Steering Wheel Vibration

[youngdriver94]

So my car is about 3 1/2 years old. Ive done most bolt on modifications (exhaust, intake, wheels, etc.) Recently in the past few months I feel like my steering wheel has begun to vibrate more than normal. It happens at pretty much all speeds and is not specific to acceleration or braking, although it is slightly more so on the highway than on side streets. It is to the point where if I am driving for more than a minute I start to experience pain in my hands due to the vibration. Tires have been recently rotated and that didn't change anything, steering has been aligned. I do have camber bolts on so I was thinking maybe something with that? Any ideas would be great! I love this car but I honestly can't take much more of this wrist pain while driving. I am valet attendant so I know how most car steering wheels feel and none of them cause me the same pain. Any Ideas would be great! Thank you!

[8RZ]

Get the tires balanced yet?

[humfrz]

^ this

and, even if you have had the tires balanced, I suggest you have them balanced again, at a different shop.


humfrz

[tobin]

Since you have put new wheels on the car, try putting the old ones back on for a bit and see if that changes anything.

[DarkPira7e]

Sounds like over time your car has thrown some wheel weights. Ask a tire shop to balance them and it should soften up. Also check the wear on your tires; if the tread has worn funny it can introduce strange vibration.

[Decep]

check control arm bushings, dampers, and as others said tire balance

[youngdriver94]

Thank you for the suggestions! These are all things that have crossed my mind, just need to actually dedicate a day to it haha. I will put my car up on some jack stands and take a look at everything soon and then get it balanced. Ill keep you guys posted!

[mrhayes1]

There are many things it could be but unless you hit something and bent suspension components, it is most likely the wheels and/or alignment.

You could check the easy stuff first like tire pressure. Make sure you don't have a nail or bolt in a tire, etc. Ensure all wheel weights are present and none are missing. You usually should see sticky residue where wheel weights should be.

These cars are notorious for the alignments being quirkily and the alignment seems to easily change which is probably due to the fact that everyone modifies these cars and they also have very stiff, unforgiving suspension. If the wheels are properly balanced, I would then probably look into having another alignment done. Also, crappy and/or unevenly worn tires could also contribute to this. I would also recommend going to a reputable name brand shop when it comes to alignments. They should give you the alignment printout which shows the specs on each wheel so you can rule out if alignment is the issue or not.

[youngdriver94]

I was sick the last few days but was finally feeling better enough and had the day off to jack up the car, take off the under panels, and really take a look at the car. Looked at all the wheel components, bushings, motor mounts, etc and everything looked good. I even re-torqued a few bolts just to make sure and everything seems fine. I was looking at the steering shaft section that you can first see in coming from the cabin into the engine compartment and there seems to be a good amount of grease surrounding it, but I'm not sure if its supposed to be there or not? Checked all my tires and got a few good rocks removed from the tread, and one of my back wheels actually does have a nail in it and was 15 psi lower than it should have been, but why would a back wheel cause the steering wheel to vibrate? Ill be checking the tire pressure everyday for the next few days and my next day off go to see if I can get it patched up while also having the wheels re-balanced and re-aligned.

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by youngdriver94

I was sick the last few days but was finally feeling better enough and had the day off to jack up the car, take off the under panels, and really take a look at the car. Looked at all the wheel components, bushings, motor mounts, etc and everything looked good. I even re-torqued a few bolts just to make sure and everything seems fine. I was looking at the steering shaft section that you can first see in coming from the cabin into the engine compartment and there seems to be a good amount of grease surrounding it, but I'm not sure if its supposed to be there or not? Checked all my tires and got a few good rocks removed from the tread, and one of my back wheels actually does have a nail in it and was 15 psi lower than it should have been, but why would a back wheel cause the steering wheel to vibrate? Ill be checking the tire pressure everyday for the next few days and my next day off go to see if I can get it patched up while also having the wheels re-balanced and re-aligned.

That low of pressure in a tire can make the whole car shake.

Good plan to have the wheels balanced -


humfrz

[youngdriver94]

So I got the puncture fixed, tires re-balanced, and a alignment. Slightly slightly less vibration but not what I was hoping for. Honestly I think its just the feedback that this car is designed to give through the steering wheel. I live in Southern California so our roads are horrible so I think its just picking up on the road feel. I'm just not sure why after almost 4 years of owning the car it is just now becoming a problem for me. I am going to put the stock wheels and tires back on this weekend and see if that makes a difference and then go from there.

[Decep]

I dunno we have some shit roads around here but my hands have never hurt from the steering wheel. I'd have a mechanic drive it, or even see if you can drive a different twin and see if its the same deal.

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by youngdriver94

So I got the puncture fixed, tires re-balanced, and a alignment. Slightly slightly less vibration but not what I was hoping for. Honestly I think its just the feedback that this car is designed to give through the steering wheel. I live in Southern California so our roads are horrible so I think its just picking up on the road feel. I'm just not sure why after almost 4 years of owning the car it is just now becoming a problem for me. I am going to put the stock wheels and tires back on this weekend and see if that makes a difference and then go from there.

So, did the vibration just start when you mounted the new wheels and tires? If so, maybe you have a tire that is "out of round" or has a separation in the tire?

Sounds like a good plan.

Let us know what you discover.


humfrz

[8RZ]

What are the specs on the new wheels/tires?


If they have a lower side profile the ride quality may suffer since you'll feel more road vibrations.