vibration in steering wheel at 70 MPR

[LMK9232]

I have a 04 Vibe with 96,000 miles . Bought futura tires at Pep boys last Dec. and have about 10,000 miles on them . Started to have vibration in the steering wheel so I took car in to be rebalanced. i still had slight vibration. I rotated the tires and the vbration was worse. Took the car in and they balanced the front but the vibration still was worse than the back two being up front so I put the back two up front and the vibration was still there but not as bad. Took car in the third time and they rebalanced the front and said it was only off slightly. The vibration is still there. I could learn to" live with it " but it would be like living with my mother-in-law. So they said the next step would be new tires ,my old ones prorated ,and said I could have futura or a better tire and pay the difference. They don't have "road force " testing ,never heard of it. They have checked out the stock wheels ,okay. Fustrating... What do you think I should do next?

[boomermsu]

Check tie rod ends, wheel bearings, ball joints. Most likely they have road force variation testing but they don't know how to use their wheel balancing machine.Go away from stick on adhesive weights on the wheels down the center to the clip on wheel weights on the outer and inner edge of the rim. This gives better cross sectional balance to the tire but is less appealing visually and they hold dirt and can cause some corrosion where they are mounted. (its and option to try if the wheel finish isn't an issue for you)Usually there is a little yellow dot on the tire that should be aligned with the valve stem when installing the tire to the wheel. Most likely not aligned and the tire is running out of round. only so much you can do with balancing to cure this if it is off.Did they check the wheel runnout? To make sure the wheel isn't bent?I am guessing they are running Hunter equipment like most places. They need to be calibrated from time-to-time. I wonder if theirs needs to be re-calibrated.If you have more than 1.5-2.0 ounces or wheel weights at any one location on the wheel something isn't right with the road force variation. Tire needs to be realigned on the wheel. And then some tires just flat out suck and are almost impossible to get balanced perfectly.The shop I worked at used Cooper tires on everything unless someone wanted something specific. Wasn't a shop open to public. University Garage.With your mileage I would guess some of the normal items like the tie-rod ends or balljoints may be pretty well worn and need replacing and this is causing your current issue from tires wearing unevenly.Just my $.02

[ramenboy...]

here's another 2 cents...i agree with what kevin said, but check this too... when they remove tires for whatever reason, sometimes dirt or whatever might build up between the wheel and hub. so when you pull the wheel off, it'll be like a puzzle. a little reidue on the hub, allitte on the inside of the wheel. if you don't have them clean this off before replacing the wheel, it won't sit snugly. hope it makes sense... and cleaning the hub and inside of the wheel is alot cheaper than tie rod ends.good luck. keep us posted

[LMK9232]

Thanks for your advise...... I took the next step with my steering wheel vibration problem and upgraded to 4 new CS4 touring Cooper tires. Pep Boys said it was one of the best tires they had. They said they checked out everything ,wheel rims, tie rod ends,suspension,etc.....Everything.... but still.... I have shaking(vibration in the steering wheel) when I go out on the freeway . Thinking of changing out the front tie rods next . If it's not the tires then wouldn't that be next? Can a tie rod still be getting bad even if it doesn't move when you check it by pulling back and forth on the wheel. Could it cause the vibration? Thinking with 96,000 miles it would be good to change tie rods anyway before I have to . Is there a post on them. I couldn't find any. Thanks

[djkeev]

Go to a REAL shop with REAL mechanics and get your problem fixed.You need a quality mechanic. The best equipment when manned by an idiot is no better than the idiot.A smart & Experienced mechanic with precious few tools will do a MUCH BETTER job on your car.Stores like Pep Boys generally (not always) have underpaid, underskilled, under trained and overworked young boys or dead end older men working there.Sorry to be harsh but this statement comes from years of experience in the industry.I wouldn't even let a Pep Boys type mechanic put on new windshield wipers for me.... even if I was desperate and had both arms in a cast!That's just my opinion though.Dave

[star_deceiver]

Wheel alignment!!!!!If rebalancing didn't solve the problem then the problem won't go away by throwing money at the shop to do the same, non working, solution. Take your car to a PROPER tire shop that deals exclusivly with tire and wheel issues.

[dragon64]

You didn't say if they were mounted on OE wheels or aftermarket mags. I recently just finshed a contract doing some engineering working for a mag wheel manufacture. Even thought the wheel and tire balances on the balancer does not mean that the tire or wheel is round. As we told a tire tech in one shop we could put a square on the balancer and perfectly balance it but that doesn't mean it will turn round. Went big name tire shop because they said the receive several bad wheels. Turned out that one of their machines was out of calibration. Another shop the mounting and balancing job as in most shops is a minimum wage position and no one really took the time to train the guy how to use the machines properly. With aftermarket mag the is a centering ring in the wheels to adapt it to the hub of the car. I seen were the ring(s) have been removed and not reinstalled. Where one ring got stuck on the hub and someone bolted on a wheel with a ring already in it with out removing the other ring on the hub first. Can you seen all the weighs on the wheels? Does there seen to be more weight one side of the wheel than the other. For example if there is significantly more weight in the out side compared to the inside them would be a warning sign to me especially on a OEM sized wheel. I would consider taking your car to another shop and have them checking the balance again.

[LMK9232]

To all , Thanks for all the help. I took my OE wheels (original equipment) ,stock and new tires to a locally owned tire shop. I watched as they took the new front tires off and rebalanced them. The kid said the first wheel he balanced was off 1/2 an ounce .The manager came out and said he would put on a "sticky weight" . He put it on the inside of the wheel. He said the wheels I had did not allow for weights to be put on the outside of the wheel, on the rim. Well anyways, for $7.50 a tire the vibration is almost gone. Also found out checking wheel bearing and tie rods is easy. Just jack up front wheel . Grab tire at 9 and 3 o'clock . Pull back and forth to check for play in tie rods. Grab tire at 12 and 6 to check for play in wheel bearings. Also found out places like Wal Mart,etc..... maybe cheaper,.... till you have a problem.

[djkeev]

Good For YOU!!! Cheaper is NOT always better or even as good as.Dave

[ou.grizzly]

Alignment Issues = vehicle will wander or pull off the roadTire Balancing Issues = steering wheel and vehicle will shake the faster the vehicle goes

[plusforce]

I had this problem . Balance didn't work for me !

At last I found the problem.
Resurface break rotors.