High speed vibration

[Rednecked]

Took my 2021 expedition to the dealer for a wheel balance. I had vibration at 80+ mph. Advisor said the balance was way off. No problem. They fixed it. Service tech Took it for a test drive still vibrates at 80+ mph. My truck is going back for further investigation. 10+ days in the shop. Anyone experienced this issue? Any ideas?

2021 Expedition platinum Max with 3750 miles.

 

[Polo08816]

Took my 2021 expedition to the dealer for a wheel balance. I had vibration at 80+ mph. Advisor said the balance was way off. No problem. They fixed it. Service tech Took it for a test drive still vibrates at 80+ mph. My truck is going back for further investigation. 10+ days in the shop. Anyone experienced this issue? Any ideas?

2021 Expedition platinum Max with 3750 miles.

Can they identify the corner that the vibrations are coming from?

If they swap the wheel/tire over to the other side, and the vibrations comes from the other side, then it's a wheel/tire issue. It's possible the wheel could be balanced but the wheel/tire is out of round.

That's my experience with wheels/tires used for the track. If they are cracked or out of round, you could balance them and they'll "lose" balance shortly.

 

[Rednecked]

Can they identify the corner that the vibrations are coming from?

If they swap the wheel/tire over to the other side, and the vibrations comes from the other side, then it's a wheel/tire issue. It's possible the wheel could be balanced but the wheel/tire is out of round.

That's my experience with wheels/tires used for the track. If they are cracked or out of round, you could balance them and they'll "lose" balance shortly.

They told me the front passenger and rear driver where off balance.

 

[blackedoutlimited]

It’s probably driveshaft related especially at excessive speed like that

 

[BMW2FORD]

They told me the front passenger and rear driver where off balance.

Does it seem to change at all in a slight curve left or right at the speed the vibration is felt? Sounds like bent wheel(s) or bad tires or even just a shop that hasn't had their tire machine calibrated. Usually a good tire balancer will get the balance correct and it should stay unless a wheel is bent or tires are bad. I wouldn't jump to anything else yet and see if they can rebalance the tires. If the weight needed is different this time if they recheck it, the tires might be bad or their machine is out of calibration. There are some shops that do what's called a road force balance and need a special balancer which really helps get it right, especially for high speed driving. The machine places a load on the tire with a roller while turning it to sense any imperfections in the tire before any weight is added. Sometimes it has the technician then move the tire to a spot where the lightest part of the tire or highest part mates to the heaviest part / runout of the wheel. Its then balanced with weight all on the same machine / process. What's also good is if the tire is out of shape / defective under load it sees that at the start.

 

[ROBERT BONNER]

I agree completely with everything BMW2FORD says above. Even if the 80+ mph problem is somewhere else, you want to start by making sure you know that your wheels and tires aren't causing problems.

Remember that many of these vehicles are sold to Gulf State Countries where they are routinely driven in the triple digits. The Drive Trains are designed and manufactured to run at those speeds....however, the wheels and tires are frequently different for those conditions and markets. So, wheels and tires are most likely your problem.

More vibration analysis than you probably want to learn:

If the problem persists after you know that the wheels and tires are trouble free and properly balanced, then you're into other driveline issues. First, if you have a 4x4 and you're driving in "S" or some other A4WD mode, change to a 2wd mode, and see if the vibration changes or goes away. The front drive systems are not balanced as rigorously as the rear. Keep in mind that depending on your rear end ratio the Trans Output Shaft/Transfer case/driveshaft/pinion are all turning 3+ times as fast as the axles/wheels...If you have an ear for frequencies, you can tell the difference. For me, I "feel" the wheel tire issues at ~1200 axle/wheel rpm/Hz (59 years old); however, at 2500 engine rpm, in 10th gear, the driveline is turning at nearly 4000 rpm. 4000Hz is pretty clearly audible for most of us. A driveline issue will be singing to you at those revs. Pull up a 1000 Hz and 4000 Hz tone on your computer, and listen to them to get a feel for the frequency ranges. Keep in mind that the "timbre" is very different from what you hear in the truck. The amplitude is what annoys you; but, it only grows loud enough (large enough amplitude) to bother you at specific natural frequency ranges.

Back in the bad old 55mph days, I used to have to balance the drivelines on everything I drove to allow more rapid transit. It was pretty easy for solid rear axle vehicles. I'm not sure I would want to wind this 6000 lb IRS behemoth up to 80-100 mph while on jack stands to check for vibes..... But, there are probably some speed shops around that would be up to the task....If you end up this far down the bunny hole, don't automatically assume the out of balance condition is from any particular component. Don't start replacing stuff, just balance what is there. You never really find out what part(s) are out, you just balance the whole rotating system from the drive shaft. I used to use SS hose clamps. They worked great. My '86 Mustang LX still has the clamps on the drive shaft that I put on it in 1986.

 

[Deadman]

Start simple and make sure the tires wheels are checked by another shop. My local shop had a balancing machine years ago that was off and we took the car to a different shop and they found that all 4 tires were off by the same amount, so it was clearly the machine at the first shop.....

 

[Rednecked]

Received my car back from the dealer today. They apparently did a road force balance. I took it on highway. Way worse then before. Looks like I’m taking it back. This time I’m not playing nice. I’m pissed!

I noticed the rear passenger wheel doesn’t even have any weights. Wtf.

 

[Rednecked]

Oh it’s Bell ford in Phoenix Az. Just saying…

 

[ROBERT BONNER]

Received my car back from the dealer today. They apparently did a road force balance. I took it on highway. Way worse then before. Looks like I’m taking it back. This time I’m not playing nice. I’m pissed!

I noticed the rear passenger wheel doesn’t even have any weights. Wtf.

I would suggest doing some research at local wheel/tire houses, Discount Tire, Good Year Store, etc. Talk to them about your issue. You're looking for a place that is working on vehicles that are being driven fast. Talk to them about their experience/expertise using their dynamic balance equipment. If they don't display clear signs of intelligence, try another place....If they guess what dealership you're using unsuccessfully without being prompted....give them a try. If they offer to go with you on a test drive first, give them a try. These are signs of experience with your problem.

Running dynamic balance equipment and keeping it properly calibrated is not easy...The larger the wheel and tire, the higher the speed, the less room for error. People who successfully balance wheels and tires for customers who know the difference will be able to help you.

 

[tfconstruction05]

I just purchased a 2023 and the vibration is so bad at highway speeds the kids literally get car sick. It was not like this when we purchased, it’s been in to 2 dealers since purchase 3 months ago and everyone is telling me it rides to spec. Do you have any luck finding the problem?

 

[Rednecked]

I just purchased a 2023 and the vibration is so bad at highway speeds the kids literally get car sick. It was not like this when we purchased, it’s been in to 2 dealers since purchase 3 months ago and everyone is telling me it rides to spec. Do you have any luck finding the problem?

Go to discount tire and have them raod force your tires. If they are bad buy the certificates and warranty them out. The dealer will not help you. I had 2 egg shaped tires. Went to the stealership with no success. Discount tire helped me out. Smooth as now!

 

[TheDoug]

I agree start by going to discount and having them check it out. Could be tires, could be some balancing weight were lost.

 

[josephzac]

Took my 2021 expedition to the dealer for a wheel balance. I had vibration at 80+ mph. Advisor said the balance was way off. No problem. They fixed it. Service tech Took it for a test drive still vibrates at 80+ mph. My truck is going back for further investigation. 10+ days in the shop. Anyone experienced this issue? Any ideas?

2021 Expedition platinum Max with 3750 miles

Was the issue resolved?
I am facing the exact same issue in 2023 Limited with less than 1200 miles clocked?
- went to Dealer (Sheehy Ford, Gaithersburg) : they said they cannot replicate as over 65 is illegal to drive
- Did balancing and alignment - still issue exists.

 

[dlcorbett]

I decided to get a road force balance on my nav in anticipation of a road trip this upcoming wknd. So far I like the results. I do need to lower the tire pressure though.

 

[Mr Big]

I just purchased a 2023 and the vibration is so bad at highway speeds the kids literally get car sick. It was not like this when we purchased, it’s been in to 2 dealers since purchase 3 months ago and everyone is telling me it rides to spec. Do you have any luck finding the problem?

Check your original paperwork to see if you got the fix a flat additive in your tires. It's been mentioned as the culprit many times in the forums. It evidently accumulates in one spot of the tire making it vibrate at high speeds.