Highway vibration

[phewop118]

I had a thread a few months ago about my intrigue vibrating. I finally went and had the tires balanced, but now when I brake from highway speeds especially, the car sometimes shakes violently as the front end shimmies back and forth. Also, at certain speeds and turing angles, I still get a slight vibration. It's a lot better than it used to be, but it bothers the hell out of me. I think it's the alignment. Any suggestions? Do our cars have camber adjustments too and might that be the problem? I dont think its the brakes cause they can still stop the car fast.

[harrymay]

two words, WARPED ROTORS, if its happening when turning and stopping, the rotors may be warped. get them checked out, they may be able to machine them, or you may need new ones.

[kmohr3]

I agree, definitely rotors, the good news is - they are a piece of cake to replace and reasonably priced. BTW, the rears are capable of warping too.

[phewop118]

This vibration is really starting to irk me. Sometimes it feels like it's coming from the back right tire. Then other times (now rarely) it goes away completely and it rides as smooth as God intended it to be. Then, sometimes, I can feel vibration in the steering wheel and if I let go, it will vibrate left and right. Then, at those times, when I brake, the front end of the car shimmies back and forth. When the ride is smooth, the braking is also almost as smooth as it should be. Another thing I've noticed is that at speeds like 85 or 90 mph, the ride is ususally smooth. However, if I'm driving over 100mph or under 75, the vibration is much more noticeable. It also seems to vibrate harder on humid days, while the ride is smooth on very cold days, like less than 10 degrees F.

[phewop118]

Somebody please help! I checked the tire wear and realized that all the tires seem to be worn more towards the driver's side of the car, as though they are all out of camber. My rotors appear fine and feel as though they are not warped (at least with my hand). Might it be the tie-rod ends? or maybe I need a simple alignment. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[busboy4]

Hi
what year, mileage are we talking here? I have a '99 that had similar issues except for the tire wear. Visually my tires were wearing evenly. I had the vibration/noise on the road at varying speeds, seemingly from varying locations. I replaced brakes and rotors which helped for a while but it all came back. I finally replaced the OEM tires (Goodyear Eagles) at about 45000 miles and it all stopped. I purchased the car used in '02 with 16000 miles on it. Those tires were making noise then. It only became worse. So, in my case it was tires all along. And, by the way, I didn't notice until just before I replaced the tires, but one of them was delaminating - my left front had a visible bulge where a belt/cord was coming apart from the core. This was not do to road damage or excessive speed etc.
So, do not assume your tires are not the culprit just because they have reasonable tread remaining (mine did) and are not too old (mine made noise/vibrated at four years and 16000 miles !) I replaced them with BFGoodrich from Sam's which were their cheapest tire in the size. The change was remarkable! My car rides quiet and smooth, as you said "the way God intended"

Good luck

[phewop118]

I have an 01 gls that I got back in sept 05. It had 44,000 miles on it and the tires were not the stock goodyears, but rather cooper lifelines (I think - I know they're coopers). At the time, there was no vibration, however as time went on, vibration came and has been getting worse. The tires are all worn more towards the drivers side of the car, but still have significant tread left overall. Also, none of them have bulges, indicating that the cord is still intact. Oh yeah, I had the tires balanced, too to make sure it wasn't that.

[Master01]

Get your alignment checked - the tires should have an even wear pattern on them, if they don't have one then your car is out of alignment. Then check the ball joints and tie rod ends for play. Then check the wheel bearings, and your struts. Also new tires have a bad habit giving vibrations and other problems. If your tires are still under warrenty, reqeust new ones after you checked the other things.

[phewop118]

What is a reasonable price to have an alignment done or at least looked at?

[phewop118]

How much would it be at a stealership to get a tie-rod end replaced?

[kmohr3]

You really can not tell if the rotors are warped by feeling them with your hand. The maximum lateral runout is only .002 in. You need a dial indicator and a jig to measure this properly. Autozone has new front rotors for $18.99 and $29.99.

[phewop118]

I'm taking it in tomorrow and seeing if it's a tie rod end or warped rotors. I'm leaning to it being a bad tie rod end because of the treadwear pattern and the type of vibration, but it could be warped rotors in the back. I don't think the front ones would be warped, because they were new when I got the car back in sept. and I am very easy on my brakes.

[phewop118]

Well, I decided that $277 for two outer tie rod ends was worth it and the ride is much better. Also, I know, and the dealer also mentioned, that the rear rotors are really worn out, which probably isn't helping with the vibration. There is still some vibration in the steering wheel at highway speeds and if I let go of it, it will twitch back and forth (left and right) really fast. I don't think they realigned the wheels right because now to go straight, the steering wheel needs to be turned just a little to the right. They better fix it for free!

[phewop118]

Alright. I took it in and had the rear rotors replaced. That helped the braking vibration a lot. I also had my tires rotated and a 4-wheel alignment. They said the back left wheel was way out of toe. My car now rides smooth almost all the time, but when I hit very smooth pavement and especially a slight right turn going downhill, my front end still shimmies slightly. Then, when I brake, the brakes vibrate up front, too. Typically, after I get below 45mph, the shimmy goes away, leaving a sligh brake pulsation behind. I know this might indicate my front rotors are warped (and bad pads), but I think it seems to be a dreaded wheel bearing issue. I noticed that when I'm going about 20 mph and when I can hear the car's sound reflection off buildings, I hear a slightly off-sounding sound from the front driver-side wheel. It almost sounds like a slight squeak or rubbing. When I apply my brakes, there is a distinct rubbing sound, like a towel being dragged on a carpet. Would a bad bearing do this?

[kmohr3]

A bad wheel bearing will make a droning or humming sound, and will get worse as time goes on. Sometimes it can almost be confused with noisy scalloped tires. A wheel bearing is more likely to make noise at speeds above 30 mph and on up, and is usually pretty constant.