wheel balancing / shake
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
From: LEEDS, United Kingdom
C320 Elegance
wheel balancing / shake
Hi
I have a 2000 model C320. When I get to around 60 mph up to 70 there is a shake coming through the steering wheel. I had the front wheels re-balanced and since then, I have had the back ones checked as well and it did seem to help. I then had 2 new tyres fitted to the front, which were of course balanced at the time but I am still experiencing a shake through the wheel at the above speeds.
Above and below these speeds it is unoticble ( as far as I can tell ) , but it ruins the feel of the car. It is also more noticible when you are carrying passengers.
I was going to get the front wheels re-balanced ( not a the same garage that fitted the new tyres ) to get them checked but if this fails, does anyone have any idea what else could be causing this. Also,when I brake there is no vibration, shake, pulling etc.. from normal braking, so that is OK !
UPDATE : I have had the wheel s balanced at the front again, much better now, but still shakes at 60 - 65 mph .. any ideas !
Thanks
Jason
I have a 2000 model C320. When I get to around 60 mph up to 70 there is a shake coming through the steering wheel. I had the front wheels re-balanced and since then, I have had the back ones checked as well and it did seem to help. I then had 2 new tyres fitted to the front, which were of course balanced at the time but I am still experiencing a shake through the wheel at the above speeds.
Above and below these speeds it is unoticble ( as far as I can tell ) , but it ruins the feel of the car. It is also more noticible when you are carrying passengers.
I was going to get the front wheels re-balanced ( not a the same garage that fitted the new tyres ) to get them checked but if this fails, does anyone have any idea what else could be causing this. Also,when I brake there is no vibration, shake, pulling etc.. from normal braking, so that is OK !
UPDATE : I have had the wheel s balanced at the front again, much better now, but still shakes at 60 - 65 mph .. any ideas !
Thanks
Jason
Super Member
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 678
Likes: 1
From: Vancouver WA
'14 GLK250 Diesel
Shaking...
...generally can only be caused by one of three things:
-Balance
-Out-of-round tires
-Bent wheels
When multiple rebalances don't solve your problem, my bet is almost always on tires that are not round enough for this car, which is very sensitive to vertical runout. You didn't say the brand or speed rating of the tires you bought - anything with a lot of nylon in the tread plies is prone to overnight flat-spotting, which doesn't help, but my money is on tires that just aren't round.
Try a shop that uses the latest balancing equipment, i.e. has a "road-force measuring balancer". If they don't know what you're talking about, find someone who does. Ask them to check vertical runout, explain your symptoms, and take it from there. The latest balancers use a roller that applies force to the tire that allows the tech to see if out-of-roundness is the culprit. It can be spotted visually sometimes, but not always, and the new equipment takes most of the art out it.
-Balance
-Out-of-round tires
-Bent wheels
When multiple rebalances don't solve your problem, my bet is almost always on tires that are not round enough for this car, which is very sensitive to vertical runout. You didn't say the brand or speed rating of the tires you bought - anything with a lot of nylon in the tread plies is prone to overnight flat-spotting, which doesn't help, but my money is on tires that just aren't round.
Try a shop that uses the latest balancing equipment, i.e. has a "road-force measuring balancer". If they don't know what you're talking about, find someone who does. Ask them to check vertical runout, explain your symptoms, and take it from there. The latest balancers use a roller that applies force to the tire that allows the tech to see if out-of-roundness is the culprit. It can be spotted visually sometimes, but not always, and the new equipment takes most of the art out it.
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 490
Likes: 1
From: Canada
05 CLK 500 cab
A fourth thing: a broken band in the tire carcass. A broken band can be caused by severe underinflation or a hard hit on a pothole. It can sometimes, but not always, be seen as a shallow groove running up the sidewall between the tread and rim. A broken band can cause a low speed shimmy (less than 10 mph) and a vibration that feels like an out-of-balance tire at highway speeds (50-60 mph was my experience, coming back in around 80).
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 355
Likes: 0
From: New Castle, IN
C230Kompressor
Road Force
I had a nasty shimmy in a real narrow range (81-83) and Road Force balancing took care of it. Feels like a totally different car now. I also have a small flat spot-but that's only noticable at slow speeds. FWIW-I had 2 tires that needed to be indexed to be 'within road force specs'.
Just ordered me some new Yoko's from TireRack though-can't take that 'Whump, Whump, Whump' from the flat spot.
Just ordered me some new Yoko's from TireRack though-can't take that 'Whump, Whump, Whump' from the flat spot.
