Shuddering worse after new rims.
12-09-2010, 05:03 PM
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Shuddering worse after new rims. My car has always had a sort of shaking/shuddering at highway speeds but, I always assumed it was do to it being an older car with old suspension and such. Well I recently put new 18" rims on and at highway speeds the shuddering is far more apparent and it's bad enough that I'm pretty sure it's causing my transmission to come out of lock up as soon as it goes into it. But that could be totally unrelated. I used hub rings for the rims which fit tight into the rims and slide over the hubs just as tight as the stock rims did. Everything was torqued down in the proper sequence with a impact wrench. The tires were balanced without issue. I'm not positive it's the same shudder that's always been there but I don't know what else it could be. Tomorrow I'm going to put it up on stands and double check the hub rings and lug nuts but I don't think that's the issue. Any help or suggestion would be appreciated, thanks.
12-09-2010, 05:16 PM
#2
A first question in my mind is if you previously had 18" wheels on the car, which also "shuddered", as you call it, or did you move up from 16 or 17s. If you moved up from something smaller, it appears that you have an issue which is not wheel/tire related, but is now amplified by the shorter sidewalls of the 18" tires.
I'd be looking at worn u-joints, an unbalanced drive shaft, or some other rotating part that's no longer functioning correctly. Does it increase as your speed goes up? Do you feel it in the steering wheel or the seat of your pants? Seem to be from the front or rear of the car? If the car is stopped, tranny in neutral, do you feel the vibration if you rev the engine?
I'd be looking at worn u-joints, an unbalanced drive shaft, or some other rotating part that's no longer functioning correctly. Does it increase as your speed goes up? Do you feel it in the steering wheel or the seat of your pants? Seem to be from the front or rear of the car? If the car is stopped, tranny in neutral, do you feel the vibration if you rev the engine?
12-09-2010, 05:23 PM
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Yes I went from 16's to the 18's. Yes it increases with the speed of the car. I feel it everywhere, steering wheel and the seats. I can't quite tell if it's coming from the front or the rear. I've never noticed any vibration from having the car in neutral and revving it. I was kind of thinking along the same lines as far the larger wheels causing the vibration to seem worse. Perhaps the rims being heavier? I'll look into the drive shaft and u joints. I'm not sure how I would tell if the u joints are bad though. And I'm guessing the only way to tell if the drive shaft needs balanced is to take it off and take it somewhere right? Thanks for the help.
12-09-2010, 06:18 PM
#4
Maybe a bent axle? Jack it up and run the car in gear and look for the rear wheels to wobble.
Another reason you feel it more could be the 18's have a lower profile tire and don't soak up as much of it as a tire with more sidewall. Just like leadfoot said.
Another reason you feel it more could be the 18's have a lower profile tire and don't soak up as much of it as a tire with more sidewall. Just like leadfoot said.
12-09-2010, 07:06 PM
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My car has always had a sort of shaking/shuddering at highway speeds but, I always assumed it was do to it being an older car with old suspension and such. Well I recently put new 18" rims on and at highway speeds the shuddering is far more apparent and it's bad enough that I'm pretty sure it's causing my transmission to come out of lock up as soon as it goes into it. But that could be totally unrelated. I used hub rings for the rims which fit tight into the rims and slide over the hubs just as tight as the stock rims did. Everything was torqued down in the proper sequence with a impact wrench. The tires were balanced without issue. I'm not positive it's the same shudder that's always been there but I don't know what else it could be. Tomorrow I'm going to put it up on stands and double check the hub rings and lug nuts but I don't think that's the issue. Any help or suggestion would be appreciated, thanks.
Loosen everything then try again with a proper torque wrench. 100 ftlbs is all thats needed.
I've had 2 sets of 18's and hubcentric rings on both and had zero issues as long as it's torqued correctly. If it's wrong though you will feel it.
12-10-2010, 05:46 AM
#6
Impacts should be used to remove lugs NOT torque them down.
Loosen everything then try again with a proper torque wrench. 100 ftlbs is all thats needed.
I've had 2 sets of 18's and hubcentric rings on both and had zero issues as long as it's torqued correctly. If it's wrong though you will feel it.
Loosen everything then try again with a proper torque wrench. 100 ftlbs is all thats needed.
I've had 2 sets of 18's and hubcentric rings on both and had zero issues as long as it's torqued correctly. If it's wrong though you will feel it.
I agree, however a lot of the tire shops now use the "torque sticks" on their impact guns, so the lugs are at the correct spec, in theory....
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12-10-2010, 03:55 PM
#8
Secondly, if your lugs aren't tightened uniformly, it can help promote brake rotor warpage, as the wheels compress the rotors to the hubs, and if the wheels aren't tightened properely and evenly, neither are the rotors...
12-11-2010, 08:20 AM
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By either over tightening or under tightening the lugs. Impact guns aren't precision instruments, and very seldom is their user.
Secondly, if your lugs aren't tightened uniformly, it can help promote brake rotor warpage, as the wheels compress the rotors to the hubs, and if the wheels aren't tightened properely and evenly, neither are the rotors...
Secondly, if your lugs aren't tightened uniformly, it can help promote brake rotor warpage, as the wheels compress the rotors to the hubs, and if the wheels aren't tightened properely and evenly, neither are the rotors...
12-11-2010, 08:24 AM
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i had the same problem with my v6 Camaros 16 rims when i got it out of storage. i took it to the Chevy dealer. my problem was a combination of the lugs not being torqued right, and the balance being off. im swapping my 16's out soon too good luck
12-13-2010, 01:33 AM
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Thanks for the help, I took them back off and torqued them by hand. The shuddering isn't near as bad as it was. I think the rest of it is just a combination of old suspension and the shorter sidewalls.
12-14-2010, 10:20 AM
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You never really said whether the vibration is worse when the brakes are applied lightly. As someone said above, it is very easy to warp a rotor with an impact gun, in my experience, once the rotor is warped, even if the wheel is loosened and torqued correctly, the rotor will always stay a little warped. The only way to correct this is to replace the rotor, I have even turned them and it never seems to go away completely.
12-15-2010, 04:33 PM
#18
You never really said whether the vibration is worse when the brakes are applied lightly. As someone said above, it is very easy to warp a rotor with an impact gun, in my experience, once the rotor is warped, even if the wheel is loosened and torqued correctly, the rotor will always stay a little warped. The only way to correct this is to replace the rotor, I have even turned them and it never seems to go away completely.