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vibration at around 60-70mph

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Old Oct 14, 2013 | 08:36 PM
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Default vibration at around 60-70mph

my 2000 camaro z28 m/t has a vibration which occurs between 60-70mph or so, and it feels like it comes from the middle-to- rear of the car, not the front. Here's what I know so far in regards to when it happens.

-doesn't matter if the road is straight or has a bend
-doesn't matter if I'm in gear or not
-Doesn't matter if I'm accelerating through the mph range, or decelerating through it (I think. I will double check this tomorrow and update it if it's not true)
-I noticed this problem after replacing the 18inch wheels on it with used 17" wheels and new fuzion tires all around. the tires were mounted and balanced on the new rims at Sears auto. After I discovered the vibration, I took it back and asked for a re-balance. (Idk if they really did re-balance it or not...since it's sears lol, but it's still vibrating.)
-I also highly doubt it has anything to do with the rear end, as it's a swapped diff, and I just had the axle shafts and bearings and seals replaced this past Friday. Also has new brakes in the back. Problem was there before that, and after it.
-OH, a while back, before replacing the differential, I was under the car with my mechanic, and he pointed out that the transmission mount was worn (there was play in it), but he said it wasn't to a point where it HAD to be replaced atm, since he knew I was strapped for cash.

based off of these symptoms, what do you guys think it could be? driveshaft?? u-joints (idk if they are good or not)? transmission mounts? something else? I want to have the wheels rebalanced one last time, and make sure whoever does it does road-force balancing.

Last edited by giosoccer20; Oct 14, 2013 at 08:58 PM.
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Old Oct 15, 2013 | 04:30 AM
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If the vibration stops above 70, I'd take it to another tire place to have the balance checked.
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Old Oct 15, 2013 | 11:38 AM
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Originally Posted by wssix99
If the vibration stops above 70, I'd take it to another tire place to have the balance checked.
well i just had it road force rebalanced at a different place. they said the balance was indeed bad.

however, the problem is still definitely there. it just seems like it starts at 65mph now, and goes to like 80? or the vibration speeds up so much that it becomes less distinguishable. I asked my mechanic about the u-joints, he said they were fine. so idk what else it could be.. engine mounts? again, it doesnt matter if I'm in gear or not.

could it be a bad tire, as in non-circular? I really didnt notice this problem until i had the new rims and tires put on, so i think the next thing I will do is either put the back wheels on the front, and see if the vibration follows, or, just put the 18" wheels back on in the back, to see if the problem goes away.
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Old Oct 15, 2013 | 11:53 AM
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can it even be a bad transmission mount, if the vibration occurs even in neutral? if it's a driveshaft bearing, does that mean the whole driveshaft has to be replaced? my car has 115k miles on it, so idk if it is that

Last edited by giosoccer20; Oct 15, 2013 at 12:01 PM.
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Old Oct 16, 2013 | 05:42 AM
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My understanding of vibrations like this is that the problem is unsprung. Given that it arose with the tire change and you are having repeated balance issues, it got to be at the wheels. Getting to a tire shop that knows what they are doing is probably the best thing.

Did you also change the rims? What kind of tires did you put on? Are they all the same? Are your new balance weights getting clipped to the rim or are they glued on the inside?
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Old Oct 16, 2013 | 06:05 AM
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Yea I agree it's probably the wheels. One might be slightly warped.
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Old Oct 16, 2013 | 05:05 PM
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Originally Posted by wssix99
My understanding of vibrations like this is that the problem is unsprung. Given that it arose with the tire change and you are having repeated balance issues, it got to be at the wheels. Getting to a tire shop that knows what they are doing is probably the best thing.

Did you also change the rims? What kind of tires did you put on? Are they all the same? Are your new balance weights getting clipped to the rim or are they glued on the inside?
I took it to a good mechanic who I trust. He did road force balancing and said that sears had done a bad job. I believe they are glued on. Also, I thought a balancing would take care of even a damaged rim?

I had new rims AND tires put on and thats when i noticed the vibration. They are 17" y2k vette replica 5 spokes. They have no dents or anything. Hold air perfectly. Tires were brand new fuzion's from tirerack. Maybe it's a defective tire? I want to swap the back wheels with the 18's to make sure this isn't something mechanical (I'm now paranoid it might be a bent driveshaft or a driveshaft bearing).

I also want to add that today, I accelerated very slowly and smoothly through that problem area speed range, and the vibrations were less noticable. I have to keep driving it and try every possibly combination to see when exactly it happens. Such a headacheWww
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Old Oct 16, 2013 | 05:06 PM
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Originally Posted by blade2222
Yea I agree it's probably the wheels. One might be slightly warped.
Well that would suck because I bought these wheels off of a member here who looked like a really nice guy. He said he just chose to go down a different path with his wheels on his camaro
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Old Oct 16, 2013 | 05:24 PM
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Originally Posted by wssix99
My understanding of vibrations like this is that the problem is unsprung. Given that it arose with the tire change and you are having repeated balance issues, it got to be at the wheels. Getting to a tire shop that knows what they are doing is probably the best thing.

Did you also change the rims? What kind of tires did you put on? Are they all the same? Are your new balance weights getting clipped to the rim or are they glued on the inside?
Also..would Just Tires be the place to go then? I haven't had the best experiences with them before lol. I have no Idea who else could genuinely take interest in this problem and find the culprit
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Old Oct 17, 2013 | 07:32 AM
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You might try next going to a local shop that does rim straightening/repair. They should be able to tell you what's going on. It's highly unlikely this is mechanical.
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Old Oct 17, 2013 | 12:29 PM
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My car had a vibration at those speeds also. It ended up being the driveshaft was out of balance. Took it to a local shop and they welded in weights to balance it. I also had then put in new u joints. Put the driveshaft back in and the vibration went away.
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Old Oct 17, 2013 | 01:08 PM
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The road force balance will also eliminate a bent wheel. I'd say check out the drive shaft.
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Old Oct 17, 2013 | 01:18 PM
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Because the issue seems to have appeared shortly after the wheel and tire change I would not go looking for other issues. It is probably the wheels or tires or something about the change.

If you still have the older wheels and tires, put them back on and see what the result is.

It is also possible that you do indeed have a non-tire related problem that only presented itself once you changed the wheel/tire combo.

But I think that the key in your OP is that the wheels are used.

Have you rotated the tires, front to back, to see if your perception that it is coming from the rear moves the vibration to the front?

Last edited by ghardester; Nov 10, 2013 at 02:51 PM.
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Old Oct 17, 2013 | 05:10 PM
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As for road force balancing, make sure the reading is "20" or less. I am not sure what units that is, but the wheel specialist shop I go to told me there is a reading provided when they spin the tires. 10-20 is the goal. Over 20 is likely to have a vibration.

Agree with post above about rotating front to back, but add that you should do one side a at a time to help isolate the specific problem.

My experience has been that vibrations are more often due to a bad tire (belt separation, etc.) than a bent wheel. A bent wheel would likely vibrate all the time, increasing with speed.
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Old Oct 17, 2013 | 05:32 PM
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Originally Posted by ghardester
Because the issue seems to have appeared shortly after the wheel and tire change I would not go looking for other issues. It is probably the wheels or tires or something about the change.

If you still have the older wheels and tires, put them back on and see what the result is.

It is also possible that you do indeed have a non-tire related problem that only presented itself once you changed the wheel/tire combo.

But I think that the key in your OP is that the wheels are used.

Have you rotated the tires, front to back, to see if your perception that it is coming from the rear moves the vibration to the front?
Nope I haven't swapped wheels yet. I replaced the passenger window motor today so I haven't had the time to do so yet. Also, my mechanic said the u joints are good

I also want to note that the problem is less severe with just me in the car. It only happens around 65 or so mph now. Its non existant at lower speeds, and 99% goes away at higher speeds. When It was really vibrating after the new balancing, was when someone else was also sittng in the car, making me thing that it really is a wheel/tire problem?

Also, what do you mean by saying a key point is the wheels are used? Are you saying they are probably damaged? I was hoping that whoever mounted the rims on the tires would say something? Then again...ot was sears who Initially mountes them lol

Last edited by giosoccer20; Oct 17, 2013 at 05:46 PM.
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Old Oct 21, 2013 | 06:12 PM
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I'm starting to think it could very well be the fuzion tires. Either they're defective, or some tread has to wear off. I also want to note that if I'm accelerating through the speed range, I don't really get anything
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Old Nov 9, 2013 | 03:51 PM
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okay well I swapped the wheels finallly, put the 18's on. the vibration is definitely less distinct, however, it does still occur. My educated guess is that the vibration is less severe because of the bigger diameter wheels. So, something else is causing the vibration. Probably a U-joint or something
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Old Nov 10, 2013 | 02:49 PM
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Originally Posted by giosoccer20
okay well I swapped the wheels finallly, put the 18's on. the vibration is definitely less distinct, however, it does still occur. My educated guess is that the vibration is less severe because of the bigger diameter wheels. So, something else is causing the vibration. Probably a U-joint or something
Ok, if you can safely get the car up on supports like jack stands or a lift, try rotating the drive shaft by hand to see if you can detect slop in the U-joint.

Without getting under the car you can also try jackiing both rear tires off the ground and rotating them back and forth, by hand, to see if you can hear or feel slop in the drive line or U-joints.

You have said that the problem existed before and after you changed the rear end out, but I would confirm that you have no slop in the U-joint as the next step in diagnosing your problem.

I see after posting that your mechanic says the u-joints are good, it still wouldn't hurt to check them yourself.
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Old Nov 13, 2013 | 05:21 PM
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I really need to get some jack stands. I'm thinking that maybe a 180 degree rotation of the driveshaft might help
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Old Oct 23, 2018 | 03:16 PM
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Bump it.

I'm getting a vibration which seems to only occur at 65-75mph also, then when you increase speed it goes away. Natural resonance of the rear suspension? My pinion angle is at 2 deg, so I'm wondering if that is what is causing it. My 2nd guess would be a wheel imbalance, or bent rim. Multiple threads describing vibrations at those speeds:

https://ls1tech.com/forums/suspensio...vibration.html
https://ls1tech.com/forums/general-m...nce-issue.html
https://ls1tech.com/forums/gears-axl...ove-70mph.html
https://ls1tech.com/forums/general-m...ing-70mph.html
https://ls1tech.com/forums/gears-axl...ease-help.html
https://ls1tech.com/forums/suspensio...vibration.html
https://ls1tech.com/forums/suspensio...ion-60mph.html
https://ls1tech.com/forums/automatic...on-70-mph.html

Several things can cause vibration, but I would think that I could feel the vibration past 75mph if it was one of these issues:

Bent axle shafts
bent/cracked flexplate (replaced)
worn poly engine mounts (replaced)
worn poly trans mount (replaced)
pulley
driveshaft balance/driveshaft incorrect length
tires
worn u-joints
worn wheel bearing
worn trans rear shaft bushing
bad torque converter
exhaust
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