1st Benz

Hey All... I have a quick question about a problem I'm having with my '07 S550.

Mine has 39,306 miles and I'm noticing a very uncharacteristic "shake" in the steering wheel around 55-65 MPH... I took it to my independent & he checked it out but said there wasn't anything mechanical, (struts, ball joints, tie rod, etc.), that he could find wrong with the car. Said he thought it was a 'tire' issue. So I spent $1k on a new set of Michelin MXM4's & I guess there is a "slight" improvement, but the "shaky" vibrating steering issue still remains around 65 mph.

Has anyone else ever experienced this problem with your S550 & if so how did you resolve it? Any suggestions what this might be?

Thanks,
John P.
LR, AR

RajwanyS550

get ur tires road force balanced. maybe your rims may be bent or something. if u have already checked all else. problem has to be tire or rim related.
good luck

marthyh

+1 and are tightening torques on wheels and suspension correctly applied?

Install and mounting of rims/brake-disks on hub all ok?

Mycoolsteel

Hey 1st Benz did you ever figure out your problem?

1st Benz

No, still has "slight" shimmy/shake around 55-65 mph... I now think it may be the rims slightly out of round. Going back to MB dealer next week to see if they'll allow me to swap a set off a demo vehicle to test out!

ImInPA

In my experience, shakes/shimmy in the steering wheel has always been a tire/rim issue. See if you can find a tire shop in your area that has a Hunter Road Force balance machine (preferably the Hunter 9700). This will measure all aspects of your wheels and tires. Also, have your tires rotated and see if the vibration changes with the rears on the front. I think you will find that your wheels are out of spec. Happens with alloy wheels, and, happens more often with heavier vehicles. My S350 weighs about 2.5 tons. That is a heavy car.

Shrumsjs

Problem fixed!
Selling my 1998 E300TD and needed to fix the 65 mph shimmy.
Knew it was not alignment or front end suspension as I have rebuilt the front end several years ago and tires were not appreciably worn.
Read about "road force balancing" and found a local tire store with the proper equipment. At $12.95 a wheel it was worth a try.
They spinn the tires under load and match rim out of balance with tire out of balance. Then adjust the tire mount to minimize vibration. Balance weights wre half the original tire weight. Car now runs smooth as new.
The mechanic said it also could have been that I was only running about 10 psi in each of the tires. lesson learned, check your air and try the road force balance method first.
MB road force balances each of their tires on new cars, but most shops do not have this equipment.

alx

10psi? Lol

And yes- anything 18" or bigger has a fat chance to be balanced on any balancer but a road force one. A steering vibration around 60 mph is 99% of the time a balancing issue.

evens

2011 350 bluetec W221. OEM 18" wheels no vibration 80-90km/h. New 20" rims and nankang 235/40-20 ( l have them for free) Vibration in steering wheel 80-90 km/h. I suspect a flat spot, and drive for 20 minutes reach som temp in rubber. I let air out to about 1,2 bar and drove carefully in a industrial area for 10 minutes. After that filled back 2,7 bar. Tested, vibration none. Check this before waisting your Money. Cheers..

Jason B

Could also be engine/transmission mounts

star_rider

Hey there!

I had the same exact issue in my 2013 S500, got it checked from a Mercedes-Benz authorized workshop everything was fine. We have kilometers here so the vibration would start at about 100 to 110kms had this issue for months and i almost gave up…. than one day out of curiosity I went to a tire shop Continental is my
OEM so they checked my tires were fine all 4
of them. They than checked the rims 20 inches AMG turned out my front right rim was slightly bent and that was the culprit causing all this time

The Continental guys had a place just for fixing bent rims got it fixed and ever since zero vibration! You can’t imagine what all I got checked from steering rack and pinion assembly to AirMatic struts lower and upper arms.. brakes and brake disks… in the end it was the rim.

Anyone who maintains their cars and still feel vibration please get your rims checked… specially front ones. Hope it helps.

BOTUS

helps to find the correct post

https://mbworld.org/forums/s-class-w...-problems.html