More Vibration Problems!!!

[Jlewis240]

I started noticing a small vibration in the car as it reaches highway speeds (60mph). I took my car to discount tire and had them rotate and balance the tires. Got back on the road and it felt great. I went about a mile down the road and it started back again. There was a small vibration in the steering wheel also. I took the car back a few days later and they said they were gonna do a road force balance. They said they had to turn one tire that was on the back 180 degrees and remount. Got back on the road and it felt fine for that first mile or so then it started back again. I took it to national tire and battery and they re balanced all four tires and still had the same problem. The car doesn't pull to either side, and the tire genius at discount tire said the tires didnt show wear from being out of alignment. Sorry so long but I need some help.

20" saleen wheels with pirelli p zero Nero. 275 35 20

Also...i have removed the front rotor keeper washers with no change. I noticed my wheels have the cut outs for them anyway. The shaking doesn't really get worse when i hit the brakes but it stays about the same until i slow down below 60 or so. I am going to turn the front rotors tomorrow to see if it changes anything. But any help before then would be much appreciated.

 

[BAKnBLK2010]

If the car isn't shaking or the brake pedal pulsating when you hit the brakes turning the rotors would be a waste of money. Did this problem just start or has it done it the whole time you have had the 20" wheels?

 

[Jlewis240]

I bought the car in January used and it already had the 20s on it. I can feel some pulsating in the brakes when pressed. I just can't imagine they would be so bad that it makes the steering wheel shake while driving without pressing the brakes. Somebody mentioned it and i figure I would try it. Its a cheaper test than other suggestions from friends. Like new wheels and tires, etc. The fact that it does it after i have driven on it a little. Thats whats leading me to think that it could be the rotors after they heat up. I noticed it about a month ago, and now that i know it's there it just bothers me.

 

[demarcom]

Give that a try. I had a bad pulsating when applying the brakes on my Infiniti, and it also caused the steering wheel shake when goiong over 50mph (as if wheels are out of balance). had the rotors cut and it did make a difference.

 

[gil_t2]

It is not your rotors, If you want to check them get a dial indicator and check the run out, Don't just tho parts at it! If you do resurface the rotors you must replace the pads, if you don't you will glaze them and lose about 20% of your braking. See if a friend with a mustang has a set of tires you can try, It is possible that you have a bad tire and it will not balance. ( it will show balance on the machine, but at certain speeds it's bad ) This happens with big rim tires. Continentals had a problem with some of there 18" tires some time ago, impossible to balance.

 

[BruceH]

It is not your rotors, If you want to check them get a dial indicator and check the run out, Don't just tho parts at it! If you do resurface the rotors you must replace the pads, if you don't you will glaze them and lose about 20% of your braking. See if a friend with a mustang has a set of tires you can try, It is possible that you have a bad tire and it will not balance. ( it will show balance on the machine, but at certain speeds it's bad ) This happens with big rim tires. Continentals had a problem with some of there 18" tires some time ago, impossible to balance.

I've had this happen. One way to tell for sure is to swap the spare in or someone elses tire. Once the vibration goes away you know which tire it is.

When it happened to me the culprit was tread seperation. Very easy to see on the tire balance machine if the operator is looking for it.

 

[SD07GT]

I started noticing a small vibration in the car as it reaches highway speeds (60mph). I took my car to discount tire and had them rotate and balance the tires. Got back on the road and it felt great. I went about a mile down the road and it started back again. There was a small vibration in the steering wheel also. I took the car back a few days later and they said they were gonna do a road force balance. They said they had to turn one tire that was on the back 180 degrees and remount. Got back on the road and it felt fine for that first mile or so then it started back again. I took it to national tire and battery and they re balanced all four tires and still had the same problem. The car doesn't pull to either side, and the tire genius at discount tire said the tires didnt show wear from being out of alignment. Sorry so long but I need some help.

20" saleen wheels with pirelli p zero Nero. 275 35 20

100 % bad ball joints ! .....if no tire seperation or damage to any parts ! Do you know how many mustangs are runing on bad ball joints and people dont know it . (2005) and up

 

[DPHC13]

i would consider the balljoints and tie rod ends. Do you have any clunking or slop in the steering? Also do you have or need hub centric rings in the rims? I had a shake on my Tiburon and it was that i needed hun centric rings on the rims. The tire shops couldn't figure this out!

 

[Jlewis240]

Well I had the rotors turn by a mechanic friend so it was free, and it didn't help. I rotated the front tires to the back, and now the shaking is in the rear. So my guess is obviously a bad tire. I had thought about having another road force balance done on the rear tires...but I think I'm just going to replace the rear tires and see what happens.

I didn't replace the pads because they still had plenty of life left on them. I took them off and inspected them for un-even wear, and didn't really see it. The mechanic said it should be fine. I guess it just depends on who you ask. Thanks for all the insight.

 

[BruceH]

Well I had the rotors turn by a mechanic friend so it was free, and it didn't help. I rotated the front tires to the back, and now the shaking is in the rear. So my guess is obviously a bad tire. I had thought about having another road force balance done on the rear tires...but I think I'm just going to replace the rear tires and see what happens.

I didn't replace the pads because they still had plenty of life left on them. I took them off and inspected them for un-even wear, and didn't really see it. The mechanic said it should be fine. I guess it just depends on who you ask. Thanks for all the insight.

The place that turned the tire 180 to get it balanced was inexperienced as far as tires go. If they won't balance or the balance moves it needs to be replaced. I'd stay away from that place but that's me.

Now that you know it's in the rear just swap your spare in and if the vibration goes away you know that is the bad tire.

 

[gil_t2]

Well I had the rotors turn by a mechanic friend so it was free, and it didn't help. I rotated the front tires to the back, and now the shaking is in the rear. So my guess is obviously a bad tire. I had thought about having another road force balance done on the rear tires...but I think I'm just going to replace the rear tires and see what happens.

I didn't replace the pads because they still had plenty of life left on them. I took them off and inspected them for un-even wear, and didn't really see it. The mechanic said it should be fine. I guess it just depends on who you ask. Thanks for all the insight.

Since you kept the same pads, you should have used coarse sand paper and a block of wood ,and resurfaced the pads. If they start to squeal you will have to do the rotors again with new pads.

 

[kcobra]

That isn't necessarily true. There are high and low spots on tires and it does help to rotate 180 sometimes. You can put less wheel weights to balance. That is the key, to balance with as least weights as possible. Good quality tires with good quality wheels will balance with none or minimal weights. I've had 2 wheels before that were balanced without weights.

The place that turned the tire 180 to get it balanced was inexperienced as far as tires go. If they won't balance or the balance moves it needs to be replaced. I'd stay away from that place but that's me.

Now that you know it's in the rear just swap your spare in and if the vibration goes away you know that is the bad tire.

 

[Ryan331]

If your steering wheel is shaking back and forth when you feel the vibration, chances are it is not the rear wheels.. It's something causing the steering rack to transmit a shimmy.. either tire vibration, wheel, hub, ball joint, tie rod end.. something along those lines would be worth starting with.

Tires may balance out ok, but are they worn perfectly evenly? any feathering/cupping can cause a vibration but won't show any balance issues

 

[Jlewis240]

If your steering wheel is shaking back and forth when you feel the vibration, chances are it is not the rear wheels.. It's something causing the steering rack to transmit a shimmy.. either tire vibration, wheel, hub, ball joint, tie rod end.. something along those lines would be worth starting with.

Tires may balance out ok, but are they worn perfectly evenly? any feathering/cupping can cause a vibration but won't show any balance issues

I had the tires rotated back to the original positions. The steering wheel isn't shaking anymore. Its just in the rear of the car. I was concerned that it was something other than the tires or wheels. Now I'm convinced that it's just that and not something else.

@Kcobra- I'm going tomorrow to a different shop to have them road force balance the back tires, and go from there.

Thanks!

 

[Ryan331]

Gotcha.. cool... I'm not sure if the Pirelli P Zero's have any balance issues but I had a set of BFGs that wouldn't balance for anything to the point they wore the tire, I switched to dunlops (and since, a set of michelins) and have had zero problems since..

The wear was so bad, it was like I had a blown strut or failed ball joint..

 

[tjm73]

This thread is about a month old, but I just mounted four brand new 275/40 P-Zero's on 19" wheels and I have the same shimmy/shake in my steering wheel.

Did you ever sort yours out?

On mine it seems the shimmy comes and go some what. On sweeping corners it minimizes when turning to the right, but doesn't go away. Sweeping left it almost complete disappears. Under acceleration, it almost completely stops and under braking it goes away as I drop under 58-60 mph. It's worst on long straight stretches at constant speeds.

I guess tonight I will try to swap the fronts to the backs. I think it's the left front. I might swap left front to left rear since I think it's that front tire.

 

[Jlewis240]

I have just learned to deal with the problem I guess. It get bad at 75-80!so I try to keep it under 75. I I keep the tire pressure around 35 it's better. I am just waiting until the tires wear out and will buy new ones. I wish I had answers, but then again I wish I could fix my problem too.

 

[KillrStang]

Hey your passenger seat doesnt happen to shake while you drive at highway speeds does it?

Sadly if it does i dont have the answer to the problem but im about to under go some trouble shooting of my own. My issue doesnt involve the steering wheel shaking tho. If i solve it then ill be sure to update you.

Bad ball joints??? what this about?