Steering Column Vibrating

[AhsyV6]

Hello all, 

i had all my tyres replaced 2 weeks ago and I found at 60mph-64mph I was getting a very slight steering wheel vibration. I went back to the Tyre place and they redid the balancing and rest to zero which I watched. 

Its still there and more prominent at 80mph plus. My steering also feels lighter than it used too and not as responsive. Almost feels as if the tyres aren’t touching the ground that much and makes me a bit nervous if I’m honest. 

Thoughts guys? 

[PTR200S]

Have you checked the pressure settings yourself??? 

These tyre boys are notorious for pumping them hard to settle the tyres on the rims and then not adjusting the pressure to the specific amount.

Of course they could have a duff gauge !!!  If its light on the front then its possible over inflated...

The other thing than can affect it is if the tyres are directional and on the wrong wheel position....

Inbalance vibration can also be if the tyre fitter hasn't lined the mark on the tyre in relation to the valve....

Just a few thoughts off the top of my head ,have a look at before you get serious with the fitters !!!!! And presuming that your old tyres weren't responsible for the "heavy" steering that makes it seem as if the new tyres are wrong ...

[Brett]

Also Ash it’s worth undoing and torque up your wheels as the might be over tightened.

Have you been to the tire place before as there ballence machine might be out of calibration 

[hughezee]

What Pete & Brett said 👍 all valid points, all equal a second opinion so I would take it to another place to get it checked, try an ATS Euromaster or better Kwik Fit which will move heaven an earth to squeeze your wallet, but least it would be resolved before you part with funds.

[AhsyV6]

I’ve had Dunlop SportMaxx RT2s fitted as before. However the old set did indicate what side of the tyre wall should be facing outside so I’ll need to check this. 

I got these from National Tyres and one would assume they know their stuff. Tyres inflated to 34psi. I’ll check all this tomorrow and give you an update. 

Thanks as always guys 

[PaulS]

Are you also sure that there is no play in any of the steering components/  And are the wheels straight & true even if the tyres are  balanced correctly?

[AhsyV6]

The only way of checking play would be to get the front in the air right? 

The tyres that came off it 2 weeks ago had even wear 

[hughezee]

13 minutes ago, AhsyV6 said:

The only way of checking play would be to get the front in the air right? 

The tyres that came off it 2 weeks ago had even wear 

Yeah, ramp job and something could have worn out and the new rubber disturbed something i.e drop link, spring, bearing, ball joint or corrosion lip on the discs catching the caliper?

[Laird_Scooby]

Couple of other things to check Ahsy, first is your front shocks. Have a look on them to make sure there are no obvious leaks then do the bounce test - you know the one where you push all the way down on a corner and let go and it should come up past its normal place then settle to the normal ride height.

 

Second thing to check, remove the wheels, clean the hub where the wheels mount on it and also the back of the wheel with a wire brush, preferably a rotary one in a drill as it's quicker and easier!

Then put the wheel back on in the same place. Before you remove the wheel, once the first nut is off, mark the stud with a bit of Tipp-Ex and either mark the wheel stud hole on the wheel or if the valve lines up with one wheel stud, use that as your "first" stud.

If cleaning the hub and back of the wheel haven't helped, as you've now marked the wheel and its relative position on the hub, remove it and turn it so it goes on in the next position so the stud hole you marked is now one stud away from the stud you marked. It's a long process, do it one stud and one wheel at a time.

For some reason, wheels with 5 studs sometimes run into this wheel balance problem.

One last thought, have the roads you drive on been resurfaced any time in the past 6 months? Sounds irrelevant i know as the problem has only appeared on the new tyres but the old tyres could have imperceptibly worn to the surface so you didn't notice the vibration. With the new ones being newer and probably still slightly stiff, they may not be quite so forgiving of an uneven road surface. Tyre pressure will also make a big difference - recheck with your own gauge to make sure they really are still only at 34psi - it was quite cold 2 weeks ago, barely above freezing most days, we're now into the mid-high teens in terms of temperature which can push the pressure up, even on cold tyres.