Wobble??

[TeacherTim]

I've noticed I have a wobble going up to about 25-30 mph and then it stops. The cars drive smooth and straight after that. I put new tires on and still wobbles????

 

[nothingtoseehere]

Hmmm...have you taken the wheels off lately...check and make sure the lug nuts are tightened up. I had a wobble in my old car and turns out when my brother put one of the wheels on, he didn't tighten the lugs up enough....woth a shot...

 

[sdpatt]

How are you feeling the wobble? In the steering wheel? I am assuming the brakes are not being applied at this time or I would say, "warped rotors." If it is a mild wobble, I must ask what type of balance was used? A two-plane dynamic balance is the only one to use. That is where the tire and wheel are mounted on a balancing machine and weights are installed on both the inner and outer rims to balance the assembly in both the axial and lateral directions.

You may also be feeling the effects of loose tie rod ends or worn wheel bearings. You can jack up the front end and check for each of these conditions. These won't cause a side to side wobble, but they will let the imbalanced wheels move more than they should.

Have you struck any curbs with the wheels? have them checked for concentricity (roundness) and lateral runout. Even perfectly balanced tires won't prevent a bent wheel from ruining your driving pleasure.

 

[TeacherTim]

Again, thanks for the advise. I just got the tires put on Tuesday and it was doing this when I bought the car last week w/ the old tires on it. I'll check about the weights being put on the outside and inside of the wheels. ....

The guys I had put the tires on are good guys and know there stuff. They put rear brakes on while doing it so the inspected the front at the same time (tie rod ends, etc).

I call it a wobble, but it may just be vibration in the steering wheel. I'll give them a call and ask about the weights. Like I said in my original post it's perfectly smooth and straight when going over 40 mph.....

 

[TeacherTim]

Well, got the "wobble" fixed today....and it WAS a wobble I had an axle bolt loose!!!!!

All good now...

 

[sdpatt]

You mean the big hub nut? That was a good thing to fix. Good catch.

Scott