Hi I have 2008 Astra h twin top When roof is down steering shakes side to side when roof up drives perfect , all bushes , tyres , new steering rack fitted etc have been checked

can be balljoints --hub --tires --bent rims tie pods --steering rack basically anything in the front suspension

-Roof will not cause that. Shaking steering cause from un even wear front tires.


Good luck

Mai

130 km !! Well, in order of liklihood

- out of balance tyre/rim combination
- out of round tyres
- loose front hub adjustment
- worn tie rod end joints
- worn suspension bushes
- worn front strut and mount rubbers
- worn inner tie rod ball joints
- worn steering box mounts
- worn or loose steering shaft spline or u-joint

Wishbone bushes or steering rack adjustment

Could be a bad tire ( or bent rim Have balance checked), ball joint, idler arm, wheel bearing, steering tie rod end or defective rack and pinion unit. Lift vehicle about 1 inch off ground ( do each side independently) Use a pry bar and pry from ground up and down on wheel. Much play? bad ball joint. With both hands, try to move wheel side to side. Much play? could be a tie rod end or bad wheel bearing. Visually check play of steering arm into rack and pinion unit, more than about a half inch play, bad rack and pinion unit. Try to move back and forth with hands top and bottom. Much play? Bad ball joint or wheel bearing, verify visually that it is ball joint moving, else it is the wheel bearing. Manually check for play in each joint in steering control rods from steering knuckle all the way through each rod where there is a joint. Replace the one you find excessive play in. Check mounting studs for sway bar for loose fit, deteriorated rubber bushings or a crack / break in the sway bar. Replace if needed. That's about all I can think of unless it only happens when applying brakes, in which case it could be a warped rotor.

Check the tires

Most common indicators are. Wheel alignment ( not enough Castor adjustment) worn tie rod end/s Incorrect size tyres ( you have to have the rim sizes the same on both sides ) even though you noticed a difference Loose steering box / rack or worn rack mount rubbers Probably the noise under the floor as the rack is bashed up and down from the wobble. What you describe is castor wobble and some makers recommend 0 castor when in fact the setting should be 1/2 to 1 1/2 degree positive.

Shaking when driving.
Have the tire balance checked and tell them that it shakes.
Ask them to make sure the rims aren't bent.
This is the most common cause of shake.
Beyond this, it could be tie rod ends, control arm bushings, or steering rack going bad.
My mustang has a combo of bent rim and steering rack.
The balance is your first solution and the cheapest.

Hi Mark, Have a look at the ball joints, tie rod ends and rack ends. If these parts are dry or worn they can cause the problem you refer to. If the are fitted with greasing nipples gease them and test. The shock absorbers assembly can also give a similar sound. At the top of the shock absorbers there are parts known as the pads or top mounts. These have a bearing or bush which rotate allowing the wheel to be steered. If they are dry they can also create the noise. Another place to look is at the rubber cushions where the springs are mounted, top and bottom. If there is a drumming sound when driving it would be a good idea to inspect the suspension bushes. If they are worn you may be replacing tyres more frequently than you would if the bushes are replaced. Regards John .

get under the vehicle (use ramps) and check all linkages for movement pull push on the anti roll bar links, pull push on steering rack and pinion and linkages, any excessive movement, jack each wheel at a time, using a bar check the lower wishbone joints for movement, get the bar in the gap between the wishbone and lower part of the shock. and pull down, if any movement in ball joint up and down replace. while wheel on vehicle check for movement in bearing you will feel a tiny amount not much but pull and push on wheel with opposite hands on 12 o'clock and 6 o'clock and do the same at 9 and 3. now with both wheels off the ground but with the tyres still on, have some one holed one wheel and push pull on wheels each side there should be even movement between both wheels, if everything is fine with the the steering linkages and this dose not feel or sound right then this could be the problem also to add if the inside and out side of the tyres are wearing then the tyre pressure is wrong and needs adjusting to the right tyre pressure .