[Balto]

So I love my new Corolla, have gotten all the little quirks out of it except the cruise control and the shimmy in the steering wheel when I go above 65MPH, and I can't find out what's causing the shimmy... I did a front end alignment/all 4 balanced today but it still just won't go away... It also seems to kinda drift from right to left on it's own once in a while. It's especially noticeable when i go over a hill, as I come down the small hill (and I'm talking really small, maybe a 100 feet from one end to the other of the hill) it does it. I'm at a loss and I really like this car, I just want to get this figured out before I return to work on Friday.

P.S It drives butter smooth from 0-60 no matter how hard I slam the gas, at 60 it starts but it's barely noticeable, then at 65 it just jumps in severity.

On another note, I have this same thread over on the Ecomodder forums but I know there is more presence here and you guys may know or have had the same exact experience with yours.

What has been done in a weeks time...

Front end alignment + fix the left control arm ($195).
Balanced every tire and had the (worst) bent rims relocated to the rear.
Replaced one rim and had all 4 tires made sure they were balanced right ($55).
Replaced right control arm and replaced another bent rim + another alignment ($246).
Replaced the last bent rim and rechecked to make sure all rims are balanced ($55).


I'm at a complete loss. About about to drive this corolla into a ditch or the desert and pack it with explosives. It runs so damn good below 60-65 and runs the same above 90mph. I just... Please help guys...

Here is a video, doesn't quite serve it justice but should give you a jist.: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3m-WzlxThs

 

[celticbhoy]

Here's a list of possibilities that i've seen cause a steering wheel to shake.

1. Tires are in poor condition (uneven wear or bulging)

2. Out of balance.

3. Alignment issues

4. Broken suspension components like ball joints.

Check the condition of the tires or maybe the wheels were not properly balanced.

EDIT: I've seen something else cause this... a customer came in with the same problem. Turns out one of his front calipers was sticking, and he had warped rotors, causing a shaking steering wheel.

 

[Balto]

Here's a list of possibilities that i've seen cause a steering wheel to shake.

1. Tires are in poor condition (uneven wear or bulging)

2. Out of balance.

3. Alignment issues

4. Broken suspension components like ball joints.

Check the condition of the tires or maybe the wheels were not properly balanced.

EDIT: I've seen something else cause this... a customer came in with the same problem. Turns out one of his front calipers was sticking, and he had warped rotors, causing a shaking steering wheel.

Thanks for the tips. After all I have been through, it's down to the rotors, tires and brakes. I had the car aligned twice, balanced 4 times, ball joints are fine and I had the control arms replaced and those were broken. I have inspected all the tires and they 'seem' good but tbh, there might be internal damage that doesn't show it's colors until high speed, but I had my dad follow next to me and he didn't notice anything whatsoever on either side...

 

[Grimey]

You might have a bad tire (or two). I've had older tires with lots of good tread on them just good bad (internal separation of the plies).

 

[Highway_maniac]

I had a similar problem: driver at higher speeds, there was a vibration in the car.

Everytime I had the tires balanced - the balance was off, but only just - not enough to cause the problems I had. I had the same problem with an other set of rims/tires - ruling out problems with the rims/tires.

Finally, I had the tires balanced on the car. With this method, any balance problems in the drive train are also balanced.

This solved my problem - I now have a smooth ride Only problem: when taking of a wheel - I have to put it back the same way (orientation) as I took it off. When replacing the tires, I will have to re-balance them on the car.

My car has a balance problem on the left front driveshaft, and needs about 15/20 grams on the rim to correct.

 

[Synesthesia]

Just bought a 98 corolla for my wife with MOMO rims.
The rims are pretty with the red car but My wife
was complaining about the shimmy also.
I took out the rims and notice the hub diameter was 70mm.
The hub for the corolla was 54.1mm.
So I purchased some hubcentric rings and now
she is stylin in her red rolla! lol
Are your rims aftermarket too?

 

[StanleyHudson]

After changing the inner/outer tie rods, ball joints, new tires (balanced), and full alignment, the steering wheel vibration at highway speeds was fixed by... new front rotors and brakes! YRMV