Vibrations at highway speeds

[Ruger_556]

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

Heavy tires ride horrible on a light truck... Pretty well no matter the psi or balance. And just because they're balanced doesn't mean they're round (They could be cupped, broken belt, etc...)

 

[LOWnEASY]

Try a different tire. Ether sell those or wait till they were out.
If heard good things of the bfg mk2. Not an all terain, but a good tire

 

[EastTXYukon]

Try a different tire. Ether sell those or wait till they were out.
If heard good things of the bfg mk2. Not an all terain, but a good tire

You're probably right. I definitely will be trying something different next go round. Too bad this set still has a lot of tread left.

 

[LOWnEASY]

Throw them dudes on craigslist. Some one will snag them I'm sure.

 

[EastTXYukon]

Ok did a little road test this morning. I found a smooth stretch of asphalt highway and got on it. 70 mph my truck is vibrating almost like Im driving on a washboard road. Im watching my hands shake constantly.

Before I was mistaking bumps in the road for the not smooth ride. Its the whole truck shaking, and I can feel it through my seat and entire body when I'm relaxed.

I think it does the shaking all the time, but its really noticeable above 50 mph. At 70 it is pretty uncomfortable to drive. Now I remember why I felt so beat up after driving the Yukon to San Antonio last spring....300 miles away.

Tell me if you have other ideas , but the first thing Im gonna do is switch out tires with something, anything else. If that doesnt change anything, then Im not sure what to do after that.

Thanks to everyone who has replied so far. These vibrations are so uncomfortable to me that I cant imagine driving at highway speeds for more than 20 minutes at a time.

 

[IOWNJUNK]

Sounds like a broken belt in one of your tires. My spare was like that, when you spun it on a balancer it would shake the whole machine. Made the truck undriveable, if you put it on the front it would almost pull the wheel out of your hands. I jacked it up and spun it and the tread had an S-curve in it when watching from the front. Moved it to the rear and it bounced uncontrollably.

 

[1998K1500]

Change the tires and let me know after, I really think it's mainly the tires and would hate to see you do anything more than a tire change initially

 

[EastTXYukon]

Well I did go to a tire shop today. We rotated and balanced to see if anything helps. He and I inspected the control arms, ball joints and all front end stuff while the wheels were off, and everything was tight and bushings were good. Next I want to check the driveshaft and u-joints for anything out of balance.

 

[michael hurd]

I would crawl under the truck and check all the body bolts, making sure they are tight, and check the condition of the engine mounts, and the transmission mount.If they are soft and rotted, it may be a good idea to swap them out for some fresh ones. Also, block the front wheels, jack up the back ( use stands ) and put the transmission in neutral. Crawl under and rotate the rear driveshaft by hand and see if it feels smooth, or there is any movement in the joint.

I had a problem with one of these trucks where it would shake like a red devil paint shaker, the culprit was water inside the drive shaft. Backing the truck into a lake launching boats, water worked its way in though a tiny pinhole in the rear of the shaft in the center of the yoke. Removing the drive shaft and standing it up, water started to drip on the floor. #$% A dab of silicone fixed the leak after the water was out.

 

[supertrucker1978]

Does the shop you use have a Road Force balance machine?