Hello all IS-ers,

I have completely stock '04 w/ about 63k mi. Last year, I began to feel some vibrations,and thought it was my tires's balance was off. I had the tires rotated and balanced, but that didn't solve the problem. Recently last month, I had 4 tires replaced w/ Michelin Primacy (same size as oem's), and had each
tire "road-force balanced". I also had an alignment @ Wheelworks. Somehow, at 50-60 mph, I feel a slight vibration in the steering wheel. The maximum vibration occurs around 55 mph.

What could be the culprit causing this vibrations?
The car has had NO modifications nor lowered.

Thank you very much in advance for your input and help.

J

 

Your front wheels are slightly warped. Road force is a great system, but it only works on tires..... it doesn't read the wobble in the wheel. You are likely off by about 2mm off dead center which is common with the soft compound OEM wheels. If you ask to watch the wheels spin while they are being balanced you'll see a little wobble.

If you'd felt the shake in your seat rather than your steering wheel it would have been your rear wheels.

 

If new tires didn't work... Check your ROTORS, I bet one is warped..

 

Thank you so much for your replies.

The America's Tire tech inspect all four wheels
to ensure that they are not bent, and they aren't.

So can a slight warpage in the wheel go undetected
by the naked eyes? I'm not sure if they spun
the wheel w/o the tires on to ensure a consistent
spin.

 

IF there has been a very thorough inspection of the wheels and you are SURE they didn't just go "oh look, no bends"..... then go ahead and check the rotors for warpage, but it's in the front wheels with the shake in the steering wheel and that is usually the wheel itself.

 

O.L.T.,

I forgot something. I heard that BMWs were notorious for having
vibrations due to their control arm &/or bushing going bad.
Do you think that's the case w/ the IS? Could I have
some tie-rod end or possiblly other suspension issues?
You may be right about the inspection - being not as thorough
as I would like.

Thank you for your time and replies.

 

Don't over think it unless you like chasing ghosts.

 

in regards to things wearing out, the ball joints to wear out from time to time. i was just at my mechanics shop and someone had one blow while on the hwy...ouch! not going to be cheap body work on that one.

 

i know he had his alignment done but wasnt there a post somewhere about factory alignment wasnt great for speeds around there 60-70?

 

roadforce balance tells you if the tire &/or wheel is out of round thru the computer. anyone who correctly knows how to perform roadforce can absolutely tell you if either is bad

 

I agree. I have the poundage of the roadforce balance. I remembered that they were all below 26 lbs., the machine's high tolerance. The tech said that
anything below 26 lbs. is good. I'll get the #'s and post later, as the invoice is in my car.

Thanks.

 

Balance your wheels.

 

I'm not so sure that alignments have anything to do with the vibrations though.

They do balance wheels after putting new tires on it anyways, so it must be correct. I think it's just that the wheels are somewhat bent, try them on another car and see if it vibrates there.

 

Darksparkz,

Thanks for your input. I don't think my rims are bent because
I'm very careful over speed bumps and potholes. For the last few
days, I feel the vibrations more in the seat, and still in the steering
wheel. It's still the strongest at 55mph and gradually diminishes.
I was told by a co-worker that it could be my lower strut tower,
which has a huge bushing that may have gone bad.

 

You should be able to take the car into a firestone or major automotive repair shop and just have them do a "cvi" complete vehicle inspection and they'll check all the steering suspension components. Could be a bad wheel bearing, or anything. Most shops only charge like 20 bucks to check it all out