Blue, if push comes to shove I live close enough that we could swap wheels out for a test to isolate the problem. If your wheels shake my truck then we will know where the problem is or the other way around.

 

Joe,

Thanks for the offer. The Shop Manager decided to go ahead and pull the Toyo's off Friday morning and install a new set of OEM Michelin LTX A/S tires. He also said he would spin the wheels to visually check for a bent rim. Then, he would verify the balance with his technician and test drive the truck himself.

He asked, "What will you do if the vibration is still present after a third set of tires?" My answer was, "I guess I'll trade it, although I don't want to." I am hoping this gets me back to where I was before the OEM tires were removed. There is a nice looking 2013 Ruby Red FX2 SCab at North Point, it has an EB with 3.31 gears. I really prefer 3.55 gears for towing, especially with a '68 Ranchero on a trailer. Then again, I only have 21 payments left on my 2011, and would really like to pay it off. I will be in the market for a new home in around two years and would love to be free of two vehicle payments.

Honestly though, I will try an RF Balance if this does little to improve things. I do know, there is to much weight on the passenger side wheels. If nothing else, I will have the benefit of having soft, OEM tires back on the truck.

I will keep you updated.

James

 

Even if it's vibrating, how is that anywhere near a big enough reason to trade a truck in? I know I'm young and not overly concerned with a little vibration, but c'mon. I'm not trying to accuse you of being overly sensitive, but it seems highly unlikely that two trucks in a row somehow happen to vibrate enough to be a huge problem just because of a simple tire change . . .

 

It's not a vibration alone, it is the harsh, neck jarring ride that accompanies the vibration. It has been quite a few years, 13 to be exact, since I've driven the streets and highways in and around Houston. If you are ever in the Little Rock area, in a full size pick-up, take a drive on Loop 440 and Highway 67/167. Also, ensure you are in the outside lane.

On another note, the tire shop has been very helpful, as always.

 

I think it might be a combination of things going on. The factory shocks aren't great to begin with and they normally are toast by 60,000. I have a feeling the different tires exaggerated the worn shocks and make the problem much more pronounced. I'd get at least a new set of rear shocks and see what happens. I say the rears because their cheaper and a whole lot easier to change. If it helps a lot then look at doing the fronts.

EDIT: what tire shop are you going to?

 

Wookie,
Pm sent

 

I still don't know, seems like a huge change just from tires. Something else has to be going on. Maybe what Wookie said is right. I have 91k miles on the factory shocks, which are also 8 years old now. If I wasn't planning on lift this summer, they'd have been replaced by now. But I don't think they're too bad and I've had 2 sets of aftermarket wheels and tires on it.

 

I can pretty much assure you that your shocks were effectively junk quite some time ago. I recently replaced the OEM shocks on my 2010 with Bilstein 5100's. The truck only had 48,000 miles on it and one of the front shocks was completely shot. The rears were barely working. Trust me, new shocks will make a huge difference in your case.

 

Oh, I absolutely agree! But I'll be getting nice new shocks with the lift. I'm just saying that even with crapped out shocks and 2 different sets of wheels, my ride isn't anywhere near "bone jarring." I've driven all makes and models of cars from a whole decade and some definitely ride as bad or worse than my truck do. I would have gotten some Bilsteins if I were to get some. If something happens and I can't lift it, it will be getting new Bilsteins all the way around.

 

I had the LTX A/S tires installed on 3/21 and didn't take it out of town that afternoon.

Wheel weights are:
Drivers (LT) front - .25 oz.
Drivers (LT) rear - 4.75 oz.
Passenger (RT) front - 1.75 oz.
Passenger (RT) rear - 2.25 oz.

All wheels are in the same location as with the removed Toyo tires. I drove truck while running errands in the afternoon, and drove the truck once again Sunday, the 23rd. The truck behaves so much better with the softer, 420 tread wear tires, vs. the 720 tread wear Michelin M/S2 or the 640 tread wear Toyo OC H/T.

The drive on Monday the 24th was the real test, one I wasn't looking forward to making. The road conditions on 67/167 and Loop 440 have gradually worsened the past few years, and the new A/S tires handled fairly well, very much improved compared to the M/S2 and Toyo tires. No more harsh jolts to my back and neck, no more bouncing and roaming in the lanes, still not as smooth as the OEM tires were in January 2014.

Yesterday evening was the final test of the LTX A/S tires, which was a big fail. I took I-40 on the drove home, as it is the smoothest surface between my office and home. At around 60 mph, the ride was silky smooth, 65 - 70 mph felt good, with a very minor vibration in the steering wheel, which was most likely from some of the road surface. After passing the Iron Skillet/Flying J Truck Stop, I increased the speed to 75 mph. The old vibration immediately came back at around 71-72 mph and was there with cruise set at 75 mph. I had to tap the brakes and slow down for a few miles, and accelerated once again, up to 75 mph. The steering wheel vibration that has been present since the day the Michelin M/S2 tires were installed was once again present. So, the vibe in the steering wheel is present above 71 mph. The remainder of the drive, on 89, wasn't much better at 60 mph, than with the other two sets of tires. The vibration was still very present, and irritating.

I checked the wheel weights and they appear to be in place. I guess I need to make an appointment for an RF Balance. Any other ideas?
Are the OEM wheels/tires RF Balanced upon installation at the factory?

James

 

I think you'll find that the first thing a dealer will do is ask if the wheels / tires were Road Force balanced. Don't even waste your time with other balancing methods.

And remember, even if they're RF "balanced", if the Road Force number - which is separate from how much weight goes where - exceeds the tolerance set by Ford, you may still have a vibration.

 

I have an appointment to get an RF Balance on the 31st, but may need to reschedule for Tuesday instead.

 

I checked with my son who's a Certified Lexus Service Technician. According to him, the dealership's (they sell a number of brands) maximum acceptable Road Force Number is 26. The maximum for Lexus products is just 15. So if they get a tire that shows a RF number greater than those limits, it's time for another tire.

Hope that helps.

 

This is an outstanding suggestion. If we take a step back, Michelins and Toyos are running on enough trucks without vibration that I'd discount that as the root cause. While I didn't do a comprehensive search, but no one else is complaining about these tires. I've run Michelins for the last 40 years and have the exact opposite experience - the ride was improved over the previous tires in every case.

There are lots of other variables that could cause the problem, but they haven't been isolated. Swapping wheels with another F-150 is quick & easy and would tell you where to go next.

I've seen driveline wear cause issues like this - under a certain RPM with acceleration or de-acceleration the noise/vibrations appear. Swapping out driveline stuff isn't as easy as tires, but it's easier to find joints/bearing issues. CuZ reported this happened to him and the new tires showed the problem.

I'm wondering why only focus on wheels when they're the easiest thing you could eliminate or confirm with a simple swap? I do understand that it showed up after changing tires, but you've done a lot of work on the tire angle with no relief.

 

I had the truck RF Balanced today, and all wheels/tires were within Ford specs. One wheel/tire did need to be re-indexed 180 degrees; 3 were balanced with 1.5 oz. and the 4th was balanced at 1.375 oz.

So, the vibration is now present from about 40 mph and is still very present at 75 mph. I drove a few roads this morning, and went back over them this afternoon, with 4 new (2013) SCab F-150's. The imperfections in the road were present in the 2013 trucks and in my 2011. The one difference I noticed, is the vibration in my steering wheel, floor pan and driver's seat.

What should I check now, the front hubs/bearings? I performed a bounce test on the rear shocks and the rebound appeared normal.