iluvny

'04 RX 330, ~35k miles, original tires.

Ok, I get a steering wheel shimmy at about 30-35 mph and it goes completely away at just above 40 mph. I'd suspect tire balance but I'd think that it would get worse as speed increases.

I did replace the front rotors/pad during the summer and I'm sure i torqued the caliper bolts correctly. It's just been too cold here on long Island (not to mention all the snow on the ground) to pull the wheels.

I've had a lot of cars through the years and never had a shimmy that was in such a narrow mph range. Any comments appreciated. Thanks

RX330inFL

If you still have the original tires on your RX after more than a decade it is probably time for you to consider replacing them.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete...jsp?techid=138

How many years will tires last before aging out? Unfortunately it's impossible to predict when tires should be replaced based on their calendar age alone.

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and tire manufacturers are currently studying the many variables. Exposure to the elements (sun and atmospheric), regularity of use (frequent or only occasional) and the quality of care (maintaining proper inflation pressure, wheel alignment, etc.) will all influence the answer. So while tire life depends on the service conditions and the environment in which they operate, the difficult task remains how to identify all of the variables that influence a tire's calendar age and attempt to quantify their influence.

The current industry association recommendations regarding inspecting and replacing tires due to age originate outside the United States.

The British Rubber Manufacturers Association (BRMA) recommended practice issued June, 2001, states "BRMA members strongly recommend that unused tyres should not be put into service if they are over six years old and that all tyres should be replaced ten years from the date of their manufacture."

As for the nature of your problem, the tires probably at least need to be rebalanced. When was the last time that was done? Not uncommon for a tire/wheel combination out of balance to occur only within a given range. They have a resonance to them which can show up at different speeds and conditions if they are are not counterbalanced.

alchemist

iTrader: (1)

tires, bushings, steering rack

kiwi

You mentioned snow, you probably have some snow or ice built up on the inside of the rim.

if possible, park in your garage for the night. or go shopping at a mall with an indoor garage etc.

could also be wheel balance.

but what i really suspect is that you have a broken belt in one of your front tires. cheapest way to check this is to rotate the front tires to the rear (that will eliminate tires altogether assuming the rear ones are good)

if that isnt an option, i would find a good tire shop with a Hunter Road Force balancer. it can not only balance the tires, but it can detect a broken belt.

iluvny

Thanks for the responses guys. I've never had the tires re balanced and hadn't thought about the belt issue.

Will rotate the tires to the back to see if the issue follows. Hopefully just the tires and not a suspension issue.

iluvny

Update :
Ok, the weather finally warmed up somewhat here so that I could rotate the tires, front to back.

That solved the shimmy, so I was glad it wasn't a suspension issue. Interesting that I don't feel anything in the seat. Maybe the out of balance, or belt issue, is not enough to feel due to the weight of the rear end.

I'll go ahead and get those 2 wheels balance anyway.. Thanks again guys!