New Owner, some concerns

Hello everyone.

New to the forums and 4runners in general.

Let me tell you a quick story.

About two months ago I purchased a brand new 19 Tacoma SR5.

I had tons of vibration problems to include brake pedal, gas pedal, seats, steering wheel.

I also had the "rumble strip" vibrations when slowing. After many dealership trips later and no fix, I decided to trade it in for my 4runner.

I now have a 19 T4R TRD OR, all stock.

I am having steering wheel vibrations in this vehicle, especially at highway speeds. Barely noticeable around town. I also have a minor steering wheel wobble at highway speeds at around 60mph. After tires warm up, the wobble pretty much goes away but it does come back here and there. Vibrations persist though. Feels like I am holding hair clippers. It's a "buzz" type vibration.

I can also feel some vibrations in the brake pedal when slowing down. It's weird in the sense that it doesn't always do it, and sometimes its worse than other times.

I have lost a lot of sleep over the Tacoma, and now i'm starting to lose sleep over this one, especially after losing money on my trade.

A few questions;
Are steering wheel vibrations of any kinda normal in this vehicle? Is it something I just need to live with?

I want to do a leveling kit, front only, and I am concerned this will just make things worse. Your thoughts on this?

I am taking the vehicle in to Discount Tire for RFB today, but not too hopeful it'll completely remove the vibrations all together.

Is it crazy to think the steering wheel should have ZERO vibrations of any kind?

I have read through tons of post on this forums and others. It seems some have found fixes, and others not. From what I can tell, there are far more people that have found NO fix as opposed to ones who have actually found a fix.

I appreciate any feedback guys. Thank you

 

I had a similar issue with my 4Runner when I first got it. Right around 60mph, a little vibration in the steering wheel. Sometimes it was more noticeable than others. Couldn't really pin it down.

Added a leveling kit, no change.

Added new tires, problem gone.

I think it has something to do with the stock tires and/or their balancing.

 

Thanks for the reply. What tires did you go with?

Another concern I have is that eventually I want all terrain type tires. Will this make things even worse?

 

I have A/T's, albeit they are on the milder side of A/T's.

Firestone Destination A/T's. P285/70/R17. I love them. They ride great!

But don't take this as the be all end all of this particular problem. This is just what helped my situation.

RFB is a good start with the stock tires. I never tried that because I knew I wanted to get rid of the stock tires anyways and go with a taller size.

 

Do you have a picture of your 4runner with new tires? Looking at your sig, I think I have the same exact rims as you and my 4runner is white also.

What leveling kit did you go with?

 

I went with Eibach adjustable front shocks set at 1.6" in the front with stock coils. It rides really nice and am very happy with them. However, I want to get a longer coil that lifts the front end rather than relying on getting my lift from the shock. Unfortunately, Eibach doesn't offer a leveling coil for 4Runners.

So I'll be adding a Dobinson 1.75" lift coil to my Eibach shocks soon and setting the shocks back down to 0" to get optimal performance. Dobinson coils get really good reviews on here and other 4Runner forums so I have no hesitation going this route. It's what i recommend to people who are interested in getting lift without going the full adjustable coilover route.

 

sure does sound like a tire balance issue...

 

I will report back today after getting them road force balanced.

Are the stock BRIDGESTONE DUELER H/T tires garbage?

 

No, you shouldn't get bad handling in the T4R or the Taco. I can't speak for the Taco, but the T4R seems to only give two handling issues, which are native to the design, with stock suspension: float and front end dive. Both are better with KDSS or XREAS, or if you put $$ into aftermarket suspension.

Changing your suspension/geometry/weight (aftermarket gear)/handling (AT tires) will affect any/all of this, but if you're stock you shouldn't have any issues. You may want all of your tires re-balanced.

Also, what did you come out of? If you're transitioning from an A4, for instance, all of the steering will feel like with wobbles and vibrates when you're in a T4R, but that's not always indicative of any issue.

 

Before the Tacoma I had a 2016 Frontier 4x4. That truck was solid all the way around. Had some normal bumpy ride quality of a truck, but never had steering wheel or pedal vibrations.

 

My '18 doesn't do anything as explained, rides like a Mercedes at any speed (well as fast as I go anyway.) Many times it's sat in the garage for 5-6 days and it's fine when I take it out no feeling like the tires developed a flat spot.

 

So you have zero steering wheel vibrations?

I will say, the ride quality is impressive. If I could just get rid of this steering wheel vibration/buzz, im golden.

Either way, its a MAJOR improvement from my Tacoma.

 

Are you sure you don't have warped rotors with pedal vibrations? Mine rides smooth, but now that I'm nearing 70k and 30k on my Coopers I get a little vibration at some speeds. But I'm also due for a tire rotation and need to check my tire pressure (TPMS doesn't work, but that's a different issue).

In my (limited) experience, the truck don't ride funny a'tall.

 

Not sure yet. I will have to wait to see what the dealership says about the brake pedal vibration. I am not overly concerned about that since I am sure thats an easy fix.

It's the steering wheel vibration that worries me. After reading for hours and going through tons of pages on different forums, the people that have the same vibrations I do almost never find a fix.

 

This video demonstrates what I have at certain speeds:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42fPEtIgA1M

 

You might want to get it checked out for Parkinsons?

 

Maybe Michael J. Fox was driving it.

 

This get the tires checked and balanced properly

 

Doubling up on info. A slow day at work for me too............

 

If its going slow for you, tell me about leveling kits for my 4runner please I have a TRD OR, standard suspension, what do you recommend?

 

I went with a 2" lift (1" spacer) off Amazon. At times my Trail looks slightly nose high but if I put a level on the roof rack or rocker panel it matches the level of the floor. I installed the spacers myself if no issues at all. I studied a few Youtube videos then followed it while I was installing, especially around the torque numbers.

Supreme Suspensions - 2" Front Leveling Kit for 2005-2023 Toyota Tacoma 2WD 4WD - T6 Billet Aluminum Front Lift Strut Spacers (Black)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IIXM4WI/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bd4D-hE59FA and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIfYtD2UaTg

 

I was actually looking at that exact spacer.

Question, did you notice any difference in ride quality? Any other weird symptoms of having this installed? Did you do an alignment after? Thanks

 

I think the ride quality is the same but also better because the nose diver when hard braking feels more controlled or minimalized. I hated the forward stance on my Trail and 2005 SR5, I'm glad I finally installed the spacers. Also know that the 2" lift does not need a diff adjustment and I do not have any drive line wobble either.

 

Yes, agreed. The forward stance on my TRD drives me nuts. Can't wait to get it leveled. I was reading on Amazon that many people are saying this spacer actually makes the front a tad higher than the back, think that may bother me lol

 

as my review on Amazon (Paul on Oct 2, 2018), the gaps measures 1/2' higher in the front but the 4Runner is level. At first I thought about adding a 1" rear spacer but I am happy and will not.

I thought about a 1.5" lift too but I did not want to cut the strut tower studs.

 

What about the bilstein 5100? is it common to just install these in the front?

I was thinking of possibly going this route because I heard good things and heard its adjustable and will level, but wasn't sure if I needed to do all 4 shocks or if I could get away with just doing the front?

 

Sorry I just saw your alignment question, yes you will need a front end alignment because of the independent front suspension. And if you do a rear lift you will not need a rear alignment because of the solid axle.

 

I went for the $165 option ($65 for the spacer and $100 for the alignment). Yes the Bilstein strut is better than OEM, it good for the lift and improved ride quality. I have read that a front strut change to Bilstein and keep the rears stock is okay.

 

Thank you. As soon as I get this wheel vibration figured out, I am doing one of these.

 

This route is fine. It's what I have on mine right now. Just do yourself a favor and get Eibach adjustable shocks instead of Bilstein 5100s. Better ride quality with the Eibachs.

No need for rear shocks if you don't want them.