steering wheel shimmy

[skidoo808]

all,

08 e93 with minor steering wheel shimmy. also when top is down and i hit bumps it feels like the front of car is flexing and not being absorbed by suspension and creates almost like a reverberation. weird thing is on a new piece of road close to home it doesn't shimmy. most would say balance or bent wheel but why would it go away on perfect road??? its not like the regular roads are bad to begin with. please help

[bimmer414]

Sounds like control arm bushings or tie rod ends

[yifuqiao]

not sure how bad yours is.
Mine vibrates subtly when cold in the morning at around 80 mph, after car is fully warmed up(tires were probably warmed up too), vibration is then very little.

I just think it is normal cuz almost all the performance cars are like this: 350z, evo x, etc.

[skidoo808]

Thanks guys but why on the perfect piece of road would it stop? Would the bushings and tie rods prevent that but since the road is so nice it takes the stress off those components and stops the shimmy?

[shimmy23]

this is definitely too difficult to diagnose via forum. if anything it could control arm mounts, or any type of bushing on the suspension pieces. how many miles are on the car?

[skidoo808]

68k on the car. Just trying to get a reference point so I don't get hosed by some mechanic appreciate your input

[skidoo808]

Would front shock or fatigue cause this issue???I also get a jerking in the wheel when turning into my driveway seems like the car isn't absorbing the bumps correctly just a thought because I am getting that reverberation when I hit bumps when the top is down

[bimmerfrk]

OP i had the same issue.

Turns out i had a bent wheel.... Got new wheel and tires problem is fixed.

[hlmiii]

For a start check/confirm proper tire pressure all around.
This can make a noticeable difference, even if it's within the tolerances of the monitoring system.

After that you can run down ideas above.

[R3dliner]

The tolerances on these vehicles suck and can be anything from a bad wheel balance, to a worn bushing. OP I would check first in the obvious places before you start going into your suspension. Jack the car up and try to wiggle your wheel to see if there is play.

[azndrunk74]

Could be anything. Biggest culprit is usually unbalanced wheels/tires. Then move on to bushings/tie rods.

[Beemdog]

Originally Posted by azndrunk74

Could be anything. Biggest culprit is usually unbalanced wheels/tires. Then move on to bushings/tie rods.

+1 on this... When I bought mine it had a steering wheel vibe above 70 mph that I fixed by having my alignment shop do a front tire re-balance using a Hunter Road Force balancer. Never had a problem since. Sometimes when a road is cambered or off level, the pre-load you are applying to the steering wheel to keep the car straight cancels a minor shimmy.

[skidoo808]

All.

I just bought new rims and had them all road forced and balanced all the tolerances were all 11 and 12. This did improve the shimmy but it still didn't go away fully. My next move is to align the car and go from there. This is very frustrating. I can not believe I can't figure this out. Could it be an alignment issue even with no signs of uneven wear? Is an alignment worth getting ? At this point I want to eliminate as many easy or obvious variables as possible

[deansbimmer]

If shaking only occurs with the top down then I would suggest that you're feeling "cowl shake". Its very prevalent with convertibles (of any make) when the top is down. The top adds rigidity to the body when it's up so you don't notice it until you drop the top.

The steering wheel shimmy could be anything from brake rotor deposits to worn bushings. Something like that will probably need in person diagnosis.

[yifuqiao]

Honestly, man, if it is not too bad, just give up and enjoy the car.
I tried to debug the issue 2 years ago with my Evo X, which I felt was extremely picky in terms of wheel balance and alignment, probably due to the fact that it was a AWD car.
I spent money multiple alignments, wheel balancing and have it checked by multiple shops, probably cost me over 700 bucks for nothing in the end.

[skidoo808]

All if you have been following this thread you know I've been battling with steering wheel shimmy. I live in Buffalo New York and the past two days have been 80° when I took the car out there was absolutely no steering wheel shimmy at any speed which leads me to believe that my tires which are Toyo T1 sport that the temperature has everything to do with the drivability of the tire. Has anybody ever encountered this?

[yifuqiao]

Originally Posted by yifuqiao

not sure how bad yours is.
Mine vibrates subtly when cold in the morning at around 80 mph, after car is fully warmed up(tires were probably warmed up too), vibration is then very little.

I just think it is normal cuz almost all the performance cars are like this: 350z, evo x, etc.

Lol, I already stated, once the tires are fully warmed up. vibration is little to none.
My tires , hankook v12 , are known to be soft, and probably flat spot easily.
Fully warming up the tires/ warmer temp helps.

[elim11]

Originally Posted by skidoo808

All if you have been following this thread you know I've been battling with steering wheel shimmy. I live in Buffalo New York and the past two days have been 80° when I took the car out there was absolutely no steering wheel shimmy at any speed which leads me to believe that my tires which are Toyo T1 sport that the temperature has everything to do with the drivability of the tire. Has anybody ever encountered this?

You should check tire pressures. Increased ambient temps result in increased tire pressures. Make sure all tire pressure are set correctly.