Front end vibrations over 65mph

Slick · 04-29-2006

Hey all, another one for you. My car has been plagued with what I consider abnormal vibrations in the front end. It starts at 60mph+ regardless of the road condition. It's a fast side-to-side vibration (as opposed to an up and down bounce you normally feel when going over a bump) that I feel thru the steering wheel. The vibration speed is independent of rpm (its there whether I coast or am in 4th or in 5th at the same speed) so I don't think it's an engine/tranny mount issue. It feels much like it did when the tie rod end went out in my dodge caravan.

It started about 6000 miles ago (8000 total miles on the car). I have the 18" polished bullitts with the G Force tires (both stock). Two different dealers have looked at the problem. The first forced balanced the tires (on two separate visits). The problem did not go away. Roatating the tires did not help. The second dealer (in VA) inspected the entire front end and ensured all was tight/torqued) and concluded it was a normal characteristic of the car. The mechanic who drove with me and sympathized and he probably won't ever buy a mustang if this is a normal characteristic.

Anyone else with the 18" bullitts and GForce tires have/had this problem? What would cause the car's front end to shimmy over 65mph? I am going to a different suspension shop next week to have my wheels rebalanced (and will remove all existing weights first). I plan to lower the car but won't until I can get this issue resolved. Thanks in advance.

PS (I searched the forum for vibrations and was surprised at the ads that appeared)

MNFord · 04-29-2006

i'd start by saying take it to get rebalanced....half the time they do a bad job..unfortunetely.

**stlwagon** · 04-29-2006

You could have a slipped or damaged belt in one tire. But then, they probably wouldn't have balanced right.

NewEngPatsFan · 04-30-2006

Could the tire not be perfectly round? I had some out-of-round tires years ago, and while they were balanced, at highway speeds it was like driving on a washboard.

Stoenr · 04-30-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by NewEngPatsFan

Could the tire not be perfectly round? I had some out-of-round tires years ago, and while they were balanced, at highway speeds it was like driving on a washboard.

Road force balancing would tell them this.
Also I hope on the balancer they would notice if a belt was broken. Especially if they are chasing down a vibration issue.
Usually broken belt is felt as a low speed wobble.

I would try and have it done at a reputable shop. If the person doesn't take the time to do a good balance, they can end up worse than before.

Ive been balancing tires for 16+, that's scary, lol, Not as much anymore, just when there's an issue, Our guys are pretty good.

Make sure wheels get torqued properly too.

JK101 · 04-30-2006

i had my vehicle in for the same thing last week although my vibrations came between 55-60. The tech told me its was a balancing issue, they rotated and balanced, seems to have cured the majority of the problem, although i still do feel a minor vibration at 60..
Hope its just a balancing issue for you!

Slick · 04-30-2006

Thanks all. I'm glad most think it is just the wheels and it's not something else in the front end. The dealer did check the tires and wheels when they did the balancing before... I am beginning to think they didn't balance as wheel as they should and were probably in a hurry to get me out of there. I have found a good shop to rebalance the wheels next week. The owner will let me watch and sympathized that my new car doesn't handle like it should. If it turns out the wheels were out of balance ... I'll take the bill straight to the dealer.

mustangaretuff · 04-30-2006

I had a similar issue with mine early on when I switched tires. It was a very faint shimmy but I noticed it. I pulled all the wheels and removed the little ring that holds the disk to the hub. It did the trick.

There are these little rings that hold the brake disk to the hub. First and foremost they aren't needed. Secondly in my case I had to cut them off with wire cutters. I would go that route and see if it helps. You will find them on one of the stud at each hub, holding the disk brake on. You should see them as soon as you pull the whell off. Try it, it worked for me. SMOOTH RIDIN.

Stoenr · 04-30-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by mustangaretuff

I had a similar issue with mine early on when I switched tires. It was a very faint shimmy but I noticed it. I pulled all the wheels and removed the little ring that holds the disk to the hub. It did the trick.

There are these little rings that hold the brake disk to the hub. First and foremost they aren't needed. Secondly in my case I had to cut them off with wire cutters. I would go that route and see if it helps. You will find them on one of the stud at each hub, holding the disk brake on. You should see them as soon as you pull the whell off. Try it, it worked for me. SMOOTH RIDIN.

That ring wont effect the stock wheels.

mustangaretuff · 05-01-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stoenr

That ring wont effect the stock wheels.

Probably not but worth a try.

2k5GTC · 05-01-2006

I agree with newengpatsfan. Out of round tires can mimick (sp?) out of balance tires or out of round wheels. I speak from experience here. A good tire shop will have the equipment needed to check these conditions. If the tires are out of round, hopefully there is a tire shop in your area that can shave the tires. Good luck.

Slick · 05-05-2006

Well, issue resolved. Thanks for all the help. I have two new tires courtesy of Ford. Turns out the tires on my right side both had side-to-side movement. Only the visual inspection identified the problem because the tires balanced just fine. this does exlain why rotating the tires didn't seem to help the problem.
The folks at Goodyear tire in montgomery were awesome. They let me watch as they checked the tires. Instead of the normal rotation, I put the Front Right on the Back Left ... this left both the "side-to-side" tires on the rear. The result: the front end shimmies went away and I could feel them in the seat instead. Took the car to Montgomery ford today and told them to check/replace the rear tires. Funny how they validate today what they wouldn't validate last month. Fourth time's a charm. Oh well, I am a much happier driver. Ordered the Tokico D Specs today!

My one last thought, should I have pushed for 4 new tires? The older tires (8500 miles) check out fine but now I'll always have to buy tires in sets of 2's.

BTW, I took the ring washers of the rotors when I last rotated the tires (about 4K miles ago). I didn't think it would help and it didn't but I had to try it! And, constantly picking all those rocks out of the treads didn't help either!