Daryl,
There are many factors that can cause vibration. Honda has joined the
rest of the world in going to MacPherson strut suspension, which is more
susceptible to vibration. Front wheels are more susceptible than rear wheels.

Imbalance is the most obvious cause of vibration, but it can also be caused
by tire and wheel defects. Suspension defects are unlikely in a brand new car.

Tires can have a misaligned belt; this can sometimes be seen as a
side-to-side motion when the tire is rotated slowly on the car.

Tires and wheels are not perfectly round. In the factory, the tire high
spot is matched to the wheel low spot to minimize the total variation.

Wheel runout can be measured and reduced by a wheel repair shop, although
this is normally done only after hitting a pothole or curb. Runout of the
mounted tire can also be measured, and a tire lathe used to remove rubber
to bring it true. This obviously reduces the life of the tire, and is
usually done only in racing or for vintage or antique cars.

It can be a real challenge to find a shop that is willing and able to
diagnose these problems. Mostly, dealers and tire shops just play with
wheel location and tire swaps until the problem is solved or the customer
just gives up, and accepts the vibration as 'normal'.

Good luck.
Dan

(This account is not used for email.)


Daryl Herkin ) writes:
> I got a EX SE sedan a few weeks ago and it had bad vibrations. Dealer took
> a shot at balancing and it didn't work. Today (2nd visit), they gave me
> the wheels off a new vehicle. It drove great.
>
> I get home and I start thinking...hmmm, I have to be sure...so, I rotated
> the wheels. Damn it! I knew it was too good to be true...there is a
> slight vibration in the steering wheel. Not as bad as before, but still
> there. I have an appt at a non-Honda shop tomorrow night to do a road-
> force balance test on the set. Hopefully, they can nail the exact wheel(s)
> in question.
>
> Some of these wheels have so much weight on them.
>
> Salesman: "Look, you get all of this in the EX SE for a just $400 more!"
>
> Reality: The wheels are crap, costing 1/3 of those on the EX ($428 vs $157
> MSRP).
>