Steering Wheel Vibrations

scottp · Mar 4, 2008

I have a 2001 Ranger with 58K miles. Lately I have been noticing some vibrations in the steering wheel at certain speeds. Its almost as if the tires are out of balance. I had the tires balanced and rotated about a month ago. I also had the tires rebalanced just a couple of weeks ago, so I do not think its a balance problem. I also assumed that the tire places checked the tires for knots or bent wheels when doing the balancing, so I don't think its something like that. I did notice some vibrations before I had the tires balanced and rotated, I kind of think it has gotten worse since I had them balanced and rotated.

I notice the vibrations between 50MPH and 55MPH. I don't always notice it, and sometimes its worse than others. Sometimes I can take my hand off of the steering wheel and see the steering wheel vibrating up and down. I'm not a mechanic and don't have a lot of knowledge when it comes to diagnosing vehicle problems like this. I'm really at a loss as to what the problem might be. I've heard that 2001 Rangers have problems with the ball joints wearing out. Would this cause vibrations like this? Any other suggestions? I will probably end up taking it to a mechanic anyway, but I was just looking for something that could possibly be the problem.

Thanks

Cobrablues · May 20, 2021

I have A 2020 Ranger with 4000 miles and it does the same thing at around 75 - 80. It was doing it at lower speeds but having them balanced for the 2nd time helped. It is irritating. I have 33x12.5x 20 inch wheel/tire setup with 4 inch lift. I had an FJ Cruiser with the same tires but smaller rims and never had this problem. I may just go back to a independent tire company and see if the have ideas.

Dirtman · May 20, 2021

It took 13 years for this guy to get a response? Shame... Shame on all of you...

This is not the TRS I know and love...

ericbphoto · May 20, 2021

Dirtman said:
It took 13 years for this guy to get a response? Shame... Shame on all of you...

This is not the TRS I know and love...

I wasn’t on here 13 years ago. Don’t blame me. I haven’t read all the old threads. Ain’t nobody got time fo dat.

sgtsandman · May 20, 2021

Cobrablues said:
I have A 2020 Ranger with 4000 miles and it does the same thing at around 75 - 80. It was doing it at lower speeds but having them balanced for the 2nd time helped. It is irritating. I have 33x12.5x 20 inch wheel/tire setup with 4 inch lift. I had an FJ Cruiser with the same tires but smaller rims and never had this problem. I may just go back to a independent tire company and see if the have ideas.

It could be a problem with a tire itself than a balancing issue. I would go back to where you got them and have them sort it out. It might be a manufacturing defect.

Cobrablues · May 20, 2021

Dirtman said:
It took 13 years for this guy to get a response? Shame... Shame on all of you...

This is not the TRS I know and love...

Hmmmm. The date says 13 years ago but the post is about a 2021 Ranger. I am not a mathematician but I did know a constipated one that worked it out with a pencil.

Paulos · May 20, 2021

Hmm... 2001 twice in the OP's post. No 2021 that I can see. I'm not a mortician either, but if I was and my customer was constipated, I don't think he'd care. A pencil would hurt

. Oh, "mathematician". Never mind.

ericbphoto · May 20, 2021

It's OK. We like to tease once in a while.

DILLARD000 · May 20, 2021

Mathematicians or Morticians with Pencils, both sound a bit perverted.
In any case, rotate the tires & see if the vibration move\changes.

600$04Ranger · May 21, 2021

I was thinking "how the .... did you get a 20 year old ranger with only 58,000 on it?! Even if it took 13 years to answer it's still helpful to read the responses for those seeking answers to similar issues. Maybe there could be a section for threads where the original poster reports how they ended up fixing/solving the situation?

Uncle Gump · May 21, 2021

Cobrablues said:
I have A 2020 Ranger with 4000 miles and it does the same thing at around 75 - 80. It was doing it at lower speeds but having them balanced for the 2nd time helped. It is irritating. I have 33x12.5x 20 inch wheel/tire setup with 4 inch lift. I had an FJ Cruiser with the same tires but smaller rims and never had this problem. I may just go back to a independent tire company and see if the have ideas.

I had a very similar situation on my truck. I would get a vibration at just over 70mph and was gone 76mph and above.

My advice is to really tune into the vibration... and determine at what corner you believe the vibration is coming from. Once you determined what corner it's coming from.... rotate that tire with another. See if the vibrations moves to where you think it should have. Then focus your efforts on that tire/wheel.

When I did that I noticed there was one singular large wheel weight on that wheel. I went to the tire store and had them rotate the tire on the wheel 180 degrees and rebalance. The amount of weight needed was reduced by about half and the vibration disappeared.

Both the wheel and the tire will have a heavy spot that just happens during manufacturing. When those two heavy spots align during installation... a larger amount of weight will be required to offset the imbalance. In my experience... it will cause issues.

Uncle Gump · May 21, 2021

600$04Ranger said:
I was thinking "how the .... did you get a 20 year old ranger with only 58,000 on it?! Even if it took 13 years to answer it's still helpful to read the responses for those seeking answers to similar issues. Maybe there could be a section for threads where the original poster reports how they ended up fixing/solving the situation?

We try to encourage all the "please help me fix this problem" threads to post a resolution to their problem... it is impossible to keep track of it or make anyone report the fix. Let alone create an individual forum for resolved issues.

The current format is pretty much the best we can do.

Just remember... a bunch of the information that is collected and found on TRS... comes from the valued membership of people such as yourself. So just keep the information coming and keep TRS the great resource that it is.

Cobrablues · May 21, 2021

Paulos said:
Hmm... 2001 twice in the OP's post. No 2021 that I can see. I'm not a mortician either, but if I was and my customer was constipated, I don't think he'd care. A pencil would hurt . Oh, "mathematician". Never mind.

Oaky, my bad....bad eyes I guess. They do deceive me.

sgtsandman · May 21, 2021

In any case. Take the suggestion about rotating the suspected tire with the other and see if the vibration moves or stops. In either case, you have narrowed down to the offending wheel and can get the issue looked at by the shop that installed your tires.

600$04Ranger · May 22, 2021

Just remember... a bunch of the information that is collected and found on TRS... comes from the valued membership of people such as yourself. So just keep the information coming and keep TRS the great resource that it is.
[/QUOTE]

Absolutely! I have been coming here for knowledge since my first Ranger 5 years ago. I'm working on a write-up about my experience rebuilding my current Ranger which I bought for $600 on Craigslist. A year later after pulling the motor 4 time's, nearly giving up on it before spending way more money than my over optimistic initial estimate and I finally have a fairly decent 4x4. I made so many mistakes and misdiagnosed major issues that turned days into weeks and weeks into even more knuckle busting, head bashing sessions that destroyed any delusions I had that I was gonna make quick work of a truck that had seen many miles of neglect before I got it home. Any suggestions on how to make it an enjoyable and informative read would be welcome.

Steering Wheel Vibrations

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