When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
On trip to Tail of the Dragon, need help - sudden vibration
So I'm 600 miles into my pilgrimage to the Tail of the Dragon. My 996 C4S has been running perfect until today when I drove the car hard (lets say 7-8/10) through about 20 miles of switchbacks and mountain roads between NY state and Vermont. The roads also had lots of frost heaves - no harsh impacts but definitely a workout for the suspension.
The car then developed a vibration much like a wheel had come out of balance - the vibration worsens with speed. Also, the steering wheel now has a small amount (couple of degrees off dead center each way) play when at a full stop. At speed there is no play at all. Both these issues occurred all of a sudden after this hard section of driving.
I stopped into a service centre in the middle of nowhere Vermont, and had all four wheels re-balanced. The front passenger was out over 2 ounces apparently. Hoping that would solve it, but it didnt. Still vibrating, with increase commensurate with vehicle speed.
Any ideas what the problem could be based on what Ive described? I'm hoping to get it sorted and not have to scrap my trip and head home.
If it may matter, I completed full rotor and pad replacement + fron swaybar droplinks just before leaving on the trip (I checked the drop links when the wheels were off for balancing, all tight and no play). But no problem at all first 600 miles so I can't see these services having to do with the problem that's come up after hard driving.
If it's constant vibration and commensurate with increase in speed, I'm thinking wheel bearing or warped rotor. Did you buy good rotors? Did they have any extreme temperature shocks?
I would go to a porsche dealer, tell them to give it a look over and see if they find something broken
if its a dramatic vibration they should see something
sounds like a wheel or rotor, you didnt see anything wrong with the wheels off?
I'm betting you lost a weight, and the balance you got wasn't correct. The last time I got tires, it took five tries between two shops to get the balance right (will never go back to the first).
Was your "hard section of driving" a lot of curves, or were you braking a lot as well? Rotors don't unexpectedly warp during a road trip, and even during hard street driving, it's not something that happens as often as the Internet suggests. A wheel bearing would be my other suspect.
If Byprodriver's hunch that the FWD stuff might be the issue, disconnecting the FWD components is a fairly simple operation if you decide you want to stay on the road...
Rotors are Sebro, and I was not too hard on the brakes. I was much harder on them bedding them in and all was fine.
The shop not getting the balance correct sounds like a reasonable hypothesis as the vibration is exactly like having a wheel out of balance. The only conundrum is how this steering wheel issue also plays into the problem. Maybe they're completely unrelated but I doubt it considering they both appeared at the same time.
I'm shacked up in Manchester, VT now for the night. Search it on google maps and you'll see I am in the middle of nowhere. Anyone have any recommendations on competent shops along the Appalachian corridor between say Albany and Tail of the Dragon? Looks like closest porsche dealer is 2.5hrs east of here, wrong direction.
On a positive note, I hear this place is INSANE on weekends with wedding after-parties and the such, took me 5 places before I found one with vacancy! Should be better than Lake Placid NY last night where I was the only paying patron in the bar (maybe the entire town? Quite possible).
Automobile Associates in Avon CT 860 693 6798 Due south of you. Hoffman Porsche in Hartford Ct if you need service on Saturday. When are you heading south? Feel free to call me at the house 860 693 8297 if you need more help.
found a porsche center in mechanicsville, NY but service is closed saturdays.
Im an hour outside of Albany, NY and it's on my route anyways - anyone with any insight with Albany? I may just start calling around to euro or performance shops and see who's open tomorrow morning.
Wife had same thing happen the other day on Audi Q7, re-balanced and check all suspension joints. Answer was Low speed balance didn't account for a bent and cracked wheel, bend was much worse than the crack. Second wheel this summer, should have known. These are Chicago roads!
The shop not getting the balance correct sounds like a reasonable hypothesis as the vibration is exactly like having a wheel out of balance. The only conundrum is how this steering wheel issue also plays into the problem. Maybe they're completely unrelated but I doubt it considering they both appeared at the same time..
Any chance you didn't notice the steering symptom until you started paying attention to the vibration symptom? i.e. any chance they're coincidental?
This is not an accusation - this sounds like something I would do. "Damn, there's play in the wheel now. And dammit, now there's a scratch on the Porsche crest, too!"
Interesting, I too was wondering about a bent wheel.
The place I stopped today was a Chevy dealer - what are the chances that the service manager who helped me out with the last minute balancing is also a PCA instructor and 930 owner. I managed to get his cell and we're meeting for dinner tonight. Will be going back to the chevy dealer in nowhere VT tomorrow for us to get up on the lift and inspect everything closely. Hoping not a trip-breaker.
09-25-2015, 05:31 PM
On trip to Tail of the Dragon, need help - sudden vibration
