Has anyone else noticed a slight vibration when driving? It's not there all the time and I have only really been able to notice it when going slower then 45mph. It is really slight, kind of a fluttering feeling. Not enough to notice shaking in hands on the steering wheel, but if I just lightly touch fingers to steering wheel (Ouija board style) I can feel it.

Wondering if this is a problem or sign of problems to come that I can head off.

 

I just took mine in for the same thing, can you recreate the flutter around 35-40 when you maintain speed? try slight variations in throttle, on a lever surface. I took the service writer " who has to date provided quality service" for a ride and he confirmed the issue. Couldn't find anything the first day need it longer to determine the problem. I will provide updates Monday night.

 

I just took mine in for the same thing, can you recreate the flutter around 35-40 when you maintain speed? try slight variations in throttle, on a lever surface. I took the service writer " who has to date provided quality service" for a ride he confirmed the issue. They couldnt find anything the first day and need it longer to determine the problem. I will provide updates Monday night.

 

Hi Christo76:

No, I have not noticed any vibration. However, typically if you feel a harmonic vibration in the steering wheel when rolling it is either tire or wheel related. Perhaps the cause could be:

1) Out of round tire
2) Slipped radial belt in tire
3) Wheel slightly out of balance (thrown weight or not balanced well)
4) Wheel slightly bent or deformed

If you can, have someone follow you and watch you wheels at the speed the vibration is most noticeable. Perhaps they will be able to visually see which tire/wheel is rebounding.

I had this problem with my Cobra when I had some new tires put on it. The problem was a bad tire with a slipped radial belt. The tire dealer had one of those new computer Hunter balancing machines which checks rim roundness and tire roundness and the tire was at fault. New tire did the deed.

I would bring this up with your service manager were I you.

 

I notice a vibration when I first start out, but it subsides after a while. It's hard enough to see my hand move on the steering wheel. Since it goes away, I figured that it might just be flat spots in the tires from sitting. Guess my cure would be not to let it sit!

My daughter has an '05 Grand Am that vibrates, more so at high speeds. The dealer replaced a couple tires and a wheel, but it still does it a little.

REDSC400, seems like it might be kind of hard to drive next to someone to see if a wheel is out of since. I guess it's possible, but seems hard to do.

 

I had a small vibration as you describe, turned out to be a small bulge in the side wall of the front tire. Of course was blamed for hitting a pothole, but did mange to get 50% of the tire covered under warranty. Take a close look at the tires, mine was a front inside side wall bulge.

 

Have your tires rotated and balanced, that should fix your problem. I worked at Discount Tire for 2 years and when you have large wheels it is very easy for them to become unbalanced...

 

I don't wanna sound like a smart as*, but don't unbalanced wheels start vibrating above 80km/h (50MPH)? The wheels on the tire shop machines rotate at 80km/h or 110km/h. Well that's what I've been told.

christo76: I have noticed too. But as MIRoadster wrote, it seams to vanish after a few 100 meters. I'm not sure to understand when it occurs so I'm still watching and testing before I go to see the garagist.

 

Depending on how unbalanced a wheel is it can vibrate at any speed. The balancers at my old shop spun at 40 MPH and 70 MPH, I believe. The larger the wheel the harder it is to balance correctly. Larger wheels also need balanced more often than smaller ones. I know this sounds crazy but trust me on this. I would suggest a rotate and balance every 4K-5K miles. If you are near a Discount tire or Tire America you can purchase lifetime rotation and balance for around $40. I highly suggest anyone to do this, it pays for itself after the first trip!

 

Yes I agree with you. What I meant is that you can't feel the vibration unless you reach a certain speed. Below that speed the strengths of the unbalanced wheel are almost not noticeable (sure, depends on grade of deformation).
But you are right, large wheels (diameter) vibrate rather at low rotation. I remember once with a Toyota Landcruiser somewhere in the wilderness we've lost a balance -> no faster driving then 20MPH! uuugh...

 

You would not believe how easily a wheel can become unbalanced. All these cars with 23 and 24 inch wheels must have horrible ride after about 2K. Its hard to believe that every little pot hole you hit effects the performance of your wheels/tires. When I had my SRT-4 if I hit a rather large pot hole or drove on bad roads for a few months I would take it in and have the tires rebalanced. It made a world of difference. When I worked at the shop I balanced my wheels every other weekend. Sometimes the tires would be horribly out of balance while other times they would be right on just as they were the last time I worked on them. I plan on doing the same with my Xfire's wheels/tires. I treat it just like I would an oil change...

 

Don't run on a pothole...that's where you get bubbles from! My experience tells me to stay in the fast lane when I'm driving on unknown territory 'cause most potholes are located in the slow lanes.

 

Yep, with such low profile tires its very easy to get bubbles. I got one in my Mich Pilots that are on my SRT-4. I was very upset, nearly $200 for a replacement. Trust me, I will do just about anything to avoid a pot hole. Sometimes, it just happens...

 

I get a vibration too but only when I first start out after the car has been sitting for a while. I tend to only drive the XF on the weekends which means the car sits for several days. The tires actually get flat spots on them. It takes several minutes of driving or about 10 miles before they get round again. I reduced the problem by parking on some used pieces of carpet. If you can find some old used carpet to put down on the garage floor it will help. Parking on two pieces of carpet is even better.

 

Your post describes exactly my recent condition. I was worried but now will wait for tires to smooth out. After reading thread, I now realize how sensitive low profile tires can be. Balancing every week or so is out of the question thou.