Warranty issue- vibration 2021 Supra

[Stvee]

It's not the tires/wheels. Mine does it on both my stock PSS set and my winter Continental DWS-06's.

I haven't looked into it too much though because it doesn't really bother me.

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[Branflakes123]

Has anyone with this issue measured tire runout themselves or used a dial indicator on their wheels to test symmetry. If not, this is entirely bench racing. Get some conclusive data

 

[lucky phil]

It's not the tires/wheels. Mine does it on both my stock PSS set and my winter Continental DWS-06's.

I haven't looked into it too much though because it doesn't really bother me.

Yes it's not hard to get hypersensitive to something once you detect it and you question is it normal. Vibrations and noises in the main.

Phil

 

[Thraxbert]

Has anyone with this issue measured tire runout themselves or used a dial indicator on their wheels to test symmetry. If not, this is entirely bench racing. Get some conclusive data

This is probably the best post in the whole thread.

Everyone with this driving vibration issue needs a Dial Indicator and do a runout test (lateral + radial) on the tire, then on the rotor face, then on the hub.

Here's how to do this

"Runout" is a measurement of how irregular a surface is as something is being rotated. For example, if you were measuring the face of a brake rotor you might expect it to be flat and even across the face. That's the goal, anyways. But if the dial Indicator shows surface height changes larger than 0.002 inches as you rotate the rotor, this could manifest as vibration in the steering wheel. The same is true for the wheel, and the tire, and the wheel hub assembly.

The closer you get to the hub with an out-of-spec runout, the more extreme the vibration will be because the severity of the shimmy is magnified by the larger diameters of the rotor or wheel. Kind of like a teeter-totter moves a little bit at the center, but a lot at the ends. So a small deviation in hub irregularity may feel terrible, but an equivalent deviation in the tire might not feel so bad.

I don't think the Supra has documented runout specs. I can't recall seeing them, anyways. But general figures that work for most cars can be Googled.

 

[lucky phil]

This is probably the best post in the whole thread.

Everyone with this driving vibration issue needs a Dial Indicator and do a runout test (lateral + radial) on the tire, then on the rotor face, then on the hub.

Here's how to do this

"Runout" is a measurement of how irregular a surface is as something is being rotated. For example, if you were measuring the face of a brake rotor you might expect it to be flat and even across the face. That's the goal, anyways. But if the dial Indicator shows surface height changes larger than 0.002 inches as you rotate the rotor, this could manifest as vibration in the steering wheel. The same is true for the wheel, and the tire, and the wheel hub assembly.

The closer you get to the hub with an out-of-spec runout, the more extreme the vibration will be because the severity of the shimmy is magnified by the larger diameters of the rotor or wheel. Kind of like a teeter-totter moves a little bit at the center, but a lot at the ends. So a small deviation in hub irregularity may feel terrible, but an equivalent deviation in the tire might not feel so bad.

I don't think the Supra has documented runout specs. I can't recall seeing them, anyways. But general figures that work for most cars can be Googled.

Yea except the frequency of the wheel vibration/runout at 120kph will be around 20Hz not 46Hz
(which they attribute to tailshaft vibration frequency ay 100kph) as stated in a previous post. In addition to that other posters have already indicated that a change of tyres made no difference.
Posters wanted data, you got data. It looks like the tailshaft and it's probably it's natural resonant frequency at those speeds.

Phil

 

[nitroyellow90]

Yea except the frequency of the wheel vibration/runout at 120kph will be around 20Hz not 46Hz
(which they attribute to tailshaft vibration frequency ay 100kph) as stated in a previous post. In addition to that other posters have already indicated that a change of tyres made no difference.
Posters wanted data, you got data. It looks like the tailshaft and it's probably it's natural resonant frequency at those speeds.

Phil

but that still doesn’t explain why only some Supras are affected by it… unless it’s a manufacturing defect

 

[lucky phil]

but that still doesn’t explain why only some Supras are affected by it… unless it’s a manufacturing defect

It's because every car is slightly different and every component has a tolerance in manufacture. I've seen a lot of different vehicles display varying symptoms due to this. One of my cars powered by a Gen111 Chev and T56 gearbox and aussie tailshaft and diff ( a VX SS Commodore) had annoying thrumming resonance at 100-110 kph. New tailshaft couplers and various other components were changed ( under warranty) until Holden sent one of their powertrain engineers out to the dealership and we went for a drive together( thats the sort of service you used to get only 20 years ago from the manufacturer) His diagnosis, New gearbox required. He said the reason was because sometimes the tolerances in a gearbox stack up in one direction and it causes this type of issue. new gearbox fitted and problem solved.
If you look at the finish on machined surfaces on the deck and head of later Ford engines it's pretty ordinary and on one particular Ford I have experience with some head gaskets would start leaking at 9000klm and some would be fine for a lot longer because of the machining finish variability.
I could be here all day with similar examples in cars bikes and aircraft of variability in parts and manufacture that create operating issues.
I'd be interested to see how the tail shaft balanced out at a specialist tail shaft manufacturer and what BMW's tolerance on tailshaft balance is. I'd also be interested in what happens to these particular cars with a weight bolted to the steering column structure as is done with many exhaust systems and even brake pads to dampen down harmonics. Variability is the enemy of mass production and still occurs.

Phil

 

[Insomniac]

It's the latch that you disengage to adjust wheel position. And no it's not safe to have it disengage while driving.

I actually readjusted the steering wheel in and up a good bit and haven't noticed a vibration since after about 120 miles of driving.

Richard

 

[lucky phil]

I actually readjusted the steering wheel in and up a good bit and haven't noticed a vibration since after about 120 miles of driving.

Richard

So the fix is longer arms

Phil

 

[aldwin1999]

I should've addressed the issue sooner but haven't had time to, called Toyota dealership and they keep recommending alignment/balancing and even switching to OEM winter tires lol. I feel hopeless at this point but it's such a bummer and I don't have time to pursue a fix.

Might contact Toyota directly and see if that does anything. But the fact that this issue is clearly affecting many is unfortunate. It does feel like it's coming from the rear around ~65 miles and causing my steering wheel to vibrate very minimally but very noticable.

 

[FLtrackdays]

I should've addressed the issue sooner but haven't had time to, called Toyota dealership and they keep recommending alignment/balancing and even switching to OEM winter tires lol. I feel hopeless at this point but it's such a bummer and I don't have time to pursue a fix.

Might contact Toyota directly and see if that does anything. But the fact that this issue is clearly affecting many is unfortunate. It does feel like it's coming from the rear around ~65 miles and causing my steering wheel to vibrate very minimally but very noticable.

Disregard if I‘ve said it before (to you at least ). My high school son has a golf. Similar issue. Took it to a dedicated alignment shop, not a big box dealer. They drive the car. Not just put it on a machine. They told us to get new tires. We did. That with their alignment, vibration gone.

That may not be your issue. But if you can take your car into an independent highly recommended shop, I’d do that. My Supra has been up & down on a lift so many times I can‘t even count. I’ve felt all kinds of stuff in mine. Good & bad. Everything correctable. It’s too hard to diagnose some things on a forum imo. So find someone who really loves cars, repairs them, a true mechanic. Since they break these cars down all the time, install mods, have to fine tune things, they are much better at diagnosing.

Good luck and hope you get er figured out soon!

 

[Insomniac]

More information. I finally got around to posting. Mine did come back. I noticed that when I drive my car somewhere, do what I need to do, then leave, the vibration is drastically reduced from what it was, to the point it is barely noticeable. But when I drive it again the next day, poof, it's bad until my first stop again. I have also had completely different wheels and tires on the car with the same result.

Richard

 

[concept]

I thought what I felt was the lane change buzzing, even though I set it to the lowest setting. It really doesn't bother me that much, as I'm generally not on the highway for more than 10 miles at a time.
When my wife is in the car, I don't feel it, maybe because I drive more conservatively.

 

[trev_rs]

I thought what I felt was the lane change buzzing, even though I set it to the lowest setting. It really doesn't bother me that much, as I'm generally not on the highway for more than 10 miles at a time.
When my wife is in the car, I don't feel it, maybe because I drive more conservatively.

I had to disable all that stuff entirely. That whole bit where it tugs at the wheel and stuff drives me batty. I can't imagine what driving a Tesla is like.

 

[lucky phil]

More information. I finally got around to posting. Mine did come back. I noticed that when I drive my car somewhere, do what I need to do, then leave, the vibration is drastically reduced from what it was, to the point it is barely noticeable. But when I drive it again the next day, poof, it's bad until my first stop again. I have also had completely different wheels and tires on the car with the same result.

Richard

Two things, minor tyre flat spotting from sitting over night and psychology. First drive of the day you're mentally focused on it and after you stop you have other things distracting you. Same with a passenger or the wife. Other distractions. I fall for stuff like this sometimes and I'm aware of it. Then I remind myself and shut it off. Focusing on noises can be bad, then you get distracted for a while by something else and all of a sudden it's not audible anymore. We're all human. I used to deal with commercial pilots a lot and you'd get one pilot that every time he got on a particular plane you'd get a log entry about something that the hundred other pilots that flew the plane never reported or noticed. I'd get a call about a weird defect from a mechanic and I'd be able to tell him the aircraft and pilots name before he even got to that point. Maybe 20% of issues are between the ears in my experience, maybe more.

Phil

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