Vibrations at highway speeds

[EastTXYukon]

Help! I have no real idea why, but at highway speeds I can feel every bump in the road. My commute is 20 miles at 70 mph. While the roads arent great, I feel myself getting beat up while driving.

My truck is a 96 2 door yukon with 182,000 miles. I have a 3" body lift and 295/75/r16 Nitto Terra Grapplers on stock wheels. Ranch rs 5000 shocks that are a couple of years old. Ball joints replaced a few years sgo as well. Front torsion bars cranked just enough to level the front end.

I know the shocks arent the best, the t bars being cranked doesnt help, and I'm driving a short wheelbase 18 year old truck, but these vibrations and bumps Im feeling all the time make me want to get rid of the truck. Has anyone experienced anything like this and can give me an idea what to start looking for? I thought it was the aftermarket wheels at first, so I switched back to stockers. Not much improvement. I've heard the Nittos are hard to balance. Any truth to that? Just need a place to start.

 

[sewlow]

How much tire pressure are you running?

 

[EastTXYukon]

How much tire pressure are you running?

35 psi. Nothing special

 

[supertrucker1978]

I'm confused, do you have vibrations or does your truck just ride rough? Vibrations are usually caused by something out of balance or a bad u-joint. Riding rough is just something you have to kind of deal with. There are small improvements you can do, new shocks, decrank the torsion bars, maybe a lighter load range of the tires. Has the truck always rode like this or has it been getting worse over time?

 

[EastTXYukon]

I think its a combination of the two things. On a smooth interstate running 75 mph I can feel vibrations. On a rougher road It seems like I feel every bump, plus the vibrations.

Believe me, I know how old trucks ride. My weekend truck is my Grandfathers 1978 Scout, lifted 4" with Rough Country lift springs and 33" by 12.5 all terrain tires. I feel the bumps, but the vibrations aren't there in addition. It's a smoother ride than my 96 on stock suspension.

 

[1998K1500]

The body lift isn't exactly helping and really none of the things you mentioned are particularly improving ride quality (I'm sure you know that) but as the last poster said, riding rough is more something to deal with... it's a truck it doesn't ride like a Cadillac
If you're feeling vibrating that's something totally different and we're talking a different realm of issues

 

[michael hurd]

Not sure what you are expecting but you have a 57 pound tire on a 34 pound wheel. ( steel ) Not sure what the stock aluminum sawblades weigh but they should be at least 20 pounds each. Either rim is too narrow for the tire and will cause premature wear in the center of the tread.

If you have a empty truck I could see it riding rough. With weight in the truck bed it won't be as bad. New shocks may help damp the larger bumps but it will still be harsh.

 

[EastTXYukon]

Its kinda hard to describe I guess. The road I drive to work and back is not smooth. I noticed the rough ride when I got new wheels and tires put on about 15,000 miles ago. The wheels were not hubcentric and I figured that was the problem. I got hubcenteric rings put on and it was better, but still not great. After driving on I-20 130 miles a day for a week, I switched back to the stock wheels. Once again, just a little better but still not right. It is like the tires are out of balance but they've been checkef and rechecked

Once again I don't expect a cadillac ride, but I would prefer it ride better than the Scout on straight axles and lift springs

Sorry the info is vague. Its a tough thing to describe and the rough road I drive to work doesn't help me diagnose the problem real well

 

[1998K1500]

I think a lot of it may be coming from the tires. New shocks would help of course, but personally I'd blame that on the tires before I blamed anything major. Personally, I wouldn't be all too concerned. If it gradually gets worse, or if its unbearable that's when I would worry about it more.

I know you said you first felt it when you put the new tires on but is the tread on the tires worn? Because that can worsen ride quality of the tires even more... same thing if they're worn unevenly

 

[Steve's Chevy]

Ive had a bad bounce between 45-50 mph ever since I lifted and put on heavy rims and heavier tires...............Sucks!!


ive replaced EVERYTHING!!




Twice!