Wheel Shimmy - GONZO!!

[Shawzy]

I had a thread a week ago about my shimmy problem at hwy speeds "Wheel Shimmy - STILL"

Thought I would post my success story.

As many of you had suggested, my wheels were simply not balanced properly (although I had them done at other shops - twice). My fronts were also toe-out, causing my tires to feather, which contributed to my shimmy. After proper alignment and balance, bingo. My SC is as close to on-rails as she will be.

Initially I had a front tire out-of-round - due to belt separation that is caused by water rusting the steel belts I was told by Pirelli. New Michelin's fixed that. Sour taste for Pirellis now.

To my frustration I discovered that finding someone who balances wheels properly is difficult.

The guy I took my car to was meticulous. His secret to balancing wheels? Calibration and experience. He has his machine calibrated by a factory rep every 3 months, is factory trained, and has been at it for 30 years.

About to balance my rear tire, he was searching for something. I discovered he was looking for the valve cap in order to obtain the ultimate balance. The valve CAP??? Whether or not this would have an impact, it showed me that he was serious about balancing....

Neat tip - he explained that my anti-theft lug should be placed closest to the valve stem in order to keep lugs balanced. It is weighted accordingly for this position apparently.

Freeway drives are now much more enjoyable thanks to my man Francel in New Market.

I kept the faith, and can now pass it on.

[arcsine]

Cool feeling to have the car track so nice and straight isn't it?

Glad you found the issue.