Just like a woman to spoil all the guys fun. (No offense to all the other ladies).

 

Is beatch legal?

 

Guys,

I’ve got the same problem, 04 F150 SCAB 4X4 with the 8’ bed and HD payload package. I noticed the slight vibration when I first got the truck but ignored it. I just had new wheels Eagle 058s, and 285/70/17 BFGs put on, and at 65-70 it the steering wheel vibrates pretty good.

Today I stopped in to my dealer and took the Service manager for a test ride, he saw and acknowledged the problem. He originally stated that it was a tire problem, but after a while he “loosened up”. He has seen the new TSBs, and has already had a few complaints. I’m the first that’s had aftermarket wheels/tires. He explained to me in detail how he can fix my truck IF I put the stock wheels/tires back on by using road force and indexing the stock tires to the stock wheels IAW the latest TSB. Something about high spots and matching it to the center of the wheel. He said that that would do it, till the next tire rotation, then it would have to be done again. He did say they’ll take a look at my truck with the aftermarket wheels and tires during my 5K check-up, but he doubts anything can be done, the tires are too large for the TSB “indexing” trick to work. Something about the new TSBs call for a Road Force measurement of 15 or under, and there’s no way he’ll be able to get the BFGs under that. He also said that even if he fixed it, as soon as I picked up some mud off-road that could throw off the delicate balance, the vibe would come back.

In his opinion, the bottom line is that the 04 and 05 F150s, due to the Rack & Pinion steering, and stiffened frame, need nearly perfect tires/wheels to run on because the combination transfers impulses to the steering wheel more “efficiently” than previous designs. He said it was an awesome design that has problems in the “real world”. Any combination that has a Road Force of above 15 and you will have vibe. So he said that I’m basically screwed with my aftermarket set up. He did say that Ford was well aware of the problem, and was working on a solution since it was costing them a bunch to keep trying to fix it, and replacing tires that on any other truck would be “OK”.

When I asked how many trucks have the problem, he said around 2 out of every 10, maybe as high as 3/10. He said that some drivers don’t even notice it, and others have managed to get used to it. When I asked him why some trucks have vibe and others don’t, he seemed to think that some of the trucks that don’t have vibe now will as soon as something in the magic combination of wheels and tires changes. IE a rotation, or a new set of tires installed by someone not familiar with the TSB.

So, I’m going to have it documented at my 5K check-up, then I may switch back to my stock wheels/tires and give them a chance to fix it.

We’ll see……


Chuck

 

I got the same problem....They could only get my aftermarket wheels and tires to 20...They did index them....Smooth as silk until 65 and then I feel it through the floor....I will put on stock tires (been rf balanced) tomorrow and test...if it still shakes I will remove the auto springs and test...If it still shakes I will send it back to the dealers.....The tsb says 25 or under is in spec.

 

Chuck,

Good note Chuck. My dealer's customer service manager basically admitted almost the same thing to me this past Wed. Although after he drove mine, he said "this is not tire related". Wish I had a tape recorder running then, hehe. He's supposed to drive mine in the morning and let me know how it runs after a few dampers and a new body mount which I assume they have installed and RFB the tires. The CSM was out today.

I would like to think if this was truely a tire problem, it would be much cheaper for Ford to just replace the tires if needed and force the dealer to RFB them. Actually not many dealers seem to have this equipment. My dealer borrowed it from somewhere. Would explain how 5 standard tire balances have done nothing. 1 being done at a tire shop.

Good luck!

 

What are these dampners they put on the truck? Where do they go?

I really want to believe that its the driveshaft causing the problem since its long, heavy and has a pretty small diameter. Pretty easy to have a vibration.

Now I read your post Chuck and I think that it could possibly be the tires. You mention how the service person says how "its such an awesome design" even a small imbalance would feel as if it was much greater.

When I drive my truck and I will start off by saying its always less than 20 miles, I always feel the vibration. The strange thing is the vibration is never the same. Each ride it vibrates at different speeds, but I noticed the worst "shake" in the 50-60 area. Sometimes at lower speeds I feel it and sometimes I don't. I have not hit the highway yet so I can not comment on speeds over 60mph yet. I now think since the vibration isn't like clockwork feeling the same at each speed everytime that maybe it is tire related.

My truck goes in next week so I hope to get this resolved. This truck is super cool and if it didn't have this problem I couldn't say one bad thing about it.

 

To be honest, I feel it's a multi-part issue. Part Driveshaft, part tire and the fact the truck it built stiffer and more solid so it won't absorb vibrations/road noise like previous models, so it's felt in the cab.

What has me somewhat baffled is the fact that if that were true, you think they would all do it so I'm not really sure. But at this point in my own ordeal, I don't care what the source of the problem is. I've been more then patient giving Ford 6 chances to correct this and it has yet to be fixed. Only thing that was fixed thru a tire balance/front alignment is the nibble I once had is completely gone. I had them rotate the tires and the vibe I feel in the wheel did not change. I'll see what happens tomorrow once I drive it after these new changes.

As far as the dampers go, I believe one is a steering damper and the other is a rear-end one. This is why I think the stiffer, strong build is partly to blame for the vibes, that's why Ford hired a company to build these dampers.

I'm no master mechanic by any means. I am just guessing at this point.

 

I talked to my service manager tonight and he doesn't think the new TSBs match the vibrations we're seeing in my truck. He claims to "know" what a driveshaft imbalance feels like, and doesn't think the U-joints are causing problems either (even though mine are staked and not clipped). At this point I have to trust him.

The dampeners are basically new, softer body mounts if I understand correctly. That sounds like a giant band-aid designed to fix the symptoms and not the disease, but he thinks they might work. There's also a new transmission mount designed to do the same thing.

To his credit, the service manager is waiting to hear from an FSE before he does anything. Unfortunately Ford went on vacation yesterday so it looks like I'm screwed until after the first of the year.

 

Mine had the new body mounts installed. When I get a chance to take it for a spin, I'll let you know if there is any difference.

I'll try and get some good pics of what these dampers look like installed. That is if I can get a shot of them, but I'll try.

Ugh I need a drink.

 

If you can get some pics of those dampners that would be really great. I only have 300 miles on my truck so all this is very new to me, but I completely understand all your pain. It has to be the most annoying thing in the world.

It is however very strange that some trucks don't seem to have this problem. Going by what I have read though, seems like some of these trucks take a little while to develop the problem. Since I paid for this wonderful warrenty I'm giving them a chance to fix the problem, but ultimately matters may have to be taken into my own hands, and I think installing an aluminum driveshaft would do worlds of wonder for these trucks. Just my opinion.

 

I started to notice my problem at around 2k miles, got the truck with 15. I'm at 6700 now and has been ever so slow getting worse.

I await my dealers phone call this morning for any news. If he can't say it's completely gone, I'll request an FSE to look at it since the DSB seems to want that to happen.

 

I really feel for you, especially since it has been going on for so long. Today coming to work I wanted to see what it was like over 60mph. I got the truck up to 65mph and I didn't really notice the vibration. Anything from 60mph and under you can't miss it. Please post if they were able to fix your vibe and what they did to do it.

Thanks

 

No word yet.

Mine's almost always present, speed wise. Peak is 40-55, at 70+mph I don't feel it anymore.

 

Mine is also always present at speeds under 65mph. I haven't really hit the highway yet in my truck but for the 15 seconds I was over 65mph it seemed to go away.

 

Guys,

I really don’t know what to think. I drove my truck Wednesday for close to a 600 mile round trip to have a new canopy put on, and the vibe drove me nuts. It’s not bad, and it’s not what I’d call a safety issue (yet), but it’s there.

The weird part is like so many others have already observed, it’s “there” at different times, and on different road surfaces. I made an effort to track it yesterday and realized that it seems to get stronger on slight inclines, and decreases after the crest, but not all the time. If I hold the wheel VERY firm, it seems to stop. I hit stretches of new brand new smooth road and it was there, I hit patches of old road and it wasn’t. It’s there with a load, and it’s there in neutral coasting, but again, not all the time. I really have never seen anything like it before. That’s why it didn’t seem like solely a tire issue to me.

The problem with Ford’s “indexing” tire solution, is that I’m now married to my Ford dealership for tires, rotations, and balances for as long as I own the truck. I doubt that Walmart will bother indexing tires that to them are within “normal” tolerances. There’s no guarantee that the next set of tires I put on after my warranty expires will make the magic 20 Road Force rating. As some of you guys have said, it got worse over time. I have no doubt that this will be the case as the suspension wears in, these little nibbles and vibes should get worse. My service guy said that mud and rocks caught in the tread could throw the magic 20 off also.

As much as I’d like to believe that Ford will develop a “cure”, but I lack faith due to the fact that this is the 2nd year in production and they haven’t changed the design. Maybe they feel that 8 out of 10 satisfied customers is a good average. The item I read that Ford is extending the Tire warranty makes me think that their extending their ability to “patch” the problem by replacing tires that don’t make the 20 rating till the truck warranty expires. The idea that Ford designed a truck that didn’t take into account normal and accepted manufacturing tolerances for tires and wheels is ridiculous. IF I were driving a Ferrari, or some other high performance sports car, I might buy it.

I’m going to have my after-market wheels and tires Road Forced. When my dealership reports the ratings and tells me that they don’t meet specs, I’ll contact BFG and Eagle Wheels and inform them. They’ll of course come back with that’s BS they’re within “normal” tolerances. It should be fairly easy to document that the setup I have meets the definition of "normal" performance. At that time I’ll start the long DSB process. By KS lemon law, they’ve got 10 strikes or 30 days of repair time.

If worse comes to worse, I’ll sell the damn thing and take a loss. This sucks, because I was going to buy another F250 to replace my old F250 and I changed my mind at the last minute, and I’ve already put close to 4K in after-market stuff on it. I’ve really liked my Ford trucks in the past, but this is making me look at other makes.

Maybe we need one of those “Class Action” deals I’m always reading about?

Chuck

BTW Happy, My service guy did mention something about tires sitting and developing flat spots, and how there supposed to drive them for 30 mile before Road Forcing them.