 Front end shimmy at speed |
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| VaccaRabite |
 Sep 13 2025, 02:13 PM
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#1
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En Garde!  Group: Admin Posts: 13,785 Joined: 15-December 03 From: Dallastown, PA Member No.: 1,435 Region Association: MidAtlantic Region 
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When I’m on the freeway I get a vibration through the steering wheel if I’m going over 70.
On surface roads everything is smooth sailing. It’s probably a wheel that threw off its weight, but I can’t check that till Monday. Bearing are new. Rotors are new. What’s the checklist? |
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| rjames |
Sep 13 2025, 02:57 PM
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#2
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I'm made of metal Group: Members Posts: 4,366 Joined: 24-July 05 From: Shoreline, WA Member No.: 4,467 Region Association: Pacific Northwest
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A lost wheel weight is a solid culprit.
How old are the tires? Maybe tread separation? Do you have a spare you could use to swap your wheels out one at time to rule them out? Grab the wheels and check for play to ensure it's not a loose or bad bearing (or worn spindle), too. |
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| emerygt350 |
Sep 13 2025, 03:15 PM
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#3
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Advanced Member Group: Members Posts: 3,235 Joined: 20-July 21 From: Upstate, NY Member No.: 25,740 Region Association: North East States |
QUOTE(VaccaRabite @ Sep 13 2025, 02:13 PM)  When I’m on the freeway I get a vibration through the steering wheel if I’m going over 70. On surface roads everything is smooth sailing. It’s probably a wheel that threw off its weight, but I can’t check that till Monday. Bearing are new. Rotors are new. What’s the checklist? I just went through that too except I had just put turbo tie rods on. Luckily I decided to have the weights checked, and sure enough, it had thrown a weight. I really need to learn to photograph the wheel... |
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| Cairo94507 |
Sep 13 2025, 04:44 PM
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#4
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Michael Group: Members Posts: 10,436 Joined: 1-November 08 From: Auburn, CA Member No.: 9,712 Region Association: Northern California
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When I had my wheels balanced, I used black racers tape to cover the weights since the backs of the wheels are black. Never lost a weight yet. Also, on my car, deep sixes with 195x65x15 Michelin tires, I have found they are sensitive to tire pressure. If one of my tires get's 2 pounds low, I can feel a slight vibration. Air tires and smooth as glass again.
BTW, I run my tires at 28F and 31R. I have no idea if that is good or bad, but my cars rides great. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif) |
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| emerygt350 |
Sep 13 2025, 05:05 PM
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#5
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Advanced Member Group: Members Posts: 3,235 Joined: 20-July 21 From: Upstate, NY Member No.: 25,740 Region Association: North East States |
QUOTE(Cairo94507 @ Sep 13 2025, 04:44 PM) When I had my wheels balanced, I used black racers tape to cover the weights since the backs of the wheels are black. Never lost a weight yet. Also, on my car, deep sixes with 195x65x15 Michelin tires, I have found they are sensitive to tire pressure. If one of my tires get's 2 pounds low, I can feel a slight vibration. Air tires and smooth as glass again. BTW, I run my tires at 28F and 31R. I have no idea if that is good or bad, but my cars rides great. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif) I was putting duct tape over mine. Seemed to work. When I was doing the high performance driving school at the Glen, the weights laying on the ground were knee deep in the green group paddock.... |
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| VaccaRabite |
Sep 14 2025, 09:34 AM
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#6
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En Garde! Group: Admin Posts: 13,785 Joined: 15-December 03 From: Dallastown, PA Member No.: 1,435 Region Association: MidAtlantic Region
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Update.
Car is on the lift. Ball joints are tight and seals are intact. There is no wobble or play in the front end of either front wheel. Tie rods seem fine. Cat hasn’t been aligned in about 4 years but it tracks straight. Monday I’m calling to have the wheels balanced and I’m going to get the pressure dead nuts on all of them. I did not check pressure before yesterday’s drive. It was about 80 miles all told, but almost all of it was surface roads and country roads. Way too nice a day for the freeway. On FB Bruce mentioned the rubber puck in the steering shaft. A possibility but I can’t fix it this weekend, and I’m driving the car next weekend so I can’t take apart the steering shaft to investigate. Zach |
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| Steve |
Sep 14 2025, 10:19 AM
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#7
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914 Guru Group: Members Posts: 5,931 Joined: 14-June 03 From: Laguna Niguel, CA Member No.: 822 Region Association: Southern California
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I’m running Michelin 17” pilot sport tires. When they got close to the wear indicator they started vibrating really bad unless the road was super smooth. New tires solved the problem, but could of been a balance issue.
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| Superhawk996 |
Sep 14 2025, 11:10 AM
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#8
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914 Guru Group: Members Posts: 7,385 Joined: 25-August 18 From: Woods of N. Idaho Member No.: 22,428 Region Association: Galt's Gulch
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QUOTE(VaccaRabite @ Sep 13 2025, 04:13 PM) When I’m on the freeway I get a vibration through the steering wheel if I’m going over 70. On surface roads everything is smooth sailing I don’t understand what this means. So if you do 70 or over on a smooth road you don’t get vibration and shimmy? Is it distinctly related to something of freeways like expansion joints? Let’s clarify terms: Vibration can be in any direction X,Y or Z axis. It is usually random, non-cyclic, non periodic, continuous. Shimmy is an oscillation of the steering wheel around its axis of rotation, or of the vehicle that is cyclic, side to side, front to rear, or a pulsation type feeling. |
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| tomeric914 |
Sep 14 2025, 11:28 AM
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#9
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One Lap of America in a 914! Group: Members Posts: 1,271 Joined: 25-May 08 From: Syracuse, NY Member No.: 9,101 Region Association: North East States
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Are the front wheels hubcentric?
Are the rotors hubcentric? |
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| Spoke |
Sep 14 2025, 06:48 PM
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#10
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Jerry Group: Members Posts: 7,245 Joined: 29-October 04 From: Allentown, PA Member No.: 3,031 Region Association: None
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QUOTE(Superhawk996 @ Sep 14 2025, 01:10 PM) I don’t understand what this means. I think he means around town at lower speeds. I had the same vibration at high speeds last year. Both front wheels were a bit on the loose side wrt bearings. So I tightened up both sides and the vibration went away. |
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| nivekdodge |
Sep 14 2025, 07:21 PM
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#11
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Member Group: Members Posts: 321 Joined: 28-August 21 From: Pittsburgh Pa Member No.: 25,860 Region Association: MidAtlantic Region
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the hub vs lug centric thing is real. If you search on Hunter's site or Coates you will see references to it. our cars are lug centric and the wheel must be fastened to the balance machine with the lugnuts.
Kevin |
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| SirAndy |
Sep 14 2025, 07:24 PM
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#12
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Resident German Group: Admin Posts: 42,317 Joined: 21-January 03 From: Oakland, Kalifornia Member No.: 179 Region Association: Northern California |
One more thing to consider is wheel spacers. Even just a thin one can throw off your balance.
Ask me how i know ... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif) |
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