SL/R230: Vibration at higher speeds
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Joined: Feb 2013
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2009 SL550
Vibration at higher speeds
Have 2009 SL550. I feel a vibration that seems to be in waves at speeds over 40 mph. I could be just imagining that but feels like almost a reverberation occuring. Dealer changed air pressure as I thought the tires just needed to be balanced but problem persists. Any thoughts?
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Daytime: Slow and easy with 2006 SL500 & 2003 S430 . Night time: Hard and Fast with my wife
Two things you want to check...
1) flat spot on tires..that is when car is sitting too long at the same place.
2) out of round wheel - unlikely if you never had issue w/ vibration before on the same set of wheels and tires .. but you never know..if you hit something hard it may have damage (the other side of the wheel which you can't see unless you jack the car way up high and look from the inside) OR if you just had your tires remount/replaced and the mechanic screwed up and 'bent' the wheel a little (tires still go on OK but wheel has a bent spot). This happened to me on my other car and I tell you, no amount of balancing could rectify the vibration you feel at high speed - in my case 60+ miles/hour .. so I gave that car to my son : problem solved :-)
1) flat spot on tires..that is when car is sitting too long at the same place.
2) out of round wheel - unlikely if you never had issue w/ vibration before on the same set of wheels and tires .. but you never know..if you hit something hard it may have damage (the other side of the wheel which you can't see unless you jack the car way up high and look from the inside) OR if you just had your tires remount/replaced and the mechanic screwed up and 'bent' the wheel a little (tires still go on OK but wheel has a bent spot). This happened to me on my other car and I tell you, no amount of balancing could rectify the vibration you feel at high speed - in my case 60+ miles/hour .. so I gave that car to my son : problem solved :-)
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From: Greenwich, CT
2008 SL550, 2014 E350 4matic
It might possibly be tire flat-spotting. I experienced a similar problem after parking my SL550 for several weeks. It was very annoying, usually becoming apparent at about 55-65 mph. It very gradually got better, taking days to weeks of regular driving.
I bought a set of 'flat stoppers,' which are molded foam plastic forms on which you park. I use them anytime that I know that I will not be driving, like Winter storage. They are pricey, but absolutely cure the flat-spot problem.
I bought a set of 'flat stoppers,' which are molded foam plastic forms on which you park. I use them anytime that I know that I will not be driving, like Winter storage. They are pricey, but absolutely cure the flat-spot problem.
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R230 sl55
vibration in waves tend to suggest driveshaft, poss even misalignment of the joints.
Tyre flat spotting is also very real , that would tend to be speed related and not in waves. However I did see a recommendation for simply increasing the tyre pressure ( 45 psi ?? ) just as a test to see if this helped as a diagnostic step.
Tyre flat spotting is also very real , that would tend to be speed related and not in waves. However I did see a recommendation for simply increasing the tyre pressure ( 45 psi ?? ) just as a test to see if this helped as a diagnostic step.
