[xappie]

Hey all

I have been noticing lately that when I get up to about 120KM/h on the highway, my steering wheel begins to vibrate a bit... nothing serious (yet) but noticeable.

I had an alignment done about 3 months ago, and it still seems to be driving straight so I don't know if that could be the problem. I also had my summer tires put back on about 2 weeks ago and they were balanced at the time so I don't know about that either... what else could it be? Any ideas? Anything I can check out without taking it to the dealer?

Another thing I noticed, don't know if it is related, but it seems to me that the suspension is getting bouncy - kinda like Grandmas old buick over bumps on the highway - long, slow bounces of the whole vehicle. :(

[Paparoach]

Usually when a vibration comes at a certain speed it is a wheel issue....

You said your wheels were balanced but are the rims straight? That is the only thing really I can see

[xappie]

Paparoach,May 19 2004, 08:53 AM Wrote:Usually when a vibration comes at a certain speed it is a wheel issue....

You said your wheels were balanced but are the rims straight? That is the only thing really I can see

I have no idea how to tell if the rims are straight. They look fine to me, I don't see any dents or anything. :(

[Flofocus]

Paparoach,May 19 2004, 09:53 AM Wrote:Usually when a vibration comes at a certain speed it is a wheel issue....

You said your wheels were balanced but are the rims straight? That is the only thing really I can see

Im gonna say bent rim. I had a bent rim in the front and when I went for my alignment they changed the bent one to the back....No more vibration at 120Km/hr + :o

[Paparoach]

Straight rim...lol...I did mean bent honestly :P

[naz]

could be your tires and wheels got unbalanced after their long storage

[Zoom]

Maybe the weights off the rims?

[lordkingod]

Either your toe is off.... but you said you had an alignment done.... so I would suggest bumping up your tire pressure...

I had the same thing: I put the wheels on, did an alignment and after a few weeks started to get vibration.... after 5 weeks one wheel was totally cupped... So I replaced the one wheel, had the tires balanced and filled the tires up to 40 psi and the problem went away... cheapest repair ever B)

-P@

ps. Im no suspension guru but I think lots of camber combined with low pro tires and low tire pressure just destroys tires

[xappie]

Thanks for all the replies guys....

Ok, the wheels were re-balanced only 2 weeks ago. There is still one weight on each wheel, so I don't think any fell off. :(

Tire pressure is good. 32psi each corner (factory tires, factory pressure spec.) :)

I guess I will have to take it in and have it checked out.

[Paparoach]

xappie,May 19 2004, 03:39 PM Wrote:Thanks for all the replies guys....

Ok, the wheels were re-balanced only 2 weeks ago. There is still one weight on each wheel, so I don't think any fell off. :(

Tire pressure is good. 32psi each corner (factory tires, factory pressure spec.) :)

I guess I will have to take it in and have it checked out.

One weight per wheel...most of the time there is two.

[naz]

just a random comment.. i think the 'factory tire pressure spec' should be viewed more as the minimum cold pressure that the tires should be inflated to, not the target

the craptastic stock goodyears i ran at 40psi so the sidewalls wouldn't run over so much,

and kumho 712s i ran 34psi front, 32psi rear... those didn't like lots of pressure at all..

did you store the tires fully inflated? were they damp or anything? so many variables..


and... lastly... you went from winter tires to summer tires? what tires are you running.. could be that you are just getting more feedback now and you aren't used to them because of the sloppy winter tires would had on for so long...

[NOS2Go4Me]

I'm running my stockers @ 36 PSI all the way around. They're noticeably crisper on turn in when compared against 30-32 PSI. Not sure if that's what they were meant to be at, I ought to check the doorjamb sometime.

[boost til'bust]

did you put the tires back on the same places they came off?

sometimes when a tire is changed from left to the right side(or right to left) it can cause vibrations.

[naz]

NOS2Go4Me,May 20 2004, 01:35 AM Wrote:Not sure if that's what they were meant to be at, I ought to check the doorjamb sometime.

just check that you dont inflate past the max printed on the tire, and look to see if you overinflated.. a good way to check is if you drive over a damp area, see which part of the tread is wet. if its just the center its too much air.. also chalk up the sidewalls to see if they are rolling over when you are cornering hard

i think the goal is to get enough air in there so the sidewalls don't roll over, without over inflating

[NOS2Go4Me]

Actually Naz, I did that the other day. It appears to be tracking as intended, with no sidewall rub, and pretty much the entire tread appears to be against the road (for the contact patch).

Thanks for the heads-up though :)

[xappie]

naz,May 19 2004, 09:53 PM Wrote:

NOS2Go4Me,May 20 2004, 01:35 AM Wrote:Not sure if that's what they were meant to be at, I ought to check the doorjamb sometime.

just check that you dont inflate past the max printed on the tire, and look to see if you overinflated.. a good way to check is if you drive over a damp area, see which part of the tread is wet. if its just the center its too much air.. also chalk up the sidewalls to see if they are rolling over when you are cornering hard

i think the goal is to get enough air in there so the sidewalls don't roll over, without over inflating

Could you explain how to chalk the sidewalls, and what I should be looking for??

[lordkingod]

Sorry to use Darkpuppets pic but you'll notice the chalk on his tire:

<a href='http://www.darkpuppet.com/images/way_gay_flame.jpg'></a>

Well you simply take chalk or shoe polish and lay a stripe up the side wall of the tire and around onto the tread surface. Then take your car for a spin and do some hard cornering. Get out and check the tires. Idealy the chalk should be worn away from the tread surface and around the edge just to the top of the sidewall.... If the chalk is worn away part way down the sidewall then the tire pressure is too low, and you should fill them up, rechalk and try again.

Did that make any sense? :blink:

-P@

[xappie]

lordkingod,May 20 2004, 02:26 PM Wrote:Sorry to use Darkpuppets pic but you'll notice the chalk on his tire:

&lt;a href='http://www.darkpuppet.com/images/way_gay_flame.jpg'&gt;<a href='http://www.darkpuppet.com/images/way_gay_flame.jpg'></a>&lt;/a&gt;

Well you simply take chalk or shoe polish and lay a stripe up the side wall of the tire and around onto the tread surface. Then take your car for a spin and do some hard cornering. Get out and check the tires. Idealy the chalk should be worn away from the tread surface and around the edge just to the top of the sidewall.... If the chalk is worn away part way down the sidewall then the tire pressure is too low, and you should fill them up, rechalk and try again.

Did that make any sense? :blink:

-P@

Yeah, that makes perfect sense. I will try that out this weekend. Thanks!!