‘06 M45 Sport Shimmy in steering wheel

[Stevem45]

I’m getting an intermittent shimmy in my steering wheel sometimes when braking. Also sometimes when just cruising. Has new front rotors/pads, and new tires. If I brake hard, it usually won’t do it. Soft braking, and acceleration is when it seems to do it most. Don’t really feel it in the brake pedal either. It has rather wide wheels/tires. 8.5” wheels up front, and 10” wheels on the rear. I know one front wheel is bent a little from a pot hole, but the tire guy who mounted them for me told me he was able to do a good job of negating this by balancing. Would the shimmy be intermittent or constant with the bent wheel?

[EdBwoy]

Even without knowing the mileage, the age of your car has me betting your control arms would be needing attention (bushings, ball joints)

Don't just take my word for it though; I'd take it to a professional for an official diagnosis on that and any other issues.
Firestone in my area charges a very fair $10 for a suspension inspection.

[macgiver]

Index check those rotors , torqued down ,on the car too for ANY runout , "wobble" etc. , also eliminate if the problem is not poor highway paving ,where I got a "resonance" at a certain (60-65) speed , just in my case spending over a thousand dollars on several brand new and QUALITY (not China) suspension components is not in my future for simply because parts of the 202 and 101 in phoenix that have been partially redone correctly now, ya know. Car , J30 too old for that - but minor shake in front ( J30 notoriously intense "road feel" ) FWIW was comletely corrected with quality Powerstop slotted/drilled rotors ,INDEXED (checked in the process) PROPERLY. For your satisfaction of course I'm sure you will
"do what you gotta do" .Hey some of that CRAP is really cheap on th e Bay !

[steve_c]

I would re-torque the wheels to proper specifications.
May be a good chance the installer over torqued and that might be source of your problems.

I would re-torque & see if problem goes away.
This does not negate what EdBwoy stated....all of your suspension & steering is suspect, is everything up to snuff?

[Stevem45]

[/img][/img]it could be ball joints. I never checked them properly. Everything else should be good. Tie rod ends are tight. I was wondering if the oversized aftermarket wheels might be suspect. They are 20”. I did install the rings in the hub to center the wheels properly. Also, to answer a previous question, it has 150,00 miles on it.

[macgiver]

Might then come back to that slightly bent rim ??

[Sstupid]

If it only shimmies when you’re braking, it’s probably warped rotors. These cars are known for having brakes too small for such a heavy car. They like to warp rotors. I’ve been through three sets in 5 years. It always starts with a little shake of the wheel when I first tap on the brakes from 55 MPH.