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Steering Wheels vibrating when driving steady 70mph

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Old 07-14-2012 | 06:51 PM
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Unhappy Steering Wheels vibrating when driving steady 70mph

I have a 09 G37 Coupe Journey, stillen sway bars, stock 18" but with 245/45 tires all around instead of 225/50, still stock oem brakes.

My issue right now is when i drive straight & steady @ 70MPH on the freeway, the steering wheel vibrates like crazy. If i drive below 65mph, it disappears, and if i speed up to 80 its harder to notice. Also there are mornings & night drives where this issue doesn't happen so I thought it was a fluke, but now its occurring more often.

There's no shaking when its a bumpy road, or when its curvy freeway. Also, when braking, there is no noticeable vibration so I don't think my rotors are warped? Another thing I did try was to rebalanced my front tires, but that seemed to only solve it for 2 weeks(maybe mental issue & it didn't really solve it). Tire PSI should be at 34, but i tried 34-36 cold with no noticeable difference.

This issue started happening after I had a oil change & tire rotation at the dealership (~3months ago). I'm hesitant to ask the dealer to see if they can fix it, as i might get jipped like crazy(one lady told me over phone that it was alignment issue, but i just had the alignment checked with new tire installation at beginning of year). Also I might not be able to to reproduce this steering vibration on the spot for them. And lastly, they might blame the stillen sway bars i have for the problem, which i highly doubt.

Anyone have any ideas on what I can check to fix this weird issue?
Old 07-14-2012 | 06:55 PM
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i had the same EXACT thing happen to my 09 coupe s.

what it turned out to be was my G had a toe issue on the front tires. this caused my tires to be "feathered" and had worn down unevenly.

new tires, alignment and all was good.

check your front tires on the inside by running your hand over the area. you should be able to feel the uneven areas.....if that is the problem.
Old 07-14-2012 | 07:07 PM
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Only have 6K on them right now. Just stuck the meter on the tire and its all @ 8/10 from inside to outside of tire.

These are new yoko envigors that i got installed in beginning of this year.

Feeling the tire from inside to out, it feels smoother then touch it from outside in. But this could be due to my position on the ground. But its vary hard to tell if its feathered.

Last edited by masterdukill; 07-14-2012 at 07:12 PM.
Old 07-14-2012 | 07:47 PM
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You tires are not balance. I had this too and got it fixed 2 days ago.
Old 07-14-2012 | 10:38 PM
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Originally Posted by bluedevils95
You tires are not balance. I had this too and got it fixed 2 days ago.
^^ This.
Old 07-15-2012 | 12:52 AM
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Try a "road force balance"
I had the same issue, now its gone.
Old 07-15-2012 | 01:38 AM
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I hope you get this done soon. Let us know when you get it fixed
Old 07-15-2012 | 01:40 AM
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Originally Posted by RISKY GUY
Try a "road force balance"
I had the same issue, now its gone.
^^ This

Road force balance, and/or high speed balance should take care of it. Unless your tires are done, then sorry to say but you'll need new ones. Hope that's not the case...

Look at it this way:

If you end up NOT needing new tires, then that means you saved yourself about $1,700? (Because you would've bought Michelins Super Sport, right? lol). Therefore, since you saved that much, that means you HAVE that much to spend. I say let the modding begin!
Old 07-15-2012 | 04:50 AM
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When you say "road force balance" do you mean some kind of machine? Or run it hard & brake lol.

Tires are still good, 8/10 all around. They are Yokohama Envigors. I'm planning on taking the car out to the shop I got the tires from next Saturday. I'll ask them to re-balance the front tires & ask maybe.. check for feathering & if alignment needs to be done.
Old 07-15-2012 | 05:09 AM
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A Road Force balancer will add pressure to the wheels while performing the balancing in order to simulate the actual weight that the vehicle will have on the road. It allows the techs to obtain more accurate readings than if they were to just spin the wheels freely on a standard balancer machine.
Old 07-16-2012 | 12:56 PM
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I am having this same issue. I thought it had to do with my alignment, got that done this weekend and no luck. Still a vibration. Next step is getting my wheels rebalanced.
Old 07-16-2012 | 11:48 PM
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If you get a balance and a road force alignment but the steering wheel still vibrates then you've got at least one bent rim. Had this same problem with my 2011 xS coupe last year. Turns out 3 of my 4 wheels were bent - one pretty severely. The dealership didn't catch it until after the 2nd road force alignment didn't show anything unusual, but the steering wheel was still shaking. I found a guy that straightens rims and he fixed all 3 in about 20 minutes. The car was noticeably smoother afterwards and the wheel no longer vibrates.
Old 07-17-2012 | 01:38 AM
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Masterdukill! Did you get you tires balance yet. I really think that is your problem.
Old 07-17-2012 | 01:48 AM
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70MPH on the freeway, the steering wheel vibrates like crazy. If i drive below 65mph, it disappears, and if i speed up to 80 its harder to notice
Wheel balance, nothing else. Nothing bent, or else it would vibrate at all speeds.
Classic symptoms.
Old 07-17-2012 | 04:53 AM
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I did not get a chance to balance my tires yet. Would the dealership(OC Tustin specifically) by any chance have the road force balancer?



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