steering wheel shakes

Post by **D1SR240** » Tue Dec 09, 2003 6:22 pm

The steering wheel shakes when i start to drive around 60-80 mph, my car is a 91 240sx. What could solve this problem? I'm getting an alignment and balance after i install my new suspension parts, which should be by next week. what if that doesn't help, what else could it be?

Post by **float_6969** » Tue Dec 09, 2003 6:22 pm

Probabally an unbalanced/bent wheel/tire. Have the tires rotated and balanced. If it still shakes, you've probabally got a bent wheel.

Post by **Nismo_Freak** » Tue Dec 09, 2003 6:22 pm

float_6969 wrote:Probabally an unbalanced/bent wheel/tire. Have the tires rotated and balanced. If it still shakes, you've probabally got a bent wheel.

Yup, be sure to mount the bent rim(s) in the rear.

Post by **entity** » Tue Dec 09, 2003 6:22 pm

D1SR240 wrote:The steering wheel shakes when i start to drive around 60-80 mph, my car is a 91 240sx. What could solve this problem? I'm getting an alignment and balance after i install my new suspension parts, which should be by next week. what if that doesn't help, what else could it be?

I have the same problem on my 97 240. I've changed all 4 tires and had them rebalanced 3 times at different shops, had my steering aligned, changed all 4 brake pads/rotors, and had my wheels rotated.

After I put on new tires the first shop told me my rotors were warped and that they were probably dragging.

Had my brakes & alignment done and it didn't get rid of the problem so I took it back and apparently my front 2 rims are somehow warped so I had them rebalance & rotate my tires to minimize the shaking.

It's lessened the problem slightly but my steering wheel still shakes sometimes. It's quite annoying. I'm gonna get new rims and hopefully that'll get rid of it(I don't think it will), if not I'm gonna try changing out tension rods/bushings.

Post by **Q45tech** » Tue Dec 09, 2003 6:22 pm

After a few years the hubs may warp so that just off car lathe truing the rotors puts a truer rotor on an un true hub.........clean the rust and corrossion from hubs and insides of wheels, then index the rotors for minimum runout.............or have the rotors trured with an on car lathe to match the problems better.

Very hard to get and keep the under 0.002" spec!

Post by **Dori Dori** » Tue Dec 09, 2003 6:22 pm

Also, could be bad tension rod bushings or ball joints. I can tell you that after every stock bushing/ball joint was replaced on my car, steering wheel shimmy was reduced a lot!

Post by **SmithSR** » Tue Dec 09, 2003 6:22 pm

Dori, that's very possible too. One thing I've noticed is every older 240 that comes into the shop that without looking at it I think <might> need bushing replacement, does. Tension rods are oft overlooked.

Aside from a rotor turn, rotating bent or out or round wheel/tire to rear, you can also get some hub-centric rings. They DO make a difference. Every wheel should be hub-centric. They should be available wherever you buy aftermarket wheels.

PHIL:)

Post by **Nismo_Freak** » Tue Dec 09, 2003 6:22 pm

Smith,

Who makes quality hubcentric rings? ... I'm gonna be looking for a set.

Post by **Dori Dori** » Tue Dec 09, 2003 6:22 pm

They should all just be plastic rings...that's the only kind I've ever seen at least.

Tirerack can get them for you.

Post by **Nismo_Freak** » Tue Dec 09, 2003 6:22 pm

I've seen aluminum ones ... or at least I think I have lol.

Post by **Exar-Kun** » Tue Dec 09, 2003 6:22 pm

my gram lights have alluminum snap in rings.-chetps: check the t/c rod bushings, those little buggers cause a lot of odd vibration in the steering wheel.

Post by **SmithSR** » Tue Dec 09, 2003 6:22 pm

Yeah, the high end wheel companies usually ship hub-centric rings with their aftermarket wheels. Whatever wheel you have, contact the manufacturer for specifics. Wheel shops often carry no-name plastic hub-centric rings that they usually buy in bulk(made in China). Those are most common... IMHO, either the brand-specific aluminum rings or the plastic style will work well.

Post by **float_6969** » Tue Dec 09, 2003 6:22 pm

I had plastic ones on my last set of wheels and they worked just fine. Ditto on all wheels should be hubcentric too btw...

Post by **rico05** » Tue Dec 09, 2003 6:22 pm

I third the T/C bushing issue. I just threw on new t/c rods and a lot of the shimmy is gone from my car. I am going to get new tie rods and an alignment.

Post by **D1SR240** » Tue Dec 09, 2003 6:22 pm

well, once i get it balanced and aligned i'll let u guys know how it turns out.

thnx for all the help

Post by **entity** » Tue Dec 09, 2003 6:22 pm

rico05 wrote:I third the T/C bushing issue. I just threw on new t/c rods and a lot of the shimmy is gone from my car. I am going to get new tie rods and an alignment.

I was reading about the bushings issue and I'm thinkin that's what the problem is. Replacing the tension rods with something aftermarket from like Tein or Tanabe should fix this issue?

Post by **float_6969** » Tue Dec 09, 2003 6:22 pm

http://www.pdm-racing.com They have poly-urethane bushings for the T/C rods. Cheaper than pillowball mount. Not adjustable, but definatly a good improvement...

Post by **entity** » Tue Dec 09, 2003 6:22 pm

float_6969 wrote:http://www.pdm-racing.com They have poly-urethane bushings for the T/C rods. Cheaper than pillowball mount. Not adjustable, but definatly a good improvement...

I looked at the instructions for installing the poly bushings and I don't have the equipment to do it. I don't know if local shops will install em or not, so I was just gonna get the rods. I saw at your link that they had a set of stock T/C rods with the bushings pre-installed which are $50 less than the adjustable set I was looking at (http://dgtrials.com/bbs/viewtopic.php?t=1407).

Anyways, are the adjustable TC rods worth the extra $50 or should I stick with the stock rods with the poly bushings?

Post by **rico05** » Tue Dec 09, 2003 6:22 pm

Yeah, but can crack your LCAs. Also, your car has to be down while you take the rods to a shop and have the bushings pressed in. Took me about 30 mintues to do my rods.

Post by **entity** » Tue Dec 09, 2003 6:22 pm

rico05 wrote:Yeah, but can crack your LCAs. Also, your car has to be down while you take the rods to a shop and have the bushings pressed in. Took me about 30 mintues to do my rods.

The pillowball mounts can crack the LCAs? What are the chances of this happening? I'm trying to fix my not break it

Post by **Exar-Kun** » Tue Dec 09, 2003 6:22 pm

first, underant the front suspension is two peices(for our purposes) the T/C rod and the LCA, both tied together. If you restrice the yaw of the stock bushings(it was liquid filled and flexible) then the LCA has to take all the stress..this can cause it to crack.

true, the instances of this happening may be few..but Its possible. A better solution are pillow balls(heim joints, more correctly) that alow the T/C rod to move around the join a bit(maybe + or - 7 degree..) thusly doing a few thigns:allowing the suspension to stay in better contract with the road(well, allowing the suspension to keep the tire in better contact), giving you better steering feel, and firming up the ride a small bit.

get hte adjsutable pillow ones man. -chet

Post by **float_6969** » Tue Dec 09, 2003 6:22 pm

entity - I don't see the need of the adjustable T/C rods unless you plan on changing the height of the car often (coil-overs).

Exar - Unless I misunderstood, you just contradiced yourself. You DO want some give in the T/C rod and to accomplish that you would want a polyeurathane bushing that still has some give to it as opposed to a pillowball that has no give, it just pivots. Not saying your wrong, I just want to clarify what you meant.

Post by **Exar-Kun** » Tue Dec 09, 2003 6:22 pm

no, the pillow ball actually has more movement in it, believe it or not, its made to move. the poly bushing is actually much too tight for hard(really hard) driving. think of a sick going through the bushings and moving up and down(more accurately twising left and right), the stock bushing would move because it was soft and liquid filled. THe poly bushing wont move much(if any) unti great stress is placed on it. Now a heim joint can rotate with the stick, without the usage of a large bushings because its engineered to do it... it was invented to allow helicopter blanes move up and down on the shaft without braking(the bushing in the shaft)...

did that make more sense? trust me, ge thte heim joint adjsutables..they're great.-chet

Post by **gabo** » Tue Dec 09, 2003 6:22 pm

I was having the same "wheel shaking" problem and NICO was very helpful. I balanced the wheels, then I replaced the t/c rod bushing. Now I can drive about 60mph w/o shaking. I was told that the spindle and strut housing need to be replaced. OK, I know what the housing is, but what does the spindle look like?

I also searched for spindle and got zero results, its probably called something else. thanks in advance. -G

Post by **float_6969** » Tue Dec 09, 2003 6:22 pm

gabo wrote:I was having the same "wheel shaking" problem and NICO was very helpful. I balanced the wheels, then I replaced the t/c rod bushing. Now I can drive about 60mph w/o shaking. I was told that the spindle and strut housing need to be replaced. OK, I know what the housing is, but what does the spindle look like?

I also searched for spindle and got zero results, its probably called something else. thanks in advance. -G

I can't imagine that the spindle needed replaced unless the hub was bad. The spindle is the part that your struts/brakes/wheel hub are all attached to. It's just a hunk of cast iron. Hmmm

Exar - I still don't quite understand your explanation, but I have zero experience with them. I did have the poly bushings and felt that they still had play in them. I could get the bushing to flex once I had it installed just by pushing on it. I'm not AT ALL saying that the heim joints aren't better, I just don't feel that poly bushing are worse than stock.

Post by **Exar-Kun** » Tue Dec 09, 2003 6:22 pm

no, not worse than stock, but to me its application specific, as many things are. poly bushings work great for 95% of the cars out there.-chet

Post by **float_6969** » Tue Dec 09, 2003 6:22 pm

Ok, I like that answer

. How extreme do you think you would need to get with the car to need the adjustable T/C rods?

Post by **entity** » Tue Dec 09, 2003 6:22 pm

Exar-Kun wrote:no, not worse than stock, but to me its application specific, as many things are. poly bushings work great for 95% of the cars out there.-chet

I'm gonna have a shop install whichever type of t/c rods I get. Should I be able to expect a normal mechanic(at like a Firestone or something) to be able to adjust the caster right or should I take it someone else?

Post by **Exar-Kun** » Tue Dec 09, 2003 6:22 pm

you'll need an alignment rack to adjust the rods correctly, I have mine set dead middle of factory spec(mostly because I dont have an open area to really test changes on a road course). Most mechanics with decent competence should be able to install them..it only took me 20 minutes.-chet

Post by **entity** » Tue Dec 09, 2003 6:22 pm

Exar-Kun wrote:you'll need an alignment rack to adjust the rods correctly, I have mine set dead middle of factory spec(mostly because I dont have an open area to really test changes on a road course). Most mechanics with decent competence should be able to install them..it only took me 20 minutes.-chet

Okey dokey, looks like i'm goin with the adjustable t/c's

. I really appreciate you answering my questions...I did some of my own research but I just couldn't figure out the details w/o talking to someone who's had it done firsthand. Thanks:thumbup :thumbup

steering wheel shakes

steering wheel shakes

Re: steering wheel shakes

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