Steering wheel shake/seat vibration

[Camarobychance]

Hey everyone, could really use some pointers here. I know there are 9 million threads on this topic but none seem to describe what I’m experiencing. First I’ll list what’s happened to the car and what’s been done. Firstly it’s a 2011 ss A6 coupe with 133k on the dash. When I first purchased the car a year ago (109k miles) I don’t remember there being a vibration or shake which tells me it was either very minor or not there at all. About 2 months into owning it I decided to put phastek lowering springs on the stock suspension. Not a good idea Ik. So naturally about 3 months later nor me or my gf could stand to ride in it bc the ride was terrible and the car would bottom out on the smallest of potholes and jar your soul loose. I also started to really feel a steering whee shake that I could feel at any speed over 40mph and it didn’t seem to get better or worse with speed. In April I was going to a Walgreens and when I swung out to pull into a parking spot I SLAMMED into a curved off section of grass aka the most pointless thing ever to exist in a parking lot. Regardless I hit it so hard I blew out my front tire. Note that when I hit it I hopped the curb on my right side all the way down with my right front taking the majority of the blow. After that I got it towed to a tire shop where I had 2 new front tires put on. To my surprise they told me my rim was not bent (which has been verified multiple times since then) but upon pulling it out of the shop they were fighting to get the car backed out straight. I drove down and jacked the car up to find my lower control arm really bent. I drove to O’Reilly got a new one and replaced it and it was driveable and straight again. Now after that happened I knew I had to start replacing things especially with there already being 100k+ miles on everything. So I started with Koni orange shocks and Eibach lowering springs. I also replaced the front tie rods. I thought surely that would fix my issue but sure enough it’s still there and almost seems to be getting worse. The strangest thing about all of this is it happens intermittently almost like it has good days and bad days. It’s never fully gone and smooth but some days are worse than others. The only time it almost goes away is when I’m up in the 90mph+ range. I’m just trying to see if anyone has had any similar situations and what the issue was and also what sort of at home tests I can do to try and pinpoint my problem. I love this car and want to try and take it to 200k but the shake is driving me nuts. Also I should mention I do feel it slightly in the seat as well so it’s not just the front end I don’t think.

[Camarobychance]

Better yet if anyone knows a reputable shop in middle TN I could have it looked at that would be best.

[Sparko]

Well to address the easy one first, if you have a wobble that you can feel in the wheel, it's definitely going to echo through the car. Unbalanced tires can do that if bad enough.

There are multiple components all working in sync to control and stabilize your steering. If whatever shop you brought your car to replaced the tires and didn't notice a "really bent" control arm after you blasted a curb, and they tried to drive the car out of the shop on such, I would put precisely zero stock in anything they told you.

If you bent the control arm, everything else is game to need attention; tie rods, end links, wheel bearing, ball joints, steering rack. All of these can easily be inspected if you put the car on blocks and have a helper. Most of the tests are push/pull tests to the specific joint. Can start with just having a wheel off of the ground and push/pull on the front and rear of the tire to listen for an audible thunk or feel for dead zone. Do the same with the top and bottom. There are demo's on youtube, fairly easy and straight forward checks.

[Camarobychance]

Originally Posted by Sparko

Well to address the easy one first, if you have a wobble that you can feel in the wheel, it's definitely going to echo through the car. Unbalanced tires can do that if bad enough.

There are multiple components all working in sync to control and stabilize your steering. If whatever shop you brought your car to replaced the tires and didn't notice a "really bent" control arm after you blasted a curb, and they tried to drive the car out of the shop on such, I would put precisely zero stock in anything they told you.

If you bent the control arm, everything else is game to need attention; tie rods, end links, wheel bearing, ball joints, steering rack. All of these can easily be inspected if you put the car on blocks and have a helper. Most of the tests are push/pull tests to the specific joint. Can start with just having a wheel off of the ground and push/pull on the front and rear of the tire to listen for an audible thunk or feel for dead zone. Do the same with the top and bottom. There are demo's on youtube, fairly easy and straight forward checks.

That’s a good point about the shop. I did forget to mention that I’ve had the wheels road force balanced 3 times in the last 6 months and each time it hasn’t fixed the issue at all. All 3 times though I was notified that 2 of my wheels were ever so slightly bent but they said they weren’t bent enough for me to feel them. I’m starting to think this is the root of my problem bc wouldn’t I feel a bent rim even if it is slightly just bc I’m lowered? So I’m theory it’s stiffer so I could feel more that’s what I’m thinking. Although there’s also no doubt in my mind that there are other suspension components that are damaged or just need replacing. So you say I should start by jacking the fron and rear up independently and wiggling each wheel back and forth from the top and the bottom to see if I feel and play or hear any clunks? Also thanks for the reply

[Sparko]

I have never driven on a bent wheel, so if it is in fact bent but not effecting tire seal I don't know if ride feel would be effected after a re-balance. Not a situation I would accept to be in.

Yes, you should check each wheel with a push/pull test off the ground. Hands at 12 and 6 will check for bearing, ball joint, and bushing play, hands at 3 and 9 will further check bearing, ball joint, and bushings, and will also check inner/outer tie rods and the steering rack for play. You can also put a pry bar under the tire and apply upward pressure to check ball joint and end link play.

I clipped a tree at low speed once and it bent the control arm. By the time I was done chasing down parts that had play and were making noise I had rebuilt nearly the whole suspension on that wheel. A little different, but not vastly.

[Camarobychance]

Originally Posted by Sparko

I have never driven on a bent wheel, so if it is in fact bent but not effecting tire seal I don't know if ride feel would be effected after a re-balance. Not a situation I would accept to be in.

Yes, you should check each wheel with a push/pull test off the ground. Hands at 12 and 6 will check for bearing, ball joint, and bushing play, hands at 3 and 9 will further check bearing, ball joint, and bushings, and will also check inner/outer tie rods and the steering rack for play. You can also put a pry bar under the tire and apply upward pressure to check ball joint and end link play.

I clipped a tree at low speed once and it bent the control arm. By the time I was done chasing down parts that had play and were making noise I had rebuilt nearly the whole suspension on that wheel. A little different, but not vastly.

Got it. Thanks for all your help man I really appreciate it!

[trossit]

I am curious what wheel and tire size you are running. What is the brand/type of tires? My V6 LT had a similar issue but turned out to be flat spots on the tires. It was a low miles car, 2012 with 58,000 miles that spent a lot of time sitting. I replaced the Toyo Proxies with Goodyear Eagle Exhilarates and it took care of 90% of the problem. I do notice some mild vibration initially at freeway speed (55-65 mph) when the tires are cold but it goes away in a few minutes. I will say the Eagles tamed the ride a lot. The Toyos were very hard and felt every bump and imperfection in the road.

[Camarobychance]

Originally Posted by trossit

I am curious what wheel and tire size you are running. What is the brand/type of tires? My V6 LT had a similar issue but turned out to be flat spots on the tires. It was a low miles car, 2012 with 58,000 miles that spent a lot of time sitting. I replaced the Toyo Proxies with Goodyear Eagle Exhilarates and it took care of 90% of the problem. I do notice some mild vibration initially at freeway speed (55-65 mph) when the tires are cold but it goes away in a few minutes. I will say the Eagles tamed the ride a lot. The Toyos were very hard and felt every bump and imperfection in the road.

I wish flat spots were the issue but it I was 200 miles into a road trip the other week and it was still shaking so flat spots can be ruled out I think. To answer your question though I’m Running the stock sizes for the ss with toyo extenza hp2’s