Wheels Shimmy after 60 MPH

Hello,

This is the 2nd post for my car, and I posted seperately cause I
believe they are diiferent issues, though I may be wrong. Anyway, my
car, a 2003 Camry, starts to shimmy as soon as it hits 60 MPH. I have
taken it to get balanced (tried 2 places, to rule out a bad shop), yet
it shimmies.

Below 60, the car is smooth. Above that, it shimmies for a few seconds
and then stops. Then starts, and so on and so on. It's a cycle.

I had the car aligned (it was pulling to the left a bit) and balanced.
it doesn't have the original rims. I just bought it last week and it
came with 17 inch rims (which I really don't like, but can't replace
for now $$$$$$).

Any help on to what else to check would be appreciated.

danalmsa wrote:
> Hello,
>
> This is the 2nd post for my car, and I posted seperately cause I
> believe they are diiferent issues, though I may be wrong. Anyway, my
> car, a 2003 Camry, starts to shimmy as soon as it hits 60 MPH. I have
> taken it to get balanced (tried 2 places, to rule out a bad shop), yet
> it shimmies.
>
> Below 60, the car is smooth. Above that, it shimmies for a few seconds
> and then stops. Then starts, and so on and so on. It's a cycle.
>
> I had the car aligned (it was pulling to the left a bit) and balanced.
> it doesn't have the original rims. I just bought it last week and it
> came with 17 inch rims (which I really don't like, but can't replace
> for now $$$$$$).
>
> Any help on to what else to check would be appreciated.
>

It would be easy to blame the 17" wheels (as they are easier to bend
than the stock ones) but the combination of your two posts makes me
think that the problem actually lies elsewhere. What you are describing
as a "shimmy" - is it really more like a low thrumming or vibration? A
shimmy would be a lazier oscillation of the steering wheel, what I'm
thinking is you're actually getting kind of a low frequency vibration
that builds and dies at a very low frequency - 1 Hz or less. That would
be a beat frequency set up by two separate vibrations that are almost -
but not exactly - at the same frequency. i.e. if you have one item
vibrating at 1000 Hz and one at 999 Hz they will set up a beat at 1 Hz.
I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that you check your CV
joints - is there a lot of play in them? That could account for *both*
of the problems you describe, if you have at least two badly worn CV
joints, one on each side.

Let me know if I nailed it or if I'm completely off base here

nate

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Nate Nagel Wrote:
> danalmsa wrote:
> > Hello,
> >
> > This is the 2nd post for my car, and I posted seperately cause I
> > believe they are diiferent issues, though I may be wrong. Anyway, my
> > car, a 2003 Camry, starts to shimmy as soon as it hits 60 MPH. I have
> > taken it to get balanced (tried 2 places, to rule out a bad shop),
> yet
> > it shimmies.
> >
> > Below 60, the car is smooth. Above that, it shimmies for a few
> seconds
> > and then stops. Then starts, and so on and so on. It's a cycle.
> >
> > I had the car aligned (it was pulling to the left a bit) and
> balanced.
> > it doesn't have the original rims. I just bought it last week and it
> > came with 17 inch rims (which I really don't like, but can't replace
> > for now $$$$$$).
> >
> > Any help on to what else to check would be appreciated.
> >
>
> It would be easy to blame the 17" wheels (as they are easier to bend
> than the stock ones) but the combination of your two posts makes me
> think that the problem actually lies elsewhere. What you are describing
> as a "shimmy" - is it really more like a low thrumming or vibration? A
> shimmy would be a lazier oscillation of the steering wheel, what I'm
> thinking is you're actually getting kind of a low frequency vibration
> that builds and dies at a very low frequency - 1 Hz or less. That would
> be a beat frequency set up by two separate vibrations that are almost -
> but not exactly - at the same frequency. i.e. if you have one item
> vibrating at 1000 Hz and one at 999 Hz they will set up a beat at 1 Hz.
> I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that you check your CV
> joints - is there a lot of play in them? That could account for *both*
> of the problems you describe, if you have at least two badly worn CV
> joints, one on each side.
>
> Let me know if I nailed it or if I'm completely off base here
>
> nate
>
> --
> replace "fly" with "com" to reply.
> http://home.comcast.net/~njnagel

Yup. He is describing a harmonic vibration, the point where two or more
less noticeable vibes coincide with each other to produce a momentary
shake that ebbs and flows...very hard to pinpoint....could be anything
from drive axles to tires to intenal tranny parts, body resonations,
etc...slightly bent wheel hub mating areas are good for that too...it
would be a good idea if you know anyone with a similar vehicle to swap
out wheels and tires for test drive...that might nail it and you could
stop worrying about it...


--
jeffcoslacker
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danalmsa wrote:
> Hello,
>
> This is the 2nd post for my car, and I posted seperately cause I
> believe they are diiferent issues, though I may be wrong. Anyway, my
> car, a 2003 Camry, starts to shimmy as soon as it hits 60 MPH. I have
> taken it to get balanced (tried 2 places, to rule out a bad shop), yet
> it shimmies.
>
> Below 60, the car is smooth. Above that, it shimmies for a few seconds
> and then stops. Then starts, and so on and so on. It's a cycle.
>
> I had the car aligned (it was pulling to the left a bit) and balanced.
> it doesn't have the original rims. I just bought it last week and it
> came with 17 inch rims (which I really don't like, but can't replace
> for now $$$$$$).
>
> Any help on to what else to check would be appreciated.

Lets see if we can tie the problem to the wheels. Try swapping the
rear wheels for the front ones and note if there is any change.

John S. wrote:
> danalmsa wrote:
> > Hello,
> >
> > This is the 2nd post for my car, and I posted seperately cause I
> > believe they are diiferent issues, though I may be wrong. Anyway, my
> > car, a 2003 Camry, starts to shimmy as soon as it hits 60 MPH. I have
> > taken it to get balanced (tried 2 places, to rule out a bad shop), yet
> > it shimmies.
> >
> > Below 60, the car is smooth. Above that, it shimmies for a few seconds
> > and then stops. Then starts, and so on and so on. It's a cycle.
> >
> > I had the car aligned (it was pulling to the left a bit) and balanced.
> > it doesn't have the original rims. I just bought it last week and it
> > came with 17 inch rims (which I really don't like, but can't replace
> > for now $$$$$$).
> >
> > Any help on to what else to check would be appreciated.
>
> Lets see if we can tie the problem to the wheels. Try swapping the
> rear wheels for the front ones and note if there is any change.


I tried this and the shimmy was still there. And when I did the
balancing the first time, all 4 tires were balanced, so as to rule out
the rear tire being out of balance.

danalmsa wrote:
> John S. wrote:
> > danalmsa wrote:
> > > Hello,
> > >
> > > This is the 2nd post for my car, and I posted seperately cause I
> > > believe they are diiferent issues, though I may be wrong. Anyway, my
> > > car, a 2003 Camry, starts to shimmy as soon as it hits 60 MPH. I have
> > > taken it to get balanced (tried 2 places, to rule out a bad shop), yet
> > > it shimmies.
> > >
> > > Below 60, the car is smooth. Above that, it shimmies for a few seconds
> > > and then stops. Then starts, and so on and so on. It's a cycle.
> > >
> > > I had the car aligned (it was pulling to the left a bit) and balanced.
> > > it doesn't have the original rims. I just bought it last week and it
> > > came with 17 inch rims (which I really don't like, but can't replace
> > > for now $$$$$$).
> > >
> > > Any help on to what else to check would be appreciated.
> >
> > Lets see if we can tie the problem to the wheels. Try swapping the
> > rear wheels for the front ones and note if there is any change.
>
>
> I tried this and the shimmy was still there. And when I did the
> balancing the first time, all 4 tires were balanced, so as to rule out
> the rear tire being out of balance.

When they did the balance jobs did you or the tech look specifically
for rims that were bent?

I say this because my now deceased older Volvo 240 had some of the
nicest aluminum wheels i've ever seen, and it used something like 60 or
65 series tires. And yet after 6 years of driving it shimmied and
vibrated no matter how the wheels were balanced or rotated. A careful
look revealed that time had taken it's toll and all 4 rims no longer
ran true. Replacing them with steel wheels solved the problem.

John S. wrote:
> danalmsa wrote:
> > John S. wrote:
> > > danalmsa wrote:
> > > > Hello,
> > > >
> > > > This is the 2nd post for my car, and I posted seperately cause I
> > > > believe they are diiferent issues, though I may be wrong. Anyway, my
> > > > car, a 2003 Camry, starts to shimmy as soon as it hits 60 MPH. I have
> > > > taken it to get balanced (tried 2 places, to rule out a bad shop), yet
> > > > it shimmies.
> > > >
> > > > Below 60, the car is smooth. Above that, it shimmies for a few seconds
> > > > and then stops. Then starts, and so on and so on. It's a cycle.
> > > >
> > > > I had the car aligned (it was pulling to the left a bit) and balanced.
> > > > it doesn't have the original rims. I just bought it last week and it
> > > > came with 17 inch rims (which I really don't like, but can't replace
> > > > for now $$$$$$).
> > > >
> > > > Any help on to what else to check would be appreciated.
> > >
> > > Lets see if we can tie the problem to the wheels. Try swapping the
> > > rear wheels for the front ones and note if there is any change.
> >
> >
> > I tried this and the shimmy was still there. And when I did the
> > balancing the first time, all 4 tires were balanced, so as to rule out
> > the rear tire being out of balance.
>
> When they did the balance jobs did you or the tech look specifically
> for rims that were bent?
>
> I say this because my now deceased older Volvo 240 had some of the
> nicest aluminum wheels i've ever seen, and it used something like 60 or
> 65 series tires. And yet after 6 years of driving it shimmied and
> vibrated no matter how the wheels were balanced or rotated. A careful
> look revealed that time had taken it's toll and all 4 rims no longer
> ran true. Replacing them with steel wheels solved the problem.


Hmmm, I did not.

Rotating the tire positions and seeing if a noise or vibration changes
in character is one old trick that won't hurt anything and might give
some insight into these devilish problems.

I've this sort of problem caused by a bent alloy rim (caught by an
alert tire tech) and on another occasion by an internal tread
separation (caught by a diligent and persistent tire tech who thought
it odd that he was using so many wheel weights, and that the computer
was telling him to put them in a different place every time --
eventually he busted the tire off the rim and saw that it was smiling
back at him from inside).

I've also certainly noticed that some road surfaces, speeds, and
car+tire combinations are one thing too many. Be sure you're testing
this effect on a genuinely smooth stretch, assuming there is one where
you can hit a suitable speed safely (good mechanics often have local
favorites that help them in various ways pay particular attention to
specific problems).

Best of luck,
--Joe

my 99villager van has the same problem I've been through the tire and
wheel,alignment gautlet,with no success(places telling me I have
separated belts in my tires)So I took it into a ***** garage. they
pointed out my very bad cv boots.(torn and grease coming out of
them)they were replaced, had it aligned, rebalanced, same problem but
maybe worse , now i notice the low frequency sound or humming( i
guess)someone else has mentioned,
originating, it sounds like, from the wheel bearing area or cv joint
itself.could my cv joints be bad and causing this all along? or did the
******* guy not repack my wheel bearings? im looking for suggestions


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greg123 wrote:
> my 99villager van has the same problem I've been through the tire and
> wheel,alignment gautlet,with no success(places telling me I have
> separated belts in my tires)So I took it into a ***** garage. they
> pointed out my very bad cv boots.(torn and grease coming out of
> them)they were replaced, had it aligned, rebalanced, same problem but
> maybe worse , now i notice the low frequency sound or humming( i
> guess)someone else has mentioned,
> originating, it sounds like, from the wheel bearing area or cv joint
> itself.could my cv joints be bad and causing this all along? or did the
> ******* guy not repack my wheel bearings? im looking for suggestions
>
>

your wheel bearings are probably sealed and pressed into the knuckles;
they were either replaced or left alone, there is no "repack"

nate

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