I had a new set of Goodyear Eagle GTs mounted in the last 1,000 miles. I also had an alignment performed at the same time. I had issues with the tire installer (he static balanced my tires and scratched the face of my rims) so I took it to a shop recommended by the TireRack website.

They dynamic balanced my tires but I still get a fair amount of vibration in the wheel and seat above 70 MPH. I took it back today to check the balance and they said all four are dead on.

They also said the tires look like they are feathering/cupping. I didn't have time, but I'm going to have them check the alignment job from the previous shop just to double-check that it isn't out of whack.

Past that, he said the vibration is likely due to the struts/shocks needing to be replaced. He said everything else looks and feels tight.

I have an '05 6MT Sedan with about 71,500 miles on it. Would the struts/shocks need to be replaced? I looked at the FSM and they basically say to check for leaks or damage. I see none of either. The maintenance schedule doesn't say anything about replacement after xx,xxx miles.

The last thing I noticed was that that FSM discusses a manual calculation for the outer weights. I mentioned that to the shop and they had never heard of such a thing. Showed them the FSM and he just kinda shrugged it off.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

how are your compression rods? are your front tires the cupped ones?

also.. recheck alignment.. do you have a printout from the first place? always get an print out

 

Any chance you have small bends in the rims? They might not be noticeable without really studying the inner barrel, but even a small warp or bend can make them wobble like crazy at higher speeds.

As far as the feathering, I'd have your lower inner control arm and compression rod bushings inspected for wear.

 

I did not get a printout from the first place. I forgot to ask but I doubt they actually have a machine capable of measuring and printing one out anyway.

The compression rod bushings are squeaking a little. They told me the most noticeable tire that had feathering/cupping was the passenger rear.

They looked at the rims while spinning them up on the balancing machine and said they looked good. I'm sure a micrometer is more accurate than the human eye, but no obvious bends or warping.

The odd thing is that I did a trip to ZDayz and back (about 700 miles round trip) and didn't notice any issues. The vast majority of driving was highway getting there and back. It was solid as a rock. That was on my previous set of tires (Michelin Pilot HX MXM4) AND before the alignment.

 

LCA bushings can go without warning. One of mine went after hitting a pretty large pothole by accident in the rain.

Have you tried having them inspect the tires for damaged belts? A broken or loose belt in a tire can raise hell at higher speeds.

 

Cupping can be caused by worn shocks. Feathering is alignment issue likely toe. All alignment machines now a days should have a printer hook up to it being able to print out the specs.

 

Find a qualified independent brake/alignment shop in your area, have them check out your suspension and get an alignment. You might even have them check the balance of your front tires....not all shops have there balance machines recalibraded....Gary

 

do u have stock wheels to throw on and test..might be worth it to try and narrow things down

 

A wheel isn't going to affect alignment specs.

 

a wheel will affect having a vibration^^^^ hence why i asked if he had stock wheels to try and see if the vibration goes away

 

Oh I tough you were saying about his alignment issue.

 

I am running on stock sedan sport 18s now. I'm going to search for a dedicated alignment/suspension shop today. It might be hard to find a specialty shop. I live in a pretty small town with nothing but smaller towns around. The closest large city is about 1.5 hours away.

 

So I called a local Hunter Engineering representative (the guys that make some of the best alignment equipment) and got the name of a local shop. He vouched that they not only own the best equipment they have on the market (I think he said Hawkeye Elite), but they also receive extensive training so they know how to use it well.

I have an appointment with them tomorrow to get my suspension components and alignment checked. If anything is out of whack, they will let me know. They also have a road-force balancing machine so I may have them check/re-balance my tires while they are at it. I plan on showing up early for my appointment to talk to the service manager. Turns out he's a guy I worked with several years back.

 

Hopefully it all works out!

 

Hope this works out, I hate it when my steering wheel shakes