37-43mph shake

[Skullzaflare]

i believe its the tires but it could be something else

i have had no shakes out of this car since i got it.

ive been driving on eibach lowering springs and shp struts.

i bought new tires last week, 205-55-16 for the front, 245-50-16 for the rear, all 4 falken ze-502's

after installing new tires i had a shake at 37-43mph, where it almost throws the car off the road, doesnt happen anywhere else

i had the 16x7, 16x8 on it at the time

shortly after i found out the 245 on a 8 wheel rub, so i swapped all the tires to the shp wheels. balancer said the front wheels were way off anyway.. bad balance?

after installing shp wheels, i found out my speedo is about 5mph slow now from the taller rear tires. but i still have a bad shake at 37-43mph

im thinking i either got a defective tire, or something failed in the front end when it was jacked up to swap front tires the first time

 

in the mean time, i installed the d2 front coilovers, and still have the same shake

 

any thoughts?

[ucw458]

First I would check for out of round tires.

 

Second I would check the U-joints on the driveshaft. I had a bad rear u-joint on mine and intermittantly it would start shaking so violantly I would have to slow down to 20mph to make it stop. Vibration was so bad I stopped driving it until I found the problem. I thought it was tires but when I took the driveshaft off for a different repair I found the rear u-joint barely moved. My car is vibration free now.

[M Code]

i believe its the tires but it could be something else

i have had no shakes out of this car since i got it.

ive been driving on eibach lowering springs and shp struts.

i bought new tires last week, 205-55-16 for the front, 245-50-16 for the rear, all 4 falken ze-502's

after installing new tires i had a shake at 37-43mph, where it almost throws the car off the road, doesnt happen anywhere else

i had the 16x7, 16x8 on it at the time

shortly after i found out the 245 on a 8 wheel rub, so i swapped all the tires to the shp wheels. balancer said the front wheels were way off anyway.. bad balance?

after installing shp wheels, i found out my speedo is about 5mph slow now from the taller rear tires. but i still have a bad shake at 37-43mph

im thinking i either got a defective tire, or something failed in the front end when it was jacked up to swap front tires the first time

 

in the mean time, i installed the d2 front coilovers, and still have the same shake

 

any thoughts?

 

Find an alignment shop that balances the front wheels while mounted on the car..

Frequently we have found front wheel hubs and rims that need to be balanced as a unit..

 

Just my $0.02...

[The Rabbit1]

Find an alignment shop that balances the front wheels while mounted on the car..

Frequently we have found front wheel hubs and rims that need to be balanced as a unit..

 

Just my $0.02...

never seen that, but I can imagine it exists does your shop do it? wonder what the price runs. I agree it sounds like a balance issue.

[M Code]

never seen that, but I can imagine it exists does your shop do it? wonder what the price runs. I agree it sounds like a balance issue.

 

 

Still done by the old time shops..

The wheel spinner is rolled up under the tire..

The problem today is that almost every tire shop uses the computer rotator which is fine if the wheel is balanced itself.. But we have frequently found custom rims and high performance vehicles are more critical, we have found on our drag racing cars that run 150 MPH this to be crucial point..

 

Just my $0.02...

[Skullzaflare]

First I would check for out of round tires.

 

Second I would check the U-joints on the driveshaft. I had a bad rear u-joint on mine and intermittantly it would start shaking so violantly I would have to slow down to 20mph to make it stop. Vibration was so bad I stopped driving it until I found the problem. I thought it was tires but when I took the driveshaft off for a different repair I found the rear u-joint barely moved. My car is vibration free now.

shake is also in steering wheel

 

Still done by the old time shops..

The wheel spinner is rolled up under the tire..

The problem today is that almost every tire shop uses the computer rotator which is fine if the wheel is balanced itself.. But we have frequently found custom rims and high performance vehicles are more critical, we have found on our drag racing cars that run 150 MPH this to be crucial point..

 

Just my $0.02...

even for our stock wheels?

[M Code]

shake is also in steering wheel

 

 

even for our stock wheels?

 

Yes..

When the wheel/tire is balanced on the car itself, it adds the mass of the hub so now the entire assembly is being spun for balancing..

Note that I am assuming that the tires were properly balanced to begin with..

As frequently this done in a qwikee, haphazard way..

 

Just my $0.02...

[Coke]

Your wheel balance is off. My car once threw weights off while driving....and at these same speeds, the car would develop a wobble-like shake. Wheel balance was wayyyyyy out of spec.

[Skullzaflare]

Your wheel balance is off. My car once threw weights off while driving....and at these same speeds, the car would develop a wobble-like shake. Wheel balance was wayyyyyy out of spec.

but it did it on 2 different sets of wheels, different balancers, different weights

[ucw458]

shake is also in steering wheel

 

 

Mine was too. I was sure it was the tires. BUT I fixed the u-joint problem and DIDN'T replace the tires and the vibration went away.

 

What can it hurt to check the driveshaft? It's something that rarely gets checked anyway.

[M Code]

but it did it on 2 different sets of wheels, different balancers, different weights

 

 

Steering vibration is almost always caused by the tires/wheels out of balance. One other area to check are your tie rod ends, but when they start to loosen the vibration typically will continue as the speed builds..

 

Just my $0.02...

[Skullzaflare]

Mine was too. I was sure it was the tires. BUT I fixed the u-joint problem and DIDN'T replace the tires and the vibration went away.

 

What can it hurt to check the driveshaft? It's something that rarely gets checked anyway.

but to have no problems, change the tires, pull out and have the shake, i mean last i checked my lug nuts didnt touch the driveshaft lol

Steering vibration is almost always caused by the tires/wheels out of balance. One other area to check are your tie rod ends, but when they start to loosen the vibration typically will continue as the speed builds..

 

Just my $0.02...

im thinking its a tie rod, if i jack the car up unloading suspension, the driver wheel has a very slight movement pushing top and bottom

[ucw458]

but to have no problems, change the tires, pull out and have the shake, i mean last i checked my lug nuts didnt touch the driveshaft lol

 

You don't have to touch the driveshaft for a u-joint to go bad. They just do. Mine went out when I was driving home. Almost there and it started vibrating badly. Vibrations travel in weird ways. You can't always tell where they are coming from.

 

A good example is my wife's escort. 70mph and above it started to shake. It felt like the front right tire. I got lots of vibration in the steering wheel. I changed CV shafts, had the tire checked, checked the steering, everything I could think of but nothing. Then by accident she got a flat on the front right tire. I swapped the right rear to the front and put the donut tire on the rear. The vibrations tripled. Turns out the rear tire was cupped and causing the vibration.

[The Rabbit1]

im thinking its a tie rod, if i jack the car up unloading suspension, the driver wheel has a very slight movement pushing top and bottom

that would be a wheel bearing. tie rod would be play left to right and you can see half the tie rod move before the other half.

[The Rabbit1]

You don't have to touch the driveshaft for a u-joint to go bad. They just do. Mine went out when I was driving home. Almost there and it started vibrating badly. Vibrations travel in weird ways. You can't always tell where they are coming from.

 

A good example is my wife's escort. 70mph and above it started to shake. It felt like the front right tire. I got lots of vibration in the steering wheel. I changed CV shafts, had the tire checked, checked the steering, everything I could think of but nothing. Then by accident she got a flat on the front right tire. I swapped the right rear to the front and put the donut tire on the rear. The vibrations tripled. Turns out the rear tire was cupped and causing the vibration.

so we all say tire, you scream u-joint and then go into a story about how your wife's car had the same problem and it was a tire?

[Wolf87Conquest]

If the car was vibration free before the new tires....it would stand to reason the tires and balancing is not where it should be. If you swapped wheels and used the same tires...I would think you got a "bad" tire(s). It's known to happen that tires can be made wrong....shell, bead, belts, even tread can slip thru their quality control.

What I think might be happening the balancing done was ok...the belts within are not right somehow, and when the speed get high enough, the belts move and unbalance the wheel.

This is assuming the car was fine before the swap.

Many parts in the steering, suspension and drive train can cause this issue...all steering components, steering knuckle, wheel bearings, suspension parts/bushings in front...CV joints and suspension parts/bushings in the rear...all drive line parts from trans rearward as well as trans and engine mounts. I've even found an "out of spec" brake rotor can cause this.

[Guest]

This aint rocket science man. Check the drive shaft u-joints just for chats and giggles, it cost's you nothing. I had a set of u-joints go bad on me out of nowhere, felt it in the steering wheel as well, felt it on my seat, felt it everywhere.

 

Check rear diff and axles for anything abnormal, bent drive shafts etc. Believe it or not, drive shaft do bend, specially if a tard tire shop places the jacks in the wrong place.

 

Inspect tires and wheels and take them back to a tire shop to check for balancing. Those are the most basic things.

[ucw458]

so we all say tire, you scream u-joint and then go into a story about how your wife's car had the same problem and it was a tire?

 

 

IF you read what I posted I said it couldn't hurt to check the driveshaft because on my car the problem was the driveshaft. Also notice my FIRST suggestion was to check the tires.

 

The escort story was a metaphor. Meaning the problem wasn't where I was sure it was. I was positive it was in the front end and never thought to check the rear. The vibration felt like it was in the front. Same thing with my SQ, I was sure it was the tires but it turned out to be the driveshaft. Besides the driveshaft almost never gets checked for wear so it couldn't hurt to check it anyway. Wouldn't you rather check for a possible problem before it leaves you stranded on the road? It's only 4 bolts.

[Corey]

Wheel balance is my guess. Working with this kind of think on the daily, this is the most common.

 

Otherwise, you can do this.

 

Jack the front of the car up. Grab each wheel. Shake up and down, and side to side. Side to side is GENERALLY play in tie rods, Up and Down is GENERALLY ball joints. Both present is wheel bearing USUALLY. However, a very bad ball joint will cause side to side play. Have a helper shake the wheel, while you check it out with a flash light.

 

Spin a wheel, grab the corresponding spring, if you feel vibrations. Your wheel bearing is bad.

 

Then you can go on to ujoints.

 

Have you had the drive shaft off recently? ive heard not aligning it to where it was previously can cause a vibration...however this doesnt make much sense to me, seeing as what would happen if you bought a brand new drive shaft?

 

Check your CV Joints, a bad one will cause a nasty vibration.

 

Id rec checking the front end and front wheel balance first however, seeing as your feeling this in the wheel. Brakes including, pry your calipers apart, be sure that the slides slide freely, if not a pad could be catching on a warped rotor, or something like that.

 

 

Just some ideas.

[Skullzaflare]

IF you read what I posted I said it couldn't hurt to check the driveshaft because on my car the problem was the driveshaft. Also notice my FIRST suggestion was to check the tires.

 

The escort story was a metaphor. Meaning the problem wasn't where I was sure it was. I was positive it was in the front end and never thought to check the rear. The vibration felt like it was in the front. Same thing with my SQ, I was sure it was the tires but it turned out to be the driveshaft. Besides the driveshaft almost never gets checked for wear so it couldn't hurt to check it anyway. Wouldn't you rather check for a possible problem before it leaves you stranded on the road? It's only 4 bolts.

possibly, but explain how a driveshaft was cause the steering wheel to turn left and right bouncing like a off balance tire or falling off wheel

also, it only shakes at said mph, no shakes otherwise even 100mph

Wheel balance is my guess. Working with this kind of think on the daily, this is the most common.

 

Otherwise, you can do this.

 

Jack the front of the car up. Grab each wheel. Shake up and down, and side to side. Side to side is GENERALLY play in tie rods, Up and Down is GENERALLY ball joints. Both present is wheel bearing USUALLY. However, a very bad ball joint will cause side to side play. Have a helper shake the wheel, while you check it out with a flash light.

 

Spin a wheel, grab the corresponding spring, if you feel vibrations. Your wheel bearing is bad.

 

Then you can go on to ujoints.

 

Have you had the drive shaft off recently? ive heard not aligning it to where it was previously can cause a vibration...however this doesnt make much sense to me, seeing as what would happen if you bought a brand new drive shaft?

 

Check your CV Joints, a bad one will cause a nasty vibration.

 

Id rec checking the front end and front wheel balance first however, seeing as your feeling this in the wheel. Brakes including, pry your calipers apart, be sure that the slides slide freely, if not a pad could be catching on a warped rotor, or something like that.

 

 

Just some ideas.

ill check the joints

[ucw458]

possibly, but explain how a driveshaft was cause the steering wheel to turn left and right bouncing like a off balance tire or falling off wheel

also, it only shakes at said mph, no shakes otherwise even 100mph

 

 

No where in my posts did I say your problem is the driveshaft. What I said was my cars problem ended up being the driveshaft so it couldn't hurt to check yours. You asked for help and I gave a suggestion. Take it or leave it. Sometimes you have to look in places you don't normally look to find a vibration.

 

btw my car did the 30-40mph sake too. I assumed it was tires and never got around to fixing it. Then the U-joint got worse and the vibration made the car undriveable. Thankfully I was 10 miles from home on my way back from vegas when it got worse and not halfway to vegas.

Edited March 11, 2011 by ucw458

[Starfighterpilot]

Reading your OP, ya did not have the problem before you put on the new tires, but you had it immediately after they were installed.

 

You also said that a tie rod may be a problem. SSSSSOOOOO replace it if you have the slightest inclination that it's bad because of the symptoms you described.

 

If this does not correct the problem........................

 

DUH!!!! Take the damn tires back and DEMAND that you get another set.

 

There are tires that have problems from the factory. I had a bad set of Good Year Double Eagles, back in the late '70's, that were bad. Good Year replaced 'em after a test drive by their rep.

 

Being a former small business owner, quit carrying the tire monkey on your back and put it on the tire dealer's back. Keep in consideration that you did not have the problem before you bought the new tires. If the tires are not the problem, then demand to know what did the tire dealer do to cause the problem that you have now.

 

Ya should have drove right back to the tire dealer on your way home from having your new tires installed as soon as this problem, that you noted in your OP, reared it's ugly head.

 

You may be SOOL, if the tire dealer wants to be hard nosed - because of the elapsed time since you bought the tires.

 

For What It's Worth.

 

KEN

Edited March 11, 2011 by Starfighterpilot

[Skullzaflare]

Reading your OP, ya did not have the problem before you put on the new tires, but you had it immediately after they were installed.

 

You also said that a tie rod may be a problem. SSSSSOOOOO replace it if you have the slightest inclination that it's bad because of the symptoms you described.

 

If this does not correct the problem........................

 

DUH!!!! Take the damn tires back and DEMAND that you get another set.

 

There are tires that have problems from the factory. I had a bad set of Good Year Double Eagles, back in the late '70's, that were bad. Good Year replaced 'em after a test drive by their rep.

 

Being a former small business owner, quit carrying the tire monkey on your back and put it on the tire dealer's back. Keep in consideration that you did not have the problem before you bought the new tires. If the tires are not the problem, then demand to know what did the tire dealer do to cause the problem that you have now.

 

Ya should have drove right back to the tire dealer on your way home from having your new tires installed as soon as this problem, that you noted in your OP, reared it's ugly head.

 

You may be SOOL, if the tire dealer wants to be hard nosed - because of the elapsed time since you bought the tires.

 

For What It's Worth.

 

KEN

bought them online at vulcantire

they requested i try switching to a different tire and see if it continues, they agree it may be a bad tire

[Skullzaflare]

stopped by my fathers shop today, and had him take a look. he said everything seems fine, i took him down the road and no shake. so he thinks i have a caliper dragging causing it. which would explain the pull to the right

[The Rabbit1]

it would explain the pull, but a caliper causing a shake? unlikely. they might be two different problems even.