As of lately, my car's been acting funny. 50mph-60mph or so, the steering wheel shakes left to right. Over 50mph, the car's steering feels "loose" and the car seems to be slightly steering left and right randomly. Do I just need an alignment?
sounds like your tires need to be balanced:
[url]http://www.familycar.com/CarCare/AlignmentBalance.htm[/url]
[quote]The symptoms of a wheel that is out of balance are:
Vibration in the steering wheel at certain highway speeds.
Vibration in the seat or floorboard at certain highway speeds.
Scalloped or cupped wear pattern on the tires[/quote]
[quote]Wheel Balance: Out-of-balance tires will cause a car to vibrate at certain speeds, usually between 50 and 70 mph. A tire is out of balance when one section of the tire is heavier than the others. One ounce of imbalance on a front tire is enough to cause a noticeable vibration in the steering wheel at about 60 mph. To balance a wheel, the technician will mount it on a balancing machine which spins the wheel to locate the heavier part. He will then compensate for the heavy part by attaching a lead weight on the opposite side. Many people are pleasantly surprised at how smooth their car drives after balancing all four wheels.
Most high quality tires will hold their balance fairly well and go out of balance very gradually. If you notice a vibration that wasn't there the day before, it is possible that one of the lead balancing weights fell off. If you feel the vibration mostly in the steering wheel, the problem is most likely in a front wheel. If the vibration is mostly in the seat, the problem is probably in the rear.
For those of you who are very sensitive about vibrations and your shop can't seem to get that last bit of vibration out, check to see if you have locking wheel lugs. Some locking lugs are as much as 1.5 ounces heavier than the other lug nuts which translates to about 1/2 ounce at the wheel rim. Try putting a 1/2 ounce weight opposite the locking lug and see if it helps.[/quote]
Thanks. I did just get new tires a couple weeks ago...I thought Mr. Tire was better at things like that. Ah well. I'll take it in.
they should do it for free if they were the ones that put the tires on. they should've balanced them in the first place.
[QUOTE=JDK721;31823405]they should do it for free if they were the ones that put the tires on. they should've balanced them in the first place.[/QUOTE]I'd bet money that they would blame it on alignment and sell me that rather than balance the tires.
I'd suggest finding a local reliable automotive place that you can trust and use them to do any maintenance
I've never trusted those shitty tire service and quick oil change places like jiffy lube, etc.
[QUOTE=JDK721;31827365]I'd suggest finding a local reliable automotive place that you can trust and use them to do any maintenance[/QUOTE]We don't have local anything where I live. It's all franchises or chains.
so there aren't any local independent shops at all?
[QUOTE=JDK721;31827414]so there aren't any local independent shops at all?[/QUOTE]Not that I've seen.
Same problem here. I'm gonna get new tires soon so hopefully that'll stop the vibrating.
Ha ha, I've got the same thing and have had it as long as I can remember. I hope it's just balancing, but I'll be getting new tires soon anyway so that should help altogether.
[B]Edit:[/B] Well mine is more of just a vibration in the wheel around 60 mph. The steering itself doesn't feel any looser and the car doesn't actually move left to right.
yeah on my car it's just steering vibration from 55-65mph
I'm hoping it's not tie rods...
Sounds like tie rods to me. My friends car does the same thing and that's what's wrong with it
oh god, my jeep is a little bit like this too :c
[editline]20th August 2011[/editline]
but I [I]am[/I] driving with mud tires so that may be the problem there :v:
[QUOTE=Dylan_94;31838943]Sounds like tie rods to me. My friends car does the same thing and that's what's wrong with it[/QUOTE]I doubt it though, tires were just changed. That would be too big a coincidence to be tie rods.
It's your tires, whoever installed them is a retard and didn't balance them. I just got new tires today (properly balanced) and my vibration is completely gone.
[QUOTE=Penis Colada;31852522]It's your tires, whoever installed them is a retard and didn't balance them. I just got new tires today (properly balanced) and my vibration is completely gone.[/QUOTE]Yeah it has to be tires. Tie rods do more than make the steering vibrate and feel loose. Plus, it pulls pretty much only to the right.
Have to find the fucking time to get this taken care of.
Actually, the tie rod ends being worn out at the ball socket on the rack [i]can[/i] create a looser feeling in the steering wheel and will vibrate/shake the wheel going down the road. If you have access to a floor jack, or even the scissor jack that comes with most vehicles, jack up one side of the front of the vehicle and attempt to "wobble" the wheel/tire combination on a horizontal axis (side-to-side). If you can hear or feel it having some play, it is more than likely your tie-rod ends. They aren't costly at all, but it will require you to get a new front-end alignment.
Be sure that you only get a front-end alignment if you replace them, a four wheel alignment is costly whereas a front end only will run around $50-$100 to do (It's $60-$70 here but in other areas it can be more expensive, it also depends on you having a macpherson strut type front suspension, double wishbone, all that jazz).
If you have no play in the front end, it is your tires. You should have the shop that put them on rotate them and re-balance them to see if the problem clears up, but I'm almost going to guarantee it is not your tires.
While you have it up in the air, double check the hub bearing as well by not only wobbling it on the horizontal axis but the vertical one. If you have a lot of play both ways, change your wheel bearing on that side. It can be a very bad day when one of those goes bad, so it's better safe than sorry when you start to develop play (We're talking, noticeable movement here) in the bearing.
If neither of these things fixes your problem... Bent frame? Bad side-motor mounts (causing slack in the driveline at speed/under load)? It could only be a VERY serious problem otherwise. If the car has been wrecked before, that'd likely be the cause. Otherwise, I'm 80-90% sure it's the tie rod ends. A very cheap part (compared to other pieces in the front suspension setup) and shouldn't cost too much to replace.
[QUOTE=bradley;31852897]Actually, the tie rod ends being worn out at the ball socket on the rack [i]can[/i] create a looser feeling in the steering wheel and will vibrate/shake the wheel going down the road. If you have access to a floor jack, or even the scissor jack that comes with most vehicles, jack up one side of the front of the vehicle and attempt to "wobble" the wheel/tire combination on a horizontal axis (side-to-side). If you can hear or feel it having some play, it is more than likely your tie-rod ends. They aren't costly at all, but it will require you to get a new front-end alignment.
Be sure that you only get a front-end alignment if you replace them, a four wheel alignment is costly whereas a front end only will run around $50-$100 to do (It's $60-$70 here but in other areas it can be more expensive, it also depends on you having a macpherson strut type front suspension, double wishbone, all that jazz).
If you have no play in the front end, it is your tires. You should have the shop that put them on rotate them and re-balance them to see if the problem clears up, but I'm almost going to guarantee it is not your tires.
While you have it up in the air, double check the hub bearing as well by not only wobbling it on the horizontal axis but the vertical one. If you have a lot of play both ways, change your wheel bearing on that side. It can be a very bad day when one of those goes bad, so it's better safe than sorry when you start to develop play (We're talking, noticeable movement here) in the bearing.
If neither of these things fixes your problem... Bent frame? Bad side-motor mounts (causing slack in the driveline at speed/under load)? It could only be a VERY serious problem otherwise. If the car has been wrecked before, that'd likely be the cause. Otherwise, I'm 80-90% sure it's the tie rod ends. A very cheap part (compared to other pieces in the front suspension setup) and shouldn't cost too much to replace.[/QUOTE]Hm. Thanks for the reply. Now that I think of it, when I go over bumps, I have a sound coming from the front that sounds like a flat basketball bouncing, but a bit deeper of a sound. It's always done that though. Getting new tires put on HAS to mean it is the balance, or it's just a huge coincidence that the tie rods are failing now.
So if I go to Mr. Tire, how much can I expect to pay for tie rods/alignment?
No idea. I might own a shop here but prices vary across even our small region. It depends on the car, how long it takes to do the job, etc...
When new tires are put on they ARE balanced, if the shop doesn't balance them they aren't a respectable shop. Generally, putting a brand new tire on a clean, non-bent wheel will balance dead even. I've been doing tires since I was old enough to lift them up on the machine (about 13 years old), so it's kind of something I know a lot about.
If you put used tires on, then they still should have balanced them but there's a bigger chance of them being out of balance with no additional weight (since they were run on a vehicle before). Regardless, if you think it is the balance, go to the shop who put them on. Request that they re-balance the tires. They are pretty much required to do it, since they put the tires on and it should be included with the cost of mounting them.
[QUOTE=bradley;31868130]No idea. I might own a shop here but prices vary across even our small region. It depends on the car, how long it takes to do the job, etc...
When new tires are put on they ARE balanced, if the shop doesn't balance them they aren't a respectable shop. Generally, putting a brand new tire on a clean, non-bent wheel will balance dead even. I've been doing tires since I was old enough to lift them up on the machine (about 13 years old), so it's kind of something I know a lot about.
If you put used tires on, then they still should have balanced them but there's a bigger chance of them being out of balance with no additional weight (since they were run on a vehicle before). Regardless, if you think it is the balance, go to the shop who put them on. Request that they re-balance the tires. They are pretty much required to do it, since they put the tires on and it should be included with the cost of mounting them.[/QUOTE]So is this something that if I don't do it soon my wheels will fall off, or will it just add extra wear/tear on my tires?
It'll probably have uneven wear, but I've personally seen people drive tens of thousands of miles with clunky tie rod ends. You'll just have the vibration and noise when you hit bumps at low speed until you get it fixed. If it does get too bad, a tie-rod end CAN pop out of its socket (where they attatch to the steering rack is a boll socket which is what allows them to move) in which case you'll lose steering on one wheel and it would most likely turn outwards all the way and lock up against the body, possibly overstretching and breaking the brake line as well depending on how it is routed on the car.
So yeah, if you let it go for a long time, I'd say it could be pretty bad. But that's a long time of use in its current state. You need to jack the front wheels up, one at a time, and check them like I told you. If there is no noise, have your tires rebalanced by the shop that put them on.
[QUOTE=bradley;31868377]It'll probably have uneven wear, but I've personally seen people drive tens of thousands of miles with clunky tie rod ends. You'll just have the vibration and noise when you hit bumps at low speed until you get it fixed. If it does get too bad, a tie-rod end CAN pop out of its socket (where they attatch to the steering rack is a boll socket which is what allows them to move) in which case you'll lose steering on one wheel and it would most likely turn outwards all the way and lock up against the body, possibly overstretching and breaking the brake line as well depending on how it is routed on the car.
So yeah, if you let it go for a long time, I'd say it could be pretty bad. But that's a long time of use in its current state. You need to jack the front wheels up, one at a time, and check them like I told you. If there is no noise, have your tires rebalanced by the shop that put them on.[/QUOTE]Thanks bud.
[QUOTE=bradley;31868377]It'll probably have uneven wear, but I've personally seen people drive tens of thousands of miles with clunky tie rod ends. You'll just have the vibration and noise when you hit bumps at low speed until you get it fixed. If it does get too bad, a tie-rod end CAN pop out of its socket (where they attatch to the steering rack is a boll socket which is what allows them to move) in which case you'll lose steering on one wheel and it would most likely turn outwards all the way and lock up against the body, possibly overstretching and breaking the brake line as well depending on how it is routed on the car.
So yeah, if you let it go for a long time, I'd say it could be pretty bad. But that's a long time of use in its current state. You need to jack the front wheels up, one at a time, and check them like I told you. If there is no noise, have your tires rebalanced by the shop that put them on.[/QUOTE]
funny how you say that and I saw a grand-am stuck in the middle of a fourway stop because one wheel did exactly that
[QUOTE=ThermalArc;31870912]funny how you say that and I saw a grand-am stuck in the middle of a fourway stop because one wheel did exactly that[/QUOTE]
My dads friends 4x4 did that right after they got home :T
if your vehicle is high enough up, you can just crawl under it (insert redneck lift comment). As for the wobbling, sounds like alignment. I drive in an industrial area with well-worn roads (read: ghetto full of potholes & wavy road suraces), I deal with it on and off all the time.
Rather than pay a shitload of money, you should just do it yourself. Basic handyman tools will usually do, you can check for wear, and even (if you do a lot of parallel parking like I do you might want to do this) oil the ball joints on the steering to keep down the rod-end wear.
You cannot leave the wheel on the ground and expect to feel for play in suspension components.
And installing the tie rods can be done by a shadetree mechanic, but alignment takes precision and should only be done by professionals. Same with balancing tires, it takes either a bubble balancer or a balancing machine that senses the weight difference in the wheel/tire combo
We personally have a machine, bubble balancing is inaccurate.
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkeeIBc6LZo[/media]
A laser level does perfectly well. Bubble balancing is good enough, the tiny difference in precision will be negated with regular wear anyway, unless you have perfectly-smooth roads.
And duh, you'd have to jack it up to check for play, wear, etc. Simply to see if you have a bashed-up tie rod, though, you can just eyeball it 99% of the time. As for balancing, yeah, that has to be done at the shop, but there's no reason to go to the shop for something that can be done with basic hand tools (same as with changing your oil, topping off fluids, or adding freon).
Look, case and point, the car started doing this [I]after[/I] new tires. It seems to slowly be getting worse, but hasn't gotten worse over the last couple days.
[editline]22nd August 2011[/editline]
Weird, barely any vibration on the way to work today...
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