I've got a vibration on my '02 Super Duty that no one can seem to pinpoint!! The vibration started when I put new tires on the truck (295/75x16 BFG A/T). I took it back to the shop where I got the tires at, they test drove it, re-balanced the tires, and the vibration was still there. I left it at the shop for the rest of the day, and they came back saying my driveshaft was twisted. I had done a huge burnout on the old tires (check my gallery for pics), so I accepted it, and took it to Ford to see what they could do.

After two dealerships, one who did nothing and just blamed the tires, the other who replaced my wheels (said they were out of round) and also blamed the tires. I took my truck to the closest shop that had a Hunter GSP Road Force Balancer so I could get proof that it was the tires. Well guess what? $90 bucks later, the shop said the tires are fine, they were a hair off balance, but nothing severe. They matched up the rim & the tire's imbalances and everything was gravy according to the GSP. Told me maybe having 295's on a 7 inch wide rim might be causing the problem.

I'm doubting the driveshaft theory beacuse the steering wheel shakes when it's vibrating, indicating tires or wheels.

What should I do next?? I'm going to call to see how much it will cost to have my driveshaft balanced, but I don't think it'll help any. I'm almost fed up with this whole situation!!!

 

If the steering wheel is shaking, the problem is in the front end. Have you checked the alignment? Did you have 295s on there before? Worn out shocks can cause the wheels to hop and the extra weight of the new tires could have pushed them over their limit. Is this 2 wheel drive or 4x4?

 

My easily overlooked signature line contains all the vital info...

Alignment is dead on, Ford dealer checked that first. Went from 265's to 295's, and thats when the vibes started. I thought about the shocks too, need to scrounge up some dough to get some Bilstiens I've been drooling over. The shop I went to with the road force balancer was Discount Tire...I'm going to call up a truck tire store (tractors, 18-wheelers and such) and see if they can find anything. . .a friend tells me they've got the high end model of the Hunter GSP. I'm 90% sure it's the dang tires, I just want hard evidence (besides the vibration) before I raise a stink with the tire shop where I bought them from.

On another note, could the ball joints or wheel bearings cause a vibration like this as well?? I bring this up because today I noticed that if I'm driving and going around a curve, the steering wheel feels like it's "bouncing" off of the vibration. Imagine if you're turning the wheel slightly, and you notice the vibration gets much worse, if you bring the wheel back to center, the vibration lessens.

Did the Texas chapter ever get around to making those "Texas FTE" stickers, like the one you've got in your signature line??

 

Yes, wheel bearings is another area to look at. Again, the extra weight of the bigger tires could be exacerbating an already existing problem.

I'm still working on the design of the logo. I have the one in my sig and a couple others about ready to post for comments. Keep an eye on the TX chapter forum in the next week.

 

I checked the wheel bearings, no luck there. Did find another problem, something is ratcheting on the LF hub. Another freaking problem!! I'm going to the tractor tire shop tomorrow to see wft is going on.