Steering Wobble in FJ - Shakedown on the shakes!
Posted: Sun Nov 22, 2015 11:32 am
I have a 2015 FJ Xtreme. It has got Arctic Trucks rims and BFG tyres and has done nearly 11,000km.
When I first bought it, the steering was very smooth. After the first desert trip, I noticed a bit of steering wobble occurring between 80 - 110kph. I took it back to Arctic Trucks (who did the Xtreme mods) where they did an alignment and balance and the wobble was gone.
The next time I went out in the desert, the wobble came back. I thought that it may have been a result of a few hard hits and I was actually knocking out the steering alignment.
I took it to Tyre Power in Jebel Ali (really good by the way) and asked them to do a balance and alignment. They tried once and when I picked the car up, the wobble was still there. They tried again…still there. Eventually, the guy said that they didn’t know what to do, but he was very good about it and did not charge me anything.
I then asked Al Futtaim to fix the wobble under warranty. I don’t have to tell you what their response was. In the end, I agreed to pay, but only if it came back perfect. Al Futtaim sent it back to Artic Trucks for an alignment and a balance because apparently they can’t do what is required in their SZR workshop. When it came back, it was in fact perfect again, but they said it did not need an alignment, just the balance. Happy days.
I then went out into the desert and the wobble is back worse than ever.
I called Artic Trucks to see if they know what is going on. What they suggest may be happening is that the rims are spinning inside the tyre and taking the wheel out of balance. I am taking it back to Arctic Trucks to get it fixed again (hopefully they can) and I am then going to mark the rims and the tyre to see if there is any rotation. I am not expecting any on the highway, but when I deflate (sometimes as low as 7psi, but usually 9 or 10) I want to see what happens.
For all you FJ drivers out there, I have heard that steering wobble is an issue. I have searched other forums and the reports are mixed. Some say all FJ’s have it and that it is a design issue, some say that a lift fixes it, some say there is an issue with the steering column, some say that the tyres are not round. Having tyres that are not round could be a big contributing factor as you can perfectly balance an object that is not round, but when you drive on it, you will get shakes. Maybe that is why Tyre Power couldn’t fix it, but does not explain why Artic Trucks could.
If anybody has any insight or information on what is causing wobbles, how they have fixed it, or any issues to look for, that would be really great.
I will report back on my tyre/rim alignment test after the next trip. To gather a bit more info, can I suggest that other drivers might like to put a mark on their tyre and rim to see if it stays aligned after a trip. The more data the better!
Looking forward to working this one out!
Cheers, Al
When I first bought it, the steering was very smooth. After the first desert trip, I noticed a bit of steering wobble occurring between 80 - 110kph. I took it back to Arctic Trucks (who did the Xtreme mods) where they did an alignment and balance and the wobble was gone.
The next time I went out in the desert, the wobble came back. I thought that it may have been a result of a few hard hits and I was actually knocking out the steering alignment.
I took it to Tyre Power in Jebel Ali (really good by the way) and asked them to do a balance and alignment. They tried once and when I picked the car up, the wobble was still there. They tried again…still there. Eventually, the guy said that they didn’t know what to do, but he was very good about it and did not charge me anything.
I then asked Al Futtaim to fix the wobble under warranty. I don’t have to tell you what their response was. In the end, I agreed to pay, but only if it came back perfect. Al Futtaim sent it back to Artic Trucks for an alignment and a balance because apparently they can’t do what is required in their SZR workshop. When it came back, it was in fact perfect again, but they said it did not need an alignment, just the balance. Happy days.
I then went out into the desert and the wobble is back worse than ever.
I called Artic Trucks to see if they know what is going on. What they suggest may be happening is that the rims are spinning inside the tyre and taking the wheel out of balance. I am taking it back to Arctic Trucks to get it fixed again (hopefully they can) and I am then going to mark the rims and the tyre to see if there is any rotation. I am not expecting any on the highway, but when I deflate (sometimes as low as 7psi, but usually 9 or 10) I want to see what happens.
For all you FJ drivers out there, I have heard that steering wobble is an issue. I have searched other forums and the reports are mixed. Some say all FJ’s have it and that it is a design issue, some say that a lift fixes it, some say there is an issue with the steering column, some say that the tyres are not round. Having tyres that are not round could be a big contributing factor as you can perfectly balance an object that is not round, but when you drive on it, you will get shakes. Maybe that is why Tyre Power couldn’t fix it, but does not explain why Artic Trucks could.
If anybody has any insight or information on what is causing wobbles, how they have fixed it, or any issues to look for, that would be really great.
I will report back on my tyre/rim alignment test after the next trip. To gather a bit more info, can I suggest that other drivers might like to put a mark on their tyre and rim to see if it stays aligned after a trip. The more data the better!
Looking forward to working this one out!
Cheers, Al