[al-x]

First off, I have searched the problem, but I have ruled out the usual culprits. Situation is under light to moderate braking I get feedback, often severe coming through the sterring wheel. Within the last 8k miles I have upgraded to X5 TAB, brembo BBK which has been properly bedded. The odd thing about it is under hard braking this is non-existent, just during typical driving situations. Another oddity is that is seems to occur less frequently when the the car is cold.

Any ideas?

 

[vantaam5]

Either the joints in your thrust arms have play,the wheel bearings or,what I had,the front control arms were shot...

 

[Diny]

Have a look at your rotors. Your pads may have crapped all over them. Oh, but you would know this already, as you already searched...

 

[al-x]

Have a look at your rotors. Your pads may have crapped all over them. Oh, but you would know this already, as you already searched...

Yep I read that, but the surface of the rotors look clean and no abnormal wear of the pads....

I did not check the wheel bearings though, good idea

 

[lothar]

For what it's worth, I had the same problem and new X5 bushings didn't help. I had an indy install them for me as I don't feel comfortable playing with bushings yet, and they told me the ball joints on the thrust arm were fine. When the new bushings didn't help, I bit the bullet and had new arms installed (with M5 OEM bushings in them). The problem went away immediately. After removal, the tech told me one of the joints did have some abnormal movement but he couldn't feel it until the arms were off.

 

[CSBM5]

First off, I have searched the problem, but I have ruled out the usual culprits. Situation is under light to moderate braking I get feedback, often severe coming through the sterring wheel. Within the last 8k miles I have upgraded to X5 TAB, brembo BBK which has been properly bedded. The odd thing about it is under hard braking this is non-existent, just during typical driving situations. Another oddity is that is seems to occur less frequently when the the car is cold.

Any ideas?

Alex,

You and Tom should have exchanged ideas on Sat. He has the exact same issue (and I felt it driving his car). Pretty new rotors, pads, new X5 bushings, etc.

Perhaps it is the balljoint in the thrustarm as stated above that "feels ok" to techs when on the car, and/or wheel bearing play, and/or both of those adding up allowing "enough" play to get oscillations going.

Chuck

 

[tranck]

Alex and Chuck - I have an appointment this Wednesday at Leith to have new thrust arms with the attached ball joints and the M5 bushings pre-attached as well.

Alex, I have the EXACT same symptoms - only under light braking and does not happen when the car is cold. Plus, I have changed out the brakes - rotors etc.

The thrust rods and ball joints are original to my car and at 242,000 miles, they HAVE to be bad.

If this doesn't fix this problem, I am going to have the front wheel bearings done - they (as well as the rear) have never been done to the car either.

Before you do yours, let me be your gunea pig - I will let you know Wednesday what is what.

Thanks for the heads-up on this thread Chuck.

Tom

 

[al-x]

Chuck, thanks for sending Tom this way and thanks for responding Tom, I was hopping you were going to chime in.

Keep me updated on the results, I truly think I am going to look at the wheel bearings when I get home. With all the different sets of wheels I have been running and the added weight of the VMR VB3s they may have caused premature wear, well its probably not ppremature with 104k. Tom, do you have any tracking issues and has the on center feel of your car varied at all?

 

[tranck]

Chuck, thanks for sending Tom this way and thanks for responding Tom, I was hopping you were going to chime in.

Keep me updated on the results, I truly think I am going to look at the wheel bearings when I get home. With all the different sets of wheels I have been running and the added weight of the VMR VB3s they may have caused premature wear, well its probably not ppremature with 104k. Tom, do you have any tracking issues and has the on center feel of your car varied at all?

No tracking issues or feel difference - I hoping (praying) that replacing the thrust arms with the ball joints and the M5 bushings will solve this very annoying persistent problem.

 

[Bubbaschill]

Possibility?

My car is a 2000 with 75K. I purchased new rotors and pads (aggresive street) about 7 months/6,000 miles ago. I recently developed a similar set of symptoms (shimmy at moderate braking) and figured that it was time to preventively "change out the front end" anyway and I replaced control arms with thrust busings, etc. etc. Shimmy was still there - I suspected warped rotors but I couldn't believe the rotors were warped so quickly especially since I didnt track the car in the 7 months...I ran across this --> http://tinyurl.com/b58pz so, I went out and performed the 10 consecutive stops from 60-65 and voila, the shimmy is gone. I guess I need to start braking more aggressively - or start tracking the car :M5thumbs:to properly bed the brakes. Good Luck!

 

[tranck]

My car is a 2000 with 75K. I purchased new rotors and pads (aggresive street) about 7 months/6,000 miles ago. I recently developed a similar set of symptoms (shimmy at moderate braking) and figured that it was time to preventively "change out the front end" anyway and I replaced control arms with thrust busings, etc. etc. Shimmy was still there - I suspected warped rotors but I couldn't believe the rotors were warped so quickly especially since I didnt track the car in the 7 months...I ran across this --> http://tinyurl.com/b58pz so, I went out and performed the 10 consecutive stops from 60-65 and voila, the shimmy is gone. I guess I need to start braking more aggressively - or start tracking the car :M5thumbs:to properly bed the brakes. Good Luck!

That fixes it for me too....temporarily - returns soon thereafter.

 

[al-x]

That fixes it for me too....temporarily - returns soon thereafter.

Same here. I actually took it a step further and ran the car up to a fair amount of speed above that and applied full pressure. Did this several times from various speeds, some as high that was mentioned and some as low as 30mph. Goes away then soon returns

 

[Bubbaschill]

What kind of pads are you guys (including OP) running? The place I bought the pads from are blaming it on driving too conservatively on an "aggressive street" pad composition which causes uneven brake pad deposits (as described in the link above) hence, the shimmy. Since I'm not planning on tracking the car, I'm wondering whether I should have just stuck with OEM type pads and I could've avoided this damn shinny altogether...(?)

 

[tranck]

What kind of pads are you guys (including OP) running? The place I bought the pads from are blaming it on driving too conservatively on an "aggressive street" pad composition which causes uneven brake pad deposits (as described in the link above) hence, the shimmy. Since I'm not planning on tracking the car, I'm wondering whether I should have just stuck with OEM type pads and I could've avoided this damn shinny altogether...(?)

OEM pads here

 

[al-x]

whatever Brembo puts in their 355 kit