[JCLBoston]

Hi - I'm hoping to get some opinions here on an issue I'm having here before bringing it into a shop. Any helpful/insightful perspectives would be very much appreciated.

Summary of the issue:
- When I switched over to my winter tire/wheel setup months ago, I started to feel vibration in the whole car above ~60mph. I thought it was a wheel balancing issue so I got them re-balanced - no result.
- I then got the car realigned - no result.
- I just figured maybe there were issues with the wheels themselves (they were the Sport AS7's that can be found for pretty cheap) or unevenly worn tires and decided to ride it out for the winter since I don't drive that much anyway.
- The vibration levels at >80mph were enough to make me feel even a bit "woozy" after a while.

- Fast forward to last week - I switched back to OEM summer wheel/tire setup, and although the vibration levels seem to be less intense, it is still very noticeable. I'm thinking that the issue is no longer wheels/tires.

**What other common issues could it be? Something loose in suspension?**


Other details:
- Vibration does not seem to be coming from engine - definitely feels like a suspension or chassis issue if wheels/tires are to be ruled out.
- Vibration occurs even on newly surfaced smooth roads, which definitely should not be normal based on my experience with the car in years past
- Car has 48k miles on it, out of warranty
- Vibration is constant and is not caused or affected by braking - so ruling out brake and/or rotor problems here

[cssnms]

Does your steering wheel vibrate or do you just feel it in the seat of your pants?

Is it intermitent or consistent at the stated speeds?

Have you tried having your wheels "road force" balanced?

Do you have spacers?

If not, perhaps an out of balanced drive shaft?

[JCLBoston]

Originally Posted by cssnms

Does your steering wheel vibrate or do you just feel it in the seat of your pants?

Is it intermitent or consistent at the stated speeds?

Have you tried having your wheels "road force" balanced?

Do you have spacers?

If not, perhaps an out of balanced drive shaft?

Thanks for the reply.. good questions.
Steering wheel does vibrate, but only along with the rest of the car. In other words, it doesn't feel like the root of the vibration is coming from through the steering wheel.

The vibration is consistent at the stated higher speeds

I believe that the shop that I had brought the wheels to had the road force machine..

No spacers.. car is pretty bone stock

I'll look more into the possibility of the drive shaft being an issue, but wouldn;t that usually be a problem that's detected ~30-45mph?

[JCLBoston]

I feel like this is like an automotive version of House since vibrations could be caused by so many things.. just gotta go down the list of most likely scenarios and eliminate or confirm one by one.

Any other suggestions would be very helpful so I know how to direct my research..

[cssnms]

Originally Posted by JCLBoston

Thanks for the reply.. good questions.
Steering wheel does vibrate, but only along with the rest of the car. In other words, it doesn't feel like the root of the vibration is coming from through the steering wheel.

The vibration is consistent at the stated higher speeds

I believe that the shop that I had brought the wheels to had the road force machine..

No spacers.. car is pretty bone stock

I'll look more into the possibility of the drive shaft being an issue, but wouldn;t that usually be a problem that's detected ~30-45mph?

Check with the shop that did the balance to make sure as the Road Force machine can pin-point if there is a bent wheel, out of round tire etc if they are unable to balance the wheel/tire. They should have provided you with a report.

If they did not Road Force I would suggest getting it done at the very least to rule out wheel run-out or an out of round tire.

As for the driveshaft, depending on the severity of the unbalance it may or may not manifest itself at low speed, just a like an unabalanced wheel. Good luck.

[Zengineer]

I have similar symptoms, did you ever sort this out?

[arctic330i]

Same issues here... Brand new tires and rims all road force balanced and still serious shuddering at 45+ at 70~ the seat vibrates bad.

[distracted24x7]

Do you have run-flats?

I have had three of my four replaced since I got the car in march. The last one was for a puncture in the right rear. Shimmies like crazy. Took the car to Turner for service and asked them to check the balance on the wheels once again. Their finding was crappy tires. Wheel without the tire rotates true. Wheel with the tire wobbles and is the source of the shimmy.

Just a thought

[anhjojo]

Just this week, I have similiar problem. Going at 60 and above the car vibrates like crazy but when I let go of the gas pedal, the vibration stops. And also going at > 60, put it in neutral and vibration also stop even with engine rev high. Anyone solve their problem yet?

[HGreen335]

i have the same exact problem. I can feel it in the steering wheel, and the seat, and as I gradually go faster (85+ mph) I can feel it in the shift knob a little too. Incredibly annoying. And I just got 4 new wheels and tires so unless its a balancing issue I know its not the wheels.

[CALWATERBOY]

Originally Posted by booostin3

i have the same exact problem. I can feel it in the steering wheel, and the seat, and as I gradually go faster (85+ mph) I can feel it in the shift knob a little too. Incredibly annoying. And I just got 4 new wheels and tires so unless its a balancing issue I know its not the wheels.

Have ya'll checked:

• Suspension/sways/subframe torques
• Bushings & ball joints
• Ride height
• Alignment specs

[Redrkt503]

Same problem, looking at my passenger seat it vibrates tremendously, it's a very unsettling feeling when going 80mph+ and your car is shaking

[Zengineer]

Anyone resolve this?

[stratplaya06]

Front thrust arm bushings could be worn. I replaced mine and vibration is down and braking and handling are very crisp.

[joro2077]

I had a infinti fx35 with the same problem I know I know different car + wider stance and wider tires, but just an idea. I did a lot of things so I can get rid of it. Its a big issue on that platform as I found out later on forums. Removed my spacers helped a little bit but still there... tires balanced few times, vibration still there... Finally some noise started at certain angle of turning steering wheel so I pointed that out and after steering rack replacement and tightening (there is some bolt for that) vibration disappeared. I hope in this case its not that, cause I dont know if there is a way of to find it unless it start making noise. Hopefully we dont have problem on this platform.

I would recommend:
check control arms bushings again and steering ends (lift the front up with steady lift and try pushing the wheel back and forward, left and right) mine were bad so I replaced them with M3s. I had 60 000 miles on them at that time.
roadforce balance tires again at a reputable shop (not pepboys or sears) on a hunter machine.
get rid of RFT tires (i dont know if someone else had same experience like mine but with mine I did rebalance them a few times and every time they were off... if I remember correctly.
I dont know if it could be a bad bearing?
Good luck.

[vladmury]

sorry to make alive this thread but did you ever found out what the issue was? I have same highway vibration, changed tires, changed control arms, realignment, balanced wheels but still get vibration in the seat and steering wheel. It happens over 80 kmh and at 100 kmh I can hear a booming noise from the back.

[Sonu91]

Wow I'm surprised so many others are having the same problem as I do. I believe the problem for me is the rear wheel bearings. So far I've replaced my shocks and tires as per my mechanics recommendation and I'm pretty unhappy that the problem still persists.

[vladmury]

My last guess is the prop shaft is causing this. I will replace it and report back.

[bleedsblue0023]

it may just be your prop shaft bearing, but make sure you get the tires road force balanced. After I get mine done I make the SA go on a drive with me to 100+ mph to ensure no vibration when im doing rolls.

[angel1368]

I had this exact issue and turned out to be the rear caliper as the culprit

[Konklej]

Digging this one up from the dead, but did you feel the caliper in the brake pedal, or was pedal feel smooth?

[NightStalker]

bump