cannot diagnose wheel shake

[mkcman17]

i am getting really frustrated with this steering wheel shake that appears strongest from 60-80mph. at 90+ the whole car begins to shake and rattle various items around the cabin. i have fruitlessly been trying to diagnose the problem to no avail. the only possible event that could create steering issues was about 2 months ago when i backed my cramped wheel square against a pole and bent the CA.

the past couple months i have balanced my wheels four times, had three alignments, new control arms and fcabs, strut housings, and wheels.

the problem began on hr sports with m3 welded tabs. i thought i may have fuxor'd the hub/bearing, so i went with coils and replaced the tubes/hubs. same problem still there. swapped wheels with a buddy, same issue and his car rides smooth.

getting my bilsteins revalved, but if that doesn't solve this i'll probably just give up and ignore it.

HELP

[jlevie]

A vibration that only occurs at speed and gets worse with increasing speed is almost certainly from the wheels. But blown out shocks can exaggerate a minor problem with the wheels. In most cases a set of shocks will last about 60k, but when driven on rough roads they may not last even half that long. Worn tie rods can also be a contributor.

If the car happens to have aftermarket wheels, they may be a contributor if they aren't hubcentric or if they aren't a close fit on the centering rings on the hubs. In that case it may be impossible to balance the wheels off the car. A bent wheel is a possibility.

[Mullet Bullet]

check your tie rods

[mkcman17]

I thought it was the wheels too, but I swapped back to stock weaves and had my friend try my wheels and he has no shake and mine still does. The struts and tie rods have around 20k on them. I've had my wheels balanced several times in the past two months. I'm having my sports revalved at bilstein in the meantime, but if that doesnt fix it I dont know what to do.

[ak-]

Tie rods
CA's
CA bushings
Wheel bearings
Bottomed out/blown shocks
Upper strut bearings
Non-hubcentric wheels
Bad alignment
Untrue wheels
Unbalanced wheels
Steering rack knuckle
Tires, rotate wheels front to back
Guibo/drifeshaft/CSB


GL D;

[mkcman17]

The shake is definitely from the front because the wheel alone shakes. Last I checked my upper strut ball bearings are nearly shot. steering rack is reman.

[tonywonder]

Check ur front brakes and master cylinder. Jack the car up and make sure the brakes function properly. The wheels should spin with little to no resistance when the brakes are not applied. Check for unusual brake and rotor wear. Also check for burning brake smell after driving.

[e30chronic]

have you actually checked the wheel bearings? does the vibration go away when you step on the brake? if it does its probably the wheel bearings. with the wheel off and the caliper off it should spin smooth as glass , if not replace em

[GaslampKilla]

Tie rods
CA's
CA bushings
Wheel bearings
Bottomed out/blown shocks
Upper strut bearings
Non-hubcentric wheels
Bad alignment
Untrue wheels
Unbalanced wheels
Steering rack knuckle
Tires, rotate wheels front to back
Guibo/drifeshaft/CSB

Awesome, thank you. I needed this, and I have some work to do.

[mo diesil]

brake caliper, i had a similar problem

[mkcman17]

Check ur front brakes and master cylinder. Jack the car up and make sure the brakes function properly. The wheels should spin with little to no resistance when the brakes are not applied. Check for unusual brake and rotor wear. Also check for burning brake smell after driving.

yeah i'm thinking so now. the shake became much worse last weekend and now is markedly smoother when on the brakes. still, there are times on the fwy that it drives perfectly.

have you actually checked the wheel bearings? does the vibration go away when you step on the brake? if it does its probably the wheel bearings. with the wheel off and the caliper off it should spin smooth as glass , if not replace em

i didn't check them, i swapped them with new strut housings too.

brake caliper, i had a similar problem

hope so, will check soon.