No body else seems to be able to figure this out so I thought I'd try here now since you guys seem to know how to fix darn near anything. My wifes 2007 Aspen has had a weird vibration between 60ish-70ish mph pretty much since day one. It presents itself through the entire truck. I've balanced the heck outta the tires, bought new tires since the dealer said they took a wheel/tire set off of another Aspen and the truck drove smooth. That helped some but its still there. The runout has supposedly been checked many times on the rims (factory 20's) and they say they are running true. Along with the vibration comes a very low frequency/high oscillation sound, similar to having one of the rear windows rolled down while at speed, but not anywhere near as harsh. Some mornings the front tires will get a wobble in them that'll put a shimmy in the steering wheel but I think that is something different, more like cold 20" tires trying to get round. After they warm up it'll smooth out and we are back to the shimmy/vibration filling the truck. Does anybody know if the harmonic balancer on the engine can produce this type of vibration? I can rev the motor while sitting in the driveway and at around 1800-2200 rpm the motor goes from smooth to a little bit rough. But of course there is no load on the engine. Could the MDS be making it feel like its vibrating? It supposedly cuts out 4 of the cylinders while cruising. Seems like you'd have to have some kind of magic harmonic balancer to keep 8 cylinders smooth then 4 cylinders smooth. Feel free to throw the dart. Someone may nail it...Thanks for any suggestions.

 

Does it have a carrier bearing in the drive shaft?(dart thrown smilie)

 

Doesn't have harmonic balancer on the hemi.

have you checked the shocks? our durango shakes like crazy when the shocks get weak. It is worse than anything I have ever been in.

 

I've run all sorts of different tires and sizes. The ONLY time I ever had a shimmy on a good tire was a car that had sat for years and the tires took a set. I think your problem is related to the tires. Find an open highway somewhere that you can swap lanes at will. Get a couple of FRS radios so you can talk to each other. (Cell phones will work too but I have this thing about cell phones and driving.) Have another car follow you or have your wife drive the Aspen while you follow. Watch the tires. You will need to look at each tire, hence the need for swapping lanes. You want to watch for any wobble, hopping or other movement. It should roll smooth. If one tire/wheel assembly acts different, that's your problem child. You may have a tread coming apart, damaged rim, bad shock or just about anything in the suspenion system.

 

You know guys, I've been wondering if the shocks could cause something like this since I've experienced the same issue with two totally different sets of tires. But since it seems to occur at a certain speed it threw me off that path. I had asked my dealer the part number for the Durango shocks thinking a little firmer ride but there are like 8 different part numbers for Durango/Aspen shocks. I have followed the truck many times and have not seen any wobbly tires or even shaky suspension. I'll check for the carrier bearing but I think the Aspen is short enough for a one piece driveshaft. Thanks! Keep'em coming! The technician that replaced the rear diff says he has a similar shake/shimmy in his Ram. Hopefully he'll figure it out too.

 

It would be nice to find a set of Michelins to swap your tires with. They are one tire that I have never seen these noise and vibration problems with, and I recommend them to anyone who is sensitive to ride quality or noise. I would also be critical of any tire that gives a bit of a wobble at certain temperatures.

Secondly, have you played around with this vibration on the highway to eliminate certain causes? For example, if you get the vibration to happen consistently, then shift manually into a lower gear the engine will speed up. If the vibration does not change, that should eliminate the engine (and harmonic balancer) as a cause.

Drive up to a speed past the vibration speed and then decelerate down through the vibration range. Does it still occur at the same intensity on decel?

I also like to drive it up into the vibration range, then slip it into neutral and shut off the engine. (don't turn the key back too far and lock the steering).
Does it still occur when the engine is shut off? Does it sound any different when the engine noise isn't there to mask it?

I have used these things to analyze noises and vibrations for years and while I understand they might not be helpful to the average driver, any extra info you might be able to gain might help you zone in on the right area of the vehicle to focus on.

 

Funny you should mention the Michelins. I had a 99 Durango that I had gone from the factory 15" wheels tires to 17" wheels with Goodyear Eagle GT II's. The truck rode horribly. Had the shimmy/shakes similar to what the Aspen is experiencing. After a year of going from Discount Tire to Discount Tire (nice thing about living in Houston, there's a Discount Tire on every corner) they finally replaced them. They gave a $99 credit on each tire (I paid $95, weird) and I got a nice set of Michelins for another $400. The Durango rode perfect after that. Hmmmm..maybe...

 

Yeah, I have seen a lot of problems with Goodyears, especially Eagles. They would start to vibrate, so you'd balance them and they'd be good for a month or so then they'd start the vibration again. They'd always like to wobble for a bit when you first started out in the morning too. I know what you're talking about.