Steering wheel vibration/uneven tyre wear
03-08-08, 04:36 AM
#1
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Steering wheel vibration/uneven tyre wear
my steering wheel vibrates a bit at speeds of 120kmph+(75mph) .my rx350 has done about 30,000KMS (18,750 miles) still on original tires. the folks at lexus say it is because of uneven tyre wear. what could be cause of uneven tyre wear?
suspension? alignment?
i have stock 18inch 5 spoke wheels.
suspension? alignment?
i have stock 18inch 5 spoke wheels.
03-08-08, 06:04 AM
#2
Out of Warranty
Most likely alignment. Get a good 4-wheel alignment done by a knowledgeable tech with good state-of-the-art equipment. Your Lexus dealer should be a good source for this, but major tire shops - if they have the equipment - probably have the edge on experience.
If your front tires are "feathered", they may need to be replaced to stop the vibration. That condition is usually caused by excessive toe-in or toe-out, usually the former. This is only one of the situations that could cause the vibration you are experiencing. Your RX is too new to exhibit suspension bushing wear, but misalignment or damage may be the culprit. Here are a few things to check your tread wear for: http://www.greenlighthonda.com/share...dtirewear.html
You should be able to run those OEM tires to about 30K miles, but if they are badly damaged, an alignment won't be of much help curing the vibration, but it should halt the uneven wear. Try an alignment and rotation of the tires, putting the rears on the front to see if that fixes the vibration problem before putting on new skins and damaging them as well. You might be able to squeeze another year's service out of the OEM's - and that's money saved.
Our friends at Tire Rack have some excellent information on the effects of alignment here: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete...e.jsp?techid=4
Good luck!
If your front tires are "feathered", they may need to be replaced to stop the vibration. That condition is usually caused by excessive toe-in or toe-out, usually the former. This is only one of the situations that could cause the vibration you are experiencing. Your RX is too new to exhibit suspension bushing wear, but misalignment or damage may be the culprit. Here are a few things to check your tread wear for: http://www.greenlighthonda.com/share...dtirewear.html
You should be able to run those OEM tires to about 30K miles, but if they are badly damaged, an alignment won't be of much help curing the vibration, but it should halt the uneven wear. Try an alignment and rotation of the tires, putting the rears on the front to see if that fixes the vibration problem before putting on new skins and damaging them as well. You might be able to squeeze another year's service out of the OEM's - and that's money saved.
Our friends at Tire Rack have some excellent information on the effects of alignment here: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete...e.jsp?techid=4
Good luck!
03-08-08, 03:23 PM
#3
In my experience, uneven wear to the tires can be several things:
1. alignment as previously suggested
2. tie rod or other suspension component in need of replacement - unlikely imo
3. tire out of balance
4. failure to rotate tires resulting in uneven wear and thus scalloping or feathering.
1. alignment as previously suggested
2. tie rod or other suspension component in need of replacement - unlikely imo
3. tire out of balance
4. failure to rotate tires resulting in uneven wear and thus scalloping or feathering.
03-19-08, 11:18 PM
#4
Here's another reason I just learned about this weekend: bent wheel.
I had exactly the same phenomenon as you. When I took my car in to have Tein springs installed over the weekend, I also asked the shop to check out the balance on the wheels. It turns out that my left front wheel was out of round. It was not visible from the outside. It was out of round on the inside only, where there are no spokes to help it maintain shape. The cause of this could not be guessed, since there was no damage to the tire, and the wheel was oblong or oval, not "tweaked" in a single spot.
Anyways, I have a replacement wheel on order, and hope that when it gets installed, this will solve my problem.
Hopefully your cause is not as severe as mine.
I had exactly the same phenomenon as you. When I took my car in to have Tein springs installed over the weekend, I also asked the shop to check out the balance on the wheels. It turns out that my left front wheel was out of round. It was not visible from the outside. It was out of round on the inside only, where there are no spokes to help it maintain shape. The cause of this could not be guessed, since there was no damage to the tire, and the wheel was oblong or oval, not "tweaked" in a single spot.
Anyways, I have a replacement wheel on order, and hope that when it gets installed, this will solve my problem.
Hopefully your cause is not as severe as mine.
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