Slight Vibration on Steering Wheel at 75 mph

[qcman]

Hi all, just like the title says I have a slight steering wheel vibration at about 70-75 mph. (110-120KPH). I did a search but situation is a little different.

About 3 months ago I had parked the car beside a median in a parking lot and forgot it was there when I pulled out Doh!!! Wheel went over it and 3k damage to my SS. Cars all fixed but I have this persistent vibe. I was concerned about the rim at the time so I had them check it and align the car.

They said they spun the rim and it was all good. I was going to take it back for another look but thought I would ask if there is anything else I should do? Its not a lot but it is there. I didn't notice it initially as I hadn't been on the highway at those speeds really til recently. Any thoughts are welcomed!!

Cheers,

Cam

[Mr. iNCREDIBLE]

typically speed related vibrations mean the tire is out of balance..

if it vibrated all the time, the wheel is out of round..

if it only vibrates at a given speed and not before or after than speed range, the tire needs to be rebalanced.


I would recommend finding a shop that can do a road-force balance, and not simply a tire spin balance.


a road-force balancer uses a roller to apply 800-1500lbs of pressure to simulate the weigh of the vehicle as it rolls against the road, and the sensors in the roller can detect the variations in the tread, the stiffness, or if the tire is isn't completely round..

a simple spin test cannot determine these factors, and with low profile and wide tires the road-force balance is recommended to correct vibrations at higher speeds.

[Rico]

Definitely sounds like the balance is off. If it was the alignment then I could pull to one side or the other.

[qcman]

Hi thank you so it may have nothing to do with the accident and just be a tire balance problem as you say. I will see if I can get them balanced using the methods you note I will have to shop around a bit to find I assume.

Cam

[qcman]

Originally Posted by Rico

Definitely sounds like the balance is off. If it was the alignment then I could pull to one side or the other.

No it steers nice and straight so I'm sure its in the tires. I read that a steering vibe is typically front tires and seat is usually rears which made me think it could be accident related. Realistically the wheel should have been fine it was the side panel landing on the curb that caused the car damage ( & the idiot behind the wheel lol). The wheel just rode up over not like from an impact.

Thx Rico!

[Mr. iNCREDIBLE]

Just Tires and Discount Tires in the USA have road-force balancers (at least all the ones around here)

[qcman]

Originally Posted by Mr. iNCREDIBLE

Just Tires and Discount Tires in the USA have road-force balancers (at least all the ones around here)

Hi I just talked to a local guy who has one and specializes in rims & tires. He said it could be a balance or a slightly bent rim issue but apparently the road-force gives a report so at least i will know & get it sorted. Thx I'll report back once I see what happens next. On the plus side the report if it notes a warped rim will allow me to get it covered by insurance from the original claim I would think

Cam

[qcman]

Update: Rim is warped so going after my insurance now.... On another note P-Zeros were pretty much shot with 14000 miles on them so I had them replaced with BFG Geforce Sport Comp 2's but haven't had much chance to drive on them yet.

Rears were bald and fronts had flat spots----- Not impressed! Still have to either get a new rim or have this one straightened if the insurance denies my additional claim.

Cam

[WheelHero]

Originally Posted by qcman

Update: Rim is warped so going after my insurance now.... On another note P-Zeros were pretty much shot with 14000 miles on them so I had them replaced with BFG Geforce Sport Comp 2's but haven't had much chance to drive on them yet.

Rears were bald and fronts had flat spots----- Not impressed! Still have to either get a new rim or have this one straightened if the insurance denies my additional claim.

Cam

I would suggest giving it a test drive before anything. Flat spots on your tire and rears going bald will also cause for vibrations. If they checked your balance with the bad tires it will throw an error code regardless due to tires being bad. Give them a test drive and check if the vibration is still there.

[qcman]

Thx wheelhero they are saying the rim is bent when they spun it with the new tires on. I had hit a curb and really damaged the car 3 months ago. I do notice some vibes still but the new tires are pretty stiff too I'm not sure if I like these tires yet to be honest... They don't feel as nice to drive on as the P-Zeros were. Any thoughts on them?

They never tried to balance the old ones just told me they were pretty much done especially the rears (bald) and said the fronts had "chop" I guess their tire guy lingo.... While Road Force Balancing the new tires they said the rim is a problem and needs repair or replacing.

Thx,

Cam

[WheelHero]

Cam,

If it's a slight bend and your insurance company gives you a hard time you should be able to find a wheel repair shop in your vicinity. Shouldn't run you no more than 150 on the expensive side. Anything more then that would be highway robbery and you're better off just getting a new wheel. As far as the tires are concerned, I've ran the BFg's before and although am a fan of the grip they are a bit rough and tend to get noisy with wear. I believe the BFg has about a 120 threadwear difference which is what is causing the stiffer ride compared to the Pzero which is a 200 I believe. Pro to it is that it will last a little longer being that it has a higher thread wear.

[qcman]

Hi thx... Yeah the tire guy wanted to send my rim to be straightened but I held him off until I tried dealing with my insurance. This could have only ocurred as a result of what happened to the car when I hit. Still waiting to hear. And yeah he said 150-200 of course those are Canadian dollars which are like tiny US ones lol. I assume he thought it could be straightened.

Hopefully the insurance comes across and outright replaces the rim but will have to wait and see. As for the tires I'm trying to decide if I should go whine to the tire shop guy about them or not and not sure if that would do much good anyways at this point been on the car for two days. They are nice tires but pretty rough riding it seems though reviews say otherwise... weird!

Cam

[WheelHero]

Yeah if the insurance company is willing to take care of it fight for them to replace the wheel versus repairing it. If it's only a minor bend, it can be fixed and shouldn't be expensive at all. Maybe even 75-100 if anything, however still fight for a replacement.

As for the tires, it could be a hit or miss if you complain. Some shops are willing to work with the customer and charge a slight fee for replacing the tires. It's always worth a try.

[qcman]

I'm hoping they will make it right. I was told by the repair shop initially that the wheel was not damaged in the least which was BS it appears. So i'm trying for a new rim but will fix it if it can be fixed if they deny me. Of course its been 3 months since the car was fixed but it was never highway driven til recently when I started to notice it. Its a cruising car for the most part

I'm going to give the tires a go for a day or two and see I think hopefully i'll start to like them but if not i'll inquire to see if they would work with me as you suggested...


Cam