SolaraGuy.com

For the longest time I’ve had a slow leak in my back right tire. Over the past 5 months, every 8 days, I’d add more air to try to keep it at optimal pressure. Unfortunately about a month ago I noticed what felt like a shimmy at times and at other times felt like unbalanced tire. After much procrastination, I finally purchased four new tires (Kumho Solus KH16 from tire rack) for my 2006 SLE hoping the problem would go away.

Got the tires on about two weeks ago and my car is still riding like crap. I took it back to the service center and had the guy re balance and examine all the tires, but none of the technicians could find anything wrong although they could feel a shake in my car also.
They checked my alignment which they said is perfect, the tires are perfect, so is the air pressure, and the balancing is also. What is going on with my car? It doesn’t pull to any side but the ride is kind of shaky sometimes and smooth at others. The best way I can describe the problem is- it feels like a tire is warped or out of alignment. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what I should check or do next?

when do you feel the vibration? On the highway or all the time? Is it in the steering wheel or the entire car is shaking? Did they bother rotating them and test driving it to see if anything changed?

The vibration sometimes happens on the highway, I mostly notice it when slowing down, going around big turns on the expressway, and when first driving the car after it has been sitting overnight. On occasion the steering wheel will shake on the express way but usually its a noticeable shake that I feel in my drivers seat. I think they rotated the tires and know that they did give it a test drive, than again it was at a Goodyear service center.

Damn mystery!!

You've done all the obvious checks, so I'm at a loss here...

Bump for someone who might now to show up!

hhmmm.....that sounds kinda odd. I'd say your best bet would be taking it to a mechanic, or go to another tire shop, describe to them whats happening and go from there. Do you have a bent wheel? If they said everything was fine, they should have brought you out while the wheel was on the balancing machine and showed you (at least that's what i did when i was a tire tech) What kind of balance did they do? A static balance would have been on weight (stick on) in the center on the inside of the wheel, not very accurate but takes car of the up and down motion of the wheel. A dynamic balance would have been weights on both side of the wheels, and that would have taken care of the up and down and side to side. If the wheel even has a slight bend in it, it would be multiplied through the tire and worse at higher speeds. But this sounds like it's all over the car, which makes me think it could be a bad tire. The best way to find that is to put it back on the balancing machine and see which on has the most movement. Or which one has a heavy spot and rotate that tire 180 degrees on the wheel

" The best way to find that is to put it back on the balancing machine and see which on has the most movement. Or which one has a heavy spot and rotate that tire 180 degrees on the wheel"


that's a good idea I think i may go to a different tire shop and have it done. This particular service center has great customer service but I don't know if there employees are as competent as I would like. Tire rack and the manger seemed quick to throw out the idea that it might be a bad tire.

your rotors need replacing

^^
Beat me to it. If its when your slowing down it sounds like one or more of your rotors are warped

I have the same set of tires you have, and I too have noticed a slight vibration going 60+, but nothing under that.

I agree with 1gSE. I would take your car to another shop and have them check the balance. While your at it ask them to hold a something horizontal over the tire as it rotates to see if any of them have a high spot. If you feel vibration in your seat it usually means its the rear tires and if its in your steering wheel it usually means its in the front.

I had purchased rims from Tire Rack and after they put my old tires on and balanced I had a vibration. Took it back to them and them rebalanced with the same results. Took my car to a place that I do a lot of business with and they balanced the tires and smooth as glass. I'm not trying to take anything away from Tire Rack but the chances are that their balance machine may have been out of calibration. The only reason I went to Tire Rack was the low price for the rims.

If you slow and use your brakes and have the vibration you could most definitely have a warped rotor. If you are slowing down without braking and have the vibration then I think its something else about the tires.

I am not sure if the Solara's have a steering stabiizer but it caused the same problems on my Cherokee. It was like you described and within a week it created a really bad death wobble. The garage pulled it off and the piston had broken from the shaft. I sure don't miss driveline and steering vibes with the Solara. Hope you find the cause soon.

SolaraBlue wrote:your rotors need replacing

+1 thats what i would check

^^^^^
While you are checking the rotors check the calipers I had a rear completely seize up and it made my car shake like crazy when ever it was cold.

Everyone missed the obvious, get the vehicle on rack up in the air and shake the wheels back and forth from you; on the top and botem of the tire / doing this you're checking for freeplay "slack" in the wheel bearings if you feel it "click or clank" and theres slack in a bearing espesially the rear bearings that will cause this problem

System_Crash wrote:Everyone missed the obvious, get the vehicle on rack up in the air and shake the wheels back and forth from you; on the top and botem of the tire / doing this you're checking for freeplay "slack" in the wheel bearings if you feel it "click or clank" and theres slack in a bearing espesially the rear bearings that will cause this problem

oooooohhhhhhhhh yyyyyyyeeeeeeaahhhhhh!! MASS PWNAGE! lol

to the OP, have you found the problem yet?