Hate the Toyota Dealer!

I too run BFG's, (Ford Exploder) / (Toy 4Runner)/ (Toy 4X4 P/U)/ . WHen I forst got them they were great, no noise nice ride. After about 1.5 years I too started hearing strange noise from the front. I ALSO, went to the dealer, as I was still under warranty, They TOO told me it was only road noise from the tires. BUT, They explained to me that as the tires wear the road noise becomes more evident. My wear is about 10 rather than new at

Searcher1

Looks like you've got a couple of good replies, and here's my 2 cents...

I used to run some soft compound Bridgestone's on a small sedan that suffered something called cupping after 9,000 miles. They really howled at freeway speeds, and the fix was to replace them (actually I ignored them until until I got them down to the wear bars, then replaced). I searched the comments and feedback area on Tirerack and there were others with the same complaint. I suspect your BFG's are a harder compound and may have taken longer to get to the the point they are wearing weird and making noise.

Since weird tire wear can cause tire noise and your truck has has been hit a couple of times, I suspect the chassis is out of alignment. If you can find a shop in your area other than the dealer, that does more than basic alignments, and that maybe does custom spring work, frame straightening, or you see hot rods and lifted 4x4's out front, that's a place I'd consider talking to. It may be as simple an alignment issue or even a bent wheel. You might ask your dealer who they use when the customer wants their vehicle lifted or lowered?

Recently a gal at work bought a new Jeep and she wanted it lifted with big tires/wheels at the time or purchase (so she could roll the cost of the work into the purchase price/loan). The dealer outsourced the work and she was/is very happy.

Good luck!

FWIW, I have the opinion that dealers, for the most part, are not good at that kind of diagnosis. They don't have a qualified person that can troubleshoot complicated problems. They can plug your truck into a computer and tell you how it runs and bolt on parts, but they can't or won't try to locate bothersome noises, especially if it means they will have to fix it at their cost. Was the alignment something they did? I know some Toyota mechanics may be offended and if you have the ability to find the elusive clunk, then you are few and far between. Most dealership mechanics just bolt on parts and read computers. They don't have time to really find the problem. I'm sure they would be glad to sell you a new set of tires. It's time for you to find a qualified mechanic that can help you with your truck. Don't depend on the dealer. Also, find a mechanic that will work with you and follow your instructions, especially about using Toyota parts where needed. Even aftermarket bolts won't fit properly. My experiance comes from owning a Toy 4x4 for 21 years and it still runs thanks to a mechanic that I can talk with. However, I did have to train him a little. :)

"Jesse" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com...

its not becuase they dont know how. its because dealer techs dont get paid to drive your car. they get paid to put those tires on! everyone is there to make money, and putting 4 tires and that alignment is what is gonna get it.

Thank you all for your input. I should howver clarify on the noise. I have been using BFG not only on this Tacoma, but on my fist Tacoma which i had for about 3 yrs. I am very familiar with the soothing hum of knobby tires, i actually don't mind it. the noise i'm hearing is more of a flapping that seems to come and go as i go faster, slow down, or go up or downhill. And in regards to teh rubbing, i have a small section on the frame where you can see has been rubbed by the tire. there is not a rub mark on the adjacent side. I will take all your messages and speak with an actual mechanic about my problems. Once i come to a resolution, I will as always post my results. Thanks again.

I gotcha. Still, they don't want to find the problem the first time, they just want your money. It is NOT customer service. It's screw you as far as we can. But the reason you put the car in the shop is for them to drive it or do whatever they have to in order to fix it. All they want to do is bolt on parts.

(1) Rotate the tires. See if the noise moves. Alter the tire air pressure. See if the noise changes. It could be a tire beginning to fail.

(2) Find a good alignment shop, preferably one with a Hunter alignment rack and Hunter's CAMM console. Have them check everything for bent parts, as well as a 4-wheel thrust alignment. This is where they precisely measure the direction of thrust of the rears and align the fronts to that. I think our trucks do best with camber and toe-in exactly at the middle of the spec, and caster at the top of the spec. Just "in spec" isn't good enough. Anthing bent will certainly show up in the alignment.

(3) Find a shop with a Hunter GSP9700 wheel balancing machine. This machine will spot a bent wheel.

Ken

Jesse wrote:

What a bunch of whining Pussy's...............

Ken

Am I glad I checked this NG. I wrote down the excellent info for future reference. In case no one says it, thank you, it is very much appreciated!

Good advice

take a hike