Shaky at 55mph....

[NCturbo75]

I have noticed ever since I got my 90 coupe that the entire car shakes when I reach close to 55mph (53-55mph). Once you go over that speed it drives fine. When the speed drops back to 55, it shakes again. You can actually see the steering wheel shake like a bad suspension mount or something. Any clues????

[topairhead]

hey this happends to my car too i got a 91' 240sx hicas when i got around 50 mph and slow down or brake it shakes alot it sometimes scares me....:X ???

[NCturbo75]

I keep thinking it has something to do with the suspension...but I have never heard of any car shaking at or near certain driving speeds. I just hope it goes away whenever I swap the SOHC motor out.

[topairhead]

i herd it can either be the alignment, suspension, or my brakes.but i dont know... its weird and scary:( well is it ur engine that shakes??

[NCturbo75]

The engine does shake a little even at regular idle. The alignment seems to be okay because it does not pull to either side. I'm not really sure if it is suspension because it only shakes at/around 55mph. I think I sorta gotten used to the shaking. I just don't want the motor to blow up on me. I have dealt with one too many toe-truck drivers when I used to have a turbocharged Civic hatch. I think AAA knows me by my first name by now.

[rogoman]

Could be several things in the suspension:- worn rack bushings- worn control arm bushings- tire balance

[ISUJinX]

Could have busted a belt in the tire too. I had that happen on my bmw, but it was only at about 30mph. I'd check tire balance first - maybe you threw a weight on the freeway.

[otterman]

Are your tires balanced?

[Felipe]

hey this happends to my car too i got a 91' 240sx hicas when i got around 50 mph and slow down or brake it shakes alot it sometimes scares me....:X ???

my car used to shake when i applied the brakes...

i chabged the disk brakes to new ones... no more "shakes & brakes" ....

[chester_ff7]

you know what? i have had two 240's in my life an S13 and an S14! my S13 used to do the same! when i was going about 55mph. but that changed when i go 18's on my car. now i have an S14 and i does it too but only after i had a little accident... now it shocks like when i am going 60-65 mph. get your tires balanced and see if that works out. oh and about when you slow down and the car shakes..... i heard that its your brakes(rotors). that your rotors are uneven! get them resurficed and see if that fixs the problem.

[NCturbo75]

you know what? i have had two 240's in my life an S13 and an S14! my S13 used to do the same! when i was going about 55mph. but that changed when i go 18's on my car. now i have an S14 and i does it too but only after i had a little accident... now it shocks like when i am going 60-65 mph. get your tires balanced and see if that works out. oh and about when you slow down and the car shakes..... i heard that its your brakes(rotors). that your rotors are uneven! get them resurficed and see if that fixs the problem.

I have a brand new set of 17" tires in my storage shed waiting for a nice set of wheels. As for the slowing down...shaking part, it only shakes at/around 55mph without applying brakes. I should have clarified that in my original post. The tires that are currently on the car are some wack brand so, I guess I will deal with the shaking until I slap some other rims/tires on and have it balanced and properly aligned.

[amolao]

If tire inflation and balancing is good, prepare yourself to get the front rotors turned or new ones. They are so cheap (Vato Zone,etc) and come with warranty, so buying cheap new ones are sometimes a better option.

[crash n burn]

hey this happends to my car too i got a 91' 240sx hicas when i got around 50 mph and slow down or brake it shakes alot it sometimes scares me....:X ???

go get your rotors turned..mine did that, they were pitted from collecting rust for a few weeks while it sat for sale.

but my 240 did that until i found out i needed new tie rod ends. it helped a bit, but then i noticed i needed new tension rod bushings..so im gonna throw my new tension rods on this weekend, and replace the rack bushings..

i hope it'll fix it..came same thing between 50-60 the wheel shakes then it goes away

[NCturbo75]

If tire inflation and balancing is good, prepare yourself to get the front rotors turned or new ones. They are so cheap (Vato Zone,etc) and come with warranty, so buying cheap new ones are sometimes a better option.

I would love to get some C/D-slotted Brembos but money is tight these days. With a baby on the way, AutoZone rotors will have to do.

[crash n burn]

i heard c/d didnt' do too much with the oem calipers..slotted always makes a difference

im just gonna pick up a set of powerslot slotted rotors until i can snatch snatch up a set of 5 lug wheels and new oem 5 lug hubs from a local guy

[wankelTII]

If the shaking is only at one speed or a small range, like 50-60 or 60-70 etc then its definately just tires needing balancing. Clean up your wheels and tires and take your car to a shop that will balance tires. It should be pretty cheap, they just take your wheels put them on a machine and put on new wheel weights.

If there is a shake in the steering wheel when applying brakes its probably warped rotors. Always just buy new rotors if they are warped or damaged (unless you can turn them yourself for free) because otherwise you will have to pay for a brake service again in half the time.

[NCturbo75]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I will take it to the tire shop to get the tires balanced ASAP.

[i2ice4m3]

check your tension control rod bushings. I get a shimmy at freeway speeds and under braking also. Worn T/C rod bushings will give you the symptoms you described and it's a very common problem in 240sx's. you can check them visually for cracking.

[sticky_steve]

My 90 240 does the exact same thing or it did. I had a flat spot on my tire, so went and got another one and the shacking around 55 went away.