Shaking steering wheel

[midnite9150]

Pretty much ever since ive owned my SVO the steering wheel has shaken/vibrated at speed, it will do it just when driving though it is more prevalent at higher speeds especially on the freeway. It does not get worse when braking and my brake rotors are fairly new so I dont think it is warped rotors.

I did tighten the bolts in the steering column as you could move the column a little bit which fixed that but the wheel still vibrates. When I had the car aligned about a year ago they said one of the tie rod ends was slightly bent but they were still able to align the car to specs, may that be the problem or something else? I am pretty sure much of the front suspension bushings are original with 130k+ miles on them so it might be time to start replacing them

[4EYED85]

Whens the last time you balanced the tires? Sloppy tie rod ends.

[brianj]

1- possible bent rim. With a bent tie rod, the car may have taken a hit

2- bushings/ control arms. same thing- took a hit

3- have you changed or rotated the tires? A ply separation or something similar will cause this. Being balanced will not help this. You can balance a square tire- but it still will not ride well.

There are, unfortunately, many things that will cause this, but I would start there. I think it is most likely the tires- but I can't see them from New Hampshire.

[midnite9150]

the tires are quite old and havent been rotated in awhile, probably a great place to start! or I could just open the credit card and throw parts at it LOL

[81coupe]

Look for a bubble anywhere on the tread by running your hand slowly over it, And look for a dent in the sidewall. If you find nothing then have it balanced. Also grab your front wheels and give them a tug from side to side Make sure everything is tight and not clunking/ Moving.

[4EYED85]

A out of balanced tire will make the wheel shake. If you don't belive me, take all the weights off your left front and go drive the car. I agree about it not helping a cord sereration, but a unbalanced tire will shake.

[cottonbear]

I agree, balance the tires and have the tech STARE at them while spinning looking for any out of round. (up and down, static, or left to right ,dynamic)
If the tire is out of round it may be dis mounted, turned 180 and re seated, this can improve the tires round.
If the wheel is bent move to right side and rear if possible
And a indentation in the side wall is probably ok, its just undilation (sp) its the inner pieces of the tire over lapping. If there's a bulge in the tire your looking at a problem!

[wingnut180]

I agree with most on here that your most likely looking at a tire problem, but before i threw any money at it, i would try to rule out the tie rod and front end bushings or ball joints.

rotate the tires from front to back and see if the shaking moves from the steering wheel to the floor or seat. If it's still shaking the wheel your probably looking at the tie rod issue, or front end stuff.

If the shaking moves from the steering wheel to a vibration you can feel in the seat or floor area, it's definitely a wheel or tire issue and a good tire shop can diagnose it by giving it a quick spin on the balancer.

Might seem like a little more work, but i tend to try to save my cash for the fun stuff.

Hope this helps.

[moby]

I have almost the identical vibration with mine. My car likes to vibrate at 55-65 then gets better around 70.It's not the tires or ball joints on mine. I have brand new tires and balancing with no change.
My bet is the u-joint. I was going to get an aluminum driveshaft to see if it makes a difference.

[sixtyeight]

Another thing to check is the inside face of the wheel and the rotor surface. Here in the crustbelt corrosion can build up and cause wheel runout problems.

[PaceFever79]

Here's my list

Bent rim
Tires out of balance
Flat spotted tire (panic braking)
Broken belts (inspect sidewalls for bulges)

You may also have worn suspension components amplifying the vibration.

[CapriGT]

I have almost the identical vibration with mine. My car likes to vibrate at 55-65 then gets better around 70.It's not the tires or ball joints on mine. I have brand new tires and balancing with no change.
My bet is the u-joint. I was going to get an aluminum driveshaft to see if it makes a difference.

An aluminum driveshaft is nice, and if you want one either way then go for it. But I would spend a little labor before dropping the money on a new shaft. (Assuming New England hasn't taken it's toll on the driveshaft you have)

Pull the shaft and check for loose or binding caps. You could replace both U-joints for far less then the cost of an aluminum replacement.

[moby]

CapriGT, I thought about just replacing the u-joints but I sort of always wanted an aluminum driveshaft...guess it depends on how much free cash is lying around .

[mb911]

On my other the car the tires flat spot from sitting and depending on tire compound some flat spot worse then others and sometimes they need to be heated up quite a bit to get them to be round again so to speak. drive shaft typically is a vibration felt through the car not the steering wheel

[moby]

In my case I can feel it in my seat first then starts to vibrate the steering wheel. It's sort of like an all over vibration.

[PaceFever79]

If you feel it in the seat first it could be in the drive line.