Steering vibration at speed
Discussion
Took the targa out for its first proper run at the weekend - sunday was really nice weather and went to manchester for the night.
Absoluely loved the car, and was so happy to finally be able to stretch her legs a bit. However, i did notice that above 95 or so there was a bit of vibration through the steering wheel mainly but also the rear view mirror was all over the place too. 120 and it just felt totally wrong and so clearly something is up
i'm getting to a kwik fit type place during the week to check the alignment and so on, but would like to call on the PH collection to let me know if there is anything else i need to try, that kwik fit may not be able to help with?
And on another note, was in in west london OPC and watched someone pay £650 for a pair of rear tyres... do some people not consider options outside of OPC?
Absoluely loved the car, and was so happy to finally be able to stretch her legs a bit. However, i did notice that above 95 or so there was a bit of vibration through the steering wheel mainly but also the rear view mirror was all over the place too. 120 and it just felt totally wrong and so clearly something is up
i'm getting to a kwik fit type place during the week to check the alignment and so on, but would like to call on the PH collection to let me know if there is anything else i need to try, that kwik fit may not be able to help with?
And on another note, was in in west london OPC and watched someone pay £650 for a pair of rear tyres... do some people not consider options outside of OPC?
from what i gather, the previous owner used it regularly, the dealer used it a bit, then i got it. I think (well, hope more than anything else) thats its just maybe the alignment has been knocked out of shape a bit.
There is nothing at 70 or so, its only from 80 onwards so hope its just a little tweak thats needed
There is nothing at 70 or so, its only from 80 onwards so hope its just a little tweak thats needed
I'd say tyre condition or wheel balance is more likely to be the reason for vibration at certain speed ranges than suspension alignment. A kerb bump can put the suspension out of perfect alignment but this is more likely to show as uneven tyre wear than vibration. Wheel balance weights can fall off...
Equally corroded discs or stuck pad material will cause vibration but normally only when braking.
One last off-the-wall possibility - if the vibration is heavy, feels like there's something wrong with the engine (i.e. from the rear of the car) and only happens at high speeds (90+ mph) then check the rear PU bumper and ensure the supports haven't corroded off... my 993 used to vibrate like I'd knackered the big end bearings after hard acceleration to 90+ units - turned out that the rear PU supports had rusted off and one side was free to flap in the wind. Not likely to be the case if it's just steering vibration though.
Equally corroded discs or stuck pad material will cause vibration but normally only when braking.
One last off-the-wall possibility - if the vibration is heavy, feels like there's something wrong with the engine (i.e. from the rear of the car) and only happens at high speeds (90+ mph) then check the rear PU bumper and ensure the supports haven't corroded off... my 993 used to vibrate like I'd knackered the big end bearings after hard acceleration to 90+ units - turned out that the rear PU supports had rusted off and one side was free to flap in the wind. Not likely to be the case if it's just steering vibration though.
bermyandy said:
Just had a thought - i think the wheel balance weights have come off, in that there is evidence of where they used to be..
Well, will get to a kwik fit and see what they see... Just check alignment and balance then?
They may have been taken off if the previous owner had put new boots on and then re-balanced them...........Check to see if there's a weight elsewhere on the wheel.
Can Kwik-fit type places do alignment on Porsches? I thought you needed tricky tools to do the job properly so only the good / specialist tyre places did it.
Anyway if the vibration is only at certain speeds and there are obviously missing balance weights, I'd say that's your smoking gun. Get any tyre place to whip the wheels off, remove all weights, and re-balance with new weights. Be careful with Kwik fit and other discount tyre places, they can be incredibly careless with your wheels...
Anyway if the vibration is only at certain speeds and there are obviously missing balance weights, I'd say that's your smoking gun. Get any tyre place to whip the wheels off, remove all weights, and re-balance with new weights. Be careful with Kwik fit and other discount tyre places, they can be incredibly careless with your wheels...
cyberface said:
Can Kwik-fit type places do alignment on Porsches? I thought you needed tricky tools to do the job properly so only the good / specialist tyre places did it.
Anyway if the vibration is only at certain speeds and there are obviously missing balance weights, I'd say that's your smoking gun. Get any tyre place to whip the wheels off, remove all weights, and re-balance with new weights. Be careful with Kwik fit and other discount tyre places, they can be incredibly careless with your wheels...
I'd say you're Spot on Cyber , there's only one place I'd go in my local area.. Porches are notoriously tricky to set up , balance wise (Or so my local guy says), it took him the guts of 2 hours to do my jammer .. And he's just invested £45k on a laser balance gubbins.. I can't imagine Kwik fit having the kit or the inclination...
Spent £25 getting the wheels balanced - in the views of the kwik fit man this was most likely the cause, in particular the rear drivers side was about as balanced as a tramp.
Will find somewhere suitable to check if this has cured the problem. Praying for some good weather this weekend!
Cheers guys
Will find somewhere suitable to check if this has cured the problem. Praying for some good weather this weekend!
Cheers guys
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