gorgerider

My 2000 CLK 320 cab has been cupping the inside of the left rear tire. Alignment numbers for camber and toe-in are within spec. There is a vibration (feels like slight wheel hop) out of the left rear that kicks in at about 50 mph and again at 70 mph. When the road is absolutely smooth, the vibration goes away. Wheels have been balanced three times in the last 15K and done two different ways - vibration remains. Tires have been examined closely, both on and off the car, both static and while turning.

As I see it, the only thing left is shocks - in this case, the rear shocks. Does anyone know if I have the symptoms of a shock that is worn at the first half inch of its travel? It seems to work well otherwise (as do the three others). This one has me stumped.

Thanks for your responses.

Mka77

Is your car lowered? You might consider a rear camber kit.

dlbehrns

I would only disagree with the last post in that, if your alignment is within specs that would eliminate a camber issue. can you tell what side the vibration is coming from? Put the left rear tire on the right and vice-versa and see what happens. if the right tire cups on the left side at least you've narrowed it down to the left side. When I drove 18 wheelers, once a tire started to cup you couldn't stop it. The tire was done. It won't true up no matter what the aligment is. Have you replaced the cupped tire? Put the spare on in place of the cupped tire and see if the vibration goes away. If that doesn't do it you might have a bad bearing. Just a guess. And on your earlier question: how many miles on your shocks?

gorgerider

The car is bone stock. Not lowered. Stock wheels. I bought the car at 113K and immediately put a new set of tires on it. It now has 133K.

The vibration was in the steering wheel and I narrowed it to the left front. However, it was the left rear that was cupping after 10K miles. I rotated the rear to front and vice versa. The vibration seemed to follow to the left rear. 3K miles later I again noticed cupping starting to form on the left rear.

The vibration has been narrowed to the left side, and now the left rear. It acts like a bad tire, but gets smooth with a perfectly smooth road. It follows the tire when rotated front to back, but the cupping remains consistant at the left rear. The more heavily cupped tire that was moved to the front left is actually flattening out.

To my knowledge, the shocks are original and have 133K on them. I've ordered a set of Bilsein HDs and will put them on sometime next week. And fingers are crossed that it is the answer to the problem. I just hate the idea of "guess, remove, replace, hope it works." It's a bad (and expensive) habit to get into.

grane

Your shocks are gone. Shot. Kaput. You are well overdue. They are over 11 years old.

I hope you ordered 4 Bilsteins. After you have them installed have the car properly aligned rear to front. Make sure the fitment is exactly correct. If the fit is correct, Bilsteins need nothing except the new parts that come in the box. Donot let installer put in spacers and other bushings he has hanging around. Spacers and other junk means it is the wrong Shock and is potentially dangerous. This means you got the wrong parts. Btw this happens about 25% of the time with any part.

Are the original shocks Bilsteins?then you can send them in for a rebuild with a new lifetime warranty.

Make sure all the aligment parts, tie rods bushings in the suspension are up to snuff and replace them. Do not skimp on this!

What tires are you using? You may I repeat may be able to either rotate or switch them so the feathering evens out or the dealer will say they are "defective" and give you a new prorated set. I have seen tires go south after 500 miles of driving and they had to be replaced.

Some brands of tires show inside wear even under best of conditions you might search on the Forum for this condition.

gorgerider

Yes, four new shocks ordered and will be installed next week. So far, the only piece of rubber that looks worn is the torsion bar mounts. My front-end guy and I have thoroughly examined this car twice already looking for anything loose or worn. The alignment specs have always been met (I've never had to adjust anything yet). The tie rods, bushings, and other rubbers appear solid on the rack. The standard bearing checks show no wobble or play. The driveline is solid (although I will probably change the front disk sometime this winter just because it's old enough.

The tires are Toyos and I'll be glad when they go so I can replace with Michelin or other comparable. I took a shot and didn't do as well as I had hoped (didn't know about this forum at the time). I'm kind of stuck with them because of a mistake the tire store made when they went to remove the old tires. The tire guy had problems getting the wheel to release from the rotor and used his foot to try and kick the wheel off. He slipped and put a small dent in the fender eyebrow. I ended up with a set of free tires after the outrageous estimates came in.

I'm one of those who is always looking at and examining the tires for signs of problems, so I was able to catch this issue relatively early and before the tires were toasted. I hope your suggestion of new shocks gets it fixed. Thanks for your responses

gorgerider

An update:

Four shocks installed last week. It seems to have done the trick as the vibrations I was experiencing at freeway speeds have subsided. With new shocks and 134K on the rest of the car, I'm sure the other suspension elements will start showing their age pretty quickly. I next look to replacing engine mounts and sway bar rubbers. I will also be checking for slop in the front lower control arm bushings and tie rod ends.

Any other suggestions, guys?