If you have a warped brake disk, can it cause the steering wheel to shake, even if you're not pressing on the brake pedal? I have a vibration that becomes noticeable at about 60mph and up. I've rotated my tires. Balanced my tires. Got some new tires. And, I know I have at least one warped disk, and will be doing my brakes soon. I'm just not sure if that's what could be causing my wheel to shake.
Any thoughts?
Can a warped disk brake cause wheel to shake?
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What model and make auto?
2005 civic
Edit: Forgot to add that I've had it aligned twice too.
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I have had rotors so warped that yes it would cause it. But they have to be pretty bad. Believe it or not its usually the tires, even new ones or a bad balance.
Absolutely. Happened to my Tercel, new rotors, problem gone.
If it is vibrating without the brakes being applied it is most likely a tire issue. It could be rotors or a pad issue, but it is most likely a tire. I had a set of tires that were just difficult to balance. I finally took them to Discount Tire for balancing. The store is new and they have terrific equipment. They were able to balance them correctly and it removed the vibration. Some types of rims require slightly different weight types. Our Toyota Sequoia used different types of weights vs. our Chevy Tahoe. It was strange. It could also be a tread separation (as mentioned) or a bent rim or loose lug nut. Lots of variables.
Does the vibrating get worse when you apply the brakes at those higher speeds? If brakes/rotors are the problem the vibration should be accentuated when they are applied at those higher speeds.
A couple of things.
Always tourqe wheel lug nuts for disc brakes. Differant tourqe on the nuts can cause the rotor to warp over time.
If a caliper is sticking it will always put pressure on the rotor because it can't release. If the rotor is warped then you will feel a motion in the steering wheel.
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Also I have some cheap lugs nuts on a car one time and it vibrated bad. Got some factory lugs and it was fine.
It's wierd, because sometimes it will accentuate the vibration when I apply the brake, and other times not.
And, I'm pretty sure it's not the tires (could be rim, though). I had a set of yokos that were only about 2/3 worn and wobbling like crazy. Got them balanced a few times. Then just gave up and got new michelins. Wobbles with them, too.
How could I check for that?
Originally Posted By: mitsuman47
How could I check for that?
One pad on one side of the rotor compared to the other? Or how the left rotors pads are wearing and the right rotors pas are wearing? Or both?
Edit: Ok, that made a lot of sense in my head, but not so much when I typed it.
What I'm asking is: Do I compare the left caliper's pad wear to the right caliper's pad wear?
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Originally Posted By: Michael_P
Can a warped disk brake cause wheel to shake?
Yup! Even when not braking. So can loose wheel nuts or bent wheel. Out of balance and mud on the inside of the wheel as well.
Tread separation too.
Originally Posted By: mitsuman47
It's wierd, because sometimes it will accentuate the vibration when I apply the brake, and other times not.
And, I'm pretty sure it's not the tires (could be rim, though). I had a set of yokos that were only about 2/3 worn and wobbling like crazy. Got them balanced a few times. Then just gave up and got new michelins. Wobbles with them, too.
What I know is tire issue is usually speed related, and you can rotate your tire to determine if it is tires.
Are you on stock rims? Aftermarket?
Many people on aftermarket wheels have vibration issues if they did not have the correct hubcentric rings installed. The lug nuts cannot do a perfect job centering the wheel.
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