Possible Bed Bounce CURE
Jason Lancaster | Dec 15, 2007 | Comments 67
Great news! One of our readers, Matthew Davis, has come up with a way to dampen and CURE the Tundra’s bed bounce cheaply and simply — check out his full explanation and PICTURES below:
Hello everyone. I am the owner of a 2007 Tundra double cab 4X4 with the 5.7 engine. I have noticed the bed vibration since shortly after purchasing the truck in July. I had some time on my hands the other day, so I got up under the truck to see if I could identify the source of the vibration. Those of you who own this truck can go and grab the rear bumper and shake it up and down vigorously and you will observe independent motions of the bed and the cab. I began to realize that the frame of this truck has a harmonic frequency with a pivot point between the engine/transmission area and the rear axle area of the frame. (Visualize a guitar string.) You can get into the bed of the truck and stand directly over the rear axle and jump up and down, and you will find that it is almost impossible to make the same vibration that you can easily achieve by applying pulsating pressure to the bumper or open tailgate.
I thought about the idea of attaching some sort of weight to the rear bumper area, but as I considered the idea, I realized that this would only change the frequency of the vibration, but would not necessarily dampen it. It might even make the vibration more intense in the cab. So I thought about the idea of somehow canceling out the harmonics of the frame by creating a dampening device with a slightly different harmonic frequency attached to the area of the frame behind the rear axle as close to the bumper as possible. The logic here is that if you could CAUSE the frame to vibrate from this point, then it should be possible to DAMPEN the vibration from the same point.
I decided to use the spare tire for this purpose so as not to increase the weight of the vehicle. I lowered the spare tire a few inches from the frame, and I cut out two pieces of high density rubber foam and placed them in between the tire and the part of the frame that the tire is pressed against. (I used one of those kneeling pads that you use for working on hard surfaces on your knees.)
The pad:
(Click for larger view)
(Click for larger view)There are four points at which the tire contacts the frame. I placed the foam on the rear points and let the front portion of the tire remain in its original position against the brackets that prevent the tire from moving forward. I then re-tightened the tire to where the foam was snug between the tire and the frame. (The tire should be tight enough that it does not rattle.) The tire holder at the end of the cable is spring loaded so it will accommodate some slight movement. This setup allowed the tire to
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I think the problem is the frame is weak. Other trucks don’t have foam pads or bed bounce.
I am going to give this a try. But I still think if the springs had more deflection designed into them at no load condtions the vibrations would never get started. I suspect Toyota will bolt or weld a strip of steel onto the frame at some point and solve most of the problem that way.
Im starting to think the problem may be a combination of a number of things
I recently put a new set of tires on my crewmax
Bf Goodrich 285/65/r20
the vehicle rides much better vibration almost gone entirely
also did the high density foam over the spare tire
D
I’m inclined to believe the resonant frequency theory and so I just ordered my kneeling pad. You can get them on amazon. It surprising that such a minor tweak could make the difference, but from what I know about harmonics and such, this sounds right. It will be very interesting to see what fix Toyota comes up with, but I’m going with spare tire dampening system for now.
The fact is that ALL trucks have flexible frames, and you can make ANY truck bed shake in the same manner as the Tundra. By their very nature, trucks are composed of two separate body structures attached to a single frame. In recent years, truck manufacturers have begun making their frames stiffer than in the past. It is common knowlege in metalworking, that a higher tensile strength structure will “sustain” a harmonic vibration longer than the same structure with a lower tensile strenth. This is why “bed bounce” has become a ride quality issue. As I recall, Ford had a similar problem in the 04-05 models of the F150. This is the same truck that is supposed to have the stiffest frame of all half ton trucks. There was actually a service bullitin issued to deal with it. I am not sure what they did to resolve it, but they did do something, although it took them quite awhile to come up with a solution, so I figure Toyota is actively working on a solution, but are not going to say much about it until they have concluded testing and engineered the most effective means of dealing with it. Chances are, they wont use the spare tire and foam pads for the dampening device, but they will engineer something that will be effective, and they might very well use a more precicely tuned frame-mounted harmonic dampener.
Take a look at an 07 3/4 ton chevy, they have a set of dampening shocks that work opposite the leaf springs.
Very intresting thinking, how about using the same material used in wheel weights to balance the wheel/tire assembly. As a tech we use them for resurfacing brake rotors, they’re very good in absorbing harmonic vibration. Thanks matthew for your logic, but i still feel that the frame should of been fully boxed.
John — I’m not sure I understand. Are you talking about the square stick-on weights?
A weight by itself will not absorb the harmonic vibration. It will only work if it is allowed to move in a frequency close to the frequency of the frame-but in the opposite side of the wavelength. As for the fully boxed frame thing, I have personally owned two F150’s. An ’04, and an ’05. Both were the new body style, 4WD,with the 5.4L V8, and had fully boxed frames. I had MORE frame vibration problems with these trucks than I have ever experienced with the tundra. And that’s not to mention all the other problems I had with them. Suffice it to say I made sure to trade them before they ran out of warranty, and I gave them two chances. After that I also had an ’06 Tundra double cab old body style. It had a frame that was not nearly as strong as the current model Tundra, but there never seemed to be a problem with sustained vibration. It might be interesting to the more inquisitive and analytical reader to do some study on earthquake resistant buildings. Did you know that skyscrapers are built to be flexible on purpose? If they did not have some built in flex, they would shatter under the pressure of a nice breeze. I would like for someone to give me a single documented case where a 2007 model Tundra had a frame fail from carrying a load, or towing a trailer within its rated capacity.
Has anyone tried this solution? If so, the results.
tried the foams, had noticeable
change in firmness of bounce, not too harsh now… how to fine tune loosen or tigthen cable?
You can adjust the the cable looser or tighter to where it seems to work most effectively. I adjusted it until the frequency of the tire “jiggle” was fairly close to the frequency of the frame vibration harmonic, which can be observed by shaking the bumper or tailgate. If you tighten it too much, it will not be quite as effective. If it is too loose, the tire will “bump” against the front portion of the frame. I imagine the frequency may vary somewhat depending on your bed/cab configuration. While this will not completely eliminate all vibration, you should notice less sustained “shudder” after crossing the railroad tracks, for example. Admittedly,this is a rather crude dampening device, but personally I noticed quite a difference right away. Hopefully, when Toyota comes out with a real fix, these pads will no longer be nessecary. Meantime, this should help a little.
Has anyone tried these? Check the website and watch the comparison video. There’s also some videos on Youtube showing the functionality. Probably won’t solve the ‘bed bounce’ issue, but it looks like it will help with vibration. https://www.sulastic.com/default.aspx
Matt, does your solution also help with excessive bouncing on concrete highways with expansion joints, as well? I ask this because I am in the market to purchase a Tundra but the excessive bouncing as described in some of the forums concerns me.
John – you mentioned you are a tech. What kind of tech are you? I can’t imagine why one would use balance weights to resurface brake rotors – can you explain?
I realy can’t answer your question from experience about the concrete highways with expansion joints because there are none nearby where I regularly travel. The closest one that I can think of is over an hour away. But given what I have observed about the the vibration in general, it should help considerably. The thing about the concrete highways that make them particularly problematic is the presence of uniformly spaced expansion joints. Once you get to a speed to where the rithym of the joints coresponds to the wavelenth of the frame harmonic, although several “octaves” lower, the vibration begins to build in intensity. If the frame harmonic frequency is dampened, this excessive harmonic energy buildup would be much less prone to ocurr. Of course, as with any vehicle, you will still feel the impact as you pass over the joints, but by the time you encounter the next one, the energy of the previous jolt will have been absorbed. I am hoping that I will have a chance to try to drive a concrete road sometime soon so that I can test my own theory.
Sounds like an interesting fix…
Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE MY TUNDRA, but TOYOTA needs to address these problems itself…
Thank you Matt for you response
So I got my knee pad in from Amazon. I admit I was a little bit skeptical about this one, because the spare tire is so light relative to the weight of the truck. However, I was very pleased with the improvement that the spare tire/knee pad trick makes.
I’m a big time Toyota fan, 4 in a row and wouldn’t buy else except maybe Lexus. I dig the instrument cluster/dashboard on my 07 4X4 Limited CrewMax. I have great visibilty to all of the guages, and I especially like the navigation/cd changer and the way that it folds out upon button press. No other truck has electronics this schnazzy. I feel like I’m at Best Buy when I’m driving the truck.
But the bed bounce was bad on my truck, as I live in California. The worst stretch of road that I know about is I-80 between Reno and Sacramento. Near Donner pass, the road is concrete. I had passengers in the truck when I went over it and they were complaining that the truck shakes violently, but only on the concrete portions of the highway. And they had never heard of bed bounce, I had never said a word about it prior.
Well, after getting the knee-pad, I drove straight to Donner pass. I was amazed. The truck drove smoother in general. I had noticed before that when you drive over a crack in the road, then the truck would shake for a bit after hitting it. With the knee-pad, this did not occur. It seems the spare tire dampens this quite nicely. Furthermore, the ride was acceptable at Donner pass. I could still feel the presence of the vibration, but it was not a violent shaking like I had experienced before there. It was much, much smoother.
I wanted to see if it was possible to make the truck shake with the knee pad installed. So I sped up to ~80 mph. Just above 80 mph the truck started to shake. I slowed to 75, and the shaking went away. This is a huge improvement, because I would have to slow below 55 without the knee pad to get rid of the shaking. I can deal with 75 on certain stretches of highway. This is tolerable.
My feedback is that the spare tire trick makes a marked improvement. If you have an 07 Tundra and experience bed bounce in your area, I recommend using this until we get the Toyota fix. I tighted my spare as follows: I tightened it until I could feel the resistance of the tire, then added 0.5 to 1.5 additional turns. In other words, just past the point of feeling the resistance of the tire/pad.
I believe that if the dampening system had more weight to it, that it would completely remove the bed bounce. But the spare tire is so light relative to the weight of the vehicle, that it can only do so much. I wonder if attaching a weight to the bottom of the spare tire would help further? Either way, it is much, much nicer to drive my truck now.
So Matt, thanks for your input!! Helped me a lot!
-James
Check your local kayak shops for closed cell foam. I use it to carve out seats and padding for my boat. Usually sold it in big blocks. It may work???
Do these problems apply to the 2008 models also????????
Thanks for the feedback, James! Like you say, while the spare tire may not be the ideal weight for perfect dampening, it makes quite a difference! As for the ’08 question, I am going to go to the local toyota lot as soon as I can find a moment after hours and do a little bit of investigation!
Marc, I think what John was saying is, when resurfacing brake rotors, it is common to use a dampening band that goes around the edge of the brake rotor. The band has lead weights on it that dampen the harmonic vibration that occurs when resurfacing rotors.
Are any of you guys bow hunters? Mathews archery has a demo of harmonics; bow demo wihout dampeners and one with. If you drop each to the ground you hear the difference and if you shot one you feel the difference. For now I think Matt has the best idea.
James — awesome!! Glad to hear it made a big difference.
Thanks again Matt — you’ve made a difference for at least one person out there, and I bet more will follow.
Jeff — got it. Stupid question on my part about the weights.
[…] a big difference on his truck. The full explanation on more photos are on TundraHeadquarters.com Possible Tundra Bed Bounce Cure Found | tundraheadquarters.com Hope that helps. I’ve tried this mod and I’m happy to say that this works. Which only meant […]
I had recently installed the foam when I wrote that very long post. I took the vehicle out to the worst stretch of highway I could think of. I did not see much bounce issue that day, which made me excited, so I wrote the long post.
Well, then I took the truck on a route through Sacramento. This route has shaken my truck in the usual annoying fashion. I was very disappointed ot see that the truck WITH THE FOAM PADS continued to shake as usual. I COULD TELL NO DIFFERENCE if the pads were there or not.
Let me repeat that in case its not clear to anyone. My tundra truck shakes like hell on concrete freeways whether or not there is a foam knee pad supporting the spare tire. The whole truck shakes violently, so silly are we for thinking that a <100 lbs spare tire is going to help.
I really feel bad for all the folks who have bought this truck (myself included) cause its a nightmare and an embarrassment to drive. Which is a shame because I gave my money to Toyota in confidence that they would provide a luxury level truck. Toyota really screwed us over, Tundra fans. And the feeling I get when I talk to corporate is that they have no plans on compensating or helping us 2007 Tundra owners in any way.
-James
marc,
we use balance weights around the rotor as they’re being re-lined but we also use wheel weights against the blades where it contacts the rotor as it gets cut. The rotor’s finish is much smoother with no chatter marks.
I have a short bed short cab 4×2 5.7 sport and I feel like I am going to be bounced out of the son of a bitch. oh yeah and kangaroo rats like to eat engine sensor cables so don’t park your tundra in the chihuahua desert unless you are prepared to stay up all night guarding it with a pellet gun.
what happens when there is weight put into the box like a topper or sand weights?????
I just purchased an 08 crewmax and haven’t notice much yet. But, I came from a 3/4 ton duramax diesel.
Fred – good tip. Kangaroo rats are a menace! LOL.
Scott – the foam pad will not hurt your truck’s ability to haul.
James – bummer. I was really excited when I read your first post, but it sounds like the pad had only a mild effect. Do you think it’s possible to tune the spare tire more, or have you already tried?
Happy new year to all! There are some new thoughts on the subject at hand that I would like to address. But before I do, I would like you all to know that I am not affiliated with Toyota Motor Co. in any way. Also I have nothing to gain by posting my experiments and findings on this site. I am in the same situation as the rest of you, and I would very much like to see Toyota come up with a solution for this problem soon. I have called Toyota Customer Service and shared the difficulty that I am having with the truck. I suggest that ALL of you call them likewise at 800-331-4331 and politely share your concerns. Be prepared to give your VIN#. Do not use excessive emotionally charged rhetoric. It will just make the operator dislike you, and make them less motivated to help you. Be sure to get a case number, and call back every couple of weeks to check the status of the case and give a friendly reminder that the problem hasn’t gone away, and you are not going to forget about it.
So anyway, I have noticed a gradual reduction in effectiveness of the foam pad system over time on my truck. Especially since we had a nice little cold snap here in Alabama. So I let down the spare to do some investigation. It seems that the pad does have some “memory” and after being compressed for some time it loses most of it’s “spring action”, and conforms to the shape of the tire and the frame, and keeps that shape for quite some time after being removed. This effect makes the tire and the frame less able to move independently of each other, which is the only thing that will make the tire function at all as a vibration dampener.
So I am currently experimenting with some variations of the same theory. If any of you know of some kind of resilient cushioning material that has no memory effect, please do experiment and share your findings. I am currently testing some coil springs in addition to the pads, but they are not as easy to install as the pads by themselves. I will post my findings when I can determine their effectiveness. But like most of you, I have a lot of other things to be done other than tinkering with my truck, so bear with me, and feel free to share your suggestions.
Well, this new bit of info on the insufficient effectiveness of the pad on poor stretches of concrete freeways and the fact that the pad gradually loses its effectiveness over time due to loss of spring action has left me quite discouraged. You see, I just received my ‘pad’ from Amazon yesterday and had planned on putting it to use this weekend. Now I don’t know if it’s really worth the trouble. But, given my curious nature, I will try it anyway and take the truck on stretches of the 210 freeway (in SoCal) where I “know” the truck shakes to the point where I think it’s gonna come apart. I’ll report back afterward. Has anyone tried these? Check the website and watch the comparison video. There are also some videos on Youtube showing the functionality. Probably won
I did this mod just this Christmas week and it works on my truck. The only different thing I did was I used a ratcheting cargo strap to tighen the spare tire up against the truck vice just using the cable mechanism. I routed the strap over the frames. I also aired up the tire to 40 PSI to give it more stiffness. No more additional weights on my bed now. Seems like the “K” shaped crossmember is too flimsy. I’ll find a reputable fabricator and have them weld some 1/4″ steel to box this stamped crossmember.
Frame Flex: I am not a mechanical guy, more electrical. One thing I am noticing about the bounce is that the whole truck is flexing. All of the other manufacturers of trucks are using a rigid frame, even Nissan (now, anyhow).
But I think that there is genius in a flexible frame. Tall buildings are designed in California with a flexible structure so that they flex during an earthquake, instead of falling. By the same token, I think that the Tundra frame will withstand more aggressive conditions than a rigid frame will.
So here is the problem. Toyota has been making their vehicles with flexible frames, and doing a nice job IMHO. But the Tundra is bigger, and so it has an inherent resonant frequency which is lower than than the smaller vehicles. So evidently, the resonant frequency of Tundra is susceptible to vibrations from concrete freeways.
The best solution that I can think of is to find a way to increase the resonant frequency of the Tundra truck. Perhaps a dampening system will work as well, but I’m not mechanical enough to know how to do this.
Can any mechanical guys out there suggest ideas that change the resonant frequency of a mechanical system such as the Tundra frame?
Obviously shortening the distance between the front and rear wheels would increase Tundra resonant frequency, but what are our other options cuz this is a pretty unrealizable tweak?
If we know what the options are, then maybe its possible to weld a member to the frame or something.
Thinking aloud because I like the layout of the Truck. Electronics are nice, the interior is nice. Cant help it, still prefer Toyotas. Just think that we should put our heads together cuz I think that there are enough smart guys who own these trucks (engineers, technicians and such).
If there is a mechanical guy out there who can suggest options for changing frame flex resonant frequency, I’m willing to pay a welder and experiment with my truck. Any takers?
-James
Here goes, I think the frame is too rigid and it is like driving in one big tuning fork. So there in lies the problem; what do you do to dampen the tuning fork? Matt’s idea of pads on the spare is a good start but needs a little more padding maybe up the frame to cut the vibration down. Thanks for this website. Larry
After further thought, I have this question as well: is it possible to change the shocks so that the harmful concrete freeway frequency cannot enter the frame? If we block that frequency component from ever getting to the frame, then problem solved. So it seems we have 3 options: change frame resonant frequency, dampen it, or block the harmful component from ever getting there.
If anyone who has experienced the problem has made a modification that completely removed the issue, then I, for one, am certainly all ears…
John and Jeff —
Thanks for the info. When resurfacing brake rotors can’t you use a more environmentally safe weight? I know that Toyota and most major manufacturers no longer use lead balance weights for their new vehicles, e.g. they use zinc, tungsten, or tin weights that are more durable and safer.
Hey guys its ok to experiment, but for me , I am going to let Toyota fix it, As for the frame being “stiffer” I think it is more flexible maybe stronger even…..
i recently use a 2″ X 26″ heavy duty bicycle intertube instead of the knee pad foam. cost was only $7.49 and used duct tape to secure intertube to the wheel…. i’ve notice a geat deal of difference but not a complete cure… next, maybe inserting again an intertube between the cab and bed to se if it will make a difference…
hope, this make sense to all!!!
Thanks to Matt Davis for the idea!!!
The inner tube idea is a very interesting thought! I actually thought about it the other day but I didn’t know if it could be inflated outside of the bike tire to be firm enough to function effectively. Let us know how that works. I am currently experimenting with some rubber inflatable balls. I have also tried Art’s idea of the ratcheting cargo strap across the tire from each side of the frame. I’m not really sure why, but it seems to help somewhat. My theory is that the balls are too bouncy and the strap functions as somewhat of a restraint. It may also give the tire more effect on the frame on the down stroke of the vibration. Still scratching my head on that one.
Is this an issue on the 08’s?
How about using the bicycle TIRE instead of the innertube, or tire and tube combo? Much stiffer and won’t puncture.
It’s too cold here in North Dakota to be rolling around under my pickup now but when spring comes I am anxious to try some of these ideas. Our concrete roads are fairly smooth so I need to drive about 100 miles to get to a really rough section of concrete roadway. I therefore am not pushed into finding a fix today.
My thought is to use cable attached in a criscross fashion through the area where the frame changes from a reinforced c-channel to a simple c-channel. Using two cables in a X shape should set up its own dampening effect. You could use trunbuckles to adjust tightness and therefore the vibration. You might effectively be able to “tune” the vibration right out of the truck. Anyone have any thoughts on such an arrangement?
I would also discourage anyone from trying to cushion the movement between the cab and the box. That could only lead to a bent box or cab or both.
decided to take my truck for a long test drive to Las Veags… before i left, i wanted to rotate the tires and checked the pressure. rotated the tires but forgot to change the tire pressure and notice that the truck actually had less bed bounce and smoother ride!!! the only thing of that was different, was the tire pressure!!! so, to make sure, i set the front and back tire to factory recommended tire pressure and test drove the truck…
i actually notice a smoother and less noticable bed bounce when i change the tire pressure on the front 2lb. higher than the rear!!!
factory settings: 5.7 4X4 double cab
front 30lbs.
rear 33lbs.
my settings:
front 35lbs.
rear 33lbs.
innertube between the frame and spare tire…
I have the Rancho Adj.(rear) shocks and haven’t noticed any difference in the terrible bounce. I started with a 5 setting and the truck seem to have an uneven bounce from the front shocks verses the rear shocks…just bounced too much in the back. I moved the setting to a 7 and the shocks were even with the front but still had a terrible concrete bounce. I think I will take them back off and get my monies back. It was a nice experiment thou.
Hey I love my tundra but was sick of the bounce, so i was forced also to try some ideas. Way back when I use to install and upgrade all my speakers in my truck and apply a dense adhesive material called dyno mat to the speaker hole to reduce vibrations and improve sound. I had some sheets in storage laying around so i cut them up and wraped sections of the frame. Took a short ride over the concrete bridge near my house and noticed a completly better ride. it seemed to deaden the bounce of the bumps of the bridge. I think the dyno mat works. I think they have a web site. hope this helps.
[…] person seems to be onto something here. Possible Tundra Bed Bounce Cure Found | tundraheadquarters.com Last edited by snarl : Today at 12:29 AM. Reason: […]
Been doing alot of research on Tundra, was getting ready to go to dealer, still may, but Bed Bounce, and tailgate issue concerns me, will have to go back out and test drive again…. I like the truck, have had trucks GM, Ford for over 25 years, ashame if Toyota acn not step up and resolve….
I had three Chevy’s and two Z71’s and they were all severe bed bouncers early on. The last one (2005) was awful until it softened up. One of the tips I got was to let a little air out of the rear tires. When I checked, it turned out the dealer had them at 37 psi — should have been at 35. I dropped them to 32 and it made a big difference. Not sure if this is a good fix for the Tundra — just a thought — but don’t believe anyone that tells you this doesn’t happen on other trucks.Tonneau covers and time also seemed to help as the problem eventually went away on all three Chevy’s. I have a 2008 DC 4WD and recently took it out on the LA freeway system (405, 91, 605 and 10) and no bounce at all speeds. So far so good.
Hello, Everyone!
I finally filed a complaint to NHTSA (National Transport Safety Board) and ODI (Office of Defects Investigations)
WEB: www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov (888)327-4236
I just want this problem FIXED!!! I have waited long enough. I would rather have a defected component than what I
[…] Re: LOL! Wow you guys were serious about Bed Bounce So how much does this turnover ball hitch cost? I’m guessing it’s going to be quite an expensive resolution for our bed bounce.. The Foam Device was a temporary fix if I recall. The density foam such as those sold in hardware stores for your knee support when laying floors, etc was squished up between the spare tire and Frame.. This separated the tire from the frame and allowed the tire to act like a Dampener. THe problem is.. Long term the density foam compressed and reestablished somewhat of a connection with the frame and the Tire Dampening effect was diminished. Possible Tundra Bed Bounce Cure Found | tundraheadquarters.com […]
Not to beat a dead horse here but Matt is exactly right. I fly H-60 helicopters for the Navy and we spend a great deal of time tuning vibration absorbers on them. Each H-60 has 3 vibration absorbers that are hinged weights that vibrate in tune with the harmonic frequency of the helo vibrations. They are tuned by adding weights to the absorber until it comes in synch with the vibrations. You can really tell it when they get out of synch. For this bed shake problem, the spare tire essentially acts like a vibration absorber. If you can get it in tune with the vibrations, it will smooth things out. I don’t think anything is wrong with the truck, Toyota just needs to figure out how to absorb the harmonics. Wish I had a suggestion for a fix. Any of the things listed above could work though if you get it in synch. Just my two cents.
Kevin – great point. It’s always nice to read about some real-world experience with a similar problem. Thank you.
[…] "Bed bounce" "frame resonation" **UPDATE** Anyone seen this article: Possible Tundra Bed Bounce Cure Found | tundraheadquarters.com This guy put a 2" foam pad between the spare and the frame. It is similar to those knee pad […]
when are they coming up with the solution… i bought an 08 limited crew max, and the vibration thing is pissing me off!!!
I am a professional driver and i have seen the “tundra bounce” for myself. I don’t own a Tundra and i never will. I have driven many trucks and buses. I recently was driving a 2007 HIno308 (Toyota) Truck. not long before that I had a 2007 International 4300, both trucks were near the same wheelbase and GVWR. I live in London, Ontario, Canada and we have a highway that is concrete and causes this “bounce”. I have Test Driven the Tundra on this road just to see what it is like. In that Hino, on that highway you could barely hold the steering wheel, total opposite in the International. I own an older F150 with 385000km(239279miles). No matter how fast or slow I drive, no shaking, no bouncing just a smooth comfy ride. My personal opinion, poorly designed frame tapered rear section biggest mistake. Look at a real truck evenly spaced rails front to rear. These frames carry 100,000lbs, pull 250,000lbs or better. I personally think that any trailer over 8000lbs should NOT be pulled by a class 1 truck, let alone 10 or 11,000lbs.
I’ve owned my 2008 Tundra double cab 5.7l 4WD for a little over 24 hours. I drove it 1100 miles to get it home. All I can say is that Toyota has one royal screw up on their hands. I would never, never have purchased the truck had I known of this issue. I did test drive a 2008 crew max 5.7l 4WD with 7000 miles on it at the dealer. The salesman told me the shake was a “low tire”. This bullshit needs to stop immediately. Toyota needs to make a full disclosure on this issue now and stop ALL Tundra sales unless full disclosure is made.
Won’t happen Warren. Just a little info most Tundra’s sold don’t have the issue except in california and colorado on certain freeways. They have on this site mods that will resolve that issue for you. Sorry about your issue. I don’t personally have that issue here in Jax, florida. Land too flat and have mostly asphalt. I have an 07 Crewmax Limited with 45,500 miles on it. Had it since July 07.
My name keeps dropping out Jason. Would you happen to know a reason why or how to stop it?
BTW Warren my comments above….
Hello;
I live in Albuquerque, New Mexico and recently own a used 2007 TRD 4×4 double cab that had severe bed bounce(frame flex/flimsy frame). Toyota used a double layered frame under the cab but a single layer behind the cab; this is so the frame with crush on rear impact and protect the cab but Toyota compromised frame strength/durability in the process with such a thin flimsy frame. I changed out the shocks to more absorbant with no big change. Eventually, I came up with the idea of using 2.5″ foam pool water noodles available at dollar general which only come in 3″ now I believe(a lot harder to squish in the crack). I squished the foam pool water noddles between the pickup box and the cab in the crack on the sides and top. This eliminated a most of the bed bounce problem. If anyone needs to talk to me or would like to let me know the status of this fix I’m rbolo27 at yahoo. Also, if you had a squeak in the cab it might be the radio and to fold up a few times and shove a business hard on the left side of the radio in the crack.
Randy – Thanks for the tip.
http://www.toyotatundraforum.c.....nce-3.html
Good outcome.
Art64 – Awesome! Got a copy of the TSB in my hand right now and I’ll be posting info and photos on Monday.
I have a 04 double cab with a 6″ RCD suspention lift with 315/75R16 that i put in back in 06 and my vibrations just started out of the blue a few months ago and caused uneven tire and break wear. No matter what I do I just can’t get it cured. So far I swapped out tires and breaks, balanced and rotations like crazy. I even through bags of sand in the bed to maybe lessen it but nothing. There is one thing I have noticed is that it is temperature sensitive, in the mornings it is nice and cool and the vibrations aren’t to bad but after sitting in the sun all day everything goes down hill. My rear end is all over the place. I’m about to say the hell with it and swap out my shocks and springs. Does anyone have a permenant fix for this.
Leon – It’s got to have something to do with the kit. The 1st gen Tundras had no complaints about bed bounce.