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04 Vibe 2wd, 97,000 miles, OE wheels So I still had vibration in my steering at 60--80 mph and after buying new tires at pep boys ,I had them balanced again and again. Then took them to a local shop and had all 4 balanced again... $30.00. The vibration was lessened but still...... So I took them into another tire shop that for $82.00 did the ultimate ROAD FORCE TEST . The results were: tire #1 scored 19 tire #2 9 tire #3 36 tire #4 25 They did their balancing and improved tire #1 to 17 tire #2 to 9 (no change) tire #3 to 26 tire #4 to 19 The lower number the better/ above 25 is failing and remember these tires are new CS4 touring Coopers.( I know ,big deal) They put the lowest two reading tires up front but sadly to say the vibration remains. Not sure what to do next but to trade it in . Something else.... must be in the suspension . The" quick test " for tie rod and wheel bearing shows no play. Maybe a pair of Anti-Vibration gloves for motorcycles ! Cheaper than changing everything out, up front.

A few things to think about:Did it vibrate with the old tires, or is this an entirely new problem?OE steelies or OE alloys? If you have steelies, does it vibrate less without the hubcaps on? If you have alloys, do you have wheel locks?2-wheel or 4-wheel alignment? Recently? Ever?Accident damage ever? Road damage? (Potholes, curbs, road cuts)Worn-out or damaged shocks or struts? Are the wheels fully seating on the hubs? (road debris, corrosion, partially stripped or bent lug).A bent wheel or a bent hub could be "in balance", and still cause vibration because the whole assembly is being dragged slightly sideways as it rotates on the road. Some of this will eventually show up in tire wear, but won't show with new tires right away. Did your old tires have odd wear patterns on one or more wheels?A damaged tire (without obvious signs of damage on the outside) can have a crooked steel belt that causes the car to do a 'wiggle' when driving. Friend of mine had a Monte Carlo with one of these on a rear wheel once. The car felt like it was trying to dance.A poorly-constructed tire (regardless of brand name) can be built so out-of-round or so out-of-balance, that no amount of tire-wheel balancing with add-on weights will EVER correct it. Had one of these with a domestic tire brand who shall remain nameless (but it wasn't Cooper). But I've had better luck with foreign tire brands.Worn out wheel bearings might also cause a 'wobble' in the hub that you can't ever fix with balancing.Some tire shops have equipment to shave tread (to make a balanced tire-wheel assembly perfectly round). Obviously a last resort.

Can be the tires themselves, even if they are new.

You don't have a bent or flat-spotted wheel do you.. They usually test for those sorts of things when they do a good balance..

In answer to "things to think about"The old tires that had only 10,000 miles showing no abnormal wear were rebalanced twice because of vibration in the steering. New tires were purchased and those tires balanced and rebalanced. Then these same tires were taken to a local tire dealer and balanced, still vibration. Lastly, These same tires with alloy wheels ( no locks )( Who would want to steal them?) were then road force tested and all but one failed only slightly. I am the original owner and no damage to the car has occured. I have removed the wheels and cleaned and wire brushed these lugs many, many times. I am almost positive it is not a tire or wheel problem but to be absolutely sure.... I am going to borrow 4 new Vibe tires and road test them on my car. And if the vibration goes away then I'll know it's the wheel- tires. One of the tire shops said it could be the engine. He said to put car in park and rev up engine to 7000 rpm or equivalent to simulate the car going 70 mph. I got it up there close for second or two and the engine was smooth. Maybe I'll get an allignment next but I'm going to replace the Tie rod ends first since I've got 97,000 miles.

If you figure it out, let Kamikaze knowhttp://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=38491