Steering wheel shaking over 70 MPH

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Hello everyone,

Car is in the sig. I had the front tires changed and balanced today. Car was shaking over 65 at first cuz of some bad tires. Shaking and bad tires are gone, but now the steering wheel shakes over 70. Any idea of what it could be? BTW, I was in the left lane on a busy highway, I don't go over the speed limit unless I have to. I am open to any suggestions. My indy and very good friend/father figure passed away a few months ago so it'll take some time before I trust a new guy.

Thanks!
 
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I had this happen recently on the Matrix, did a tire rotation and problem is gone. Need new tires soon anyway. I would try a rotation and see what happens. Start with the simple things. Maybe a bent wheel.
 
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Originally Posted By: SatinSilver
I had this happen recently on the Matrix, did a tire rotation and problem is gone. Need new tires soon anyway. I would try a rotation and see what happens. Start with the simple things. Maybe a bent wheel.

This is always good advice.
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Originally Posted By: THafeez
I had the front tires changed and balanced today.

Did you guys even read the post?
 
could also be bent rim, or even rust on the mounting surface throwing off the balancing.

Also, check if shaking increases under braking, that can indicate warped rotors.


If you know your car is shaking, one side effect is once you got a tire rotation that minimizes it, you are stuck with those wheels on those corners unless you want shaking to come back. Tire rotation sometimes overrated anway.
 
Originally Posted By: Bebop367
Rare but new tires could be Out of Round....I had it happen not long ago.


Yes, esp on one of those super cheap tires from a no name tire brand or one you can't easily pronounce.
 
Take it back to where you had the tires put on. They may not have balanced them properly or the tires themselves are at fault. Possibly the installation too. This didn't happen before so let them correct it. You should be totally satisfied with the job on all counts.
 
Originally Posted By: Warstud
Did you guys even read the post?


Ahhh, yes compared to the helpful solution you gave.
 
The fact that the problem did not go away with new tires or balance leads me to believe that it's not a tire issue, although it could be if a tire was balanced incorrectly or one of the replacement tires is bad (rare but could happen).

The fact that the front end vibration issue appeared so suddenly leads me to believe that it is NOT a suspension issue. I would look into a bent wheel that was previously on the rear of the car (causing vibration only), and is now on the front (causing steering wheel vibration).
 
Jack the car up, so that the front wheels are off the ground. Rock the tire/wheel at 12 and 6, and then at 9 and 3 o'clock to check for play.
 
Thank you for the advice everyone, I checked the passenger side this morning for play and it was tight. No leaks from suspension or cv joints on that side either. Will check drivers side and give an update. Shop I used usually does good work so it may help if I bring it back and tell them what's wrong.

I don't know what driving with a bent wheel feels like, but the car is driving very smooth at all speeds compared to before when the whole thing shook and wobbled. All of those symptoms are gone and now the steering wheel just begins to shake over 70. Car drives fine, but its kinda scary seeing it shake like that so I try to keep it near the speed limit. Also, no shaking under braking at any speed. Hope this helps.
 
I hope you find out what the problem is. I have a 1999 solara with the exact same problem, but the whole car vibrates also. I had the wheels balanced. It helped, but didn't solve the problem. Also replaced my stabilizer links cause they were bad. It is such a frustrating problem. So hard to track down, and reduces my trust in the car at high speeds.
 
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Originally Posted By: SatinSilver
Originally Posted By: Warstud
Did you guys even read the post?


Ahhh, yes compared to the helpful solution you gave.


I didn't want to be wrong.
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In my experience, it's almost always related to the tires, except for a few instances with wheel bearings and ball joints, etc. Especially on high mileage vehicles. High quality tires such as Michelin will usually more consistently balance to a fine degree. I had a hard time finding a shop around here that actually did a good job with the balancing. The balancing machines have to be properly maintained and calibrated to give a good result. Some places have nicer machines that
can determine the "road force" of the tire. So yes, there is lots of variability. The best luck I have had with good balancing is from Toyota/Lexus dealerships and also Costco/Sams club.
 
Originally Posted By: Kurtatron
I hope you find out what the problem is. I have a 1999 solara with the exact same problem, but the whole car vibrates also. I had the wheels balanced. It helped, but didn't solve the problem. Also replaced my stabilizer links cause they were bad. It is such a frustrating problem. So hard to track down, and reduces my trust in the car at high speeds.

The guy there checked all four of the tires and found 2 that were cupped/feathered on the inside. Both spent a good amount of time on the driver rear side. I know this now, but PO didn't change suspension so that messed up tire #1, and tire #2 was dying but it also developed cupping/feathering AFTER I had the suspension changed. Again I'm new to this so be gentle, but I know I'll need to get an alignment sooner or later. Just changing the cupped tires made the shaking go away thankfully (for now at least) I hope you find out whats wrong as well.
Originally Posted By: maintenanceMan
In my experience, it's almost always related to the tires, except for a few instances with wheel bearings and ball joints, etc. Especially on high mileage vehicles. High quality tires such as Michelin will usually more consistently balance to a fine degree. I had a hard time finding a shop around here that actually did a good job with the balancing. The balancing machines have to be properly maintained and calibrated to give a good result. Some places have nicer machines that
can determine the "road force" of the tire. So yes, there is lots of variability. The best luck I have had with good balancing is from Toyota/Lexus dealerships and also Costco/Sams club.

This might be the cause as well. I saw him balance the the tires using an older looking, but digital balancing machine. Made sure both tires "zeroed out". Maybe a rebalance will fix the problem.

Question. An alignment will not help this current problem right?
 
"Question. An alignment will not help this current problem right?"

It would have to be really out of whack to create a vibration problem. A proper alignment is needed anyway though, for good tire wear and good handling. So, if you suspect your alignment is off, it would be worth doing IMO.
 
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