Wheel wobble/vibration

[edar]

Hi chaps, I need some advice please.

My '03 WRX Wagon has developed a nasty vibration/wheel wobble in the last month and I wondered if any other Impreza owners have experienced the same thing. The issues are:

40mph to around 85mph - wheel wobble and vibration - gets worse as you go faster.
Noticed it first on the motorway but now all roads.
I've had all four wheels re-balanced but still experience the same problems.
Swapped front wheels to back and the issue hasn't gone away.
Had a wheel alignment done (not the cheap option) but they were only able to adjust the toe - apparently you need a camber kit from Subaru (not sure if that is true?)
I've also had a brake caliper seize on me (o/s/f) but had two lower pistons changed recently- could a warped disc from driving with a seized caliper be causing the vibration?

My last thought is to have all four tyres road-force-balanced.

If any one can shed some light on this I would be really grateful. Thanks.

[DC5TEG]

You've covered what i would have initially.

Only other things i'd look for is that the tyres are rotating the correct way!
Yep your discs could be warped and if a piston is sticking it could cause your vibration. Check the run of on the disc and get someone to operate the brake while you check that the piston is actually gripping and releasing.
Other thing i have seen before, was a Cracked wheel. Tiny crack on one of the spokes, but enough to cause a slight vibration at 80mph.
Its also worth checking all the suspension components, strut top mounts, rod ends, ball joints

Process of elimination and generally with success, especially if you aint done anything, like rattling a kerb!!

[wilbo83]

Do you have aftermarket wheels? If so, are you using spigot rings to make sure the centre bore fits the hub size?

[ScoobieWRX]

I might be looking at wheel bearings and seeing if the large retaining centre wheel nut that holds onto the driveshaft is done up and not coming loose.

Your brake rotor would have to be fairly well warped to make that sort of vibration. I suspect maybe one of your wheels is out of true. Even a clump of mud on the inside of your wheel can send it out of balance. However, you can have the wheel balanced any way you like, if it's out of shape there is no compensation for that.

Is the wobble coming through the steering wheel or through the chassis?

[GravelBen]

When I get wobble like that its usually mud caked onto the inside of the rim

Warped brake disks generally only make their presence felt when you're actually on the brakes.

[cheesesliceking]

edar said:

Hi chaps, I need some advice please.

Swapped front wheels to back and the issue hasn't gone away.

This makes me think it's suspension related, have you had the recall letter for the bottom arm checking? Probably not that but can't hurt to check.

[edar]

Thanks for all your feedback. I'll look at everything that's been mentioned to see if I can get to the bottom of this very annoying issue. I'll keep you posted. Thanks again.