Slight steering wheel vibration

[jollerbarn]

Hey guys,

I'm new in here and just got my CSL about a week ago. It's a black sapphire 2003/7 model and has 7400 miles on it. She looks and drives great!

When I'm doing about ~60-70 miles per hour I feel a very slight steering wheel vibration. I'm guessing this has to do with the wheels not being balanced, but could it be something else I should have looked at?

One theory I have is the front wheel bearings, but that just seems too soon at only 7400 miles.

P.S. the car runs on non-original 18's but I've placed an order for the original 19's with Conti Sport Contact 3 rubbers that should be arriving next week.

[shane@mbtech]

Hey guys,

I'm new in here and just got my CSL about a week ago. It's a black sapphire 2003/7 model and has 7400 miles on it. She looks and drives great!

When I'm doing about ~60-70 miles per hour I feel a very slight steering wheel vibration. I'm guessing this has to do with the wheels not being balanced, but could it be something else I should have looked at?

One theory I have is the front wheel bearings, but that just seems too soon at only 7400 miles.

P.S. the car runs on non-original 18's but I've placed an order for the original 19's with Conti Sport Contact 3 rubbers that should be arriving next week.


Get your wheels rebalanced:thumbs:, its the first thing to try if you have no play in your wheels.

[sailorbaz]

If rebalancing your wheels doesn't sort it, try out a KDS (4-Wheel alignment)

I'm get vibration too now since fitting my cups but I think that's due to the +'ve Camber I've gone keys into the front.

[jollerbarn]

Thanks guys, I'll give it a whirl.

[NZ_M3]

If rebalancing your wheels doesn't sort it, try out a KDS (4-Wheel alignment)

I'm get vibration too now since fitting my cups but I think that's due to the +'ve Camber I've gone keys into the front.

99.9% cause of front end steering wheel vibration is an unbalanced front wheel.

A bad wheel alignment will not cause a vibration through the steering wheel - Never. A bad ball joint will however - it will be steering related - so if it's not the wheel balance itself, trace the cause through all the steering components. Another possibility is a flat spot in the tyre.

Wheel bearing ... maybe, but unlikely.

[glendog74]

I had a similar thing on my E36 328. Checked wheel weights, geometery as above but it was still apparent.

In the end it was traced to play in the steering rack connecting joint. A low miles CSL should not have this problem of course, just a thought though.

[DuncanR]

When I'm doing about ~60-70 miles per hour I feel a very slight steering wheel vibration.

This vibration is the "you are driving too slow" warning, as you are driving the slightly faster Black CSL, its alerting you to the fact that a slower grey one MAY be about to overtake you if you dont give it the fookin beans lad !!! :thumbs:

Welcome to mayhem !

[7.77]

or maybe you have some rubber stuck on your tyres, it is what happen when you drive too hard on the track :blalalala:

[shimmy]

Start with wheel balancing, then check it and any spacers are seated properly(clean out the hub hole of the rim), then check steering bushes inc lower wishbone.

If you've got or can borrow a space rim with tyre try it on each side front to see if it cures it. It wil rule out bushes, bearings etc.

3Wheels3 had similar yesterday and we thougt it was buckled rim but turned out to be badly mounted rim/spacer.

[jollerbarn]

This vibration is the "you are driving too slow" warning, as you are driving the slightly faster Black CSL, its alerting you to the fact that a slower grey one MAY be about to overtake you if you dont give it the fookin beans lad !!! :thumbs:

Welcome to mayhem !

Hahah!

[jollerbarn]

Start with wheel balancing, then check it and any spacers are seated properly(clean out the hub hole of the rim), then check steering bushes inc lower wishbone.

If you've got or can borrow a space rim with tyre try it on each side front to see if it cures it. It wil rule out bushes, bearings etc.

3Wheels3 had similar yesterday and we thougt it was buckled rim but turned out to be badly mounted rim/spacer.

The car is garaged at the moment waiting for the new 19's to arrive. I'll be sure to have those properly balanced hoping that that will clear the issue.

[outnumbered]

You might need to ask around a bit before you find someone who can properly balance 19" wheels with low profile tyres. I've found that the general tyre fitting places typically can't do it accurately enough, you need to go to someone more specialised to get it done well enough to eliminate all vibration. Not sure where you are in the country, but Black Boots in Chesham are the place I use.

[shimmy]

Kwik Fit seem to manage it ok! :thumbs:

[sailorbaz]

Poor guys in Denmark, can't imagine there'll be many 'Specialist tyre' places about there...I might be wrong though.

[DuncanR]

Poor guys in Denmark, can't imagine there'll be many 'Specialist tyre' places about there...I might be wrong though.

Thats why the mileage on that other car is a fat zero !! ...no tyres !!:hahaha:

[jollerbarn]

Poor guys in Denmark, can't imagine there'll be many 'Specialist tyre' places about there...I might be wrong though.

I have a friend who's in professional motor sports racing (yes, we have that over here :-)). He promised me to give the wheels a good going over on the balancer. He definitely has experience with tyres of this caliber.