I just got a 07 tacoma. When i get it up to 65 or so an a road that is not perfectly smooth,it wants to sway off the road. i was wondering if anyone else had a problem? The dealer says that there is nothing wrong with the truck. Can anyone help??
new tacoma,bad handling
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I had the same problem with the stock tires that were on the truck! I have replaced them with a wider BFG and it is great now! I was having this problem in the City where the roads are grooved and such. Check your air pressure..... The factory tires are skinny and track really bad- - - -The dunlop tires I beleive! JB
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dont forget the pos rugged trails also.....cant wait for my dueler revos......should be night and day!!
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av907
I sent a pm to you as well.
Mine is TRD Sport, which comes with the bilstiens. I also have brand new Michelen tires,. running at 35 psi. little better maybe but not a lot. I know the original tires are poor but the handling problems are definitely not tire or shock related. Save your money until the dealer can fix the problem. Mine hasen't yet.
Smurffjet.
I sent a pm to you as well.
Mine is TRD Sport, which comes with the bilstiens. I also have brand new Michelen tires,. running at 35 psi. little better maybe but not a lot. I know the original tires are poor but the handling problems are definitely not tire or shock related. Save your money until the dealer can fix the problem. Mine hasen't yet.
Smurffjet.
I don't get it... mine is a stock '05 OffRoad, still on the oem Rugged Trail tires, and no complaints in 18K miles. I've had it on all kinds of roads, in all kinds of weather, and at sustained speeds up to ~80 mph. There must be a reason why some trucks don't handle well, even with proper alignment and good tires.I can't comment on the handling of my '07 V-6 4X4 Access Cab because mine handles fine under all condituions including poor roads and windy conditions. In fact I like the way it corners. I dosn't seem to "Plow" at the front end like my wifes '05 Camry seems to do in the corners. My truck has the very "sought after" Dunlop Grand Trek AT-20s.
I've been looking through my 421 page owners manual for the "Curb Weight" of my Taco. It dosn't seem to be in there. I WAS able to find "Curb Weights" in the Sales Brochure. (These are NOT the "GROSS Vehicle Weights".)
Access Cab V-6 4X4 = 3990 pounds.
Double Cab Short Bed 4X4 = 4090 pounds.
Double Cab Long Bed 4X4 = 4145.
I'm guessing at this, but I think the Double Cab ONLY comes with a V-6.
These weights seem a tad Light to me for a truck that is larger than the previous generation Tacos. SO: LIGHT Truck.. UP in the air 4X4, i.e... more vulnerable to wind, and windage, might explain poor handling. But why only some??? TacoGuy
I've been looking through my 421 page owners manual for the "Curb Weight" of my Taco. It dosn't seem to be in there. I WAS able to find "Curb Weights" in the Sales Brochure. (These are NOT the "GROSS Vehicle Weights".)
Access Cab V-6 4X4 = 3990 pounds.
Double Cab Short Bed 4X4 = 4090 pounds.
Double Cab Long Bed 4X4 = 4145.
I'm guessing at this, but I think the Double Cab ONLY comes with a V-6.
These weights seem a tad Light to me for a truck that is larger than the previous generation Tacos. SO: LIGHT Truck.. UP in the air 4X4, i.e... more vulnerable to wind, and windage, might explain poor handling. But why only some??? TacoGuy
True :tu:
Same thing with mine. Just doesn't track down the road like my 04 Tundra did. I feel like I'm always 'correcting' the steer when going down the highway. Had it at the shop twice (for oil change) and asked for an alignment check...both times they gave the truck back and said "we drove it and it seems normal to us" AND THEY DIDN'T CHECK ALIGNMENT! I planned on paying for it but they still didn't perform the check. I'm done with them.
BTW - I have revos on the vehicle...not stock. The dealer just says...it must be your tires, but I had them rebalanced serval times.
deanno
BTW - I have revos on the vehicle...not stock. The dealer just says...it must be your tires, but I had them rebalanced serval times.
deanno
Mine also. At highway speeds my 05 takes more corrections than my 97 did. But the comparison isn't really fair. The 05 is a prerunner and the 97 wasn't. Different suspensions and height.
I did make it a little better. I replaced the rear shocks because I was getting too much bounce when pulling my little popup trailer. The slightly stiffer rear shocks helped the stability a bit.
Also, I've noticed that tire pressure can make a difference. Even a couple of lbs difference can effect the stability.
Also some tires follow the shape of the road more than others. The factory Dunlops were especially bad. The Bridgstones I have now are much better.
The next time it gets a wheel alignment I'm going to ask them to set the camber at the high end as suggested in other threads here. Wheel alignment specifications seem to be designed as a compromise of different conditions. The manufacturer's specs are the best compromise of low and high speed stability, cornering and tire wear. In-line stability is only one of the factors.
Bob
I did make it a little better. I replaced the rear shocks because I was getting too much bounce when pulling my little popup trailer. The slightly stiffer rear shocks helped the stability a bit.
Also, I've noticed that tire pressure can make a difference. Even a couple of lbs difference can effect the stability.
Also some tires follow the shape of the road more than others. The factory Dunlops were especially bad. The Bridgstones I have now are much better.
The next time it gets a wheel alignment I'm going to ask them to set the camber at the high end as suggested in other threads here. Wheel alignment specifications seem to be designed as a compromise of different conditions. The manufacturer's specs are the best compromise of low and high speed stability, cornering and tire wear. In-line stability is only one of the factors.
Bob
tire pressure is too low. forget what it says in the manual. I have had a '07 Tacoma Prerunner for about 2 months and was told by a source at Toyota HQ that I should run 41 or 42 lbs in the Dunlaps - made a huge difference and tires are wearing even.
Jack up your tire pressure and the handling will improve somewhat. I'm ditching the stock shocks and going with Bilsteins. I don't care about a lift kit so will just go with the HD bilsteins - available for about $300 online.
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Have them increase you CASTER! NOT CAMBER. Caster is what determines handling!
READ!:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=4
READ!:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=4
Highways are pitched so that water flows to the side, so if you take your hands off the wheel you won't go straight--you should drift off to the side. Anyway, alignment is part of "dealer prep" so if I were you, before I spent money on new tires and shock, I'd take it to another dealer and have them check the alignment.
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Check this out. 05-07 Tacoma sucks thread
Have TRD Off Road Access Cab SR-5, with what some of you call "POS" BFG's. The tires are noisy, but it tracks true at all speeds. Maybe something with different batches of tires or the type of road. I drive on county roads primarily, but occassionally straight State Highways and some interstate, and so far no problem.
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