Elise SC sterring wheel vibration

[FLC]

After years of VX Turbos I've just got a new Elise SC.

It has a strong steering wheel vibration which seems to cycle in and out periodically with a lesser vibration similar to that of my old VXT.

The strong vibration shakes my whole arm and makes my fingers numb after a few minutes.

It's been back to the dealer who has re-balanced and tried new tyres with no improvement.

Lotus are now telling me that the car is normal but I can't believe that it is.

Has anyone had a similar experience?

How much vibration is normal? I drove an Elise S to compare and it just didn't do the strong vibrating phase.

Cheers FLC.

[Justin S]

you should get no vibrations at all on a smooth road. Is this road feedback you are getting back ? If so, then get the geometry looked at to see it that is the issue.

[NathanE]

Not normal at all

[FLC]

Thanks Guys,

Justin S, how smooth a road are you talking? Does it have to be an unusually good road to be vibration free or just a normal bit of motorway for example?

I've just driven the M62 Liverpool to Manchester and a bit of the M6 and the problem occured along the whole route on and off.

Cheers

FLC.

[Justin S]

To be honest after getting my geo done, it ironed out any real vibrations and buzz's I had in mine and also gave more stability from hitting ruts and bumps in the road.

[johnmorris]

i have an elise sc with 2300 miles on the clock, no issues whatsoever.

[FLC]

Thanks johnmorris, please could I ask, if you were driving at 90mph how much does your wheel vibrate? Is it dead still like a "proper" car, does it buzz a little, does it visibly vibrate or does it (like mine) shake your forearm and bicep?!

Also please could I ask, is your car a S2 or "S3"?

Thanks

FLC

[Stu_00]

Strange - sounds like a wheel balance problem - even tho they have been run - are you running AD07's?

[FLC]

yeah, and they've tried two sets of them on the front.

Trouble is now Lotus have changed tack and say the cars "normal".

[The Bandit]

I remember a few people having trouble balancing Ao48's but never AD07's.
You do tend to get a small wobble at speed as the front end lifts slightly but not to the extent you describe.
Have you got lightweight forged or standard SC wheels?
"Normal" my arse.
Get them to swap wheels with another car first,if you get no joy then get your geometry checked by a reputable specialist.
They normally leave the factory with a 'that's close enough' set up at the best of times

[EK993]

I had no vibration whatsover on any type of road surface at any speed in my SC. Something isn't right.

[Bebee]

EK993 said:

I had no vibration whatsover on any type of road surface at any speed in my SC. Something isn't right.

Same here too, no problems, must be the Super Charger causing that!

[Stu_00]

The Bandit said:

I remember a few people having trouble balancing Ao48's but never AD07's.
You do tend to get a small wobble at speed as the front end lifts slightly but not to the extent you describe.
Have you got lightweight forged or standard SC wheels?
"Normal" my arse.
Get them to swap wheels with another car first,if you get no joy then get your geometry checked by a reputable specialist.
They normally leave the factory with a 'that's close enough' set up at the best of times

+1 I thought this too

[Bebee]

Stu_00 said:

The Bandit said:

I remember a few people having trouble balancing Ao48's but never AD07's.
You do tend to get a small wobble at speed as the front end lifts slightly but not to the extent you describe.
Have you got lightweight forged or standard SC wheels?
"Normal" my arse.
Get them to swap wheels with another car first,if you get no joy then get your geometry checked by a reputable specialist.
They normally leave the factory with a 'that's close enough' set up at the best of times

+1 I thought this too

Good point, I've just swapped my tyres from 048's to T1r's, better ride no vibration, I did have some on the 048's

[TOENHEEL]

I ve had the same problem on both of my exige s and it was solved by cleaning up the hubs and back of the wheels, even copper slip the inside of the wheel so it sits nicely on the hub. Failing this get the rack looked at, tyre pressures and wheels incase ones buckled.

[nsm3]

Bebee said:

Good point, I've just swapped my tyres from 048's to T1r's, better ride no vibration, I did have some on the 048's

I did exactly that and it removed both wheel vibration AND what I thought was a wheel bearing hum.

Also, check the torque settings of the wheel nuts - I have found if they aren't done exactly the same (just done manually with a 4 arm brace), this causes vibration - I don't know why, but I have done it 3-4 times (after servicing or tyre changes) with positive results?

[bordseye]

Is the vibration dependant on speed ie does it always occur at the same speed? If it does, then it is a balance issue with the front suspension and wheels. If it occurs at any speed, then it wont be balance and instead is likely to be something wrong with some components in the system.

Lotus have travelling engineers who will come to your dealer if you arrange an appointment and will test drive your car. They are ( in my experience) fair and sensible and they will tell you if there is something wrong or if its a case of you expecting too much from a car with very hard suspension.