A friend resently put new BFG a/t (33's) on his 100. He menetioned that he has a shimmy/wobble/vibration at 75mph. They've been rebalanced and the feel continues? Thoughts? wheel bearings?
wobble / vibration at 75mph
- Thread starter speyrod
- Start date
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Mine does it too. I am thinking wheel bearings. I pulled the caps and the star washers and tightened mine up from the outside and mine went away for about 100 miles, now it is back. I am going to do a full bearing replacement and do the brakes while I am in there. I will let you know.
Have you/he had the tires balanced on a Road Force balancer? Makes all the difference in the world. The dealer that installed my original 33" MT/R's just couldn't get them balanced. Finally he said "that's the way they are". Not having anything to lose except a c note I went over to Les Schwab and they used their Hunter Road Force Balancer (many others on 'MUD attest to this type of balancing)...guess what? The tires were balanced perfectly in all speed ranges!
I would say that if the wobble started right after the tire install then look at the tires first.
The Hunter machine rocks as Spresso stated. Find a shop with the Hunter equipment and have them balance the tires.
The Hunter machine rocks as Spresso stated. Find a shop with the Hunter equipment and have them balance the tires.
A few notes about the Hunter GSP9700 and tire FV (Force Variation) related vibration, from my experience:
1. Many Techs do not know how to 100% properly use the GSP9700.
2. Many GSP9700 machines are (now) aging & not properly maintained and calibrated.
3. Tire FV can change over time for a given tire.
So, your results from a GSP9700 Road Force balance will vary.
Don't assume the tires are not the problem if the vibration persists after a GSP9700 balance. Talk to the Tech doing the balance, to complete the picture. He can tell you if the FV was excessive, etc., and if he was able to reduce FV to a nominal level or not.
In spite of the caveats, the GPS9700 is definitely the way to go if you have tire vibration problems - IF it is done by a knowledgeable skilled Tech using a GSP9700 in good condition & recently calibrated.
And make sure NO SILICONE is used to to lube the tire beads! (Silicone will retain lubricity for a long time, causing the tire to slip on the wheel in service, thus losing balance & FV matchmount.) Believe it or not, I had this done to my tires by a Toyota Dealer Service Dept., while I wasn't watching. Never again.
On the bearings: They shouldn't be "tight" - there is a tiny bit of play, after preload is correctly set. If you "tighten" the bearings and this reduces vibration for a while and then it returns, you may have overtightened them, followed by an increased wear period. Yikes! (For those who know how to correctly set bearing preload, pardon my comments...)
The 100 Series is sensitive to tire vibration compared to other vehicles I've owned, both from balance and FV causes. Combined with the large wheels & tires, this is a problem. I'm stuck with 2 high-FV Michelins on the front at the moment, waiting for F-R wear to equalize so I can move one high-FV tire to rear and reduce the effect. Very annoying. Basically I drive at 65mph or less because of this.
1. Many Techs do not know how to 100% properly use the GSP9700.
2. Many GSP9700 machines are (now) aging & not properly maintained and calibrated.
3. Tire FV can change over time for a given tire.
So, your results from a GSP9700 Road Force balance will vary.
Don't assume the tires are not the problem if the vibration persists after a GSP9700 balance. Talk to the Tech doing the balance, to complete the picture. He can tell you if the FV was excessive, etc., and if he was able to reduce FV to a nominal level or not.
In spite of the caveats, the GPS9700 is definitely the way to go if you have tire vibration problems - IF it is done by a knowledgeable skilled Tech using a GSP9700 in good condition & recently calibrated.
And make sure NO SILICONE is used to to lube the tire beads! (Silicone will retain lubricity for a long time, causing the tire to slip on the wheel in service, thus losing balance & FV matchmount.) Believe it or not, I had this done to my tires by a Toyota Dealer Service Dept., while I wasn't watching. Never again.
On the bearings: They shouldn't be "tight" - there is a tiny bit of play, after preload is correctly set. If you "tighten" the bearings and this reduces vibration for a while and then it returns, you may have overtightened them, followed by an increased wear period. Yikes! (For those who know how to correctly set bearing preload, pardon my comments...)
The 100 Series is sensitive to tire vibration compared to other vehicles I've owned, both from balance and FV causes. Combined with the large wheels & tires, this is a problem. I'm stuck with 2 high-FV Michelins on the front at the moment, waiting for F-R wear to equalize so I can move one high-FV tire to rear and reduce the effect. Very annoying. Basically I drive at 65mph or less because of this.
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Well, as for the tires on mine, it happens with the 33's and with the stock Bridgestone's. I am assuming since I am getting the same wobble with both sets of tires that it is not the tires. I have had both sets checked and they come up true.
That said, I have no idea what type machine they used.
I just PMed Dan for all the stuff to do the bearings and the brakes so I will find out that way.
That said, I have no idea what type machine they used.
I just PMed Dan for all the stuff to do the bearings and the brakes so I will find out that way.
- Thread starter
- #7
Tinker
"The 100 Series is sensitive to tire vibration compared to other vehicles I've owned"
what do you think is the cause?
"The 100 Series is sensitive to tire vibration compared to other vehicles I've owned"
what do you think is the cause?
I think it has to do with overall vehicle dynamics (according to the technical definition of the word, speaking mechanical engineering-ese), coupled with large tire/wheel assemblies that tend to produce correspondingly large inputs into the system.speyrod said:
I believe it is design-related.
(For comparison, I had a '96 GMC 2WD 1500 series extended cab pickup: Completely numb to tire vibration issues, despite tires with significant visible runout. But, it was indeed numb, with stiff steering that had poor returnability and road feel, harsh yet numb suspension, and a frame that behaved like a big rubber log, shuddering palpably after every bump. A completely crappy ride. I think vehicles like the GMC are actually engineered to be numb to tire vibration issues, at the expense of handling & ride qualities.)
The 100 Series is a different animal. I have heard even non-Toyota dealers talking about the 100 Series and tire vibration sensitivity.
In this Vibration thread Christo of SleeOffroad talked about a problem with the spindle bushings being the cause of a vibration problem. If you are doing the repack I would do the extra work to take care of these bushings.
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- Thread starter
- #10
Thanks, for the responces I will let him know.
