I've had a word to a few people in regards to this, and everyone has basically said they need more info... I'm hoping I can mention it here and see what people think. I'm not exactly looking for an answer, but more or less wondering if there are any basic things I can look at myself to narrow down what the issue is... Anyway, the problem is this - At first I noticed the frontend shaking on the freeway (it only ever seems to happen when I get up to around 100km/h+, sometimes it's apparent at 80-100km/h, but this is rare). I took it in to have the wheels balanced and was notified that I didn't have any hub locators for the aftermarket wheels, and that I needed them.. After driving away the car seemed smooth as anything, and the shaking only became apparent again after 1-2 days. A few weeks later after getting some cash in order I took it back to get the hub locators fitted, hoping this could be the issue, but I decided not to get them balanced considering it had just been done. Today she is back in the shop to get a final balance performed simply to rule out balance issues. The problem is fairly intermittent - one day it'll be shaking like buggery, and the next day it'll drive nice and smooth. However, even when it isn't happening something doesn't feel right, but I can't put my finger on it (and I'm hoping it's just a placebo effect). If I'm travelling in a straight line on the freeway and I take my hands off the wheel the car stays fairly straight, but you can see the steering wheel shake violently from left to right. The only way I can describe it is that it really just feels like one of the wheels are off balance. It's hard for me to explain, but it feels more like 'wobbling' rather than 'shaking'. If anyone can list possible causes and any way I could diagnose it, that'd be great... As I said, I know it's not a lot of info, but I'm just looking for pointers, not a solution... I think I've provided all the info possible... Thanks for your time people :zlove:
wheels must spin straight.. if theyre not round (egged or off center) i had the exact same problem on my beetle.. (yes i once owned a beetle).. she had 225's up front.. the rims werent located by anything but the nuts (same as yours until now).. and this would cause them to move slightly after a bump.. then theyd be off center.. would start at about 90-100.. after a few weeks.. 80.. by the time it got to 60.. man... well the reason it shifted in speed was becuase i was taking out ball joints and tie rod ends.. (mainly due to the extra stresses massive wheels put on a car) the shaking didnt help.. went through 2 steering boxes too (worm type boxes dont like to be turned from the wrong side, rack and pinions dont mind) the actual shaking was being enhanced by the rooted steering linkages.. but root cause was they were off balance.. heavy wheels will do this more than light wheels. and if they arent located properly.. it will only come back.. your hub locators they machined up for you should fix the problem.. unless your rims are warped.. are they new?? my cortinas rims were warped and it did the same thing.. no amount of balancing could fix em
Wheels and Tyres are relatively new >> I got them late last year, but since moving from VIC to QLD, I haven't done anywhere near as much driving, so both the rims and tyres only have about 20k-30k km's on them.. Still, I'll jack it up tonight and see if I can see any issues. Thanks heaps!
Re: Wheels and Tyres are relatively new >> does your car sit still alot?? they can develop flat spots from sitting in one place too long
Check all steering and suspension mounting points Check torque settings on bolts and nuts. Look for signs of movement/slippage on any washers, etc. Have bearings been checked?
Had the bushes checked >> today when the balance was done. Not sure if they checked all the steering and suspension points, but they've given me some new info. They told me that all my bushes felt very tight, but the rack shifted a little when they turned the car on while it was on the hoist, and he recommended I take it to a suspension specialist. I'm hoping this sheds some light on the situation, simply so I can acquire some more info from somebody on the forum. All in all, she hasn't been to see the doc for a while, so I'm thinking of just taking her in to Gavin Wood and getting a diagnosis performed. Seems like the safest option. Still, if anyone has any further ideas, please let me know, and thanks to all for the help!
what about a wheel alignment, when was it done last? if caster angles are out, or geometry is slightly different between each side, it can show itself at certain speeds especially if there is a little wear in the rack.
Mine is exactly the same Mine does the same thing... usuallt at around 100km/h or so.... but on the same stretch of road at the same speed it will vary from day to day if it does it at all... sometimes it will do it 4 times out of the 5 times a week I drive to work and other weeks it might happen once.... I will be very interested in what you find out.
If you have low profile tyres your rims may have had a few to many hits from pot holes. I had the same problem and had everything done to them from balancing to w/allign. I finally got the wheels and tyres zeroed out, all my problems disappeared. Cheers
I have had similar symptoms to you for a while now. In conjunction with my HICAS light comming on along the highway. Went to Pex's on Fri arvie and set the steering angle sensor back to 0 degrees. Problem not really fixed - well it drives straighter now but that's about it. Went to Pedders yesterday for checkup and they advised: 1. steering rack mounts were swolen due to oil soak on them 2. top mounts on shocks are dead 3. one of my new koin shocks is leaking oil I assume that the vibrations in steering were mostly due to the steering rack mounts being fooked. Still can't work out why the HICAS light is still comming on tho.
