front wheel vibrates at high speeds

[pontiacfanactic]

1994 transport passenger tire will vibrate at 55MPH and higher but doesn't at low speeds. Tire is in good shape. Wheel bearing? CV joint? Something else?

[Jrs3800]

That sounds a lot more like an out of balance wheel... There are also some things you can clean up as well.. Such as the Hub assembly face to rotor, and the rotors face to wheel hub as well... These need to be clean to ensure a flat surface...

Its also possible to have a slightly warped rotor, bad Axle or a tire thats not wearing as it should...

I actually have wider larger tires on my 95 TS...

I went with the 16" Bonneville Alloys, 225/60 16 tires as opposed to the 205/70 15 tires... In order to do this I had to use a 5mm spacer on the front and 54 mm studs... The tires are well balanced and the van is smooth at all speeds...

I will be installing new 225/60 16 H rated all season performance tires soon.. I have a local shop that I always go to when I want tires installed as they do a great job balancing tires... I have never had any issues with them... When they are done its always very smooth.. If you find a shop like that stick with them...

[96tsport]

Try swapping the wheels left to right. Might help isolate the problem.

Think I heard at some point that a (damaged) tire can cause this problem if the cords shift. Say after hitting a huge pothole.

[96tsport]

Originally Posted by Jrs3800

I went with the 16" Bonneville Alloys, 225/60 16 tires as opposed to the 205/70 15 tires... In order to do this I had to use a 5mm spacer on the front and 54 mm studs... The tires are well balanced and the van is smooth at all speeds...

Neat! Wondered if anyone had bigger wheels on a TS. Is the spacer custom made or can it be bought? Old studs pressed out then drill & press in the bigger ones? What year rims work?

[Jrs3800]

Originally Posted by 96tsport

Neat! Wondered if anyone had bigger wheels on a TS. Is the spacer custom made or can it be bought? Old studs pressed out then drill & press in the bigger ones? What year rims work?

The spacer can be bought... Even with a 5mm spacer the 225 wide tire is really close to the strut, but is not close enough to rub or touch the strut... There is a gap between the strut and the tire.. And different tires seem to have different distances between the tire and the strut even tho the other tires are also 225's...

The old studs are pressed out and the new ones pressed in.. Any 16" 92-99 Bonneville rim should work as they are all the 5-115... There are some 16" GM wheels that would work...

I simply chose the 16" Bonneville rims due to cost and the fact that they already had Toyo's on them... This is what it looks like..


I actually changed the center caps to the Pontiac Arrow head center caps like a lot of the newer pontiacs... This changed the ride and handling a good bit and added more rubber on the road...

And I am going to add... Some tire although they are non Directional don't like to roll in the opposite direction and can cause and out of balance feel... I had this happen on this van after I reinstalled the trans... I swapped the tires around as I had accidentally switched sides... Once they were back in their original places it was as smooth as butter again...

[LMP]

Awsome looks...how do you keep it that shiny ?

[Jrs3800]

Originally Posted by LMP

Awsome looks...how do you keep it that shiny ?

Ran Across it with a clay bar... Hit it with some KIT Scratch remover and a couple coats of Mothers Wax... The top of the van needs help... But the good part is that its a Fiberglass and composite body... It'll never rust...lol

I'd hate to see what this paint will cost... I am almost certain it has some Pearl in it...

[96tsport]

Mine looks exactly the same (color too) ..'cept for the wheels. Tops in good shape on mine, only realized after purchase ..that I had no roof rack.

Couldn't figure out why in heavy driving rain only, the windshield leaked a bit (drip ..drip) from the top (one spot only) into the van. Was a bit surprised as I figured I finally licked that prob once & for all ..with a plastic body.. Seal looks good from the outside but I guess could be cracked underneath where I can't see, or could be there was an original sealant there.. I have funny rainbow colored type discoloration ..figure separation of the windshield in a few areas that i'll ask about in another post ..not to hijack this thread..

Had to look real close at the top seal from outside & I could see that there was a prior fix attempt (bottom of the seal, no less), ..figure silicone which i'll give a go.