It really takes me for a ride in there. I attribute it to highway grooves and chain wear from all the truck traffic.

 

Very good point!
Many tend to assume, since they had an alignment done, that it was done properly.
My buddy was helping me align my truck (years ago, not a Tacoma) after hours at the dealer he worked at. After spending time to setup carefully, inspect suspension/driveline components, and make adjustments, I asked him how they can do all this work for $100, or whatever they were charging. He said "we don't!" . Now to be transparent, he did have to do some fanaggling to get some rusty tie rod ends to move.

I think some shops take the , you win some, you lose some approach, and others give you about as much time as you pay for, or at least the tech is probably going to, if the job isn't paying him enough hours.

 

The scoop is designed to keep the truck straight at highway speeds.

 

Have you found entering and exiting turns feel any different? Like a little more oversteer coming out of a turn?

 

There is nothing electronic to reset after an alignment.