front tire wobble, order of checks
 

So I have a vibration that comes through the steering wheel and it seems to be coming from the front right wheel. It occurs when I get above 50 mph usually around 55. It comes on quite suddenly, there is no gradual getting worse as you speed up. The wobble gets worse when I turn slightly left. I don't think its brake related since I don't feel it through the pedal and it doesn't increase as I brake. When I jack the car up there doesn't seem to be any plan in the vertical direction when I move the tire. I think the plan is to go through the easy fixes first and see what happens.

Order:
1. switch front wheels, see if its the wheel that's a problem (balance, dead spots, etc)
2. Adjust wheel bearing.
3. Replace wheel bearing.
4. Take car in to check alignment

then what, struts, cv joint, bushings, suspension?

Put the front wheels and tires on the back, and the backs on the front and see if the shake comes from back there. I think you have a tire coming apart.

Start by getting your tires/ wheels balance before going into an alignment.GL:cool:

Maybe...
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-924-944-968-technical-forum/579085-street-wheel-alignment-settings.html#post5715334

John

Here's the clueless questions. Can a normal mechanic align a 944's wheel or do they need porsche tools? I'm out in the middle of North Dakota and the nearest porsche tech. is 5.5 hours away. Could I actually do this myself?

Any recommendations on how to test what's wrong?

The front is pretty basic. I have changed steering racks, struts, and check my front alignment:
Pelican Technical Article: Home Alignment

The rear needs a tool for the toe-in but can be done:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/6817200-post7.html

John

More checks: ball joints, tie rod ends, struts. Both my 944s did this and I finally tracked it down to bad struts in one car and bad ball joints in the other. Any misalignment sends the car into a hissy fit around 50mph. I agree about swapping up the wheels, though, as the only way to track stuff like this down is to be methodical and eliminate causes one at a time.

Is there any checks for the ball joints, tie rod ends, struts or do you just replace them? If so, which would you suggest replacing first or which is cheaper?

Vibration at highway speed is balance issue. Have a tire shop balance your tire. Ask them to use taped weight instead of clip weights to avoid wheel scratches.

I switched the front two wheels and the front right is still wobbly. I assume that means its not the wheels and therefore I shouldn't need a tire balance. Correct me if I'm wrong.

I also checked the bearing. There's no noise coming from it and I tried to adjust the wheel bearing adjuster but the washer won't move separately from the locking collar. I can get the locking collar to move and the thrust washer moves with it.

Would a single wheel wobble come from an alignment issue? Wouldn't that be a vibration from to wheels? It also seems like a wobble that goes from toe-in to toe-out but that might be my mind making it up.

I took the car in to get aligned and they said all my wheel bearings are shot. They said there's a lot of play in the wheels but they said the tie rods, struts, and bushings are fine. They also recommended replacing every hub. Its a shop that does good work but they are used to GM vehicles so I'm inclined to take it with a grain of salt. Should I just replace the bearings and see if that works first or are the hubs shot? If I do need to replace them, is it worth going for paragon's racer's edge hubs since I do plan on tracking the car once its up and running.

hi, could you feel the wobble dissapear as you went faster? i have the same problem with the 74 at 60mph but goes away at 75-80

what was the final solution?


regards

I had the same on my old NA and it was the tie rods that needed changing. Pretty much the same speeds it started shaking on too...

Time for turbo tie rods?

I would start with the bearings and if they find the hubs are damaged when it is apart, they can source new ones (or you can and bring them to them). Typically the hubs only need to be replaced if there is damage from excessive heat or wear due to bad or failed bearings/abuse.

Look carefully at the tire tread wear. Cupping, outer rib war, inner wear, center wear, uneven wear in to out, etc. This could help tell you if it is alignment, shocks, tires, ball joints, etc.

Look carefully at the tire wear. Cupping, outer rib war, inner wear, center wear, uneven wear in to out, etc. This could help tell you if it is alignment, shocks, tires, ball joints, etc.

Tire Wear Patterns: Common Problems - YouTube

Lexus of Pembroke Pines