Vibration at any speed - don't know what to do

SpaceRanger

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So, when I got my truck, I had a very slight, almost unnoticeable vibration at highway speed. To me, it seemed as if a tire was ever so slightly out of balance. I had the factory 18" wheels and tires rebalanced at the dealership and even though they stripped the weights and started fresh, said that they were spot on. Fast forward to about a two months ago, I purchased and installed brand new 17" fifteen52 wheels with 265/70 Falken Wildpeaks. Once installed, the vibration was accentuated so bad that it felt as if I was rolling around on ovals. I went ahead and installed hub-centric rings to match our bore spacing (106mm to 93mm) just to be sure. It may have been a placebo effect, but it felt as if the rings took out maybe 50% of the vibration. But the vibration is still there and it's still very noticeable. It was almost unbearable on a 500 mile trip my wife and I took on the interstate to Chicago. It definitely also feels like it's coming from the rear, although I can't tell if it's coming from one side or not. Also, it tends to smooth out some, then come back, smooth out, come back. I'm about to throw the factory wheels and tires back on, see if I can recreate the vibration and then take it to the dealership. I don't know if the larger tire size was making the original vibration worse or if it's a whole new issue, like a bad or out of round tire. I've had the new tires balanced 3 times by 3 different shops and they all said they were spot on. Has anybody experienced anything at all like this?
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Maybe its a driveline imbalance. Like the driveshaft?
 

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So, when I got my truck, I had a very slight, almost unnoticeable vibration at highway speed. To me, it seemed as if a tire was ever so slightly out of balance. I had the factory 18" wheels and tires rebalanced at the dealership and even though they stripped the weights and started fresh, said that they were spot on. Fast forward to about a two months ago, I purchased and installed brand new 17" fifteen52 wheels with 265/70 Falken Wildpeaks. Once installed, the vibration was accentuated so bad that it felt as if I was rolling around on ovals. I went ahead and installed hub-centric rings to match our bore spacing (106mm to 93mm) just to be sure. It may have been a placebo effect, but it felt as if the rings took out maybe 50% of the vibration. But the vibration is still there and it's still very noticeable. It was almost unbearable on a 500 mile trip my wife and I took on the interstate to Chicago. It definitely also feels like it's coming from the rear, although I can't tell if it's coming from one side or not. Also, it tends to smooth out some, then come back, smooth out, come back. I'm about to throw the factory wheels and tires back on, see if I can recreate the vibration and then take it to the dealership. I don't know if the larger tire size was making the original vibration worse or if it's a whole new issue, like a bad or out of round tire. I've had the new tires balanced 3 times by 3 different shops and they all said they were spot on. Has anybody experienced anything at all like this?
Hi Nick,

Since you put new wheels and tires on and noticed this vibration, I would look at this action as the reason for the change. Resorting back to OEM would verify if the vibration was reduced that the new wheels/tires are exacerbating your concern.

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired
 

weasel1

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To me it sounds like the rear axle is almost out of spec (runout). If it's at the tolerance limit, aftermarket tires/rims could be multiplying the effect.
 

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One other thing, the vibration. Does it get worse the faster you go? Can you do anything to make it to away, ie, turn left, right, touch brakes etc...
 


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SpaceRanger

SpaceRanger

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Maybe its a driveline imbalance. Like the driveshaft?
That's what I'm also thinking it is, too? Isn't our driveshaft a 2-piece? I don't know.
 
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SpaceRanger

SpaceRanger

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Hi Nick,

Since you put new wheels and tires on and noticed this vibration, I would look at this action as the reason for the change. Resorting back to OEM would verify if the vibration was reduced that the new wheels/tires are exacerbating your concern.

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired
Hey Phil! Are you saying that I SHOULD go back to factory wheels and tires to see if I can notice the vibration?
 
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SpaceRanger

SpaceRanger

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One other thing, the vibration. Does it get worse the faster you go? Can you do anything to make it to away, ie, turn left, right, touch brakes etc...
I can not find anything that will work the vibration out, lessen it, or make it worse. In fact, it's noticeable at 40mph, albeit a lower frequency, compared to 70+mph highway speeds. Like I said, it feels like a tire or wheel out of round - but 3 different shops verified that the new wheels and tires are spot on.
 

chasvs

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I can not find anything that will work the vibration out, lessen it, or make it worse. In fact, it's noticeable at 40mph, albeit a lower frequency, compared to 70+mph highway speeds. Like I said, it feels like a tire or wheel out of round - but 3 different shops verified that the new wheels and tires are spot on.
If the wheels are fine, then it's what the wheels are bolted to. Working back from there, it's the Hub(s), Axles(s), Diff, Driveshaft. Gonna need a good Mechanic/Dealer to do that kind of reasearch for you!
 
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SpaceRanger

SpaceRanger

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If the wheels are fine, then it's what the wheels are bolted to. Working back from there, it's the Hub(s), Axles(s), Diff, Driveshaft. Gonna need a good Mechanic/Dealer to do that kind of reasearch for you!
Well, I don't want them to turn me away BECAUSE of the aftermarket wheels and tires. Granted, they don't void any of the warranty, but putting the factory wheels and tires back on just to prove that it's the truck and not the rolling stock sounds better. But then again, "gonna need a good mechanic/dealer to do that kind of research" is kind of daunting. Haha
 

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Just a little something: years back with my 1st ranger I got a set of aftermarket wheels and nobody could figure out why they vibrated when installed. They balanced perfectly on the tire balancer.

It went on for a while and everyone was just scratching their heads. Finally I just took the wheels off and started inspecting things myself and I found the culprit.

Brake rotor balance weights that protruded past the mounting plane of the hub. It's only an issue when the wheel mounting surface is larger than the hub mounting surface. If that situation arises the wheel will not sit flat on the hub.

Yes brake rotor balance weights are a thing. They clip on.. Something to look into. Wheel mounting surface diameter should match the hub but it's a spec a lot of wheel sellers ignore, focusing on bolt pattern, center bore and offset.
 

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Well, I don't want them to turn me away BECAUSE of the aftermarket wheels and tires. Granted, they don't void any of the warranty, but putting the factory wheels and tires back on just to prove that it's the truck and not the rolling stock sounds better. But then again, "gonna need a good mechanic/dealer to do that kind of research" is kind of daunting. Haha
Agree with going back to OEM Wheels & Tires before you bring it in to show it's not the Aftermarket wheels or tires. Would probably be the first thing a Dealer would blame!
 

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If you take it to the dealer and they find out it’s the aftermarket wheels causing the problem guess who’s going to pay for the technicians time.
 
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SpaceRanger

SpaceRanger

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Just a little something: years back with my 1st ranger I got a set of aftermarket wheels and nobody could figure out why they vibrated when installed. They balanced perfectly on the tire balancer.

It went on for a while and everyone was just scratching their heads. Finally I just took the wheels off and started inspecting things myself and I found the culprit.

Brake rotor balance weights that protruded past the mounting plane of the hub. It's only an issue when the wheel mounting surface is larger than the hub mounting surface. If that situation arises the wheel will not sit flat on the hub.

Yes brake rotor balance weights are a thing. They clip on.. Something to look into. Wheel mounting surface diameter should match the hub but it's a spec a lot of wheel sellers ignore, focusing on bolt pattern, center bore and offset.
I'm almost positive that each hub surface is clean. I usually inspect each time I remove/mount wheels and tires because I'm always afraid of sandwiching debris in there, like dirt and rust, and other crap. But I'm going to remove them tomorrow and put the factory set back on and take it for a run and I'll look again and check each rotor for weights.

@Rp930 & @chasvs Yeah, I'm going to put my factory wheels and tires back on tomorrow and do some road testing.
 
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SpaceRanger

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If I can't recreate the vibration with the factory wheels and tires back on, I'm going to be at a loss for ideas. Only other thing I can think of is that I DO have a true out of round tire or bad tire, or one of the rims is bent. I've also tossed around the idea of taking the aftermarket wheels (off the truck) to my local shop, have them unmount the tires from wheels, balance the wheels separately, then remount tires, and then balance the tires on the wheels.

If you guys can't tell, I'm really hoping it's something as easy as a bad, out of round tire. Haha I hate dealing with my dealerships around here.
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