Someone028

Many have reported resonant vibrations in particular rpm or mph ranges. While it's clearly a problem, it would be useful to have some info about how widespread this issue really is.
Would like to see responses from both those who do have as well as those who do not have this problem. Thanks.

Zhulik

Had the same issue with my GX, took it to the dealer they could not figure what is going. Had them run balance on tires several times and still shaking. I then took it to Costco and they did a phonemical job, not sure if its the caliber of techs or the calibration of the machines used to balance tires but we all know that Customer service and Job pride is DEAD.. I am very surprised to see that others are also having issues.

Someone028

Thanks for you reply. Just to be completely clear....after Costco balanced your tires the vibration stopped?

Zhulik

it sure did, they rotated and balanced all four. The car is driven 98% of the time on city roads, crappy city roads. I really think its due to dealership techs incompetence more than anything... we are at point in our country where work ethic is out the door and everyone is too afraid to complain about ****ty craftsmanship so we let it slide and choose to take things in our own hands...

Zhulik

Kinda reminds me of a scene from Park and Recs when Ron Swanson going to a hardware store and telling the employee there "I know more than you"

IanG

Never had any issue with vibration, either with the OEM Dunlop (crap) tires or my winters Nokian Hakkapeliitta studded on OEM split six spoke rims. Tires are swapped spring & fall annually.

Scott571GX

I've had a very similar experience at Costco... I took delivery of my new GX on January 2nd 2023, and immediately (the next day) had them install 4 Blizzak Winter tires on the factory wheels. Perfectly. Balanced. No vibrations or steering wheel shimmy at any speeds. I was pleased with the experience.

Fast forward 4 months to April... at the time of vehicle purchase, I also got a set of F-Sport wheels, to which I had Continental Terrain Trac AT's installed at a local tire dealer (not a big box store)... and it's been a hassle getting those balanced ever since. One thing I learned was that my local Lexus dealer does NOT have a Hunter 9700 Road Force tire balancer... because I gave them a crack at balancing the f-sport/conti's. The local tire store does have the Hunter Road Force balancer, but they always say the balance is 'within spec' which translates to the wheel / tire assembly having less than 20 pounds of road force. On some vehicles, you won't feel 20#'s of RF... on our GX's, 20#'s of road force is a lot, and will cause steering wheel shimmy and vehicle vibrations. Went all through this with my previous vehicle... 2014 4Runner, which is basically the same vehicle underneath.

When it came time to put the Blizzak's back on last fall... all the vibe's and shimmy... gone.

My theory is that Costco watches small expenses very closely... tire weights, when you start adding them up in aggregate over a daily or monthly basis, cost a lot of money. I asked the tire tech at Costco, and he reaffirmed that they truly do force-match installation of tires on wheels, which takes a bit more time, but cuts down on the amount of weights they have to install, minimizes come-backs, etc.. I know that plenty of people here have horror stories about Costco tire installs, so I won't belabor this too much... suffice to say, I've had several good experiences with them... obviously, YMMV.

The moral of this story is that when you're told "we've balanced your tires and they're fine"... they might not be. And just because your tire dealer uses a Hunter RF balancer, they may not really using its functionality to its full potential. If they're not willing or wanting to go through the whole force-matching process (that's the part where they actually move the tire in relation to the wheel to get the best overall uniformity), you need to be insistent... or find somebody else who is willing to do it for you. And of course this all assumes that you don't have a defective tire or two.

Yes, regrettably... there are some lazy tech's out there.

gregGX

Yes, from day one (2023 model) with the stock 18" wheels and tires, forget what the blackline had on there, Michelin's I believe, and again from day one up to now, with 3 different balancing attempts (twice at the dealer and once at a tire shop) with the 17" Method Wheels and BF KO2 tires... Some days it feels much more harsh than others, where even my passengers wonder what the heck is going on... I guess its a small price to "pay" for having the truck you want.

brutus27

Costco in my AO has Michelin certified tire jockeys. I had them install new tires on my Audi S4 and new tires run smoothly. But… they did F up one of my wheels. So bottom line, just beware when you take your vehicle for service.

DanTeSlagX

You gotta ask for a hunter road force certified tech. I don’t think non certified can use it anyways but at least by asking you’re telling the service write that you’re the type that pays attention to the details and knows what he is asking for.

Hunter takes their training really seriously.

I do want to add that the GX and its factory wheels are notoriously difficult to balance well.

When I went to the local Toyota dealer to have them do the RF balance, the machine was out of service with no more abrasive tape left on its roller drum. But they had some senior guy do a normal balance instead, and it really smoothed things out a lot. Given the outcome I’d say that a skilled non road force balance is just as good as RF, but I’d still only seek out road force given a choice.

There is still a little shimmy on some roads in comfort setting. That goes away in normal or sport. But then again I’m on AT’s so I think that is responsible for some of it (also getting thr driveline lubed tomorrow so that might help)

jonshonda

People keep complaining about the issues, but are always super vague when it comes to describing exactly what is going on. What speeds, engine rpm, gear, when does it happen? Get extremely specific which what you feel and when you feel it. Whining on the internet isn't going to fix anything, neither is whining to your dealership. Mechanics are usually very binary, and can't diagnose a problem based on emotion.

I'm not sure if it's common knowledge or not, but road force balancing using finger plates for lug centric balancing helps cure a lot of tire vibration issues on Toyota's and Lexus SUV's.

If people think they are going to get a smooth and quiet ride out of a big A/T tire they better do some research.

Nickk6

I've got 285/70/17s load range E tires. They are not as quiet as OEM, but as long as I keep them balanced every 5k~, they ride as smooth as OEM tires. I've had a 2016/2017 and now 2022 (all lifted with same tire setup) and never experienced any weird vibrations. I feel bad for all these owners getting a bad experience from their stock GX.

Nickk6

I bought a hunter road force balancer new in 2007 They train you for about 5 minutes, its really not that serious of training and there isn't a certification for it. Also its really not hard to let the machine tell you to mark your tire and rim. You then let the air out of the tire, break the bead and spin tire using a tire changer like the TC3700 that has arms specifically for holding the tire in place while the rim spins inside the tire to line up the lines. Reseat tire, fill up air, re run road force to make sure its good and you are done. Also again not sure how a senior guy can balance a tire better than a moron. The machine shows you where the weight goes via lasers and the motor holds the wheel in that spot. You would really have to do something silly to mess it up if you are using a hunter machine. Just my experience from using the machine regularly since I bought it.

*edit* the factory wheels and tires balance great, not sure why you would state they are notoriously difficult to balance? I've actually balanced them and there are no issues I've ever run into.

m5rahul

Interesting that some have had a good experience at Costco. Mine has been completely opposite. Purchased a set of OEM Michelins LT Touring ( installed and balanced ) from Costco and all was well for the first ~5K miles. Went back for the usual scheduled rotation, and started having vibration ( 55-70mph, and none under 55 or over 70 ). Went back in and was told the tires were perfectly balanced ( Costco, at least in the DFW TX area do not have road force balancers ). Took the vehicle to the dealer and had'em road force balanced ( and alignment ) that resolved the issue for a bit, and then it came back. This ( re-road balancing / alignment see-saw at the dealership ) continued for a while, and ended up ruining the tires ( ~ 7K miles on them )

Went back to Costco ( with all paper-work of the work done at the dealership + Costco ) and they denied any warranty claims stating improper balancing and/or alignments, even with all the records of the work done at Costco and the dealership!

Seriously contemplated dumping the GX for another brand, but was convinced by family ( and some forum members here.. thanks @ASE ) to get the tires ( and balancing ) from Discount Tire. Splurged once again for the Michelin LTX Defenders this time, got the alignment done at an indy shop, and the vibration has been reduced by a good 95% ( ~ 9K miles on the new tires ) and haven't had to do an alignment at all since!

It still happens once a while, especially when the tires are cold, but nowhere near how it used to be ( steering, floor board, and front passenger headrest vibrations!! )

A very expensive ($4500+) ordeal ( 2 sets of tires, a set of new F-Sport wheels, brakes, multiple balancing and alignments at the dealer.. sigh ), all said and done!

IanG

In the various threads on this topic there have been some great advice and suggestions.
One thing I have never seen mentioned is the calibration of the alignment rack or balancer.
Yes when operating correctly this equipment is great but if is not calibrated, and they should be calibrated regularly, then the results reflect that.
On my previous 4Runner I had an alignment done at a specialized tire & alignment shop, when I drove out of the shop the steering wheel was off centre, brought it right back, they put it on the rack, adjusted again, test drove it, brought it back in ... this happened 4 times. They told me to take it and they would get the alignment rack calibrated and call me when they were ready. A couple weeks later I brought it back in, they aligned it and it drove perfectly. I spoke to the head mechanic and he told me the alightment heads were out of calibration by 1/4".
It would be worth asking when the shop had their equipment calibrated.