Good morning everyone,

My steering wheel has been shaking at highway speeds (CA - 70mph) so I took it in for a balance and had them switch the tires side to side as well. They advised it took about an oz and a half to correct the balance and further advised that the shaking should stop.

Well at first it seemed to have subsided but now (the next day) on my way to work it was shaking again just slightly less.

So, now that the wheels are balanced and it is still shaking WHAT COULD IT BE???

I was thinking and cannot think of what to have checked next...

Bad hub/wheel bearing??? I am super frustrated because I drive 80 miles a day to and from my office and its getting old.

 

In my experience, steering wheel shake is usually either one or both of these things:

1. Wheels out of balance.
2. Rims are dented.

Since you had your wheels balanced, I'm leaning towards dented rims.

Have you hit any big potholes or curbs recently?

A bad wheel bearing does not cause steering wheel to shake unless they are extremely bad, but you will hear a lot of noises before it gets that bad.

Last possibility is maybe the tires are out of round...When you first got your tires did you have this problem?

 

Do you have the OE wheels installed or do you have aftermarket wheels installed?

 

I had similar problems in the past. I changed the rotors and the shaking stopped.

Check your rotors.

 

No, I havent hit any curbs or bad potholes at all recently or ever in fact haha...it is really getting frustrating...about the bearings and the noise, I was thinking the same thing but I am running out of things to check and so is the dealer...its strange, I highly doubt my rims are dented, there is no strange noises so maybe it is not the bearings but what else could it be... as for the tires...I actually asked them this when I had them balanced and they said that the are fine and no this problem did not happen when I got the tires new.

???? *frustrated! as hell*

 

It is not when I brake, it is all the time at highway speeds so I know it is not the rotors being warped or brake deposits as people have been saying is the real problem most of the time...

 

I have the OE Sport 18s no need for aftermarkets with perfection from the factory haha any other ideas?

 

On my car I've had uneven front tire wear (cupping) from the alignment being a little off. That caused noise/vibration. In my case it wasn't easy to see, but I could feel the tire wear by running your hand across the tread. I replaced the tires so I can't say if they would have eventually worn back to normal after an alignment.

 

What I suggest for you to do, is to get all your tires balanced using the Hunter RoadForce balance machines. They are very sensitive to any vibration caused by unbalanced/dented rims. Also, you should get an alignment if you haven't done so already.

Sometimes, balance machines can't completely balance a tire or rim that is out of round, so you get a vibration.

 

Is there a way to tell or a machine or HOW does one tell if the wheel is out of round or damaged/dented? Also, an alignment issue wouldnt cause steering wheel shake I dont think...it would just pull to one side...I guess I could call around and see if/who uses a Hunter RoadForce machine??

 

The way most people do is to jack the car up and then spin the wheel while it is in neutral and see if the rim wobbles. It is pretty effective even for small dents.

Also, most generic balance machines will say that the wheel is unable to balance if the wheel has too much warp. They detect out of balance by just spinning the wheel and measuring the inertial forces of an unbalanced tire. The axis of rotation of a wheel not balanced will be unstable.

Hunter RoadForce balance machines are different because they actually roll the wheel against a load roller and can detect if the wheel is vibrating. It is more sensitive than other balance machines. Again, I would try to see if the rim or tire is out of round first. You could have someone jack your car up and spin each individual wheel (doesn't have to be fast.) You'll be able to see if the rims or wheels are out of round quite easily. Make sure you look both from the inside and outside of the rim, but concentrate more on the inside of the rim.

 

I changed the rotors and the shaking stopped.

 

Thanks man! I know exactly what machine youre talking about now...I have seen them at our local Americas Tire...my only problem is I know I havent hit anything to dent or bend or damage my wheels at all so now im at a road block again and super frustrated....I guess ill get them re-balanced using the Hunter RoadForce then see if that helps at all....any other ideas?

 

I suppose at this point, you can do what other people may have suggested...like changing your rotors.

The only way your rotors could cause vibration like that is if they aren't perfectly round or balanced, thus also giving off forces. The chances of your rotors being severely warped like that are pretty slim though.

You can also probably check your wheel bearings and listen for noises with a mechanic's stethoscope.

 

What are the signs/sounds of wheel bearings going bad or already being bad?