Do you really need an alignment?
Your car shakes while driving down the highway, the controls vibration is driving you crazy, and without even realizing it, it’s causing you to feel tired. It could be quite exhausting holding onto a steering wheel which is violently shaking or even shaking just a little. You will need an alignment on your car, right? Wrong! I hear this from customers constantly; they pull into the garage and say “”I need to provide an alignment on my car because my steering wheel is shaking while driving on the highway.
The reality is an alignment has nothing to do with your car shaking or perhaps your steering wheel vibrating. And they also don’t ask the question “”why”” find a new mechanic should you tell your mechanic you need and alignment. A good mechanic will always ask why you need work done on your car, they do this to extract more information on your part as a customer, so they can make an educated decision whether or not you actually need the work done or not. Fixing the problem in the first visit to the garage is a top mechanics goal.
Pothole damage
Bubble in sidewall of tire after hitting a huge pothole.
Bubble in sidewall of tire after hitting a large pothole.
Source: Yahoo search
In the event you hit a pothole at high speeds you could actually dent the rim and damage the tire.
If you hit a pothole at high speeds you might actually dent the rim and damage the tire.
Source: Yahoo search
Tires are out of balance
The number one reason your tires shake or maybe your steering wheel vibrates is simple, your tires are out of balance. Tires require a beating, hitting potholes, bridge expansion joints, and curbs are just a few examples of tire abuse. Hitting any one of these objects could knock off a wheel weight, dent a rim, or produce a bubble in the sidewall of the tire, causing it to be away from balance. It’s an easy fix; you just need to have your tire balance and the local garage if you lose a wheel weight. Denting a rim or causing damage to a tire could end up costing you more money than a simple tire balance.
Vibrations caused by ice and snow
Look at your wheels for packed snow and ice if you experience a snow bank and you have a horrible vibration soon after.
Look at your wheels for packed snow and ice if you experience a snow bank and you have a horrible vibration soon after.
Source: Yahoo search
ice and Snow may cause a steering wheel shake
Another common cause of steering wheel vibration or car shake is having something logged in a tire like a large bolt or any metal object found from the roads surface. I have got seen tools like wrenches and screwdrivers that have impaled a tire; it’s not common, but it really does happen. Living in an area that has snow, plowing by way of a snow bank could cause snow and ice to become held in the rim or cause and wheel a severe steering wheel vibration, to fix this, just rinse out the snow and ice with a garden hose or pressure washer.
It’s smart to have a tire pressure guage inside your glove box
Accutire MS-4021B Digital Tire Pressure Gauge
Accutire MS-4021B Digital Tire Pressure Gauge
Amazon Price: $9.99
List Price: $14.99
Low tire pressure might cause your car to shake
Low tire pressure is another common cause of steering wheel vibration or car shake. Having low tire pressure can cause several problems like; poor fuel mileage, abnormal tire wear, vibrations, blowouts, tire edge wear, chopping, and the list goes on. A quick check of your respective tire pressures can benefit you in many ways, and can actually save a little money in the long run. When the temperatures outside start getting colder or drop below 30 deg, I would recommend raising the tire pressures about 3 psi than where you would normally keep these. Cold outside temperatures will cause the tire pressures to lower, so keep watch over your tire pressures in colder temperatures.
Motegi Racing Series MR107 Gloss Black Finish Machined Wheel (17×7.5/5×4.5)
Motegi Racing Series MR107 Gloss Black Finish Machined Wheel (17×7.5/5×4.5)
Amazon Price: $105.73
List Price: $294.00
The cost of balancing your tires
Having your tires balanced should cost around $15- $20 a tire. Sometimes tire stores will offer you lifetime tire balancing and rotation, I highly recommend employing this service to its fullest potential, you will save money, extend the life of your respective tires, and may provide a relaxing driving experience. Driving your car or truck with tires that are out from balance might cause more damage to tires by creating flat spots, rippling and cupping and chopping. To learn more about tires, read my article, Should I buy discount tires or spend the cash?
Wheel Bearing Noise and Tire Vibration / Noise
Check you tires
Bald tires with steel belts showing is extremely dangerous and will cause a very bad vibration.
Bald tires with steel belts showing is very dangerous and will cause a very bad vibration.
Source: Yahoo search
Bald tires cause extremely bad controls vibrations
I highly recommend changing them immediately, this is definitely the reason for you controls vibration or your car shaking, if your tires are worn to the point the location where the steel belts are visible on the tread surface. In the event you continue driving on bald tires, you’re risking your daily life and flirting with disaster, having a tire blow out at highway speeds is incredibly dangerous, especially if it’s a front tire. Do a quick check to see if its bald tires causing your steering wheel shake, you need to physically look at each tire. Turning the steering wheel to 1 side will provide you with a better view of your front tires tread surface. You will need to get on your knees and hands to check your rear tires closely.
Don’t Mistake a Brake Pulsation for a Tire Vibration
Speed control in Canada
No reason to worry about injury to you tires and wheels hitting this pothole, it’s used for speed control in Canada.
No need to be concerned about damage to you tires and wheels hitting this pothole, it’s used for speed control in Canada.
Source: Yahoo search
4 Wheel alignments or alignments
Having and alignment done on your own car will not stop a steering wheel vibration or car shake. Alignments only realign the tires so they all are pointing in the proper direction while driving down the road. Owning an alignment at least once a year is useful preventative maintenance for your vehicle, if you live within an area with poor road conditions like potholes and huge cracks from the road surface or you drive extensively on dirt roads, I strongly recommend an alignment once a year.
Don’t be afraid to inquire questions or leave comments. There is so such thing as stupid questions, so just ask, and I will get back to you asap.
Victor 22-5-00705-8 32 PSI Tire Pressure Monitoring Valve Cap
Victor 22-5-00705-8 32 PSI Tire Pressure Monitoring Valve Cap
Amazon Price: $5.50
List Price: $9.99
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