[d5c5b]

hey guys.....

im the newest of all newbies to the tacoma family... and even more to the the whole truck fam. i used to drive a lowered acura and was into the whole street import scene and have grown up to realize i need a more useful versatile vehicle that can actually get over speed bumps. Well, to make a long story short i recently got a 97 4x4 ext. cab taco and am having a blast driving such a fun truck. next yr i will be building houses out in the ruralest of rural areas in alabama so the truck has become a necesity. i bought it about 2 months ago and recently did a 8hr road trip in it. during the trip i was introduced to an amazing wobble when i go above 75 mph. the truck just starts to sway back and forth. if i go any faster it gets worse, to the point that i must slow down or i will loose control. im almost positive its the shocks, and am ready to replace them (the truck has 72xxx miles on it) but was wondering if anyone could recommend a good replacement shock. a friend with a 4runner that offroads said monroe. what do you guys think? i wont be doing too much offroding, and if any, nothing serious.... my main concern is comfort, and handling ON the road.... and i want something that could get rid of some body roll when turning....and especially at high speeds.. sorry this is so long, and thanks ahead of time

 

[Tankota]

Dont' bother with monroe - get some Blistein shocks, they will maintain the comfort and give you more control and better ride. The TRD Tacoma trucks ship with these, and the aftermarket ones are even a bit better.

As for the wobble, you might also want to make sure your tires are ballanced, and your alignment is right, along with the shocks working.

 

[22RToy]

Welcome to the world of Tacomas! They are great trucks and you will get many years of good service from yours. At 72k miles, the engine is just breaking in.

Now, does the "wobble" shake the truck? Or does the truck merely tend to wander and it's difficult to keep it straight? If it's the latter, it sounds like there is some slop in the steering.

If that is not the case, it could be that your shocks are blown. If they have been blown for a while, they would cause your tires to wear unevenly, and that could cause the wobble you are experiencing.
If you are looking for heavier duty stock replacements, I think Monroe is a good choice. When I was stock height, I had their Sensatracs on the rear, and they rode very well.

 

[d5c5b]

its not a suble wobble....and its not simply unbalanced tires.... or bad alignment.... the truck begins to shake even, and big, like a pendulum....its noticable, even from outside the truck... as if i was jerking the wheel back and forth....i can see the headlights shining all over the place....

 

[grumpy]

its not a suble wobble....and its not simply unbalanced tires.... or bad alignment.... the truck begins to shake even, and big, like a pendulum....its noticable, even from outside the truck... as if i was jerking the wheel back and forth....i can see the headlights shining all over the place....

I recommend taking it to a good alignment shop, might be able to find one from your local board members. If its something in the front sus/steering they should be able to diaginose it

 

[synovus]

its not a suble wobble....and its not simply unbalanced tires.... or bad alignment.... the truck begins to shake even, and big, like a pendulum....its noticable, even from outside the truck... as if i was jerking the wheel back and forth....i can see the headlights shining all over the place....

I had the same exact issue you're experiencing, so maybe it's just an AL thing. LOL It has nothing to do with improper alignment, unbalanced tires, etc. It's due to crappy stock suspension. I got rid of the problem by installing King coilovers up front. They ride great and got rid of the wobbling. I drive between B'ham and Tuscaloosa all the time. I used to have to stick to 75-80 or else I'd be swaying like a pendulum all the way there/home. Now I can do upwards of 90 and stay steady the whole time. Body roll during cornering was reduced for a while, until I decided to ditch the front sway bar. I'd still say that with the Kings and no sway bar, it corners better (rolls less) than it did with the stock suspension and a sway bar.

Coilovers may be more than you're wanting to spend, though, so first I would look into replacing the front shocks with some higher quality Bilstein's. If you still experience the wobble, then look into replacement coils, such as the OME's (although from what I'v heard the OME's tend to do best with their shocks, like the N91s). Honestly, though, for the best on-road ride and sure-fire solution to the wobble, I'd suggest coilovers such as Sway-A-Way's, Kings, etc. Coilovers are a more expensive route than simply replacing shocks and/or coils, but they tend to ride much better and can be adjusted to compensate for things like drivers-side lean, sagging, etc.

I'd also suggest going ahead and replacing the rear shocks with some Bilstein 5100's or 5150's (if they make them for no-lift applications). If the factory shocks aren't already toast at 70 some-odd thousand miles, they will be soon. Best to go ahead and replace all the shocks at one time.

 

[d5c5b]

thats great to hear someone else was experiencing this. i really dont wanna put the money into some coilovers.... this is strictly a work truck. but im interested in noting that a couple of you mentioned bilstiens..... im gonna look into those for sure.....synovus, you go to school at alabama? im at auburn.....haha, anyway...thanks for all the comments guys!

 

[synovus]

thats great to hear someone else was experiencing this. i really dont wanna put the money into some coilovers.... this is strictly a work truck. but im interested in noting that a couple of you mentioned bilstiens..... im gonna look into those for sure.....synovus, you go to school at alabama? im at auburn.....haha, anyway...thanks for all the comments guys!

No, I don't go to school at UA. Used to, but work there now. It's okay, though. I tend to giggle whenever I say Auburn, too. (Kidding... some of my best friends go to or went to AU).

 

[Dyingyak]

War Damn Eagle!

 

[synovus]

War Damn Eagle!

Damned eagle is right.

 

[d5c5b]

hahah, here we go again.....

 

[JohnInDenver]

I eliminated the pucker your butt wobble at high speed by installing 63" chev rear springs (the two longest plus overload plus new shocks). Even with worn out shocks and the chev springs (before the new shocks) it was stable. Not sure but stiffer shocks (Bilstein) on the rear might work for a while. Cheaper and a lot less hastle. The worst that would happen if it still wobbles is that you would have two really good rear shocks and need to stiffen up or replace the springs to fix the problem. Still the basic problem is wimpy worn out stock rear springs. All you have to do to figure out this issue is measure the difference between the tire and fender. If the rear is lower than the front you have the dreaded wimpy rear springs. Stiffning up the front will help wobble for a while but still won't eliminate soft rear springs. Add A Leaf (AAL) work ok for a while but wear out quickly, so I hear. By the way I was able to force it to wobble a little at high speed (regular cab 3.4 v-6 and fiberglass shell) with the 63" chevy rear springs, only the two longest springs and new "heavy duty" shocks. It was not as scarry as the worn out stock setup though. Thats with 80,000 miles.