Is this vibration normal?

[pup5581]

I am not sure my issue in my 14 sport is the same...i don't get a wobble..i get excessive engine/road feel though the floor and gas pedal on highway and especially when accelerating. When i accelerate slow..not bad...but up around 4K RPM..can really feel the engine or something vibrating though the pedal and always feel it on highway even with brand new tires.

THis is my thread

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=427887

 

[Codeman069]

My vibration is different it's between 40 and now it's up to about 55 or 60 at times it is much worse first thing in the morning after sits in the garage all night for a few miles anyway so I know the tires are part of the issue. Plus the more miles I put on the Them the worse it is getting I ordered some Michelin premier LTX they just came out on the market. They are actually slightly less expensive than the Alenzas. Now my armrest on the driver side is actually splitting by the fake stitching I have super glued it and now will see how it holds up. My tire issue is the whole car kind of shudders, I even took the roof crossbars off to see if maybe it was a turbulence problem. You can feel it through the steering will the seat and the center console armrest everything

 

[cheapjeep2]

My vibration is different it's between 40 and now it's up to about 55 or 60 at times it is much worse first thing in the morning after sits in the garage all night for a few miles anyway so I know the tires are part of the issue. Plus the more miles I put on the Them the worse it is getting I ordered some Michelin premier LTX they just came out on the market. They are actually slightly less expensive than the Alenzas. Now my armrest on the driver side is actually splitting by the fake stitching I have super glued it and now will see how it holds up. My tire issue is the whole car kind of shudders, I even took the roof crossbars off to see if maybe it was a turbulence problem. You can feel it through the steering will the seat and the center console armrest everything

Your vibration issue is identical to mine. I originally thought it was the Hannkook tires, so I had the dealer put on new tires, new tires made a big difference and allowed me to isolate it down to the same issue you have. so I think there is something to the 20" wheel and low profile tire potentially flat spotting cause after a few minutes of bad vibration it smooths out and is a nice ride even in the range where it starts.

 

[peterk9]

My vibration is different it's between 40 and now it's up to about 55 or 60 at times it is much worse first thing in the morning after sits in the garage all night for a few miles anyway so I know the tires are part of the issue. Plus the more miles I put on the Them the worse it is getting I ordered some Michelin premier LTX they just came out on the market. They are actually slightly less expensive than the Alenzas. Now my armrest on the driver side is actually splitting by the fake stitching I have super glued it and now will see how it holds up. My tire issue is the whole car kind of shudders, I even took the roof crossbars off to see if maybe it was a turbulence problem. You can feel it through the steering will the seat and the center console armrest everything

Part of the issue seems to be attributed to 'flat spotting' which is common with some 20" tires. The vibration usually clears up after driving a few miles. If your new Michelins are 20", they may also exhibit the same thing.

Peter

 

[Codeman069]

Mine actually has the vibration all the time even after warming up on all different road surfaces it is just the exact exaggerated when it has been sitting for a while. I've got about 8000 miles on the Nittos and they are actually getting worse then the Hankooks were they just have better traction but that is also deteriorating.

 

[pup5581]

Part of the issue seems to be attributed to 'flat spotting' which is common with some 20" tires. The vibration usually clears up after driving a few miles. If your new Michelins are 20", they may also exhibit the same thing.

Peter

Ya every vehicle i have driven in with 20s or higher has had some type of flat spotting no matter the tire..now in the winter i will sometimes bump up my tire pressure a few PSI more to lessen this

 

[cheapjeep2]

I agree that is what is going on, we drove from Atlanta to Columbia SC, first trip outside of the city with the Expo and it's been hot here 100+ everyday and the expo has had virtually no vibrations. So I am 100% the remaining issue I have is flat spotting till they warm up.

 

[sjm01]

Having reviewed other posts on the topic of vibration, I didn't find one that was close to my situation with respect to diagnostic work, so I'm posting a new thread.

I owned a 2013 Explorer limited with 2WD and loved it except for the lack of power with the standard 6 cyl. engine. The ride was great.

When I saw the 2016 Platinum option to get a luxury version of the Explorer with the EcoBoost engine, I decided to upgrade, with no expectation that the ride could somehow be worse than my 2013. That was incorrect.

From the day I drove my car off the lot, it has had a harmonic vibration starting at around 20 mph and extending to highway speeds. The vibration can be felt in the steering and through the floor and is synchronized to vehicle speed (more frequent vibrations at higher speeds). I had expected it to go away after the car/tires got some miles on them, but after 500 miles, it was still there.

I took the car to Discount Tire and had the balance checked and the tires checked for out of round tires or wheels. There were minor balance issues that they fixed, but the vibration continued. After a couple hundred more miles, I gave up and put a set of top dollar Pirelli tires on the car, and Discount Tire was very careful to get the balance correct. It might be a bit better, but the vibration is still definitely there.

Today, I went to the dealer and the service manager drove with me in my car. He agreed that there is vibration and that it is speed sensitive. Shifting the car into neutral at speed didn't change the vibration, so that would appear to eliminate the transmission as an issue.

So, if it's not the tires, wheels, or transmission/engine, that leaves the intermediate drive train as a possible source. Then, I decided to try another 2016 Platinum to see if the problem is unique to my car. To my great surprise, it had the same issue. So, now I plan to try driving a Sport and a 2WD Limited to compare but haven't had time to do so yet.

What really bothers me is that I had no issue with vibration on my 2013 Explorer Limited. Now, I've bought the top of the line 2016 Platinum, and the ride is disappointing by comparison.

Anyone else noticing this issue with a new vehicle?

 

[1995E]

Is it a vibration throughout the whole vehicle? Is it through the steering wheel? Does it do it on certain surfaces?

 

[peelman]

maybe the massaging seats were on, I find some of these posts hard to believe sometimes. Test drive 2 brand new cars in a row with vibrations...

 

[613GT500]

Engine mounts?

 

[chicagoslick]

No vibration coming from mine. Ultra smooth ride.

Note:

As long as you stay clear of the potholes and rutts in Indiana roads

 

[pup5581]

Is it RPM dependent? So say 2K is worse than 3K?

 

[rtsittner]

Anyone else noticing this issue with a new vehicle?

No vibration with mine either. Sorry that you are having problems.

 

[Exit32]

My 2016 Platinum runs smoothly at all speeds. No vibration whatsoever.

 

[sjm01]

The vibration is in the steering wheel and in the floor, so I don't think it's related to steering. It is not related to engine RPMs, but the frequency is related to vehicle speed (and no, I'm not driving with the massaging seats on). The issue is particularly noticeable when driving on a smooth road surface (obviously). And since I drove my 2013 on the same road without issue, I know it's not the road itself that's causing the issue.

Thanks to those who replied stating that you're not having an issue. If anyone else has noticed the same issue, I'd like to hear about it. There are other posts on the forum that allude to this problem, but those discussions tended to blame tires. Since I've done all of the tire diagnostics, including replacing them even though the car is brand new, I thought it would be best to get a separate discussion going to see if others have ended up where I am, which is frustrated.

As I said, I'll try driving a Sport and a 2WD limited soon and will see how they compare.

 

[peterk9]

The vibration is in the steering wheel and in the floor, so I don't think it's related to steering. It is not related to engine RPMs, but the frequency is related to vehicle speed (and no, I'm not driving with the massaging seats on). The issue is particularly noticeable when driving on a smooth road surface (obviously). And since I drove my 2013 on the same road without issue, I know it's not the road itself that's causing the issue.

Thanks to those who replied stating that you're not having an issue. If anyone else has noticed the same issue, I'd like to hear about it. There are other posts on the forum that allude to this problem, but those discussions tended to blame tires. Since I've done all of the tire diagnostics, including replacing them even though the car is brand new, I thought it would be best to get a separate discussion going to see if others have ended up where I am, which is frustrated.

As I said, I'll try driving a Sport and a 2WD limited soon and will see how they compare.

Perhaps you should try having it put up on a hoist and then check to see if the vibration is still there when the engine is reved up in Drive and Neutral. I had a vibration one time is an older Ford van and traced it back to the drive shaft. It was rather easy to diagnose since the shaft had been removed for some other work a day or two before. Fixed it with a large metal washer and hose clamp.
Good luck.

Peter

 

[chicagoslick]

I was looking at the manual and there are a couple of mentions of vibration you may want to look at.

Pg 187 Owners Manual (This relates to brakes and describes what you are talking about)

Pg 191 Owners manual (This relates to stability control)

Pg 321 Owners Manual (tires)

Pg 251 Owners Manual ( breaking in vehicle)

Best of Luck,

Gary

 

[Bill #5 Explorer]

Then, I decided to try another 2016 Platinum to see if the problem is unique to my car. To my great surprise, it had the same issue.

And since I drove my 2013 on the same road without issue, I know it's not the road itself that's causing the issue.

Then, I'd be inclined to say it's normal. And you're sensitive to the sport suspension feedback. A 2016 Platinum's suspension can't be compared to a 2013.

*I assume the Platinum uses either the Sport's suspension (sport suspension) or another suspension (but not the standard Explorer set-up).

Good luck on your resolution. You've already spent crazy money on tires and rebalancing. You should not have had to do that, but I respect your tenacity.

 

[peelman]

Then, I'd be inclined to say it's normal. And you're sensitive to the sport suspension feedback. A 2016 Platinum's suspension can't be compared to a 2013.

*I assume the Platinum uses either the Sport's suspension (sport suspension) or another suspension (but not the standard Explorer set-up).

Good luck on your resolution. You've already spent crazy money on tires and rebalancing. You should not have had to do that, but I respect your tenacity.

The suspension on the Platinum is not as ridged as the Sport from what I understand, not that I think it's ridged at all compared to lowered Altima.