termigator

Does anybody get intermittent vibrations when going around 80? I seem to get vibrations that appears every other second once I hit 75 and becomes more pronounced as I go faster. The vibrations feel like unbalanced tires, but since I only seem to feel it every other second, I don't think it's the tires. Any ideas/solution would be much appreciated. Thanks!

DKIS350

I know what you are talking about. It doesnt feel like a rotational vibration per se, but it does feel cyclical...i think that is the best way i can describe it. At highway speeds I would get a vibration for about a second, and then it would disappear for a second.

My car is/was doing the same thing along with a strong vibration when braking. The remedy appeared to be replacing the front pads and rotors. Unfortunately for me, the vibration came back again after about 3 weeks. Lexus is currently replacing the rotors/pads as I type this. They arent sure what caused the rotors to do it again though, but they do think the shimmy when driving had to do with the temperature of the rotor, as it seemed to come and go. The vibration when stopping was mostly consistent.

I dont know if the pads didnt bed correctly into the rotor, or if the wheels were over torqued, or something entirely different.

All i can say is the vibration you described was cured with new front rotors on my car.

termigator

How many miles did you have on the rotors before having them replaced? I currently have 38000 miles on my 08. I don't get any vibrations when I brake. The dealership did replace my pads at around 15000. Don't recall having that issue before they replaced the brakes.

DKIS350

The original front rotors were replaced around 55k. I cant say that i never had the one vibration without the other. Can you tell if its coming from the front or rear? When my front rotors were the cause, i probably would have bet money on it that the shimmy was from the rear of the car. Steering wheel shake was almost nonexistent when driving or braking, and i thought i could sense the shimmy in the seat of the car. I dropped the car off for a shimmy in the rear, and my dealer called to say it was actually from the coming from the front rotors.

Since you have smooth braking, id start with a good tire balance and suspension check over. May not hurt to have the calipers checked to make sure nothing is dragging or hanging up. I did replace both rear calipers as the slides were locked up. I dont think the previous owner ever had them apart or serviced.

Tanoshii

Are you running aftermarket wheels? If so, are they hub centric or have hub centric rings? Even a perfect balance will leave a bit of a vibration if the rim isn't mounting perfectly on the hub. Other idea is bad tires, but usually they'll be constant at a certain speed... Might be worth it to put it up in the air and spin the tires and watch the tread though, it is free if you have a jack and some stands which is nice :3

Mine has light intermittent vibrations, but I'm running aftermarket wheels with no centering rings at the moment. Same with my RX-7, but it's so light that the vibrations are a lot more noticeable >_<

Edit: Forgot to add! You might also want to try (if you're not running a staggered set-up) swapping the front wheels with the back wheels and seeing if the vibrations go away.

Bichon

What you are describing very much sounds like an unbalanced tire or a bent wheel.

termigator

It feels like it's coming from the front, but I can't be too sure. At first I thought it was my imagination, but then my wife noticed the vibration while sitting in the front passenger seat.

termigator

Just running the original rims (Wish I had aftermarket. Would love some Ultraleggeras!) It is a staggered setup. Can't rotate.

termigator

Wouldn't an unbalanced tire or bent wheel give a constant vibration? Right now, I get the vibration every other second. In any case, I just recently replaced the rear tires and I'll be replacing the fronts in a day or two. I'll jump on the highway and test it out to see (better get the Valentine from my wife's car!). If it still vibrates, I'll have to take it to the dealer. Will have to take it in anyways, since they just mailed me a recall notice for a "potential fuel pressure sensor leak."

Bichon

Remember that what you are feeling is only what the suspension is unable to absorb and damp out. At certain speeds, harmonic vibration can get so bad that the suspension is unable to absorb it all, and that's when you start to feel it.

Make sure that you let the shop that is mounting your tires know about the problem, and ask that they check your rims for bends and an out-of-round condition.

termigator

Just got new tires for the fronts (Replaced rears a few weeks back). Installer didn't mention bent wheel or any other balancing issues. Won't be on the highway until probably Saturday. Hopefully, it was just the tires. Thanks for everyone's input!