2003 Lesabre Ltd high speed vibration

[BNaylor]

Did the Op ever get the alignment checked? Normally bad tie rods show up during that type of service. You can do the 9 and 3 o'clock test on the wheel (raised) and watch the tie rod at the steering knuckle. Look for slop which is common when the odometer gets around 100K miles. Also, GM put out some TSBs about the wrong torque used at assembly on the outer tie rod end jamb nut. Also, check the lower control arm bushings.

Although I am a GoodYear tire fan I really don't think the GoodYear Assurance ComforTred are the best around or even above average. Most only have a UTQG Rating of 700AB. Maybe a good high mileage tire but definitely not a real overall performer. Reviews are mixed with many negatives so I would not rule them out.

[wjshipe]

Here are the results from the w/e. Rased the front wheels, ran at 10 (idle) and 30 mph and noted the following observations:

LF The LF turned much slower than the RF and eventually the LF stopped altogether while the RF kept spinning (no slow down). There was no noise such as the pads/rotor rubbing. The LF rim tracked perfectly – no in/out movement and perfectly round. Looking at the outside edge of the tire, there was a 1/16” low spot for about 1/8 rotation. Noticed the drive shaft between the transmission and wheel (inner/outer CV joints) was out of round much more than I would have expected, perhaps 1/16” – 1/8” up/down movement while turning. No looseness from 9/3 test.

RF The wheel turned much faster than the LF. The rim tracked perfectly. No low spot on the tire. While watching the tread from the front, there was some left/right movement that tracked with a slight run between the pads/rotor. In other words, I heard the pads/rotor slightly rub when the tire tracked to the right (towards the engine). It wasn’t much of a noise, just very slight. The right drive shaft spun without any up/down movement.
I cranked it up to 70 mph and didn’t “see” anything significant like excessive vibration from an unbalanced wheel, but reached in and felt the strut assembly and felt vibration. Unfortunately, I couldn’t isolate whether it was caused from either the left or right side. My suspicion is it’s the left drive shaft. No looseness from 9/3 test.

Swapped the front/back wheels (front end still raised) and reran the car at 10 & 30 mph.

LF There was a very slight low spot, much less than the original LF. The wheel continued to run very slow as before.

RF Absolutely perfect. One out of four isn’t bad.

Left the tires swapped and gave it a road test at 70 mph. The good news: The vibration was reduced, almost acceptable. The bad news: It was still there, not nearly as noticeable, but still there. Not the smooth as glass ride that a LeSabre Ltd should have.

So I ask the experts of this forum for their analysis (besides replacing the brake pads & rotors). Thanks.

[HotZ28]

I agree with BNaylor (Bob), that GoodYear tires may not be of the same quality they use to be, however, this problem is not limited to GoodYear! I recently had another popular brand that would balance perfectly and ride smooth for about 1K miles, then for some unknown reason, the vibration would return. Never did figure out the reason other than belts shifting. I did rotate them on a more than regular basis, to alleviate some of the irregularities. I might add that, I did replace all four tires with the same brand and they have been as smooth as glass at all speeds for over 5K. All it takes is one bad tire on these cars and you can feel the vibration transferred all over the car! Just like a wife, sometimes you get a bad one and sometimes you get a good one!

[BNaylor]

Originally Posted by HotZ28

I agree with BNaylor (Bob), that GoodYear tires may not be of the same quality they use to be, however, this problem is not limited to GoodYear!

Yeah I hear you Bo. Not that it makes any difference in this thread but add Firestone and General to the list.

Another awful GoodYear brand is the Integrity but you get what you pay for. However, the higher performance GoodYear tires like the Eagle RSA and F1 "All Season", etc. are pretty darn good although up there in cost.

[wjshipe]

Not to throw a wrench into this thread, but before I had the ComfortTreds, I had bought a full set of TripleTreds, ran them for about 2k and the front end began to vibrate. The dealer said they were too aggressive for the Ltd and convinced me to go with the ComfortTreds. Oh, well.

On a different note, replaced a set of Michelins on my wife's Odyssey with Yokohama T4's and it now rides like the Ltd should. Even my wife noticed the difference. Darn.

One last question: Is the 1/16" - 1/8" out-of-round movement in the front left drive shaft acceptable?

Thanks to everyone for their help.

[Blue Bowtie]

Have you checked that rear wheel alignment yet? It's been a couple weeks now.

I'll agree completely that tyre quality has been on the decline ever since D.O.T. has allowed 3 ply treads and one ply sidewalls. Carcass quality has suffered as a result, and movement or loosening of the reinforcement is almost inevitable unless you never drive on bumps.

[Patstinrose]

Did you find out what was your problem, I have an 05 Lesabre with the vibration at 60 mph and higher. I have had a wheel alignment, new struts, new pads and rotors all the way around, and new lower control arms on the front. I still have the vibration, and now I have vibration when first take off from stopped but then stops after reaching 30 changing gear.

Any help will be appreciated.

[maxwedge]

Seems common, my 2005 did this for years, , tires never corrected it, wheel bearings, excess hub runout, light weight suspension components added up to this issue

[CapriRacer]

Originally Posted by Patstinrose

Did you find out what was your problem, I have an 05 Lesabre with the vibration at 60 mph and higher. I have had a wheel alignment, new struts, new pads and rotors all the way around, and new lower control arms on the front. I still have the vibration, and now I have vibration when first take off from stopped but then stops after reaching 30 changing gear.

Any help will be appreciated.

Those era cars had a problem with the body structure that resonated in sympathy with any vibration, particularly wheel end vibrations. Even the lightest amount got amplified. The fix was to reinforce the body structure so it resonated at a different (Higher!) frequency. Kind of expensive and a lot of work.