My steering wheel shakes at 60-70 mph was due to tires not balanced.

 

Bleh! I took it to Sam's Club twice, once to do it, again to recheck. Then even had my usual mechanic redo the balancing! It's annoying because no one knows what it is!

 

I installed my tires at WalMart and i bought life-time tire balancing. they seem to have a pretty advance balancing machine.

 

Some odd ideas to try diagnostics for you.
- engine mounts could be loose/worn showing only under heavy load of high speed torque.
- bent axle (did you hit something hard lately?)

Both unlikely the most likely is your alignment as your tires may be fighting each other and at high speed you can get a wobble. Does it kick sometimes over a good bump? If so go get an alignment.

I'm also shocked your tire guy sold you one odd tire for your car as that is really bad for the axle with the missmatch. If you have some extra cash buy 2 new tires and replace the odd one and the worst one with a nice new set on the rear axle. It will handle better.

 

There are so many things which could cause your problem but by far the most common is unbalanced tires. That's why you'll hear that repeatedly. Can't remember what it's called but some shops can balance the tires on the car. (dynamic balancing maybe?) I don't like having different tires on the same axle but if they are on the back I don't think it would cause the steering wheel to shake. However, changing tires front to back usually will tell you if it is a balance problem. It would be very rare (IMHO) for the tires to be misbalanced exactly the same. So moving the tires should at least change the problem. Maybe the vibration would occur at a different speed at least. Might try grabbing your front axles and seeing if there's any lateral movement. Basically 90 degrees from it's length. I once had CV joints which didn't 'click' or show other signs of wear but felt 'loose'. It caused a vibration but it wasn't limited to a 10MPH range. Good luck. Do some searches here, others have had almost 'one-of-a-kind' problems but I can't recall them all.

 

If you have aftermarket rings check to see if they lost your centering rings. I had my tires rotated at Wally world and they "disappeared" It just so happened I didn't notice around town, but when I drove the 700 miles to work I dang sure noticed. Took it to the closest wal mart to have them balanced. Worse than before! I only figured it out when I was in the shop with them while they were balancing them again and noticed they were gone.

 

1. Your best bet is to look for local shops in the link below to see if any use this top of the line balancer, then tell a shop to check the balance with road forcing, which is a better balance than just a regular balance. Mistakes are even common at shops with these top of the line machines but certainly more mistakes happen at shops with lesser quality machines that don't balance true despite the machines indicating they do.

GSP 9700 Balancer Locations

2. If you still have vibration then check if you even have centering hubs. If they are there then remount the wheels and torque the lugs in a cross pattern tight in several stages such as 30ftlbs, 60ftlbs, then 80ftlbs instead of just once. That will ensure the wheel is perfectly centered on the hub as they still get mounted uncentered causing vibration despite having the centering hubs. This happened to me before with a perfectly balanced wheel where the vibration disappeared after I remounted the wheel and torqued the lugs in stages.

I have found most shops to employ complete dopes who don't care to do their jobs right where I have to go to shops many times before it is finally done right, and if they do it right once they don't the next time, so good luck.

 

Thank you. I read on a few other forums of people having the same problem as me. Then they did a Road Force balance and it resolved the problem.

 

I just took my car to Sam's Club to have them check the tread left on the tires.

The three Michelin's have 7 inches, and the BF Goodrich (passenger rear) has 8 inches (out of a total 10 inches new).

He told me that such a slight difference wouldn't make a difference, and I'd be wasting my money if I replaced any of the tires.

They also said I probably don't need an alignment since the tires are all wearing evenly.

What are your opinions on 1) replacing or not replacing the tires (2 on the same axle/ all 4), 2) getting a road force balance, and 3) an alignment?

My thought is just get a road force alignment. However I want to know your thoughts. Thank you.

 

Not getting the 7-10 inches part - tread "depth" is usually measured in increments of 1/32" or 2/32". Brand new tires generally have between 10/32" to 12/32" of tread depth.

If you are measuring the tread "width" - that is a completely different thing all together. It is very possible to get tires of the same size (ex. 205/55R-16) from multiple manufacturers that have slightly different tread widths. Some run a little narrower than others, some run very wide.

A combination of tread depth worn down and overall profile of the tread and its width influence how a tire will roll. Since you have unmatched tires - that is likely one of the sources of the shaking you are experiencing. Generally mixing of tire brands is discouraged - but if they have to be mixed, have to be setup in axle pairs. A single tire that is different is a recipe for tire balance issues.

Each manufacturer will have differences in construction, tire compounding, preferred air pressures, temperature resistance and traction characteristics. Could balance the tires out initially so the ride is OK, but it could be as little as a couple hundred miles before the differences in the tire causes one to vibrate/shake the chassis.

Before you spend too much money - road force the tires. See if there is something physically wrong with them - broken belt, bent wheel, etc. Rule out any issues with the wheels and tires, see if that works. This can sometimes catch tires that have standing water inside from air pumps.

Notice how much weight they added to the wheels - old school rule, never to put more than 2 oz of weight in any one spot, no more than 5 oz total per wheel. If they put on a ton of weight, have them strip them off, spin the tire on the wheel (unmount, rotate tire, remount), and do it again. I had one shop put more than 15 ounces of stick on weights on one wheel. Had them spin the tire 180 degrees, dry it off inside (some water was in there), rebalance - 1.5 ounces total.

If that doesn't do the trick, have them check the runout on the hubs. Alignment issues generally doesn't cause shaking, unless they really missed the alignment. But bad hubs can cause lots of vibrations even with perfectly balanced tires.

 

So I'm thinking I'll take it to Firestone, who quoted me at $12/tire, have them look it over for any serious problems unrelated to needing a Roadforce Balance (like those you mentioned). If they can't find anything, then I'll replace two tires on the same axle with Michelin's, then get a Roadforce Balance. I'll likely get an alignment too to care of the tires.

I really want to just replace all four tires. I don't like the idea of having 2 tires with a 7 tread and 2 with a 10 tread. Especially since 2 will be Defender and the other 2 will be some other brand of Michelin.

I'm about to start a college program that's a year and half and double my income. I need my car to stop shaking by January! Lol

What do you think about that plan? After Firestone looks at it, if nothing's wrong, just replace 2 on the same axle. Then get a Roadforce Balance and alignment?

 

Alignment is waste of money since yours is already good. Balance being off is most likely the culprit. No sense in buying new tires if you still have 7mm tread left. I would put the tires with 10mm tread on the front since tires there wear faster where their tread will eventually wear down to 7mm to match those more closely on the rear since there is less wear on the rear.

 

Having 4 of the same tires is always best and that's what I go with instead of mismatched tires, but if your tires do not show odd wear then your alignment is fine.

I hit huge pot holes over the span of several years that hit so hard and loud I thought my wheels should have fallen off yet my alignment stayed good where once I finally got the tires balanced right the vibration went away.

Those two reasons are why I believe an alignment would be a waste in your case. I'd personally save all the money I could for getting the balancing right since it could easily take more than two road forcings before you find a place that does it right. I've paid up to 4 times at 4 different shops before I found one that did it right and none of them do it right consistently.

 

It's one of those things. If I fork over $430 for 4 brand new Michelin tires, $65 for an alignment after $50 for a Roadforce Balance seems insignificant and like a smart move to make the tires last longer. The difference is $480 and $545, only $65. But if I only replace 2 tires, and when I drive the steering wheel is straight, the car doesn't turn, waste of money.

I personally want to change just 2 tires on the same axle. But that's the mistake I've made before and I've paid for it. So I'm thinking I'll wait a little, get the money for all 4 tires, the Roadforce Balance and alignment, and get it all done in one shot. What is your view on JUST changing 2 tires, putting 2 new Michelin tires on the front, and putting the 2 old Michelin's with matching tread on the back? Would it make a difference? They'd be different model Michelin tires per axle.

But before I do that, I'll take it to Firestone, let them know my plans, and have them check if there's anything wrong with suspension components. If there's not, I'll proceed with changing the tires.

As far as getting the balance done right, I made sure to find a location that does Roadforce Balance with "Touch." It's supposed to be more thorough, and actually simulate driving conditions.

 

As long as they are on the axle pair - usually OK. Where you start running into issues are overall braking and handling. Since the tires are slightly different (doesn't matter same brand/make/model) - they will handling slightly differently.

Usually recommend to change all the tires at the same time, but if the existing set is barely worn/still good - it is considered acceptable practice to replace axle pair.

 

The suspension is fine so I personally wouldn't get them to check it or they may find something to replace that doesn't need fixing to make extra cash from you thinking there may be a problem. Replacing just the fronts is fine in your case. I wouldn't worry about the difference in treads. I'd get the most of my money out of the existing tires instead of replacing them since they're still good. From my experiences I'd worry most about the shop doing a good job on the road forcing because techs on even the best machine still get it wrong way too often since people in that industry tend to just not give a rip even when you tip them as extra incentive to do the job right.

 

My main concern is the safety issue in terms of handling, braking, rain, etc. What do you think in regards to safety and putting them on the front?

Will it matter if it's 2 Michelin's with 7/10 on the back, and 2 Michelin's with 10/10 on the front?

 

Intuition suggests that since the front tires wore out first and because there is still about half of the tread remaining on the rear tires, the new tires should be installed on the front axle. This will provide more wet and wintry traction; and by the time the front tires have worn out for the second time, the rear tires will be worn out, too. However in this case, intuition isn't right...and following it can be downright dangerous

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=52






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http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=52






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That's my exact concern - hydroplaning, crashing, dying... lol

 

You're not going to crash with 7mm of tread left so it's fine to put those on the back and new ones on the front.

 

Will it throw off my suspension, alignment or affect the Road Force Balance (etc) if I have mismatching tires?

 

Not in the least.

 

I'm leaning toward changing all 4 tires. My birthday is around the corner, so are the holidays, and my family will chip in a little bit if they need to.

I'm looking at the Goodyear Integrity tires because Sam's Club has a really good deal on them. With installation, an $80 rebate, it's about $270 w/o tax.

I've seen mixed reviews online. What do you guys think of the Goodyear Integrity tires?

To compare pricewise, without discounts, the Michelin Defenders are $450.

 

Integrity are crap tires. I have these on my Corolla. They're great tires. Takes a lot of body roll out of the car during hard turns with these aired to 40psi.

G-FORCE SUPER SPORT OnlineTires.com

Compare them on tirerack to those defenders and see which is best for you.

 

Bleh. They're crap? How crap are they? Essentially it's for 2 years till I finish this program. Are they so crap I'll die in an accident?

Would they be fine just to use for 2 years, get rid of the shaking (roadforce balance), just so I can save a few bucks while I study? Or would I get them, do the roadforce balance, and a few months later they'll be shaking again (even with balance and rotation every 6k miles)?

Those BF Goodrich are the same price as the Michelin's at Sam's Club.

 

Can't go wrong with Michelin.

 

Handling with the Integrity tires is crap which is an issue in emergency maneuvering to avoid a collision with a vehicle or animal thus causing a crash from loss of control. Your life in that potential situation is worth the extra expense. They also bubble too easily when driving over pot holes. Get better tires.

 

Could it be your front rotors are warped slightly? Causing the shaking at higher speeds.

 

If that were the case he'd have vibration during braking at high to mid speeds.

 

youre issue is the output shaft bearing in the transmission on ur passenger side. get the car up on the rack and take the inner cv shaft knuckle and move it up and down. there is also a metal guard under there..ill bet ur shaft is rubbing on it.

 

Can you elaborate? Wouldn't bad trans bearings give off metal shavings in the fluid?

 

Your tire doesn't look like this does it? :lol: