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Anonymous Posted on Jan 04, 2010

I got 2 used tires on the front. Now it vibrates like you are on a gravel road. The steering wheel also vibrates. It is a smooth ride til you reach 60 mph or more. Some people said it is bad tires and some people said I need to get a front end alignment.. Plz help!!

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Sounds like they did a lousy job at balancing them or did not balance them at all. This is where I would begin. It could be a faulty bad tire if the balance checks out.

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It seems like the tires. If it were your alignment it would be bad no matter what the speed, and it wouldn't be bumpy. If there bad tires they would be flat or dull, and not be vary good. http://www.56streettires.com/

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If it didnt vibrate before the new/used tires then they are probably either bad tires or they werent balanced correctly, otherwise you should'nt worry about an alignment. When a tire isnt balanced or not balanced correctly it may only vibrate at certain speeds, like you are experiencing.

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0helpful
2answers

Took snow tires off and still sounds like I have them on also have a vibration in the steering wheel?

Steering wheel vibration is often caused by:
  • Out of balance tires
  • Bent wheels
  • Bad wheel or CV bearings
  • Loose suspension parts
"Road noise" is often caused by:
  • Bad wheel bearings or bad CV joints
I suggest checking for all of these.
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1answer

Steering gets really sensitive at highway speeds. Hit a bump then car likes to shake left and right.

Sound like out of balance tire or a separated tire or bearing but, the two most common causes are the ones. I suggest visit some tire shop and would like to have the tires inspected and balanced.

Some customers may comment on shaking/vibration in the steering wheel, floor or seat while driving at highway speeds (typically between 60-72 mph (96-115 km/h)) on smooth roads.

These specific vehicles may be sensitive to various rotating mass assemblies, especially if they are considered to be out-of-balance.

In order to correct this:
1. Visually inspect the tires and the wheels. Inspect for evidence of the following conditions and correct as necessary.
- Missing balance weights
- Bent rim flange
- Irregular tire wear
- Incomplete bead seating
- Tire irregularities
- Mud/ice build-up in wheel
- Stones in the tire tread

2. Set the tire pressure to 30 psi (205 kpa) COLD.

3. If the road test indicates a shake/vibration still exists, check the imbalance of each tire/wheel assembly on a known, calibrated, off-car dynamic balancer. If any assembly calls for more than 1/4 ounce on either rim flange, remove all balance weights and rebalance to as close to zero as possible.

Important: Some GM dealers may have a Hunter GSP9700 Road Force Balancer. This will simplify Step 5 by not requiring dial indicators. If a Hunter GSP9700 machine is available, it may also be used to measure the radial force of the tire/wheel assembly. A guideline here is 18 lbs or less.

4. While on the balancer, measure wheel runout. If radial or lateral runout exceeds .020 in (0.50 mm) for aluminum wheels (.030 in (0.76 mm) for steel wheels), replace the wheel.

5. After confirming wheel balance and wheel runout, if any changes were made, road test the vehicle again.

6. If the smooth road shake/vibration still exists:
Important: The completed worksheet must be attached to the hard copy of the repair order.

Record Radial Force Variation readings if you have access to Hunter GSP9700 Wheel Balance equipment. Use the worksheet shown in this bulletin to record the readings.

If one or more of the tires have RFV readings in excess of 18 lbs, match mount the tires to get below 18 lbs. Readings of 12 lbs. or less are preferable for critical customer concerns.

If the RFV can not be reduced to an acceptable level, replace the affected tire with one obtained locally.

The screened tire program is no longer in effect for Bridgestone/Firestone, Goodyear and Michelin. Low speed screened tires are available from Continental General only, and only for the Buick LeSabre.

Road test the vehicle to ensure the shake/vibration has been resolved.

7. Replace both lower control arms on vehicles built prior to the VIN breakpoints shown. The new lower control arms may provide an incremental improvement to the vehicle ride. Customers who have become "tuned in" to the shake condition may still feel some shake in the vehicle after the new lower control arms are installed.
Refer to Lower Control Arm Replacement, (refer to the Parts Information table below for SI document ID numbers).

Important: THE CONTROL ARMS SHOULD ONLY BE INSTALLED ON VEHICLES IF, AFTER THE TIRE AND WHEEL DIAGNOSIS AND REPAIRS HAVE BEEN PERFORMED, THE VIBRATION CONDITION STILL EXISTS.

Hope this helps; also keep in mind that your feedback is important and I'll appreciate your time and consideration if you leave some testimonial comment about this answer.

Thank you for using Fixya, and have a nice weekend.
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1996 dodge grand caravan vibration 45 mph to 55 mph replaced right front axel still same problem vibration no felt in steering

Vibrations while driving like you are describing can come from tires that have defects (internally broken belts) (wheel weights that have fallen off) or a bent rim (perhaps from another driver [not you :-) ] hitting a curb) Are the tires worn? Have they been balanced and rotated regularly? You report no vibration in the steering wheel.
Vibrations during braking can be warped rotors or discs (but this doesn't sound like your problem since these kind are usually felt in the steering wheel during braking).
If and only if you feel like you can do this safely,
you can try getting the car up to 55, placing the car in neutral, then switching the "engine off" but leave the "key on" (be warned the power steering will go out but the vehicle can still be steered though the steering wheel will be much stiffer) if you try this (do it perhaps in a vacant parking lot or on an empty road) and the vibration goes away with the engine off but while the vehicle is still moving, then the vibration is engine or transmission related. If this is the case you might hope for maybe a bad engine mount. Bad engine mounts can be diagnosed with the vehicle stopped as well. However, if the vibration remains with the van moving forward but with the engine off, the vibration is likely a problem with the tires or suspension. Try to provide some more info.
If you don't feel comfortable trying the above suggestion, please take the vehicle in to an ASE certified suspension and steering professional for further diagnosis.

Finally, I had a similar situation happen to me today. I was riding with a friend in their van and the vehicle started vibrating more and more around 55 mph. We stopped and carefully checked the front tires (including the lug nuts for tightness) but
found a tire defect. (it had several broken steel belts that caused a bulge in the tire and thus the vibration) We changed the tire and the vibration was gone. Good luck to you.
0helpful
1answer

Steering wheel & inside vibration issues

Yes...That's probably a 50 or 55 series tire which by the nature of it's short sidewall will give you a "stiff" ride as compared to a more typical 70 series. Verify that the vibration does not come only when you are braking or accelerating. If you vibrate only when cruising then 95%(unofficial stat) of the time it comes from the tire/wheel/balance assembly.
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