Seat of the pants/front-end vibration at Hwy speed
I need some help/counsel...my '03 Beast has a slight front-end/seat of the pants vibration at hwy speed, especially between 60 to 80mph. I've fixed all 4 rims (true & balanced), replaced the thrust/control arms, no bubbles on the tires. Anyone else with a similar experience or have suggestions on what to look for that may need fixing? Thanks!
Let us know more about what exactly you mean by balanced: there's spin-balanced, and road-force-balanced. Was an alignment done recently? Do you feel the vibration conveyed via the steering wheel, or your butt?
I need some help/counsel...my '03 Beast has a slight front-end/seat of the pants vibration at hwy speed, especially between 60 to 80mph. I've fixed all 4 rims (true & balanced), replaced the thrust/control arms, no bubbles on the tires. Anyone else with a similar experience or have suggestions on what to look for that may need fixing? Thanks!
I had the exact same problem.
One time, it was the tires being out of balance. A trip to a BMW dealership solved it because they do a sort of balancing by loading the wheel with weight so simulate real conditions. I forgot the technical name of this kind of balancing, though.
But after I changed my tires and got them properly balanced, this vibration came back.
It ended up being my rear control arms and weak front struts. Those got changed and the car is now smooth as cream.
One time, it was the tires being out of balance. A trip to a BMW dealership solved it because they do a sort of balancing by loading the wheel with weight so simulate real conditions. I forgot the technical name of this kind of balancing, though.
The technical term is called a "road force balance". A lot of people will say it's not neccessary but others swear by them. I for one think it's worth it. Some techs are just too lazy to do one because it involves mounting and dismounting the tires as many times as needed to get it smooth.
There was also a member here who had vibration from his brake rotors. They were fine while stopping, but for some reason the warped rotors caused vibration at highway speeds. Maybe the non-perfect rotors were touching the brake pads as they were turning.
The technical term is called a "road force balance". A lot of people will say it's not neccessary but others swear by them. I for one think it's worth it. Some techs are just too lazy to do one because it involves mounting and dismounting the tires as many times as needed to get it smooth.
There was also a member here who had vibration from his brake rotors. They were fine while stopping, but for some reason the warped rotors caused vibration at highway speeds. Maybe the non-perfect rotors were touching the brake pads as they were turning.
Maybe the road force balance isnt necessary depending on the car, but I can tell you that it makes a difference for an E39 M5. I put the summer tires back on earlier this year and the car vibrated like the OP posted and there was some shimmy when braking. I took it to a local tire shop to get them balanced just in case and that didnt do a damned thing. Then I took it to the dealer just to be on the safe side and it made a huge difference. Interestingly, not all BMW dealers do it around here.
Maybe the road force balance isnt necessary depending on the car, but I can tell you that it makes a difference for an E39 M5. I put the summer tires back on earlier this year and the car vibrated like the OP posted and there was some shimmy when braking. I took it to a local tire shop to get them balanced just in case and that didnt do a damned thing. Then I took it to the dealer just to be on the safe side and it made a huge difference. Interestingly, not all BMW dealers do it around here.
It makes a huge difference on the cars with very sensitive steering and tight frames. The steering and frames dont absorb a lot of the heavy vibration. So you have to take the vibrations out otherwise you will feel a shimmy.
My DD is a tsx, it IS necessary on that one. I've gotten the RF balance on every car since it was available. It makes a HUGE difference. Once you've had one done, you will always want them done that way. lol
Let us know more about what exactly you mean by balanced: there's spin-balanced, and road-force-balanced. Was an alignment done recently? Do you feel the vibration conveyed via the steering wheel, or your butt?
Good point...I'm fairly sure they were road force balanced...will call and double check with the technician. In terms of alignment, that was done as well. I think my front rotors are likely warped so will get them checked out. Any thoughts on getting them replaced vs. resurfaced?
Thanks everyone who replied...really appreciate your personal experience & insights.
Let us know more about what exactly you mean by balanced: there's spin-balanced, and road-force-balanced. Was an alignment done recently? Do you feel the vibration conveyed via the steering wheel, or your butt?
chowdah -- forgot to answer one of your questions...the vibration is definitely seat of the pants and not from the steering column or wheel.
One time, it was the tires being out of balance. A trip to a BMW dealership solved it because they do a sort of balancing by loading the wheel with weight so simulate real conditions. I forgot the technical name of this kind of balancing, though.
But after I changed my tires and got them properly balanced, this vibration came back.
It ended up being my rear control arms and weak front struts. Those got changed and the car is now smooth as cream.
Diny -- what do you mean weak struts? My car has 45K miles on orig struts and they seem to be working fine but curious to know what I should look for in terms of symptoms. Also, is it fairly common for the rear control arms to go bad? Maybe I should've asked my indy mechanic to check when the car was on the lift. Thanks for the heads up.
chowdah -- forgot to answer one of your questions...the vibration is definitely seat of the pants and not from the steering column or wheel.
If your vibration is only under braking, then that is where you need to look. But if the vibration is general, then feeling it in the seat generally means it's rear axle (vs. hands = front).
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