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So, my 08 S550 has this slight vibration that can be felt in the steering wheel at 72+ mph that is driving me crazy. It’s been present as long as I’ve had the car. First, I thought it was the old, mediocre Pirelli P7 tires. So I purchased new Michelin Pilot Sport AS3+ tires and had them installed on my 19” factory amg rims. Well, the shop discovered that all 4 wheels were bent. That made sense to me. So I purchased a set of new aftermarket wheels 20” wheels and a set of new Pilot Sport AS3 again. The shop road force balanced the new rims and tires and told me the aftermarket rims balanced out perfectly. So off I went, but the vibration is still there!
- I had another shop balance the tires to double check that it wasn’t a balancing/wheel/tire issue
- both shops had a hunter road force balancer
- I have the correct lug bolts torqued down to spec
- the 2 lower control arms are new
- no shimmy or vibration at all until 70-72
- front rotors do pulse when pressing the brakes
- engine/trans mounts are new
Could it be a loose steering rack? Loose control arm? I don’t think warped rotors would cause vibrations when not on the brakes
Post thoughts/comments down below please.
Last edited by Benz Boy#1; 10-05-2019 at 12:01 AM.
I think maybe they're trying to tell you something.
Yeah. Possibly. I’ll order new rotors regardless, I just don’t think that’s what’s causing the vibration.
Couple of other details:
- vibration continues to get worse and worse the faster you go. It doesn’t go away. Usually a rotating mass/balance issue comes and goes at certain speeds.
- how much play should a tie rod end have? I can move it by twisting it by hand but it’s not loose. Should it be completely stiff?
If you get your car to 70ish and then accelerate, is the vibration reduced?
I chased a vibration in mine recently, 70-80mph every day it was just there, except when I gave it some juice. What I found was this, a worn center support bearing mount for the driveshaft. New one on the left (with the bearing installed obviously), you can see how much the old mount had sagged.
So, my 08 S550 has this slight vibration that can be felt in the steering wheel at 72+ mph that is driving me crazy. It’s been present as long as I’ve had the car. First, I thought it was the old, mediocre Pirelli P7 tires. So I purchased new Michelin Pilot Sport AS3+ tires and had them installed on my 19” factory amg rims. Well, the shop discovered that all 4 wheels were bent. That made sense to me. So I purchased a set of new aftermarket wheels 20” wheels and a set of new Pilot Sport AS3 again. The shop road force balanced the new rims and tires and told me the aftermarket rims balanced out perfectly. So off I went, but the vibration is still there!
- I had another shop balance the tires to double check that it wasn’t a balancing/wheel/tire issue
- both shops had a hunter road force balancer
- I have the correct lug bolts torqued down to spec
- the 2 lower control arms are new
- no shimmy or vibration at all until 70-72
- front rotors do pulse when pressing the brakes
- engine/trans mounts are new
Could it be a loose steering rack? Loose control arm? I don’t think warped rotors would cause vibrations when not on the brakes
Post thoughts/comments down below please.
You don't state the miles on the car, but judging by it's age, you probably done more than 100K miles.
The driveshaft could very well be the problem, not only the center bearing, but also a worn out spline and a stiff joint. Also get the rubber disc's at both ends checked for wear.
You don't state the miles on the car, but judging by it's age, you probably done more than 100K miles.
The driveshaft could very well be the problem, not only the center bearing, but also a worn out spline and a stiff joint. Also get the rubber disc's at both ends checked for wear.
Meant to include the mileage. I have 81k miles. Would the driveshaft cause a steering wheel shimmy?
If you get your car to 70ish and then accelerate, is the vibration reduced?
I chased a vibration in mine recently, 70-80mph every day it was just there, except when I gave it some juice. What I found was this, a worn center support bearing mount for the driveshaft. New one on the left (with the bearing installed obviously), you can see how much the old mount had sagged.
I will check it. Would this cause a front end shimmy?
Yesterday I lifted the car up and looked at all the front suspension to inspect for wear or a loose bolt. The only thing I found is the bolts on the upper control arm on the drivers side didn’t seem tight. I’d say they were a little more than hand tight. I pre-loaded the suspension and torqued them down and will test drive it today.
Meant to include the mileage. I have 81k miles. Would the driveshaft cause a steering wheel shimmy?
Yes, vibrations in the driveshaft would cause vibrations in the steering wheel too, as the whole car is energized.
In order for the drive shaft to be inspected, other than visible damage to the center bearing, and rubber disc's, the exhaust has to come down, the transmission mount as well, plus some brackets. You can either have the present refurbished, and balanced, or you buy a new one.
Buying a used one from a scrap yard, is not recommended, since you can't trust the milage, plus the grease in the joint probably is crusted, and cant be re greased.
Yes, vibrations in the driveshaft would cause vibrations in the steering wheel too, as the whole car is energized.
In order for the drive shaft to be inspected, other than visible damage to the center bearing, and rubber disc's, the exhaust has to come down, the transmission mount as well, plus some brackets. You can either have the present refurbished, and balanced, or you buy a new one.
Buying a used one from a scrap yard, is not recommended, since you can't trust the milage, plus the grease in the joint probably is crusted, and cant be re greased.
Thanks for the info! I will check into that. The flex discs could certainly be shot too like my S55 was.
Unfortunately, torquing down the upper control arm didn't solve it. I'll order new rotors tonight.
I hope it's not the aftermarket wheels.
If you had your wheels balanced in a Hunter Road Force Balancer, it is not the wheels, unless you have like 500g lead weights in each wheel. Try have the wheels balanced, while fitted on the car. That takes all that is caused by other components in the close rotating system.
A another thing that can cause steering wheel vibrations, is loose or worn wheel hub bearings. You check that by lifting up the the front of the car, grab the front wheel, outside up, and inside down, and try to pivot it. If there is any movement, adjust the bearings, or change them to no play ( preload to be more exact ) ,
If you had your wheels balanced in a Hunter Road Force Balancer, it is not the wheels, unless you have like 500g lead weights in each wheel. Try have the wheels balanced, while fitted on the car. That takes all that is caused by other components in the close rotating system.
A another thing that can cause steering wheel vibrations, is loose or worn wheel hub bearings. You check that by lifting up the the front of the car, grab the front wheel, outside up, and inside down, and try to pivot it. If there is any movement, adjust the bearings, or change them to no play ( preload to be more exact ) ,
Checked the bearings for play, no play in the wheel.
Having the rims rims balanced on the car is a good idea. I’ll check around for a shop that does that.
Checked the bearings for play, no play in the wheel.
Having the rims rims balanced on the car is a good idea. I’ll check around for a shop that does that.
This is kind of old thread now. Was there any resolve to this problem?
I can tell you of my own experience with my E550 that I also have. Got aftermarket rims and new tires mounted on them. Vibration above 65 MPH. Re-balanced, same problem. Got correct conical lug bolts, same problem.
The fix was to install centering rings on the wheels. MB wheels are centered by the hole in the wheel being a snug fit in the hub. Using bolts on the aftermarket wheels did not align the wheel correctly to the hub, which caused the ever so slight annoying vibration in the steering wheel.
You said you first wound your original wheels damaged and went with new aftermarket wheels. Do these wheels center by the hole in the wheel to the hub? Most likely not...
Your scenario could be that first the issue was caused by the bent wheels you had. Balancing a tire/wheel only balances it against rotating forces. It does not count for bent wheels that can cause mechanical "bouncing" against road simply because the wheel is not perfectly round. Then you went with a new set of aftermarket wheels and they can now be causing the issue because they are not perfectly centered in the hub. The result feels the same in the steering wheel.
This is not tire balancing issue. It does not matter how well the tire is balanced if the mounting in the hub in the car is not perfect.
If you observe the shops using the balancing machines they all center the wheel in the machine by the hole in the wheel so the wheel is perfectly in the center in the machine. This is how MB installs their wheels in the cars too. Aftermarket wheels seldom fit like this as they are made to fit multitude of cars so the center hole in the wheel is made bigger.
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If you still have the problem have centering rings fitted for your wheels to get them correctly centered in the hubs.
10-04-2019, 10:39 PM
