Lowering front end lift help with vibration?

[peterson1604]

So I've been fighting the vibration that many others have and I'm wondering if lowering the front end a 1/2 inch to 3/4 of an inch will help? I have the Ford Tuned Fox 2.0 lift set at 2 inches in the front and also I'm running 255/75R17 tires. The Ford lift was bought from the Ford dealer and installed by them. The vibration was barely noticeable when stock but now is a bit annoying. I'm wondering if the front end being elevated 2 in could be the reason and if lowering it a bit may help put the drive shaft in better alignment?

Anyone else tried this?
Scott

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[Msfitoy]

Have you checked alignment and tire balance?

 

[peterson1604]

Have you checked alignment and tire balance?

Yep, dealer actually road balanced the tires.

 

[Msfitoy]

Yep, dealer actually road balanced the tires.

Not sure how lowering would help...what's your theory on this method?

 

[peterson1604]

Not sure how lowering would help...what's your theory on this method?

Because the Ford lift only raises the front end, not the rear. Lowering the front down a bit towards stock might just help the alignment and vibration. Not sure if I'm right, just a thought.

 

[Samsquanch]

Doubtful that it’s going to help much. Ask your dealer to perform the shudder TSB...

 

[peterson1604]

Doubtful that it’s going to help much. Ask your dealer to perform the shudder TSB...

It's already been done. I'm wondering more and more if it might not actually be the new tires. I drove it this morning and put it in neutral and the vibration is still there at any speed. Does the driveshaft continue to spin when in neutral or stop completely? If it does not spin that I'm thinking it has to be the new Firestones.

 

[AdamHarris]

Um yes if the truck is rolling or moving at all, the driveshaft is spinning. Vibrating at "any speed" could point to a tire balance/bad spot issue.

 

[Porpoise Hork]

@peterson1604 The issue with the vibration is with the driveshaft angle in relation to the rear pinion. The Australians have identified that when they lifted the Ranger it develops the same vibrations we have had since day one. The resolution they found is to shim the center bearing thus changing the driveshaft angle. The Tacoma apparently also suffers from this as well.

When Ford brought the Ranger to the US they changed the rear suspension geometry by using different mounting hardware than the EU/AU spec and also added a spacer as well between the axle shaft and leaf springs. This effectively raised the rear of the truck by 1.5-2" giving the US spec Rangers a very aggressive front end rake compared to the EU/AU market. It would seem that Ford did not compensate for this in the driveline and thus introduced the vibration.

Ford's fix is to measure the pinion angle in relation to the truck and put in wedge shims to change the angle of the pinion. by a degree or two. For some this seems to have resolved the issue, but others it did nothing for them.

For me at least, adding flat alignment shims between the center bearing and mount and completely eliminated the vibration. It was trial and error till I found the right combination of shims over a couple of weeks until I was convinced the issue was resolved. Others have done this with varied success.

 

[peterson1604]

@peterson1604 The issue with the vibration is with the driveshaft angle in relation to the rear pinion. The Australians have identified that when they lifted the Ranger it develops the same vibrations we have had since day one. The resolution they found is to shim the center bearing thus changing the driveshaft angle. The Tacoma apparently also suffers from this as well.

When Ford brought the Ranger to the US they changed the rear suspension geometry by using different mounting hardware than the EU/AU spec and also added a spacer as well between the axle shaft and leaf springs. This effectively raised the rear of the truck by 1.5-2" giving the US spec Rangers a very aggressive front end rake compared to the EU/AU market. It would seem that Ford did not compensate for this in the driveline and thus introduced the vibration.

Ford's fix is to measure the pinion angle in relation to the truck and put in wedge shims to change the angle of the pinion. by a degree or two. For some this seems to have resolved the issue, but others it did nothing for them.

For me at least, adding flat alignment shims between the center bearing and mount and completely eliminated the vibration. It was trial and error till I found the right combination of shims over a couple of weeks until I was convinced the issue was resolved. Others have done this with varied success.

So does this still apply with the Ford Tuned Fox lift installed by the dealer since it elevates the front by 2 inches?

 

[Porpoise Hork]

Changing the front height does not impact the driveshaft angle in relation to the rear pinion. You would need to either lower the rear by about 1.5-2" or add a 1/4"-3/8" shims between the top of the center bearing and its cross member mount.

You can test this by tossing about 6-800 pounds of weight in the back of the truck near the tailgate. This will lower the bed by about 1.5-2 inches. For me when I had that much weight back there I was amazed at how smooth the truck was when accelerating, absolutely no vibration at all. That's what led me to start looking into why this would be the case.

I contacted a local driveshaft specialist and they said that some two piece driveline setups are very sensitive to the angle and suggested either rebalancing the shaft to compensate, having a custom one piece shaft made, or change the driveshaft angle. That led me to see if the Australians had the same issue and discovered they do only when they lift the trucks.

 

[peterson1604]

Changing the front height does not impact the driveshaft angle in relation to the rear pinion. You would need to either lower the rear by about 1.5-2" or add a 1/4"-3/8" shims between the top of the center bearing and its cross member mount.

You can test this by tossing about 6-800 pounds of weight in the back of the truck near the tailgate. This will lower the bed by about 1.5-2 inches. For me when I had that much weight back there I was amazed at how smooth the truck was when accelerating, absolutely no vibration at all. That's what led me to start looking into why this would be the case.

I contacted a local driveshaft specialist and they said that some two piece driveline setups are very sensitive to the angle and suggested either rebalancing the shaft to compensate, having a custom one piece shaft made, or change the driveshaft angle. That led me to see if the Australians had the same issue and discovered they do only when they lift the trucks.

Great information, thanks!

 

[Porpoise Hork]

No problem. Look up second order driveshaft vibration. One of the symptoms is improper driveshaft angle that can cause vibrations felt at very low speeds, and higher speeds. This is the complaint many Ranger owners on here have had.

 

[peterson1604]

No problem. Look up second order driveshaft vibration. One of the symptoms is improper driveshaft angle that can cause vibrations felt at very low speeds, and higher speeds. This is the complaint many Ranger owners on here have had.

My dealer has been pretty darn good to me and will probably take care of this based on your information but if not where did you get your shims from?

Thanks

 

[Porpoise Hork]

I just ordered a set of cheap alignment shims off Amazon and started with a 1/8 shim on each side of the bearing and then increased it by 1/64" until it stopped vibrating at 5/16". I also swapped out the stock bolts for longer stainless grade 8 bolts and lock washers to compensate for the shims and to prevent the bolts from rusting or backing out.

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