Vibration problem WILL make me sell my car :(

[JAMZ]

Ive asked this question so many times and am still none the wiser so im just venting here,any advice will be welcome..

The vibration is coming from the steering wheel and underseat..sry i cant be specific,sometimes it doens t come through wheel at all and this whole problem seems to be deminished when car is under weight with passengers

Ive had Rear subframe bushes replaced as they were shot
Ive had front and back Drop-links changed,front were knackered
ive just had a different Prop fitted with a new centrebearing bush fitted
Wheels were balanced and tracked all with new tyres
wheels are 17pina reps..as of yet i havent tried different rims but will do soon but these wheels were brand new..would they really be this bad?

This is driving me up the wall now,it really is..i have a BMW that looks ok but drives like shyte..this car is surposed to be a nice ride..ive yet to find that out!.. im serioulsy thinking about letting it go and let someone else deal with it

im so pi**ed off,someone make me an offer,you can have it

[E30BeemerLad]

try some different wheels bud, surely someone near you must be able to lend a set of 14's or whatever just to see

Spigott rings also if you haven't already replaced 'em

[Simon]

I'd go along with what Lee said, first thing I did when I bought the touring was get rid of the 17" alpina reps, stuck some hartges on, and it was an instant cure.

[JAMZ]

this was happening when i first got hold of the car BUT the rims i had on there were truly porked,buckled etc..

Even when i first fitted these rims i still had this vibe problem...the spiggot rings i have are plastic,but there not flimsy..they are very sturdy and you cant flex em even slightly with yer hands..

ive tried swapping wheels too but nothings changed

i just want a nice car to drive and not have to put up with crappy vibrations..ive spent nearly 5.5k on this car and have changed things one after the outher hoping it will stop...it just wont go away

just a smooth ride,thats all i want

[gareth]

thirded. lose the alpinas! if you jack one wheel up, loosen the bolts about 1mm and then lever the underside of the tyre against the ground, you'll notice that you can move the wheel on it's crappy plastic spigot ring by about 1mm! imagine the weight of your wheel 1mm off centre and you'll see how the vibration can be bad.

is is possible using the technique above to minimise the eccentric mounting but some 'proper' machined ali spigot rings should cure it. better still sell the wheels and get some 16" replicas or real ones, both have NO spigot rings!

you'll love the car again once this problem is gone, it'll handle a LOAD better on 16's too!

[JAMZ]

but loads of us have these rims..am i the only one that has this shitty problem and thinks the car feels like shyte when driving on the M-way...not so notible round the town but still crap either way..

is everyone else using ali spiggots?

[Simon]

I don't think it's just you, I see many people with reps with the wobbles.

Anyway, cut the crap, I'll be down with £500 cash in hand tomorrow.....deal?!

[gareth]

a lot of people have the problem. if you take the wheels to a tyre centre they'll centre the wheel using a cone on the centre. the wheel itself will be perfectly well balanced but when you fit it on the car it'll be off centre and hence as a assembly will be out of balance. most people won't go to the extent of trying different wheels.

my car had exactly the same symptoms as yours and i cured it by fitting better wheels.

see if you can borrow some from someone to try it.

[JAMZ]

Is that 500quid just for the interior?

[parksie]

Simon , you over generous bastardo £500 for a 2nd hand set of alp reps ,hey .

I've had 17's & now got 18" reps all vibrate but at different speeds, these 18's start at 85mph which i can live with because i like having a driving license

[E30BeemerLad]

when i got my car i inherited a car fitted with 17" alpina reps, the car had been owned by 2 mates before me, who over a period of about 4 years had spent about £2.5K chasing wheel wobble cures.

The car had some green spigot rings which were a bit crap, after recommendation on here that i look at spigot rings, i got a new set of plastic ones from wheelsUK for £18.99 posted and hey presto, no more wheel wobble.

Other causes are track rod ends being shagged, a problem often aggravated after lowering a car. Steering rack, does that have bushes?

[JAMZ]

Nothings tight.. im picky and these sorts of things just wind me up..i drive a brand new vectra all day so that doesnt help

i can move the steering wheel left to right an inch or so before i get any feedback from the wheels when driving on the M-way,that pisses me off too but i guess i gota live with that unless i got for a rack conversion..this one i have now is a re-con rack BTW and still have this shit stick movement..

The vibration,i just cant tollerate at all...keeping yer speed at a certain figure to stop crappy vibrations is just wrong

first thing that springs to mind with all jokes aside..what can i get for my car?...id like to think 5k+.. id like to think i could get a decent enough car with power and not get these shitty problems

I just fitted an aftermarket exaust..stainless custom made twin.. not by me,i just brought it second hand and im not sure i like it..not sure i like the tone when on the M-way as its a cab... think i might go back to the standard system again..

FFS...not having a good day

[dazleeds]

i,ve not had a really good drive of her yet

but i didnt feela any wobbles when bringing her home

so gotta agree with lee the yellow ones seem to do the trick

[Andy325i]

As above, also could it be the propshaft not put on correctly at an earlier date, i.e. all the joints in the right direction.

Andy

[JAMZ]

The Prop has just been changed..it came of a tourer that was being scrapped.while it was off we changed the centre bush and just swapped the whole prop over...

[bigun]

I'd go along with what Lee said, first thing I did when I bought the touring was get rid of the 17" alpina reps, stuck some hartges on, and it was an instant cure.

same here mate i took off the 17in alpina reps replaced with 17in azevs and my car drove mint the bk171's were a badly manufactured wheel my local bk racing dealer was the one who told me to get rid of them

[stevetigger]

i can move the steering wheel left to right an inch or so before i get any feedback from the wheels

Now, That needs sorting! That is a major problem!

[JAMZ]

TBH im really not bothered..like i said i drive a new car around allday so im prolly conparing em to much..its a re-con rack with a decent pump so it cant be that bad..but its not tight,you can move the steering wheel before you get input..thought that was normal.especialy at speed..

If yours if pinch pefect then im wrong...can you get output from the slightest of moves form yer steering wheel?

[Martinaston]

Well i should hope so, or whats the point of a steering wheel.

As for the wobble, what's the state of the tie rod ball joints ? and are your brakes in good condition ? do any of them bind after you've driven the car for a while ?

Try a standard set of wheels before getting the spanners out though.

[Ziggy]

are your brakes in good condition ? do any of them bind after you've driven the car for a while ?

Mine do, and I've got exactly the same problem! I'm on BBS though, & everything that can be swapped in the suspension area, has been... please say the brakes are gonna sort it! Next weekend...

[Martinaston]

Mine did it after a bit of heavy breaking coming off the motorway, just jump out and feel if one of the wheels is hotter than the rest.

[johnono]

jamz, it all sounds par for the course mate

the alp reps are chud mate, look lush but drive crap.. i swapped during the month before i sold mine about 3 times over between the bbs 15´s and the alps.

the difference was unbeleivable. i had the 15s on for about 4 months over winter, and cruising at 70-80 was prob free. the alps over 60 to about 75 shook like nobodys bizness

and the inch play is nothing to worry about. if u´res isnt PAS then the rack (at stationary mind you) will flex through the sidewall minimally before u can drag the tires to turn.

when driving this "play" should be almost if not eliminated.

but stop stressing your self out . get a repacement set over to have something to compare with.

[E30BeemerLad]

worth checking the steering column UJ regarding that play you have in the steering

before i changed the spigot rings it would shake like a shitting dog at 50+. Each time i had a wheel off and refitted, the vibration would occur at a slightly different speed or be more or sometimes less harsh, this was purely down to the wheel being centred in a different place each time.

Don't sell your motor mate, you'll only regret it

[Morat]

I've got a spare set of 14s with tyres (not good tyres but enough for a quick test in the dry!) you could borrow if you're near York.