Wandering in lane

Not sure what my problem is :? 2016 4Runner SR5.

I feel like I am all over the lane. Holding the wheel straight just jumps left/right and I have to correct so I don't crash. I also get a shaking at 55-65 mph. (shakes only like 95% of the time). I have about a -2 in offset with all terrain tires on there. not super aggressive or anything. I also have a 1/2 inch spacer in the front to level it out (not shown in pic)

- alignment good
- balance good
- rotated my tires (just for good measure)

I am sick of the guy at the dealership telling me the issue is my tires. I know what messed up wheels/tires feels like.

Need some help with possible diagnosis!!

Here she is for reference.

 

I think the problem is that your truck is too shiny. Dirt and grime break the boundary airflow and help stabilize the truck. My Runner is dirty as hell and tracks straight as an arrow.
Hope you get it figured out soon! Welcome!

 

If the tires shake, and it wanders, it's out of alignment and out of balance, as long as the rest of your components are not failing such as bushings, etc.

Good luck.

 

Your alignment might still be in spec, but your caster number could be on the low side. Do you have the alignment spec sheet they give you? If so, what are the caster numbers?

Higher caster numbers will give you more stability and less side to side shimmy while going down the road.

 

Please tell me you didn’t tell your alignment guy to jack with the camber or the caster so your oversize tires don’t rub.

 

Wait, OP didn't say anything about incorrect/non-OE (size or load rating) tires in the initial post..

 

Looks like not oversized, just backspaced to stick out a lot for some reason.

For some reason they just look stuffed up front.


The biggest question to ask the OP is did they at one point ask the alignment guy to make their tires rub less.

Clearly the wheels have some serious offset issues and based on previous posts, the OP is worried about them rubbing.

If they asked the alignment guy to reduce rubbing, the caster could be set completely out of whack to try to push the tires as far away from the body mount as possible.

This is purely speculation.

 

Increasing the caster will push your tires forward (away from the body mount) and increase stability.

When your caster is on the lower side (closer to the body mount) you're likely to wander more.

Stock caster specs range from 2.5 degrees on the low end to 4.0 on the high end. My guess is she's closer to 2.5 degrees.

Some people with aftermarket UCA's go up to 5 degrees of caster (with no ill effects) to accommodate large tires, low offsets, and to improve road manners.

 

I didn't ask for anything special. I could see if I have the paper from the alignment (I usually keep them). It isn't a crazy offset but it is noticeable.

I have had it aligned twice in the last 2 weeks (paid for the first one, free on the second). They adjusted my caster 0.5* the first time and the second time everything was in spec. I have rotated them and balanced them twice since I started having the issue. (I work at a tire shop so I made sure it was done perfectly).

The wheels are hubcentric so there isn't the issue of a hub ring or anything like that.

The shaking had started before I even got the new tires. The last 2 months has brought about the 'wandering' in the lane. I have basically given up trying to figure out what the issue is at this point.

 

As a last resort, I would take it to a third-party tire/race shop.

They may be able to figure something out or balance the better.

 

There is a difference between "good" and "in spec" for alignments.

Tell them to give as much caster as it can. That will make less wandering.

Steering wheel shake is tire balance. Common. 4R is sensitive. Lots of threads about that.

The 2 issues can play off one another. I'd say work out alignment first, then start on balance if still needed.

 

Yes! This exactly!

You're going to have to ask them to put the caster closer to the higher end of spec. You're looking for something around the 3.5 degree range. That will help with the wandering.

 

I'm curious to see the alignment specs.

Max spec on caster is 3.9°. Some will try for more than max spec as well.

How are you sure the balance is good?

Have you checked ball joints and tie-rods?

 

The caster is at 2.8, I just checked.

The balance is good because I did it myself, I work at a tire shop. I was very meticulous about balancing them.

I have had the ball joints and tie-rods checked twice and I checked them as well.

 

Just checking, because I've had "balanced" tires wobble.

2.8 is below spec, IIRC. I would definitely get the alignment in spec. I'm at 0° Toe, 0° camber, and 3.9° caster and it drives perfect.

What are the rest of your alignment specs?

 

0.5 degree change is enough to feel a difference driving.
For balance, my tires were rebalanced 4 or 5 times before someone got the steering shake totally gone. Not saying you didn't get it right on yours but it is one of the most common complaints about 4Runners in here and I experienced multiple times being told mine were balanced perfectly when they weren't.

 

Mine did that until I got aftermarket UCAs installed

 

Thanks for these posts. It's a good reminder to check the caster. My only beef about my 4Runner, besides the crappy stock headlights (a $49K 2020 vehicle should NOT come with weak halogen projectors!!! Just sayin! ), is the amount of steering correction needed on the highway. Def going to have caster dialed up to the max when I next get an alignment!

 

how high do you have the front raised?

 

I am getting it re-aligned this week. I am going to make sure they have my caster at the high end of the speck so I will see if that fixes the issues. if not I will check the balance again.

My confusion come in because it doesn't always have the shaking. it is like 75% of the time and I can't find any common variable when it starts shaking.

Thanks again everyone!

 

Love your little Snoopy! Ours has the very same face and sits exactly like that when going for car rides... LOL

Cheers,

Sean

 

Update for the thread.
I got the alignment. Set the caster to 3.4 and it has virtually eliminated the wandering. I still have the shaking but it is less frequent and I can live with it for now. I am going to tackle that another time.

Thank you for all the suggestions and what not. I don't feel like I am going to fly off the road anymore!

 

Nice!

Glad it helped.

Thanks for the update!

 

Old tread, bit good information. I'll have to check the caster numbers on my wife 2018. It socks driving and having to correct the steering constantly.

 

I agree. Its good to know that other owners have been chasing down these issues like I had I had my tires balanced and re - balanced at Toyota several times. Ended up buying better tires and had tire shop alignment which solved all my issues.