Help diagnosing shaky ride

[Sacirema]

I can't figure out what's causing the shaky ride on my 200 series. It's a 2013 with a 2.5" OME lift and 275/70/18 Cooper ST Maxx's, all added a few months ago. It's hard to describe the issue, but it's almost like the ride is shaky or loose. I feel it in the body, not the steering wheel. I noticed it several weeks ago when there was a pulsing vibration between 50 and 60 mph. I had my tires balanced and rotated at Big O, which helped a bit and I no longer get the pulsing between 50 and 60. But it still feels almost like the suspension is loose. However, it soaks up bumps in the road fine and, according to the dealer, everything is tight underneath. It just generally feels lose and shaky with normal driving at all speeds. The tech at the dealership didn't notice anything unusual in the ride, but I swear it's not riding right. My LX470 was like riding on a cloud compared to this, and I had the exact same tires on it. Any ideas on where I should start?

 

[Madtiger]

Did Big O do a road-force balance?

 

[terdrocket]

1- Check for proper inflation. @gaijin is the man.
2- Check alignment toe.
3- Have you added additional weight in the rear? This can make the tail wag the dog, if your springs are too light.

A combo of all of this can certainly change the handling for the worse.

 

[Sandroad]

If everything checks out with the tires (balance, pressure, no damage), then I second the suggestion from @terdrocket to have an alignment shop familiar with lifts to carefully set things correctly as a next step.

 

[gaijin]

I can't figure out what's causing the shaky ride on my 200 series. It's a 2013 with a 2.5" OME lift and 275/70/18 Cooper ST Maxx's, all added a few months ago. It's hard to describe the issue, but it's almost like the ride is shaky or loose. I feel it in the body, not the steering wheel. I noticed it several weeks ago when there was a pulsing vibration between 50 and 60 mph. I had my tires balanced and rotated at Big O, which helped a bit and I no longer get the pulsing between 50 and 60. But it still feels almost like the suspension is loose. However, it soaks up bumps in the road fine and, according to the dealer, everything is tight underneath. It just generally feels lose and shaky with normal driving at all speeds. The tech at the dealership didn't notice anything unusual in the ride, but I swear it's not riding right. My LX470 was like riding on a cloud compared to this, and I had the exact same tires on it. Any ideas on where I should start?

FYI, the RCTIP (Recommended Cold Tire Inflation Pressure) for those LT275/70R18 tires on your LC200 is 41psi Front/Rear.

HTH

 

[Sacirema]

Thank you for these responses. I’m going to start working through them to see if I can get this fixed.

- @Madtiger, @terdrocket,@Sandroad, Big O did not do a road force balance. I’m in Denver and I believe Toytec does those for lifted vehicles, so I’ll reach out to them.

- I have not added any weight in the rear.

- I will have them check alignment again. I had it done at the dealership a few months back. However, I did recently notice positive camber on the front wheels. Is that normal for a 200?

- @gaijin, thank you, I was running at 34 psi, so I’ll get that fixed.

 

[Madtiger]

Discount tire (if avail in your area) usually have road force machine.

 

[Sandroad]

If the camber is positive enough for you to notice while justing looking at the truck, you should get the alignment checked. I've had trouble with dealers getting the alignment right. If it's too far off, it could be the cause of your symptoms. I'll bet if you get the road force balance, the correct pressure, and adjust the alignment, you'll be all set.