Vibration thru steering wheel...balance rears this time?

Vibration thru steering wheel...balance rears this time?

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road_rager

1,091 posts

206 months

Thursday 4th March 2010
quotequote all
I had a wobble on my old E30 that was curred by doing the rears, it's worth ruling out. If it's your forester I had to get mine balanced twice to get rid of wobbles after new tyres....

Edited by road_rager on Thursday 4th March 08:04

Syndrome

892 posts

181 months

Thursday 4th March 2010
quotequote all
People often (wrongly) rule out the rears being out of balance causing this. Out of balance rears cause as much vibration as out of balance fronts (oddly).

Orb the Impaler

1,881 posts

197 months

Thursday 4th March 2010
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I had this occur on my old SLK - changed the shocks, balanced wheels repeatedly - drove me spare.

Then I found that the steering damper bolts were loose: tightened them up and the car was perfect. Something I'll always check in future.

nervous

24,050 posts

237 months

Thursday 4th March 2010
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If your rears were unbalanced you'd feel it through your seat, not the steering wheel. Likewise, if it were the cv joints you'd feel it straight away, not just at 60.

I don't what car you have, but if it's slightly older I'd check the bushes on the stabilisation bar- sometimes called the panhard rod I think. I've had this issue on a couple of land rovers in the past.

Failing that, try getting the wheels balanced on the car. You might also want to check the tyre itself- it may be warped or have a bulge or damage.

nervous

24,050 posts

237 months

Thursday 4th March 2010
quotequote all
You wouldn't hear a loose bushings, they're just circles of rubber after all, but you would feel it. The damper bar I'm referring to is the same issue that the poster above with the merc had- it's easy to check and you could do it yourself without paying for anymore balancing.

If you're feeling it through the seat too, you've either got another issue other that isn't tyres or somehow all 4 tyres need balancing. My guess is the former rather than the latter.

Go and have a swing on the steering damper, I'll bet you a curly whirly it's that.

cambiker71

444 posts

193 months

Thursday 4th March 2010
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I'd ask whoever balanced them to recheck their work, explain the problem and see if they can see something that could cause the vibration whilst the car is in the workshop. If nothing seems wrong ask to have the rears balanced anyway it makes a fair bit of difference to how the tyres wear. Has the car got alloy wheels fitted?
The Avensis isn't fitted with a steering damper so rules that out, worth looking at the anti roll bar linkages as they have a habit of snapping off, but you would end up with a rattle over bumps too if it was that.

nervous

24,050 posts

237 months

Thursday 4th March 2010
quotequote all
On most cars, it's just a solid metal bar that runs parellel and in front of your steering rack. It should be easy to find chum, it's probably the most forward thing on the undercarriage.

I just said undercarriage

HellDiver

5,708 posts

189 months

Thursday 4th March 2010
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Tried rotating the tyres? Wouldn't be the first time I've seen a Dunlop out of round (especially the SP Sport 01 and SP Sport 9000).

nervous

24,050 posts

237 months

Thursday 4th March 2010
quotequote all
cambiker71 said:
The Avensis isn't fitted with a steering damper so rules that out
great, ruin my moment why don't you? You just cost me a curly whirly.

nervous

24,050 posts

237 months

Thursday 4th March 2010
quotequote all
HellDiver said:
Tried rotating the tyres? Wouldn't be the first time I've seen a Dunlop out of round (especially the SP Sport 01 and SP Sport 9000).
funnily enough, dunlops were the tyres I had to get balanced on the car.

bigdods

7,175 posts

234 months

Thursday 4th March 2010
quotequote all
As someone said earlier, quite possible its an egg shaped alloy. I had this on my car a while back. Took it to a rapid fit place , they balanced it. Still there. Went back , balanced again, checked for damage. Problem still there.

I was convinced it was a wheel/tyre problem so took it so a specialist. Balanced wheel and immediately spotted that the alloy is oval shaped.

New alloy, problem solved. Dont rely on your local tyre fitter to spot an out of shape wheel, even if its staring him in the face as the wheel spins on the balancer.


Edited by bigdods on Thursday 4th March 09:15

nervous

24,050 posts

237 months

Thursday 4th March 2010
quotequote all
hora said:
bigdods said:
As someone said earlier, quite possible its an egg shaped alloy. I had this on my car a while back. Took it to a rapid fit place , they balanced it. Still there. Went back , balanced again, checked for damage. Problem still there.

I was convinced it was a wheel/tyre problem so took it so a specialist. Balanced wheel and immediately spotted that the alloy is oval shaped.

So with the plastic guard up it should be easy to spot 'wobble'? The spare in the boot is identical with identical tyre etc so I'd just stick bad wheel into the boot as a spare.

I'll go down the specialist route later if this doesnt work tonight.


Ps. NO ONE has asked me to hand in my PH login yet for buying one of the dullest cars known to man (phew).
you could try sticking the spare on one side and going for a drive, then on the other I'd it's still wobbly. It would eliminate some possibilities.

cambiker71

444 posts

193 months

Thursday 4th March 2010
quotequote all
nervous said:
cambiker71 said:
The Avensis isn't fitted with a steering damper so rules that out
great, ruin my moment why don't you? You just cost me a curly whirly.
Sorry! Have a handful of virtual ones as compensation.


cambiker71

444 posts

193 months

Thursday 4th March 2010
quotequote all
hora said:
So with the plastic guard up it should be easy to spot 'wobble'? The spare in the boot is identical with identical tyre etc so I'd just stick bad wheel into the boot as a spare.

I'll go down the specialist route later if this doesnt work tonight.


Ps. NO ONE has asked me to hand in my PH login yet for buying one of the dullest cars known to man (phew).
It's easy to see a damaged alloy on the balancer, even with the guard down, missing one is inexcusable really.

bigdods

7,175 posts

234 months

Thursday 4th March 2010
quotequote all
cambiker71 said:
hora said:
So with the plastic guard up it should be easy to spot 'wobble'? The spare in the boot is identical with identical tyre etc so I'd just stick bad wheel into the boot as a spare.

I'll go down the specialist route later if this doesnt work tonight.


Ps. NO ONE has asked me to hand in my PH login yet for buying one of the dullest cars known to man (phew).
It's easy to see a damaged alloy on the balancer, even with the guard down, missing one is inexcusable really.
Totally agree, yet both times I've had a damaged alloy the tyre place have told me 'its fine mate, nothing wrong with it'. When I've seen the wheel run on the balancer you are absolutely right even my untrained eye can see its egg shaped grrr