60MPH Steering Wheel Shake?

[DFWGTO]

I purchased a new GTO about a month ago. When I test drove it it had a little shake in the steering. I informed the dealer about it then... I took it back to get it looked at after I bought it and they told me my tires had excessive "RunOut" whatever that is (Outa round mabye, Dunno). They ordered new tires and I am taking it back today to get them put on. I am writing the serial numbers off of the tires down.

[Shocker]

you test drove it I bet others did to and had a little fun.

[DevilYellow]

I have the same thing with my nice expensive 18" BFG KDW NT's ... more at 50mph.

[sxty8goats]

DF & DY,

Sounds like a tire balance issue. I had a 89 Lemans (yea yea stop laughing) with a slight shake that the dealer couldn't find. I told a buddy that worked at Sears Auto and he said I was out of ballance. We pulled the wheels that night and he balanced them. thing ran smooth as glass after that. We found a mark on the right front wheel that looked like it had thrown a weight. The dealer's resoponse was "It was susposed to be ballanced at the factory". 6 months it took me to find the problem.

[DevilYellow]

The wheels are balanced as best as they can be, for some reason they said the wheel was not 100% true. The wheels were not as nice as they cost.

[sxty8goats]

Wow, That would be a return in my book. Of all things, a wheel should be true to round and center. They must have messed up when the mounting hole patern was drilled.

[DevilYellow]

yea, no. Im not waiting another 4 months for that. It's not even that bad. The thing tho is, it never did it before and it doesnt always do it.

[sxty8goats]

I'd tell'em that you'll send back the set you have when you receive a set of replacements that are true. More likely I'd buy a new set/ different brand and return the 'out of round's. I wish I had a big enough lathe to throw them in. We could measure and probably fix them.

[DevilYellow]

All the shit I've been thru with these wheels I dont even want to go thru it. I like how they look. The guy that balanced the front said that they you could see it slightly when the wheel was spinning. However I dont know how much I trust this guy, not only that I dont feel like taking the front wheels off and chasing around to other places to figure it out right now.

[phobos512]

you test drove it I bet others did to and had a little fun.

I dunno about everyone else but I was encouraged by my salesman to "have a little fun" on the test drive. So I did. Then I bought it. So it's all good. :)

[DFWGTO]

More to the story... When I originally test drove it it had aftermarket wheels on it, it shook with those. When I bought it I told them that I did not want the after market wheels, so they swapped the wheels and tires that were on it with a different car. This set that is currently on it is a wholly new set and it shakes.... that would be a real strange thing... if they swap tires and the problem goes away then that would mean that the tires they took off (ones with aftermarket wheels) were bad also. Seems like a lot of bad tires ?!?

[Tigger]

I have (or had) a bit of a shake in mine at just over 60 MPH. I was going to schedule an appointment at the dealer to get it checked, but it's seemed to have gone away. I haven't noticed it for the last week or so. I'm not sure how you explain that except that maybe there were some flat spots on one or more of the tires that have gone away.

[sxty8goats]

More to the story... When I originally test drove it it had aftermarket wheels on it, it shook with those. When I bought it I told them that I did not want the after market wheels, so they swapped the wheels and tires that were on it with a different car. This set that is currently on it is a wholly new set and it shakes.... that would be a real strange thing... if they swap tires and the problem goes away then that would mean that the tires they took off (ones with aftermarket wheels) were bad also. Seems like a lot of bad tires ?!?

Tires out or balance are not bad, just out of ballance. It is posible to have 2 out of 8 tires/wheel out. But not likely. It would be the cheepest and easiest thing to check. Next would be your alignment, then posibly the rotors. They too could be out of ballance (not likely) or warped (posible but not likely)

You are under warenty, on stock wheels. Make the dealer fix it or give you a new 04'. Call Pontiac if the dealer gives you a line of shiznet. PM me if you need the number.

[PadreGTO]

FWIW, mine has done the same both with my stock rims/tires and my aftermarket 19's. I think something else is involved.

Padre

[DFWGTO]

Well, Got the new tires and a balance. Seems to have gone away so far... have not really had enough wheel time to judge. Lots of traffic on the way home, didn't stay at 60 long. So far so good though!

[lively]

Mine shakes at 60 sometimes, but not always. Took it to the dealer, said they couldn't duplicate the problem.

[1stChildhood]

Mine shakes noticeably from 55 - 60. I just haven't taken it back yet. Feels like out-of-balance to me, but could be out-of-round I guess. Hope not, but if they can't eliminate it, I'll push for new tires.

[sxty8goats]

I drive at 60 all the time and have not seen any kind of shake.

[Huntress]

I drive at 60 all the time and have not seen any kind of shake.
Me either... however I am starting to notice shake at slow speeds when first driving the car. I am thinking this is just the tire warm up issue mentioned in some other thread, and the fact that you guys make me pay attention to it :p

[sxty8goats]

I too seem to get a bit of flat spotting on the rubber. I seldom notice it because the roads in my imediate area are loaded w/ frost heaves.

[Jodi]

I've got the same slight shake at 60 mph with my Ronals as well. Had them back 2 times to rebalance. Guy said they were some of the truest balanced rims he had worked with. But, still the slight shake. I think there is something inherent to the car also. It's just barely noticeable, but it shouldn't be so.
A trip to the dealer would be worthless, I'm sure.

[sxty8goats]

I've got the same slight shake at 60 mph with my Ronals as well. Had them back 2 times to rebalance. Guy said they were some of the truest balanced rims he had worked with. But, still the slight shake. I think there is something inherent to the car also. It's just barely noticeable, but it shouldn't be so.
A trip to the dealer would be worthless, I'm sure.

Some of us, likely most of us, have no shake. It may be an alignment issue. Please do not dismiss the posibility that it can be fixed. If 10% (high number) of the cars shake at 60 mph, that means that 90% do not. There is something different with the 10% that evenutaly will be found. While 90% of your post is helpful, everyone here is not ready to throw in the towel, I'm sure.

[redgtosamurai]

No shakes at all from 0 to 120 mph but then when am I ever doing 60? :hail: :hail: :hail:

[Old Goat]

Mine is rock stable at any speed, no shakes, shimmies, or other issues. First thing in the morning sometimes there are flat spots that work out within a few miles from being parked overnight. This is normal. Oddly, there are numerous pages in the front of the Helms Volume I dedicated to chasing these issues and identifying where they come from. On the S-10, which has different offsets front and rear (as do Camaros) I needed to order wheels from two different manufacturers to get what I needed. I got them through a Major Retailer. I had a b***h of a time getting rims that weren't out of round due to offset drilled centers from one Major Maker. You could see them clearly spinning offset on the tire balanacer making it shake in response. In fairness the Retailer worked with me and exchanged them until I got four that spun and rolled true. Our stock wheels seem very good in this regard. I have stocks of adhesive weights in case I ever need to re-do them for new tires or a lost weight. :)

[mmciau]

Old Goat raised the very points that are often overlooked when purchasing wheels - incorrectly drilled holes because the rim was not properly indexed and/or "runout" in the wheel because the machined-face is not perpendicular.
His perseverance in selecting correct wheels is the just one facet in getting good running gear but so often overlooked in our haste to fit a set of wheels.

Mike

[FLORIT]

I did not notice any shakes at any speed UNTIL I had the new wheels and tires put on. Now there is a noticeable shake at 60 MPH, but not below and not above. It only shakes around 60 MPH. That tells me it MUST be a balance issue on the new wheels. Getting it checked/fixed is on my list of things to do, but it's so trivial that it's way down the list.

[HRJ]

I had mine in the shop yesterday for the same exact concern and wheel balance was said to be the culprit. Last night when I left, the problem is still there. It's back in the shop today....I'll letcha know what we find out. I'm kinda leaning toward excessive play in a tie-rod, or even the rack, but maybe it is tire related. Whatever it is, it's annoying as hell. :mad:

UPDATE - Tires were checked, found to be OK. The tech called technical assistance center(TAC), TAC said that they have had 6 complaints and all were deemed to be "normal by comparison." I don't think that it's normal for a $30,000+ car to have a steering wheel shake! We drove one of the lot GTO's and did experience the same vibration @ 60. If I can't get this fixed, anyone wanna buy a GTO? That's :bs: . I bet the WRX doesn't do this!
Anyway, the tech told me that the Silverado/Sierra trucks did this exact same thing when they first were built with rack-and-pinion steering (new body style for '99), and the racks were eventually redesigned (extra bracing to keep the rack mounts from flexing, along with larger mount bushings.) I guess that I could just "get over it," but dam*it, I should'nt have to! :banghead:

[1stChildhood]

I had mine in the shop yesterday for the same exact concern and wheel balance was said to be the culprit. Last night when I left, the problem is still there. It's back in the shop today....I'll letcha know what we find out. I'm kinda leaning toward excessive play in a tie-rod, or even the rack, but maybe it is tire related. Whatever it is, it's annoying as hell. :mad:

UPDATE - Tires were checked, found to be OK. The tech called technical assistance center(TAC), TAC said that they have had 6 complaints and all were deemed to be "normal by comparison." I don't think that it's normal for a $30,000+ car to have a steering wheel shake! We drove one of the lot GTO's and did experience the same vibration @ 60. If I can't get this fixed, anyone wanna buy a GTO? That's :bs: . I bet the WRX doesn't do this!
Anyway, the tech told me that the Silverado/Sierra trucks did this exact same thing when they first were built with rack-and-pinion steering (new body style for '99), and the racks were eventually redesigned (extra bracing to keep the rack mounts from flexing, along with larger mount bushings.) I guess that I could just "get over it," but dam*it, I should'nt have to! :banghead:

Mine shook between 55-60. I was letting the tires get some wear and everything get settled in. Now have 1700 mi. Today took to dealer and they balanced all tires. LF was off 3/4 oz., others less. All is fine now. I'm no suspension expert but all that stuff about the rack is news to me and sounds like smoke and mirrors. Could be true for all I know. I wonder if there are some out of round tires out there? I read someone on one of the forums had to get some new tires under warranty to resolve such a problem.

[HRJ]

Finally - Tech called TAC again (talked to someone else). Road force balance was suggested, along with slight rotor machining. THAT did it.....no more wobble. If you are not familiar with road force balance, it's when a roller (made on some tire balance machines) is pressed on the tire tread while the wheel is spinning to simulate actual road conditions.

[Old Goat]

Old Goat raised the very points that are often overlooked when purchasing wheels - incorrectly drilled holes because the rim was not properly indexed and/or "runout" in the wheel because the machined-face is not perpendicular.
His perseverance in selecting correct wheels is the just one facet in getting good running gear but so often overlooked in our haste to fit a set of wheels.

Mike
I can only add that if you are going to drive this car fast (who would EVER do that?) The tires should roll true and with constant weight and tire patch applied to the ground. Wheel hop or shimmy from either off-true or run-out doesn't go away when you don't feel it, it just goes off resonant frequency, but it's still there, and can put you in the puckerbrush at high speed. Handling, braking, and stability are affected. The more wheels you have doing this, the more marginal the car gets. A tire and wheel combo that isn't right is not what you paid for, complain, whine, and exchange until you get them right. It took 8 wheels to find four that were true for the S-10. The final set made a HUGE difference in feel at any speed over 55, 'on-edge' versus 'rock stable'.

[DANSLS1]

I have all kinds of vibration at many speeds - but nothing I can't contribute to the ongoing efforts (or lack thereof) of Michigan DOT...
Dan

[mlc]

You could see them clearly spinning offset on the tire balanacer making it shake in response.

I'm reading that you have had rims where the manufacturing was faulty and the holes were not in the right spot. And that you actually see this by watching them balance the tire. :eek:
I'm not naive but I wouldn't expect the rims to be out of round. I always attributed the need for balancing tires because the tire is out of round or the weight isn't balanced, not the rims.

[darkitec]

Mine shakes at 60 sometimes, but not always. Took it to the dealer, said they couldn't duplicate the problem.
I got the same response from my dealer as well. Right before a 2500 mile trip it was a lot of fun dealing with the shake during that trip. I'm guessing I'm going to have to take one of the tec's on a drive with me and show them exactly what I'm experiencing.

[Shag Finger]

Just curious but for those of you with non OEM wheels are you running the true 5x120 bolt pattern or are you using the 5x4.75 that almost fits? I can tell you from personal experience with the GTP and running 5x4.5 (114.3) and not the 5x115 that I should have been, that I had an intermittent vibration and even lost at least one lug per wheel over time. That is what I get for listening to people that say they are so close they will work fine, yeak ok, over 5 broken studs later I finally gave in and got a wheel with the correct bolt pattern and never had a problem after that.

[Old Goat]

I'm reading that you have had rims where the manufacturing was faulty and the holes were not in the right spot. And that you actually see this by watching them balance the tire. :eek:
I'm not naive but I wouldn't expect the rims to be out of round. I always attributed the need for balancing tires because the tire is out of round or the weight isn't balanced, not the rims.
Sadly, some of the aftermarket has gotten a little sloppy. Remember, not much is manufactured here anymore. If you get new rims, ALWAYS take them to the shop BEFORE mounting, and have them spun on the balancer. You are looking for an out of round condition caused by offset drilling the center, or a side to side wobble caused by machining the mounting surface off perpendicular. I have yet to see a stock rim do this that wasn't damaged in some way, maybe curbed hard. It really did take 8 tries to get 4 good Chrome Reverse Rims for the S-10. The 'large mail order speed house' worked hard with me on it. The absolute minimum I expect when I buy a rim is round and true. The types of Speed Rated tires we run are as capable as the car, and not your average sale tire made overseas. The BFG KD's I have on the S-10 came with the heavy spot for the tire marked with a white dot on the bead of the tire. It goes opposite the valve stem on the wheel when mounting. As soon as the rims were checked good and all mounted, the maximum weight required to balance any of them was a 1/2 an ounce, and they checked as perfectly round as was possible to measure by eye. They rolled like it too, no vibration at any speed, just solid road feel. Tires get blamed for a lot of faults caused by custom rims that just don't measure up. I learned these and other things to look for and tricks from Marvin at M&H Tire in Watertown, MA. Gone now.....Damn, I miss them. :hail:

[tohigh4you]

I test drioe 3 different GTOs and they all had the steering wheel shake. One of them did it excessively under hard braking. The car i bought also has steering wheel shake but when I pulled wheels to paint my calipers and then resinstalled the problem appears to have went away. So I am wondering if lug nuts werent torqued right???

[Shag Finger]

Mine doesnt do it at all.

Also, a vibration or pulsation when braking is a totally different issue than a vibration when driving at a certain speed. The first issue is almost always caused by the rotors being warped, which can happen if the wheels are improperly torqued. The second issue is almost always a wheel balancing issue. If you removed and replaced the wheels it could be that whomever put the wheels on the last time might have cocked the wheel a little when installing it but that is usually from going to a tire shop that doesnt properly install a wheel, not on a new car.

[Scorpionida]

No wheel shake here, at any speed. I do know that if your tires need to be balanced, that you can get a shake at a certain speed that disapears at a greater or lesser speed. The rim info from above is new to me but I have never had aftermarket rims (still too poor for that mod) and what they are saying makes a lot of good sense.

[pinski]

Mine doesnt do it at all.

Also, a vibration or pulsation when braking is a totally different issue than a vibration when driving at a certain speed. The first issue is almost always caused by the rotors being warped, which can happen if the wheels are improperly torqued. The second issue is almost always a wheel balancing issue. If you removed and replaced the wheels it could be that whomever put the wheels on the last time might have cocked the wheel a little when installing it but that is usually from going to a tire shop that doesnt properly install a wheel, not on a new car.


I agree. I used to have an old fox body Mustang that would just shake the steering wheel big time at highway speeds. Took it in for a full balance and alignment and the problem disappeared. Then it started to shake again, but only under hard braking. Took it to a brake shop and had the rotors turned, and voila, problem solved.

If your car is causing the steering wheel to shake at all speeds, and progressively gets worse as the speed climbs, something is amiss in your alignment. Don't know about this rim problem, but it could definitely be an issue.