Ok Im still getting a Vibration at around 40-60 MPH, I think its in the front end?
Any Suggestions? I checked the wheels while jacked Up and there was no notice of it being loose checking the bearing? What else can i check or is it possible a bearing is bad in the front and im not noticing it? Could it be a Universal? Any suggestions will help Thanks

 

This problem has been discussed on-and-off for a while now. It seems that some trucks, mine included, have vibration / shaking problems at highway speeds. There are many possible causes, and there is no way to tell what anyone's specific issue might be. Here is a pretty comprehensive list, others may chime in with more things to check:

1) Rear Brake TSB for '05's (and '06's?). '07's are fine.
2) Tire balance
2b) Improper tire PSI
3) Uneven tire wear
4) Incorrect lug nut torque
5) Brake Assembly Lug Clips. Remove them.
6) Bent Rims
7) Radial Tire Runout - Tires aren't "round enough"
8) Longitudinal Tire Runout - Tires "wobble"
9) Bent or out of balance drivetrain components

My truck has had the shaking problem for a while now. So far, I have checked #2, 2b, 3, 4 and 5. The shaking has improved A LOT. I haven't ruled out a bent rim or out-of-spec tire. But I have to drive some more to see how the problem progresses.

 

Pretty much did the tire thing already, I needed new tires anyway so i just got Goodyear wranglers and the vibration continued? While the tires were off i looked for the clips everyone talked about Checked for bent rims? Air pressure, heck the tires are new with 200 miles on them and it was present with the bald tires too? Funny I drove the truck to a friends and parked it for a week while we went away golfing and when i got home and started to drive home it was doing it? So im thinking its a bearing or something else other than tire issues thanks anyway

 

what did you guys torque the tires down to

 

140 FT-LB

Might not be the tires. So have the bearings checked. I would think they would be growling and grumbling pretty badly, if they were loose enough to let the wheel vibrate.

I put about 80 highway miles on today, between 45 and 65 MPH. The shuddering still there, but much less severe and much less frequent, and sometimes it's tough to tell whether it's the road surface or the truck acting up. Greatly improved over what it used to be.

 

Check this out - from http://www.aa1car.com/library/wheel_balancing.htm

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WHEEL & TIRE RUNOUT VIBRATIONS

Sometime wheels will still shake and vibrate even after they have been balanced. The problem is often excessive wheel runout or tire runout. Most tires should have less than .030 to .050 inch of runout. An out-of-round tire can produce harmonic vibrations that come and go at various speeds depending on how many "humps" are in the tire.

As a rule, most steel rims should have less than .050 inch of runout, or .040 inch of runout if the rims are aluminum alloy. Some trucks and SUVs can tolerate up to .060 inch of radial and lateral runout, but others can't handle any more than .030 inch of runout before vibrations become noticeable.

Runout problems can often be corrected by "match mounting" the tire on the wheel (rotating the tire so the tire high spot is over the rim low spot).

RADIAL FORCE VARIATION

Sometimes the problem is neither balance or runout. It is radial force variation (RFV). This is the amount of change in stiffness of the sidewall and footprint when a load is placed against a tire. Subtle differences in the position of the cords and belts in a tire's construction can create stiff spots that make the tire roll unevenly. The stiff spots act like runout to cause vibrations at various speeds.

Vibrations caused by RFV tend to appear at certain speeds, then disappear as the speed changes or increases (unlike vibrations caused by imbalance that usually get worse as the speed increases). In one test, a perfectly round wheel that was properly balanced experienced a vibration that appeared at around 50 mph but vanished at 70 mph. The vibration at 50 mph was caused by RFV in the tire, and produced as much side force as if the tire were out-of-round by .030 inches or out of balance by one and a half ounces.

Until recently, there was no easy way to detect let along measure RFV. All a tire dealer could do was switch tires until the vibration was reduced -- or the customer gave up and went away. Only the tire and vehicle manufacturers could afford the type of equipment that could detect and measure RFV. But a number of years ago, Hunter Engineering introduced a new balancer (the GSP 9700) that checks RFV as well as balance and runout. It detects RFV by placing a load against the tire as it rotates to simulate loaded driving conditions. If RFV is present, it shows you where it is and how to correct it. RFV can be countered by adding offsetting weights and/or rotating the tire on the rim. It also makes it easier to determine if a tire is responsible for a vibration problem or not. If there's no runout, no RFV and the tire is accurately balanced, the vibration is in the driveline or powertrain, not the wheels and tires.

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I think this explains why the vibration qualities changed noticeably when I went from 32/33 PSI to 39 PSI. Also why the vibes come and go, disappear with speed, appear at a certain speed and don't the next time, etc. I run slightly off brand tires with a taller sidewall and wider tread, and I had them installed at a discount shop. I'm going to look for a shop who can diagnose bad runout and/or RFV.

 

I know these dakota wheel bearings have a bad past. I am going to spend the $180 soon and replace mine since they're making a little noise.

Does your vibration go away when you coast? have you tried downshifting to see if its still there?

 

Downshifting and coasting don't make a difference for my truck. The wheels and driveshafts are still spinning at the same speed, regardless of what gear you're in.

 

For those who still care, I dropped my truck off at the stealership this morning for a 4 wheel road force balance.

Their price was actually more competitive that other shops, and they took me to work too. Not too many garages have a road-force machine, and quotes ranged from $79 to $125. Dealer is doing it for $89.

I'll have it back in a few hours. If the truck balances out OK, and still shakes, I must've bent something. But I'm 99% sure this is the solution. My symptoms match exactly what's described in the post above.

 

cramerica keep us posted my truck is shaking a tone lately i am on call next week so wont need the truck so was thinking of dropping it off and was wondering what it was so please keep us posted