Shaking in Steering Wheel after new tires - Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums

jasonsk287 · 08-02-2015, 02:26 PM

Hi All,

I did some searching before making a new post but I couldn't quite find people with the same situation.

My 2012 1LT has about 54,500 miles. About 3,000 miles ago (back in late May) I got new tires. My car is completely stock, with the 19" aluminum wheels. I have the Pirelli PZero all-seasons. My tires at that time were due for replacement, so I contacted a Chevy dealer nearby that had the tires available. They had a special going, so I got a decent deal on 4 tires plus balancing and mounting. This was my first time using this dealership because I wasn't quite satisfied with the customer service at the one I Had been using.
Customer service at this new dealer is much better, but I think I have an issue now.

Ever since getting the tires installed, there has been a vibration in the front end when traveling at speeds of around 50mph and above. I mainly feel it in my steering wheel but occasionally also in the driver's seat.

After a couple of weeks of this, I went back to the same dealer to see if I could have the tires rebalanced. They agreed to do so free of charge. I saw them drive my car back in from a short drive to test it out, and I have paperwork saying it was rebalanced and test driven by a mechanic. However, it's been about another week and the vibration is still there. Thinking it could be another issue that has nothing to do with balancing (tires themselves, rotors, bushings, etc), I made an appointment with the same dealer- mainly because of the tire history with them and because I know another dealer would likely charge to diagnose an issue.

My dilemma is that I'm not sure if I trust the dealership to completely fix the issue since they didn't do so last time, but I'm not entirely sure which other place would be good to have the car looked at under these circumstances. Also, I partially feel tied to the dealer since I bought the tires from them (I.E. if there's an issue with the tire, they might be able to fix/replace it under the tire warranty or something along those lines).

Any advice would be much appreciated. I'm going to have the dealer take a look at the car tomorrow morning anyway to see if they come up with something, but if that doesn't play out I could try somewhere else.

Thank you all-
Jason

oldfriend · 08-02-2015, 02:37 PM

The warranty is from the tire manufacture , not from the dealer !
Second , go to the dealer , and tell them what's happening with your car , take the mechanic , or the service advisor for a drive , and make sure you turn the radio off , show him/her exactly what's appending , if you let them do it , most likely he will come back saying ,,,it's all good
Just be polite , and convincing that you want it done right this time around
Now , you have 3000m on it after the new tires were installed , why did you wait this long , people tend to forget things after a while ( dealership guys )
So , take it there and show them ?

One other thing , is the wheels the same ones as before ?

Moto-Mojo · 08-02-2015, 02:49 PM

Three possible things: 1. Their balancer is not calibrated correctly. It's telling them to put the WRONG weight in the WRONG location. The machine says it's balanced and they believe it is. But it's not. Ask when's the last time they calibrated it. And do they really understand the process!

2. The tires aren't round. They will balance in the machine but when you roll an oval tire on the ground, it will shake.

3. Bad tires - crappy belts, etc.

Backspin9 · 08-02-2015, 03:34 PM

I had a similar situation and went to a place that does Hunter Road Force Balancing. It made a huge difference and there haven't been any problems since.

jasonsk287 · 08-02-2015, 05:16 PM

Thanks for your replies. I had the tires replaced 3,000 miles ago but I just tried the rebalancing last week. Couldn't make it back to the dealer until then because of my work scheduling. I'm thinking and hoping that maybe it's their balancing machine. I'm thinking maybe instead I'll try having another shop balance it and see what happens..

Moto-Mojo · 08-02-2015, 07:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jasonsk287

Thanks for your replies. I had the tires replaced 3,000 miles ago but I just tried the rebalancing last week. Couldn't make it back to the dealer until then because of my work scheduling. I'm thinking and hoping that maybe it's their balancing machine. I'm thinking maybe instead I'll try having another shop balance it and see what happens..

Having sold and serviced (driveshaft) balancers for decades, another shop could make all the difference. Good luck, your dudeness.

jasonsk287 · 08-03-2015, 03:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moto-Mojo

Having sold and serviced (driveshaft) balancers for decades, another shop could make all the difference. Good luck, your dudeness.

Thank you sir.

So I went to the dealer this morning and they sent me on a test drive with the technician, who naturally didn't find anything wrong. We hit 60mph and he claimed the shaking was because of the road surface.. I'm positive there's something different there because it also does it on level roads. He said "if you have a balance issue you'd notice it in the dashboard too." Well I checked on the way home and I do feel it in the dashboard. I would have went back but I'm thinking maybe trying a balancing at another shop is the right idea now.

I did a search and found shops that have the Hunter Road Balancer, based on the recommendations I got here that seems like a good idea. There is no additional shaking when braking so I know it's not the rotors.

Thanks again all
Jason

IneedAZ · 08-05-2015, 08:24 AM

I have similar issue. from 58-62 i get steering wheel shake. I have had them road force balanced twice and even though i have good tires(mich PSS) they cant get the driverside to drop below 25. The number for the pass side is 13. The lower the number the better. I am thinking of calling Mich to see what i need to do to try to warranty it. Drives me crazy!

thebigbankhank · 08-05-2015, 08:59 AM

I had a similar issue coming off the gas around 75 and it turned out to be the brake rotors

IneedAZ · 08-05-2015, 11:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thebigbankhank

I had a similar issue coming off the gas around 75 and it turned out to be the brake rotors

was that without applying the brakes?

SuperSport213 · 08-24-2015, 08:34 PM

I have the same shake in the steering wheel..comes in around 53 mph and goes away around 65...Brand new tires. I really wish someone would figure out this issue. I have talked with other 5th gen owners that have the same issue.. Very annoying.

jasonsk287 · 08-24-2015, 08:43 PM

Had the car inspected at the dealer today and I had them check the tires and wheels again. Technician took it out on the highway and hit 70mph. He claims he didn't feel anything. When he got back, he put the car up on a lift and checked the rims to see if they were bent and things along those lines. They claim everything is fine and "working as designed". Also passed the state inspection. I guess my next step if anything is to take it to a wheel/tire shop and have the rotors inspected- but I strongly doubt it's that because there's no pulsing while braking (they asked me that today too). It's mostly while cruising at 65-70 or more. Below 65 I don't notice anything different. Had my brother drive it this evening and even at 70mph he claims he doesn't feel anything either. But even so, when other people drive your car they don't know how it's supposed to feel on a daily basis compared to you. I guess I'll monitor it... But it's good to know it's not the tires I guess- or is it?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

jasonsk287 · 08-24-2015, 08:48 PM

The other thing is, about a week ago I took it to Mavis and they balanced and rotated them again to see if that did anything. After that, the rotation changed- it's no longer really in the steering wheel, now it's in the dashboard and seat.........I realize that vibrations are normal at high speeds but this still doesn't seem normal to me.

mckinney · 08-24-2015, 08:51 PM

For sure a balance problem.
I went in for a free rebalance at Discount tires and had the same problem.
(No issues before just wanted to have my investment taken care of)
Took my car to another location and they noted the placement of the weights on the wide rims, corrected and rebalance worked great.

08-02-2015, 02:26 PM	#1
jasonsk287 Drives: 2012 Camaro 1LT Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 404	Shaking in Steering Wheel after new tires Hi All, I did some searching before making a new post but I couldn't quite find people with the same situation. My 2012 1LT has about 54,500 miles. About 3,000 miles ago (back in late May) I got new tires. My car is completely stock, with the 19" aluminum wheels. I have the Pirelli PZero all-seasons. My tires at that time were due for replacement, so I contacted a Chevy dealer nearby that had the tires available. They had a special going, so I got a decent deal on 4 tires plus balancing and mounting. This was my first time using this dealership because I wasn't quite satisfied with the customer service at the one I Had been using. Customer service at this new dealer is much better, but I think I have an issue now. Ever since getting the tires installed, there has been a vibration in the front end when traveling at speeds of around 50mph and above. I mainly feel it in my steering wheel but occasionally also in the driver's seat. After a couple of weeks of this, I went back to the same dealer to see if I could have the tires rebalanced. They agreed to do so free of charge. I saw them drive my car back in from a short drive to test it out, and I have paperwork saying it was rebalanced and test driven by a mechanic. However, it's been about another week and the vibration is still there. Thinking it could be another issue that has nothing to do with balancing (tires themselves, rotors, bushings, etc), I made an appointment with the same dealer- mainly because of the tire history with them and because I know another dealer would likely charge to diagnose an issue. My dilemma is that I'm not sure if I trust the dealership to completely fix the issue since they didn't do so last time, but I'm not entirely sure which other place would be good to have the car looked at under these circumstances. Also, I partially feel tied to the dealer since I bought the tires from them (I.E. if there's an issue with the tire, they might be able to fix/replace it under the tire warranty or something along those lines). Any advice would be much appreciated. I'm going to have the dealer take a look at the car tomorrow morning anyway to see if they come up with something, but if that doesn't play out I could try somewhere else. Thank you all- Jason __________________ 2012 Camaro 1LT Summit White/Black Rally Stripes Ordered 8/21/11, built 9/22/11, delivered 10/7/11

08-02-2015, 02:49 PM	#3
Moto-Mojo Fast Cars and Old Guitars Drives: 2015 2SS RS (L99, baby!) Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: N. CA Posts: 3,973	Three possible things: 1. Their balancer is not calibrated correctly. It's telling them to put the WRONG weight in the WRONG location. The machine says it's balanced and they believe it is. But it's not. Ask when's the last time they calibrated it. And do they really understand the process! 2. The tires aren't round. They will balance in the machine but when you roll an oval tire on the ground, it will shake. 3. Bad tires - crappy belts, etc. __________________ “I don’t want to belong to any club that would have me as a member.” - Groucho Marx

08-02-2015, 05:16 PM	#5
jasonsk287 Drives: 2012 Camaro 1LT Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 404	Thanks for your replies. I had the tires replaced 3,000 miles ago but I just tried the rebalancing last week. Couldn't make it back to the dealer until then because of my work scheduling. I'm thinking and hoping that maybe it's their balancing machine. I'm thinking maybe instead I'll try having another shop balance it and see what happens.. __________________ 2012 Camaro 1LT Summit White/Black Rally Stripes Ordered 8/21/11, built 9/22/11, delivered 10/7/11

08-05-2015, 08:24 AM	#8
IneedAZ Drives: 2017 ZL1 A10 & 2021 BMW M340i x Dr Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Tampa Posts: 5,110 View My Garage	I have similar issue. from 58-62 i get steering wheel shake. I have had them road force balanced twice and even though i have good tires(mich PSS) they cant get the driverside to drop below 25. The number for the pass side is 13. The lower the number the better. I am thinking of calling Mich to see what i need to do to try to warranty it. Drives me crazy! __________________ Sold 2012 2LT RS 12.3@112 old setup Sold 1967 Camaro Pro Street. Ran 10's mild BB on NOS. 2017 HyperBlue ZL1 A10 Born 3/17/17Delivered 4/08/17 2020 Build: Mag2650, BTR Stage2, NW103, BG, 14% lower, 90mm upper, ARH 2" Long system w/no cats, SW Legend mufflers. 807hp/762tq on 93 gas and 848hp/792tq on e47 Sold 2018 (Go Mango) Dodge Charger Daytona 392 Daily Driver Daily Driver 2021 BMW M340i Xdrive

08-24-2015, 08:34 PM	#11
SuperSport213 Drives: 2011 SS LS3 Join Date: Nov 2014 Location: Killen,Al Posts: 42	I have the same shake in the steering wheel..comes in around 53 mph and goes away around 65...Brand new tires. I really wish someone would figure out this issue. I have talked with other 5th gen owners that have the same issue.. Very annoying. __________________ 2011 LS3, 2SS/RS. Stainless X-pipe, SLP skip shift eliminator, RotoFab CAI, Super 44 Axleback.

08-02-2015, 02:37 PM	#2
oldfriend Drives: Fiat 500 E Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: 32.7607/N. 16.95947/W Posts: 7,816 View My Garage	The warranty is from the tire manufacture , not from the dealer ! Second , go to the dealer , and tell them what's happening with your car , take the mechanic , or the service advisor for a drive , and make sure you turn the radio off , show him/her exactly what's appending , if you let them do it , most likely he will come back saying ,,,it's all good Just be polite , and convincing that you want it done right this time around Now , you have 3000m on it after the new tires were installed , why did you wait this long , people tend to forget things after a while ( dealership guys ) So , take it there and show them ? One other thing , is the wheels the same ones as before ?

08-02-2015, 03:34 PM	#4
Backspin9 Drives: The red one Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Henderson, NV Posts: 317	I had a similar situation and went to a place that does Hunter Road Force Balancing. It made a huge difference and there haven't been any problems since.

08-05-2015, 08:59 AM	#9
thebigbankhank Drives: 03Avalanche,2012cbr1000rr,2010iomSS Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Waco, TX Posts: 48	I had a similar issue coming off the gas around 75 and it turned out to be the brake rotors

08-24-2015, 08:43 PM	#12
jasonsk287 Drives: 2012 Camaro 1LT Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 404	Had the car inspected at the dealer today and I had them check the tires and wheels again. Technician took it out on the highway and hit 70mph. He claims he didn't feel anything. When he got back, he put the car up on a lift and checked the rims to see if they were bent and things along those lines. They claim everything is fine and "working as designed". Also passed the state inspection. I guess my next step if anything is to take it to a wheel/tire shop and have the rotors inspected- but I strongly doubt it's that because there's no pulsing while braking (they asked me that today too). It's mostly while cruising at 65-70 or more. Below 65 I don't notice anything different. Had my brother drive it this evening and even at 70mph he claims he doesn't feel anything either. But even so, when other people drive your car they don't know how it's supposed to feel on a daily basis compared to you. I guess I'll monitor it... But it's good to know it's not the tires I guess- or is it? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk __________________ 2012 Camaro 1LT Summit White/Black Rally Stripes Ordered 8/21/11, built 9/22/11, delivered 10/7/11

08-24-2015, 08:48 PM	#13
jasonsk287 Drives: 2012 Camaro 1LT Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 404	The other thing is, about a week ago I took it to Mavis and they balanced and rotated them again to see if that did anything. After that, the rotation changed- it's no longer really in the steering wheel, now it's in the dashboard and seat.........I realize that vibrations are normal at high speeds but this still doesn't seem normal to me. __________________ 2012 Camaro 1LT Summit White/Black Rally Stripes Ordered 8/21/11, built 9/22/11, delivered 10/7/11

08-24-2015, 08:51 PM	#14
mckinney Drives: 2015 Camaro Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Boulder Creek CA Posts: 75 View My Garage	For sure a balance problem. I went in for a free rebalance at Discount tires and had the same problem. (No issues before just wanted to have my investment taken care of) Took my car to another location and they noted the placement of the weights on the wide rims, corrected and rebalance worked great.