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Old Oct 22, 2007 | 07:42 PM
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Default Bad vibrations

Hey guys, what would cause vibrations through the steering wheel? I'm talking bad enough I can see it vibrate 1/4"-1/2" over 60mph.

Now I had the wheels balanced again and the rims can't be bent cause they are brand new.(bought in july)

What else could cause it. Bad wheel bearings? Bearings usually howl when they are bad correct?They don't howl.
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Old Oct 22, 2007 | 08:45 PM
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Originally Posted by Gicantor
Hey guys, what would cause vibrations through the steering wheel? I'm talking bad enough I can see it vibrate 1/4"-1/2" over 60mph.

Now I had the wheels balanced again and the rims can't be bent cause they are brand new.(bought in july)

What else could cause it. Bad wheel bearings? Bearings usually howl when they are bad correct?They don't howl.
Need more info-
How many miles, wheels knock offs or name brand?, at what speed does it start? Did you have a Hunter Road Forced Balance? Do you need Hub Centric Rings for the wheels? If its that bad the chances are the wheels are not centered if they balanced out-
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Old Oct 22, 2007 | 08:52 PM
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Try removing the spring clips that go over the studs to hold the brake rotor from sliding off when wheel is removed. Some wheels are not cut out on the inside around the bolt holes to clear the clips and when the wheels are put on they hit the clips causing the wheel not to seat all the way and therefore to wobble and vibrate.

Phil
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Old Oct 22, 2007 | 09:10 PM
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The car is a 97 c5. 60,000 miles.

Rims are ZO6 knock offs from O.E replica company.Nitto 555 tires.

The vibrations start at 45mph and get worse as speed increases.

Have not had hunter road force balance done.Don't know any shops that have it.

Never heard of Hub Centric Rings.

I will try removing spring clips on the studs.
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Old Oct 22, 2007 | 09:43 PM
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Ok. hold on as second. Before you start tearing things apart or searching for some "hunter whatever road balance", when did this problem start? Have you had the vibration since you installed the new rims, or did it just start? Could be something as simple as belt separation on one of the tires. And yes, you can balance a wheel that has a belt separating.
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Old Oct 22, 2007 | 09:51 PM
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I didn't happen directly after the rims.I'd say about a month later. It started with a slight "shimmey" and has now developed into a real bad vibration.

The tires on the front are old and are almost down to the wear bars.
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Old Oct 22, 2007 | 10:01 PM
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Get the front end off the ground, crank the wheel one direction, and examine the tread pattern while while spinning the wheel slowly. Usually, if a belt starts to separate, it will make a section of the tread look "wavvy" or have a bulge. Check both sides this way. Also, examine the wheels for cracks. I still don't trust the Chinese knock off wheels.
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Old Oct 23, 2007 | 12:41 AM
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Originally Posted by Gicantor
The car is a 97 c5. 60,000 miles.

Rims are ZO6 knock offs from O.E replica company.Nitto 555 tires.

The vibrations start at 45mph and get worse as speed increases.

Have not had hunter road force balance done.Don't know any shops that have it.

Never heard of Hub Centric Rings.

I will try removing spring clips on the studs.
Hunter Road Forced Balance checks both the wheel and the tire-
Z06 replicas have had some problems
Tires down to the wear bars are another possible cause
and Hub Centric Rings are either plastic or aluminum rings that go around the hub and assure the wheel is centered on the hub.,normally cost anywhere from 18-40 bucks a set and are usually recommended for knock off wheels. And yes, remove the springs however after that many miles, Ilm sure its been done already.
Had similar problems chasing down the vibration phantom-been there done that.
Fill out your profile-

Last edited by Burgie; Oct 23, 2007 at 12:42 AM. Reason: .
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Old Oct 23, 2007 | 07:57 AM
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Originally Posted by Burgie
Hunter Road Forced Balance checks both the wheel and the tire-
.
Fill out your profile-
Your profile info may get you local help quickly, It escapes me why people don't fill theirs out
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Old Oct 24, 2007 | 04:39 PM
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Originally Posted by Bugaboo
Your profile info may get you local help quickly, It escapes me why people don't fill theirs out
Just filled it in.
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Old Oct 24, 2007 | 04:46 PM
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Do the new wheels require hubcentric rings?
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Old Oct 25, 2007 | 08:55 PM
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Originally Posted by Gicantor
Just filled it in.
Okay........So what happend ? What did you find?
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Old Oct 25, 2007 | 09:04 PM
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doesn't sound like a whel or tire problem to me beacuse it wasn't doing it at all at 1st wih the new whels/tire combo---If they were that bent to vibrate that bad--they would never have balanced---a badly bent wheel won't balance usually or will require tons on weights-
That leaves the brakes---I would check the rotors for cracks or for any obvious abnormal wear---rock stuck in the cooling fins--
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Old Oct 25, 2007 | 09:17 PM
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No idea if they need hub centric rings.Nothing came in the box saying anything.I talked the the place I bought them from on the phone,they never said anything.(corvettegarage.com)

I won't be able to get the car up till the weekend but I will report back.
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Old Oct 26, 2007 | 01:01 AM
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Originally Posted by tblu92
doesn't sound like a whel or tire problem to me beacuse it wasn't doing it at all at 1st wih the new whels/tire combo---If they were that bent to vibrate that bad--they would never have balanced---a badly bent wheel won't balance usually or will require tons on weights-
That leaves the brakes---I would check the rotors for cracks or for any obvious abnormal wear---rock stuck in the cooling fins--
Why would you exclude the tires? The author of this thread already disclosed the tires are old. Steel belt separation in a tire will exhibit this exact behavior.
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Old Oct 26, 2007 | 01:06 AM
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Originally Posted by lucky131969
Why would you exclude the tires? The author of this thread already disclosed the tires are old. Steel belt separation in a tire will exhibit this exact behavior.

Just going by what he said "had the wheels and tires balanced AGAIN" so sounds like it is fresh off the tire balancer--I don't know of any tire shops that wouldn't alert an owner of a separation or a problem while balancing them--Or a tire shop that wouldn't alert you of a bent rim-
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Old Oct 26, 2007 | 10:20 AM
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Originally Posted by tblu92
Just going by what he said "had the wheels and tires balanced AGAIN" so sounds like it is fresh off the tire balancer--I don't know of any tire shops that wouldn't alert an owner of a separation or a problem while balancing them--Or a tire shop that wouldn't alert you of a bent rim-
Really. Some kid making $7 an hour is going to catch everything. Just like the einsteins at autozone load testing batteries and telling people they are good when they are bad. You have to start with the easiest solution first. A simple inspection will tell the tale. If you assume they are good, you will get bit in the a$$ every time.
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Old Oct 26, 2007 | 10:43 AM
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Old Oct 26, 2007 | 01:16 PM
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Originally Posted by lucky131969
Really. Some kid making $7 an hour is going to catch everything. Just like the einsteins at autozone load testing batteries and telling people they are good when they are bad. You have to start with the easiest solution first. A simple inspection will tell the tale. If you assume they are good, you will get bit in the a$$ every time.
You are just making too many assumptions on your own--1st you are assuming that the ownwer isn't smart enough to have checked the obvious already--give the guy some credit--I'm sure he has and is using the forum as a last resort--and 2nd that all tire shops are flakes--Quit---I don't know where you take your tires to be balanced--But no tire shop will balance a seperated tire--It's the 1st thing they train their empoyees about to avoid lawsuits as it is a safety issue----
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Old Oct 26, 2007 | 01:34 PM
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...have you confirmed the torque of the lug nuts to 100#?
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