Andy,
I've got a friend that's got 265/75/16 Michelin Cross Terrains on his 4Runner. His is like a '97 model. Only problem is he doesn't take care of his like I do, so even without looking at the tires I can guarantee that there will be some irregular wear because he hasn't kept the front end aligned and the tires rotated. Not to mention the fact that he is anal as hell and probably wouldn't do it anyway, but it's worth asking. Surely someone else in Birmingham is a member of this forum that has a 3rd gen 4Runner or Tacoma. I'll post a thread on here asking if there are any local folks. Thanks Andy.

BTW...What if all I can find is someone with 265/70/16s? I don't see how running 265/75/16s could cause the problem but it's the only common link at this point. Before when I had the 70/16s I had some vibration but not to the extent that I've got now. We'll see.

Matt

 

Matt, I cant believe this is still going on! I agree that a total wheel/tire swap is the thing to do first. I wish I were closer to help you out with that. If anyone out there in Yotatech land is running LT265/75/16s and they are within a reasonable drive of Matt, offer to help him out.
Maybe it's time to look for a low mileage '99 Sport Edition with a locker? Wasn't 2000 or 2001 the year that Toyota lowered the suspension a bit? BTW, be prepared for Toyota to give you crap for running LT265/75/16s.

 

there's a guy just the other day who PM'd me asking where i had my lift installed. he has a 3rd gen and lives in hoover and goes to school in t-town. his user name is "Matt_c". see if he'll help you out. it would only take an hour or so to swap them over, take a test drive, and then put them back.

another thing you could do is to put your spare on each corner, one at a time to see if the vibration goes away or down any. that way, you could pinpoint the individual tire/wheel if it's the culprit...

 

That sounds to me like U-joints going out. I had an old 85 pickup and the rear driveline u joints started to go. You really couldn't tell much by inspecting the driveline visually on the ground. I would get vibration at higher speeds.

Now the question is, what kind of vibration is it? fast or slow? Does it seem like the type of vibration that would come from a driveline spinning at thousands of rpms, or does it seem slower, more like tire balance?

 

I don't know if it's been mentioned... but find another toyota with stock wheels/tires that ride fine, then swap them onto yours. My vote is that it's in the tires/wheels.

 

you can always go to hoover toyota and tell them that you want to take a weekend test drive in another used runner or taco...

 

4Runner4Christ,
Mine are P rated tires. The Michelin Cross Terrain doesn't come in an LT rating. No way I'm getting rid of this truck. I've done way, way too much to "personalize" it to go trade it for some bone stock '99.

Andy,
I emailed Chad and it turns out he is in need of some new tires. So....I am trying to convince him to go buy them at a place that has the Hunter machine so they will be PROPERLY balanced on his wheels. Then I could do the swap and know that it is a fresh set of tires that are properly balanced. Again, he would be best because he is running (and wants his new ones to be) P265/75/16s like me. I hope we can do this Saturday morning. BTW, the test drive at Hoover Toyota is a damn good idea. If he can't do it this weekend, we may just cruise up there in Jessica's Lexus and I'll ask if I can go test drive one. I came by there on Tuesday and noticed several on the front row of their used vehicle lot.

Thanks for the help guys.

 

Andy,
Well I just talked to Chad and Crump Toyota in Jasper is having a sale August 25, 26, and 27 where you buy three Michelins and get one free. Pretty sweet deal but that means I've got to wait about six weeks before I can do the swap because I'm getting married on August 27 and will be leaving for the honeymoon on August 29. Damn it!!!!

BTW....I don't think the spare idea would work because the spare is 265/70/16 and mine are 265/70/16. Am I correct that this would be a problem or is the size difference so small that it wouldn't matter?

Matt

 

it won't matter.

1. you're 2wd w/ an open rear diff. it won't hurt to go for some short spins w/ a different size. it won't matter at all up front.

2. it would be very beneficial as that it would possibly pinpoint a warped wheel or defective tire if the vibration went completely away.

3. only down side is that you'll have to take 4 test drives instead of one, but you have a better chance of catching the culprit instead of just knowing that it's one of the 4 tires.

i vote to swap the spare on/off and see what happens. it's the original, balanced spare that came from toyota, isn't it?

 

Andy,
Yes it is the OEM spare that came with the truck. That was going to be my next question....Is it balanced, but you answered it. Hopefully I'll get time to do this over the weekend, but the fiance may have over plans (ie wedding stuff).

Matt

 

I looked up Matt_C and he's got 32" BFG on his truck. Don't think that will work, do you?

Matt

 

if they're on 15" wheels, then no, they won't fit...

 

I went to Discount tire yesterday and had them use the adapter and road force machine. Also went to Firestone and had the realign...................well SOB! vibration is even worse. I am really starting to think that this is a bent driveshaft......still not sure if this could be my wheels... 17" Tundra wheels are starting to look real good by now......... (-_- ) It was my day off and I've basically spent the whole day doing this! This is getting old..REAL old....I've never had so much problems with a vehicle

 

2001MillRunner, I feel your pain. I've spent countless hours chasing this BS, including today. So, lunch time rolls around and no response from my email to Toyota so I decided to give them a call. I got transferred (of course the first person you speak with is never the right one) to their customer satisfaction department or some crap like that. This guy proceeds to let me ramble for about 10-15 describing in detail the problem that I'm having and basically.....that was it. He gives me a name of the customer satisfaction liason at Limbaugh Toyota (or some crap like that) and gives me a case number. I hate case numbers. We get ˟˟˟˟˟ing case numbers from the IT guys at work that can't solve our computer/network problems. So I point blank ask they guy what's the deal, are you going to get in touch with him or is it my responsibility. I'll give you three guesses as to what his response was....I've got to call him. So on to converstaion number 2.

I get off of work and call this guy at Limbaugh on my way home and spend about 35 minutes on the phone with him. Once again, reiterating my problem in detail. His response.....he knows about it and they are aware of it (them being the dealer) and Toyota is aware of it but there is no solution that he is aware of. He point blank said Toyota won't do anything about it and just says that it's part of the design of the truck. We discussed everything. He said that he had never driven a 3rd gen and looked over and the passenger seat wasn't fluttering. He said you could usually stop steering wheel vibration with a good balance, but there was nothing that could be done about all the other vibration in the truck. Something about the way the chassis transfers vibration to the cabin. Hell, I don't know I totally lost interest when he basically said there was nothing he could do to help me. So.....no luck guys. I guess we're stuck. On a side note, I drive home on a relatively smooth interstate and it was absolutely pathetic how much it was vibrating and the passenger seat shaking on the way home (Andy, the stretch of 459 going towards T-town after you pass the Galleria). Not a rough road, a pretty smooth road and the truck was vibrating like crazy. I give up!!!!!! Even with all the cash I've spent in mods, I don't know if I can put up with this much longer. I've got a 45 mile one way commute to work each morning and then home in the afternoon. It's ridiculous and they know and aren't doing ˟˟˟˟˟ about it!!!!! Sorry, I had to vent for a minute.

Matt

 

What an amazing PITA. Does this happen regardless of engine RPM? When/if you downshift while at 65mph do you still have this issue?
It is a shot in the dark, but if it is engine dependent (or motor mount or damper lost) maybe this would show it. Does that sound reasonable?
If the vibration stays then you are back to the drive line axel for a cause

 

Roadtripr,
I think I recall trying that months ago, but I can't remember the response. I'll check in the morning on the way to work.

Matt

 

This makes me think, and because mine vibrates like crazy too (always has), I'm subscribing to this thread.....I wonder if the body mount bushings were to be replaced with nice new Poly bushings, the vibes wouldn't transfer to the body as much?

Not sure if you covered that already, didn't notice..But I bet it's worth a shot.

 

LSUMatt1514, it sounds like you want the shaking to be gone but don't want to get your hands dirty . Balancing the tires a bunch of times is not exactly narrowing down the problem.

Have you tried my suggestion to raise the rear end off the ground and spin the tires in the air? If you think it's the driveshaft, remove it! Put it in 4WD and you have FWD for the day. Etc.........

 

IF Toyota is admitting to a vibe problem on the rig, and the problem area is how the vibes are xferd from the wheels to the frame to the body, I would think that poly bushing all around would be the biggest help. I have poly bushing all over the front IFS and it did make the ride much sweeter....I am also wonder if you did the run in place checks that have been suggested here with wheels on and wheels of to see where this vibe really starts coming from....I see here that you say it only comes in at speed...could the eng be sending a harmonic through the eng mounts ( I have a hard time with that one but still worth note) Does the road surface make a difference? You have it aligned but what is the mark they are hitting is it near the limit of the adjustment or in the middle? Bent spring/shock? Lose bearing? lose trannie mounts? Ball joints? just spif balling there....A dyno drum run would really go a long way in to discovery of where the problem is coming from and how best to correct it.....even jack stands at all four corners will help out alot.......The probelm should be correctable, once the true cause is found.....

 

4Runr,
Nope, not that at all. It's just kind of hard to find time to mess with my truck when I'm finalizing plans for a wedding in a month and working 10 hours a day. If I have time this weekend, I will definitely pursue ya'lls suggestion. Thanks very much for the advice.

Matt