vibration at highway speeds
06-19-2010, 05:52 AM
#1
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vibration at highway speeds
my car starts to vibrate above 65MPH. in town it rides smooth. and it vibrates alot when im braking at highway speeds also. and the car pulls to the left, but the steering wheel doesnt shake. i can feel the vibration through the seats. do i need just an alignment or new control arms or tie rods? or both? thanks for your help.
Last edited by Teufelhunden; 06-19-2010 at 06:22 AM.
06-19-2010, 05:57 AM
#2
Start with the simple: get your wheel balance checked. Shouldn't cost more than $40 total for rims on the car.
While there, have them check that your ball joints and tie-rod ends are solid. Just tell them, "I need you to check my *****." They'll know what you mean.
While there, have them check that your ball joints and tie-rod ends are solid. Just tell them, "I need you to check my *****." They'll know what you mean.
06-19-2010, 07:26 AM
#5
If the car pulls to the left then switch out your front tires for your rears. If it stills pulls then it may be front end suspension component
However, if the pull goes away you may have a bent rim/bad tire etc.
However, if the pull goes away you may have a bent rim/bad tire etc.
06-19-2010, 09:52 AM
#7
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Good call on getting his ***** checked, too. My passenger side ball went bad a few months ago and made the car wobble at about 65.
06-19-2010, 10:06 AM
#8
Same here. This thread is kind of a coincidence for me. I just went for a re-balance yesterday, because of a shake @65+ mph. The balance is much improved now, but they warned me that my left ball was getting loose.
Which is weird, because I don't wear boxers.
But seriously... next up, get the car on the lift at my mechanics and re-assess. Then decide if I want to proactively replace the tie-rod end pieces as well, do an alignment, and be done with the whole thing. (FSB end-links were replaced 3 months ago.) But first things first, get the car to a trusted mechanic and see the problem first hand, if there even is one. (Um, after Maxus, that is. No racing for me now, not that I was going to anyway. I'm chicken schit.)
In other words, I'm right there with you, OP. Same symptoms. Maybe the same problem, aye?
Which is weird, because I don't wear boxers.
But seriously... next up, get the car on the lift at my mechanics and re-assess. Then decide if I want to proactively replace the tie-rod end pieces as well, do an alignment, and be done with the whole thing. (FSB end-links were replaced 3 months ago.) But first things first, get the car to a trusted mechanic and see the problem first hand, if there even is one. (Um, after Maxus, that is. No racing for me now, not that I was going to anyway. I'm chicken schit.)
In other words, I'm right there with you, OP. Same symptoms. Maybe the same problem, aye?
Last edited by Rochester; 06-19-2010 at 10:08 AM.
06-19-2010, 11:53 AM
#9
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maybe.. but do you get vibrations when breaking at highway speeds? everything seems normal in town, but when im cruising at 65+, i can feel the vibrations through the seats, but not the steering. im gonna get the wheel balance on monday and see if it helps. then i will do an alignment. and then move on to the ***** and joints... lol
06-19-2010, 12:13 PM
#11
06-19-2010, 03:04 PM
#13
Unless you track your car, and are routinely overheating your brakes in an abusive way, that whole "warped rotors" thing is kind of an urban myth. The concept of a rotor being "warped" fits well with the behavior, but the reality is that the pads are no longer bed-in properly with the rotor surface. Add to this a scratched, gouged or rusted rotor surface, and worn out pads, and getting that proper bed-in gets more and more difficult as the parts wear with age.
Tell me otherwise if you think I'm wrong. Um, I'm no stranger to being wrong.
Tell me otherwise if you think I'm wrong. Um, I'm no stranger to being wrong.
06-19-2010, 03:27 PM
#14
Same here. This thread is kind of a coincidence for me. I just went for a re-balance yesterday, because of a shake @65+ mph. The balance is much improved now, but they warned me that my left ball was getting loose.
Which is weird, because I don't wear boxers.
But seriously... next up, get the car on the lift at my mechanics and re-assess. Then decide if I want to proactively replace the tie-rod end pieces as well, do an alignment, and be done with the whole thing. (FSB end-links were replaced 3 months ago.) But first things first, get the car to a trusted mechanic and see the problem first hand, if there even is one. (Um, after Maxus, that is. No racing for me now, not that I was going to anyway. I'm chicken schit.)
In other words, I'm right there with you, OP. Same symptoms. Maybe the same problem, aye?
Which is weird, because I don't wear boxers.
But seriously... next up, get the car on the lift at my mechanics and re-assess. Then decide if I want to proactively replace the tie-rod end pieces as well, do an alignment, and be done with the whole thing. (FSB end-links were replaced 3 months ago.) But first things first, get the car to a trusted mechanic and see the problem first hand, if there even is one. (Um, after Maxus, that is. No racing for me now, not that I was going to anyway. I'm chicken schit.)
In other words, I'm right there with you, OP. Same symptoms. Maybe the same problem, aye?
Hey, ease up on our patend pending aye. Oh, and it's EH.
A little off topic, but I had an alignment done today becauce I recently replaced my struts and just replaced my tires on Thurs. The toe was slightly out of spec. and so was the caster and camber. (very slightly). To my surprise the print out showed that the camber and caster were brought into spec? Unfortunatly, I didn't get to talk to the tech to ask him just how he was able to adjust the caster and camber. The rear toe was also slightly out but remained unchanged.
06-20-2010, 04:06 PM
#15
Start with the simple: get your wheel balance checked. Shouldn't cost more than $40 total for rims on the car.
Free from Discount Tire!
While there, have them check that your ball joints and tie-rod ends are solid. Just tell them, "I need you to check my *****." They'll know what you mean.
Free from Discount Tire!
While there, have them check that your ball joints and tie-rod ends are solid. Just tell them, "I need you to check my *****." They'll know what you mean.
yep!True that!don't forget to check dem bearings
If you bought your tires from Discount Tire, or somewhere similar, they usually offer free rotation/balancing.
yep that's why I love them and thier road hazard coverage
Good call on getting his ***** checked, too. My passenger side ball went bad a few months ago and made the car wobble at about 65.
yep that's why I love them and thier road hazard coverage
Good call on getting his ***** checked, too. My passenger side ball went bad a few months ago and made the car wobble at about 65.
+1
Last edited by CMax03; 06-20-2010 at 04:08 PM.
06-20-2010, 04:26 PM
#17
06-20-2010, 04:37 PM
#18
06-21-2010, 05:18 AM
#19
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As said before, do a visual inspection of tires/wheels. Then to check the front end, do the 9 o'clock to 3 o'clock check for play in the tie rods, then the 12 o'clock to 6 o'clock to play in the ball joint. Those checks should indicate if you have any worn components. If everything looks good and is tight, then:
Get your wheels balanced. May want to try hunter road force balancing. Its more expensive, but can definitively tell you quite a bit assuming the shop knows what they are doing.
Most likely you have pad transfer on the rotors. If your pads are low, replace the pads and either replace your rotors and have them turned. If you have plenty left on the pads, just have your rotors turned.
This is most likely alignment if all of your components are sounds.
On a side note, I have noticed that maxima's tend to be quite sensitive to vibrations and it can be quite difficult to eliminate them. I had issues on my '99 and also my '03. She is riding pretty smooth at the moment, but it took quite a while to get it there.
Get your wheels balanced. May want to try hunter road force balancing. Its more expensive, but can definitively tell you quite a bit assuming the shop knows what they are doing.
Most likely you have pad transfer on the rotors. If your pads are low, replace the pads and either replace your rotors and have them turned. If you have plenty left on the pads, just have your rotors turned.
On a side note, I have noticed that maxima's tend to be quite sensitive to vibrations and it can be quite difficult to eliminate them. I had issues on my '99 and also my '03. She is riding pretty smooth at the moment, but it took quite a while to get it there.
Last edited by vball_max; 06-21-2010 at 05:21 AM.
06-21-2010, 08:14 AM
#22
If that didn't work out satisfactorily, then take it to a shop for a brake analysis. Understand that most shops will say you need new brakes simply because you're there and you are breathing.
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