Wobble in Steering Wheel at Speed
03-19-2012, 02:06 PM
#16
good luck. much of this will not be warranteed to my knowledge (i believe the dealer would call a control arm bushing a wear item or the result of a curb hit unless you could prove otherwise with a visible manufacturing defect etc.) so it may be time for an indie repair shop anyway.
03-19-2012, 02:18 PM
#18
Burning Brakes
I thought lemon law only applied to new purchases and not used. Could vary by state though.
Any time I have had a wheel bearing issues the lug nut/stud have ALWAYS been hot to the touch. Not warm but almost burn your finger HOT. Not scientific but has always worked for me.
I would find a local tire shop with a Hunter road force machine just to rule out your current service center.
Might also been a brade pad binding issue but that will come and go.
Is it worse when you apply the brakes? If so, it could be a rotor.
Any time I have had a wheel bearing issues the lug nut/stud have ALWAYS been hot to the touch. Not warm but almost burn your finger HOT. Not scientific but has always worked for me.
I would find a local tire shop with a Hunter road force machine just to rule out your current service center.
Might also been a brade pad binding issue but that will come and go.
Is it worse when you apply the brakes? If so, it could be a rotor.
03-19-2012, 06:29 PM
#20
Rennlist Member
This is a tough one and I'm sure very frustrating too. A quick question: does the wobble disappear at speeds above wobble speed, i.e. driving through the wobble or does it get worse?
I immediately thought of all the other replies you have received and tried yourself (tires, alignment, balance, etc).
The last thing I can think of that may cause a wobble at speed is a slightly warped front brake disk(s). You will need a micrometer/caliper set up and slowly rotate the disk 360 deg to measure any change. This is a long shot though, but perhaps worth a try.
I immediately thought of all the other replies you have received and tried yourself (tires, alignment, balance, etc).
The last thing I can think of that may cause a wobble at speed is a slightly warped front brake disk(s). You will need a micrometer/caliper set up and slowly rotate the disk 360 deg to measure any change. This is a long shot though, but perhaps worth a try.
03-19-2012, 08:07 PM
#22
Drifting
Jay, that's frustrating... I know how you feel. I had a similar issue with my prior '98 M3. At the beginning of my drive each day I experienced a wobble as I accelerated up a steep hill to 65mph(speed limit) to keep up with the other motorist on the hwy. The weird wobble only showed up with the M3. No such issue with our trucks and SUVs. Did most everything listed here by the other forum members including a full suspension replacement/upgrade to the M3. Got a nicer suspension setup but the wobble was still there. Ended up living with it until I finally replaced the M3 with my current '08 C2S. Thought I would be wobble-free... but there it was again shadowing my sports cars.
I began to suspect that particular part of the road and how the suspension of my sports cars handled it vs. the trucks/SUVs. I started taking a different route to get out of the community. Not as fast initially(45 vs. 65mph) for several miles... this also allowed me to properly warm up the car. Plus the added bonus of a nicer view when I took the back way out. By the time I got to the main hwy the engine oil gauge was starting to read 200F and there was no wobble on the main hwy afterwards as I accelerated up to 65mph and beyond.
Hope you get to the root cause of your wobble w/o replacing the 911... and please share with all of us what you find. My next solution is out of my price range... replace the 1/2 mile of the hwy outside my development.
I began to suspect that particular part of the road and how the suspension of my sports cars handled it vs. the trucks/SUVs. I started taking a different route to get out of the community. Not as fast initially(45 vs. 65mph) for several miles... this also allowed me to properly warm up the car. Plus the added bonus of a nicer view when I took the back way out. By the time I got to the main hwy the engine oil gauge was starting to read 200F and there was no wobble on the main hwy afterwards as I accelerated up to 65mph and beyond.
Hope you get to the root cause of your wobble w/o replacing the 911... and please share with all of us what you find. My next solution is out of my price range... replace the 1/2 mile of the hwy outside my development.
03-20-2012, 03:27 AM
#24
Poseur
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
Have you been able to access another like model and test driven it on your roads where you are experiencing this? (Same speeds, etc.)
That would certainly show to a mechanic that your car is unique.
That would certainly show to a mechanic that your car is unique.
03-20-2012, 10:15 AM
#26
If it's a wobble and not a vibration, well, is not your tire balance. If you feel it on your steering wheel, most likely are your inner and outer steering tie rods. (2 on each side) The problem is that they look fine while the car is on a lift and only notorious for wobbling past 60 MPH...
