Weird front end vibration at highway speeds

[ghunt81]

Alright so my car, at highway speeds (70ish mph) has a constant vibration through the steering wheel. It's not as noticeable going straight but you can feel it, and when you turn slightly for highway turns, the wheel wiggles back and forth big time.

I didn't notice it as much before because I wasn't driving 20 miles on the highway every day, but it's really annoying. Is this a wheel balance issue, tire issue? I have 19x8.5 S550 wheels with 255/40ZR19 Ohtsu FP8000 tires. I am running extended thread lug nuts because I had to use a very small spacer to clear my Brembos. Tires are all at 34 PSI, I just put some air in all of them last week when i got it out for the year.

Do I need hub centric rings?

 

[Dino Dino Bambino]

Hub centric spacers will definitely help. If your existing ones aren't hub centric they may induce a degree of vibration even if they're just a tiny bit off center. For good measure it wouldn't do any harm to balance the wheels while you're there.
I wouldn't rule out worn hub bearings either although you'd also hear a howling noise if that was the case, and you might want to check the steering ball joints.

 

[Forty61]

I'm in the same boat, my wheel shake though is/was between 55 and 70mph. I swapped my wheels front to back and it minimized it dramatically so it may be worth trying the same on your car, that will possibly point to a mechanical issue or a balance issue in the wheels.

 

[MrBhp]

Check your tie rod ends and ball joints as well.

 

[JC SSP]

Do a full suspension check. If all is well then consider an on the car balancing.

 

[86GT351]

Hub centric spacers will definitely help. If your existing ones aren't hub centric they may induce a degree of vibration even if they're just a tiny bit off center. For good measure it wouldn't do any harm to balance the wheels while you're there.
I wouldn't rule out worn hub bearings either although you'd also hear a howling noise if that was the case, and you might want to check the steering ball joints.

With the Wheel Balance you want a Road Force Balance not a regular balance.

 

[Autokyrios]

Most likely "easy" culprit is something's loose or you have alignment trouble. Go through the bolts and make sure everything's solid according to spec. If you need the torq specs just say so.

Also most likely (though not as easy): If you're still on your stock wheel bearings, like 86 said, it may be the bearing. It can be tough to suss out but the good news is it's not hard to fix (though a little pricey...I think current rate for new hubs with ARP studs is about $360 on LMR). Not hard to do assuming you have a breaker bar, a big enough socket (I think it's 36mm) and a torque wrench capable of 230-ftlbs (do not uga-duga this). Worthwhile upgrade if you haven't, even if not the issue.

I'm assuming when you're getting the vibration you're not making extreme turns, so tires rubbing against components shouldn't be an issue.

 

[JC SSP]

Never seen an alignment cause a vibration?

On the car balancing is different than road force. Try road force first. FYI There are only a couple of places in South FL that do on the car balancing.

 

[ghunt81]

I'm in the same boat, my wheel shake though is/was between 55 and 70mph. I swapped my wheels front to back and it minimized it dramatically so it may be worth trying the same on your car, that will possibly point to a mechanical issue or a balance issue in the wheels.

I just rotated my tires (they're directional, so just front to back) so yeah maybe that is part of it. I probably need to have them rebalanced.

What I noticed today is that the vibration seems to come and go. It will be doing it, then be pretty smooth for a couple miles, then start vibrating again. I dunno.

I don't think anyone around here does on the car balancing and I don't even know who does road force balancing. I have a local tire shop I have used for years, these wheels just haven't been rebalanced since I had the tires put on (maybe 4 years ago?)

 

[Autokyrios]

Many tire shops have road force machines these days, so you should be able to find a place.

Vibration that comes and goes probable isn't tire balance though.

 

[DieHarder]

I just rotated my tires (they're directional, so just front to back) so yeah maybe that is part of it. I probably need to have them rebalanced.

What I noticed today is that the vibration seems to come and go. It will be doing it, then be pretty smooth for a couple miles, then start vibrating again. I dunno.

I don't think anyone around here does on the car balancing and I don't even know who does road force balancing. I have a local tire shop I have used for years, these wheels just haven't been rebalanced since I had the tires put on (maybe 4 years ago?)

Have the shop check for runout/roundness. I bought a set of tires that were out of round by a good 1/2" or more (sent them back). Also, Dino is right; you need hub-centric spacers for those wheels. Discount Tire does road force balancing. If you buy tires from them or pay for their hazard insurance they'll do rotations and balance for the life of the tires.

 

[stkjock]

the rotor retention clips have been removed?

 

[youwish16]

What you are describing is what I felt last year when I had a control arm bushing start to go bad.

 

[ghunt81]

Have the shop check for runout/roundness. I bought a set of tires that were out of round by a good 1/2" or more (sent them back). Also, Dino is right; you need hub-centric spacers for those wheels. Discount Tire does road force balancing. If you buy tires from them or pay for their hazard insurance they'll do rotations and balance for the life of the tires.

Unfortunately I don't have a discount tire in this area.

For the hub centric rings is it better to use plastic or aluminum?

 

[DieHarder]

Unfortunately I don't have a discount tire in this area.

For the hub centric rings is it better to use plastic or aluminum?

I've never used plastic so I can't say. One issue to note about aluminum spacers (w/hubcentric ring) is I had one split at the hub centric ring so something to pay attention to. And obviously use extended lugs or (better) longer studs (about 1/4 - 1/2" depending on the thickness of the spacer). If you can find a plastic hubcentric ring that fits perfectly in the wheel I suppose that might be an option but like you I'm using the 4 pot Brembo's so I have to use a spacer with most wheels. The only ones I know that fit without a spacer are the 2011 - 2014 (9" x 19") so I bought a set and don't have to deal with the spacer issue anymore.

2014 Ford Mustang 19" OEM Wheel Rim W3862H

This is a 19" OEM Wheel Rim. This is an aluminum wheel with a diameter of 19" and a width of 9. This wheel has 5 lug holes and a bolt pattern of 114.3mm. The offset of this rim is 42mm. The corresponding OEM part number(s) for this rim is BR3Z1007E. This wheel is definitely the right wheel to...

autorimshop.com

 

[Juice]

The only real fix is to get wheels that actually fit correctly, are straight & true, and balanced. When you start down the path of spacers etc.......

 

[ghunt81]

I've never used plastic so I can't say. One issue to note about aluminum spacers (w/hubcentric ring) is I had one split at the hub centric ring so something to pay attention to. And obviously use extended lugs or (better) longer studs (about 1/4 - 1/2" depending on the thickness of the spacer). If you can find a plastic hubcentric ring that fits perfectly in the wheel I suppose that might be an option but like you I'm using the 4 pot Brembo's so I have to use a spacer with most wheels. The only ones I know that fit without a spacer are the 2011 - 2014 (9" x 19") so I bought a set and don't have to deal with the spacer issue anymore.

2014 Ford Mustang 19" OEM Wheel Rim W3862H

This is a 19" OEM Wheel Rim. This is an aluminum wheel with a diameter of 19" and a width of 9. This wheel has 5 lug holes and a bolt pattern of 114.3mm. The offset of this rim is 42mm. The corresponding OEM part number(s) for this rim is BR3Z1007E. This wheel is definitely the right wheel to...

autorimshop.com

I'm going to do that at some point. My spacer is very small- maybe 1/4", I think it was a 6mm or 7mm to be exact- that was all the more I needed to clear the Brembos.

 

[DieHarder]

I'm going to do that at some point. My spacer is very small- maybe 1/4", I think it was a 6mm or 7mm to be exact- that was all the more I needed to clear the Brembos.

Rgr that. If you want to use a spacer that includes the hub centric ring I think the minimum thickness is about 12mm. If you happen to find a ring without the spacer that fits your wheels let me know as I much prefer the style of wheel you have (I have a set too) over the BR3Z.

 

[JC SSP]

Just to be clear a hub-centric rings and wheel spacer are two different things... Can you have both YES, "Hub Centric to Vehicle and Wheel Centric to Wheel" but these are usually not cheap $50+ per wheel.

Usually these wheels are lug-centric (wheel is centered via the lugs and not the hub) and might be of a universal fitment for several types of cars with the same or even similar bolt pattern (uni-lug). The rings are used to center the wheel onto the hub with no gaps which might produce a vibration or wobble.

Spacer is usually used to push out a wheel away from the brake calipers for clearance or to give an off-set look (common on import rice burns and drift cars).

FYI I had them custom made by Motorsports Tech 10mm 5x112 66.5mm center bore hub-centric wheel spacers for my upgrade Porsche BBK on my Audi. https://www.motorsport-tech.com/index.html