Before I get started, I didn't know wether to post on Tire/Wheel or Sus/Hand. My apologizes if it belongs on Tire/Wheel.

My Problem: At about 65mph and up my steering wheel shakes quite violently from side to side. Im still driving in a straight line, etc. but it is just annoying. I really need some help here

My suspension mods: 17" Enkei's, Tech H-Techs, Monroe Sensa-tracs, and Kuhmo espt 205/45

I took the car to get aligned at a top notch alignment shop after the drop and they did the front but they needed to order shims for the back. When I brought it back a week later to get the shims on I told them about the problem. They said that it might be because they still needed to do the rear and theyd check it out. When I went to pick it up they said that the shaking might be reduced a little bit but it is still there and they are not sure why. They full alighed the car, installed shims, rechecked all the torque specs on wheels, struts, etc. they double checked the weight on all the wheel weights and they said that the tires seem to be in good shape. They said it might be due to road shock and my brother said its prolly because im feeling the road a lot more and im just feeling the imperfections in the road. I just want to know if I can fix this! It really bothers me during a long hwy trip.

Oh yeah, I have hubcentric rings...

I installed my strut bar two days later, it didnt help or worsen the shaking.
plz help, thanks.

 

Could be a number of things really. The alignment is a good place to start. I'm not sure how the shims or rings work though - so those could be part of it. Did they rebalance all wheels? Or just tell you they're all OK?

Can you tell if it seems to be just the wheel that's shaking? Or is it something you can feel on the floor too at your feet?

 

This is 100% at the steering wheel. My straight line at 60-80 is fine too. They didnt not rebalance, they just checked the balance to see if any weights feel off or the weight was correct.

 

So all they did was a visual check to make sure you didn't lose any weights on your wheels?

Step one should be to have every single tire checked for balance. Also, make sure that they didn't install directional tires backward. This would not only cause shaking, but could result in a catastrophic failure in the tire. Lastly, check your treadwear side to side. If you have a significant difference in wear it can create the exact situation you describe.

Hope that helps.

 

sounds to me ike its your suspension. have it checked out by the dealer OR a suspension shop.

 

When you went to get an alignment, you tell them how much you're dropped right? Cause that's one thing I need to do.

 

it sounds like you either have a wheel out of balance or your alignment is out, you might want to take it to another shop to check it out.

 

Mine did this after new tires and wheels, re balanced the fronts and it went away.

 

I had a bad tie rod on my taurus that caused all kinds of vibration, replaced it and could not believe how much better it rode.

 

Take it from a Nissan tech, balance your front wheels ASAP...

 

Anyone check your wheel bearings? They possobly need to be repacked or replaced. Had that problem on my Sonoma some time back...

 

Thanks for all the posts so far...

All try to get back to all your posts...

Tires are in tip top condition as are the wheels. That is not the issue for sure. Both brand new. Less than one month out of the box.

These are directional tires but they are on the correct sides.

I did not tell the alignment shop how much I dropped the car... but I think he was able to check the chamber and adjust it accordingly.

I didnt check the wheel bearings... what should i look for here?

I am highly considering going to another shop to get a rebalance. The only thing that is holding me back is that the tech at the alignment shop I went to assured me that they were balance.. he triple checked. This is a shop my family has been going to for 10 years approximately 7+ cars, with nothing but fantastic work done. I actually had the owner work on my car, not some hourly guy.

Before I go to another shop, maybe I should put on my steelies and see if it still shakes?

Anyone know anything about this 'Road Shock' thing that the alignment tech said I probably have? thanks for the comments, and keep em coming.

 

it should be the balance of tires.
i dropped off my rims at a shop so they
could mount and balance.

my steering wheels shakes at 55+,
and friends say it's mostly like them
being not balanced.

good luck.

 

I think the standard test is to put the car on a lift. You grab the tire at 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock and see if there is any wiggle as you pull and push pn the tire and wheel. If there is any play, further inspection needs to be made with the wheel off.

Matt

 

Have the tires rebalanced. Took my box in for oil change and tire rotation. Steering wheel didn't shake before, but did afterwards. Rotated tires again and shake went away. Rebalance did the trick.

 

Vibration in the steerting wheel at higher speeds is the #1 symptom of an alignment problem. You said your alignment was done and rechecked, so it's likely something else thats not quite right. I'm sure your shop is great, but I'd go somewhere else for a second opinion. Maybe they've missed something. Good luck.

 

should i take it to the Toyota dealership?

 

I seriously doubt that it is the wheel bearings, especially a Toyota that is only a couple of years old. I had the same problem for the longest time. I recently put new springs and shocks/struts on my ride and after doing so I torqued my wheels down. Since then, no problems. I think it was the way I was tightening the lugs before. Make sure you torque each lug down in a cross pattern, then repeat the pattern over and over. I did this like 4 times and each time the lugs tightened down a little bit more before clicking immediately on the 4th pass. No more vibrations!

 

Try the stock steelies. If everything is goes away, then it must have been the aftermarket wheels or tires.

Did they actually check the balance of the wheels/tires? Like acually spin them on a machine? Or did they just visually inspect them?

It could be the tires. Some tires are just impossible to balance correctly. It happens more often in cheaper tires.

Or, It could be you already have a slight bend in one of your wheels. Try moving wheels front to back and see if the shaking lessens.

Lastly, shims for he rear? What are they talking about? Sounds fishy...I've never heard of that before on a Scion.

 

He said I needed shims... i dunno, lol. I think i'll put on the stock steelies in the front, then take it out for a drive.