Shaky steering wheel

[DropTopZeek]

So between 55-70 mph my steering wheel wobbles. Got my wheels balanced and it's still there. New breaks and bearings too. Just got an alignment not too long ago. Any ideas? My tires do look like a warzone after a couple weeks of daily dirt donuts... they said it was because of the tires most likely but "they" was a tire shop...

[2FastforChu]

are u using the stock rims or aftermarket?

[DropTopZeek]

Stock wheels with BFG radial TA tires

[swan song]

I had this same thing happening. Replaced inner and outer tie rods, that did make it more manageable, but the problem is actually in my wheels on the front. They are Datsun zx wheels, and those are lug centric, while they should be hubcentric. Even though I have centering rings, they may not be completely centered.

[ozzie]

I'd look at tie rod ends, ball joints, lower control arm bushings, and steering rack bushings.

[DropTopZeek]

This is where it gets confusing. I have recently replaced the control arms and tie rods because of the wreck. Everything seemed right when I did so too.

[ozzie]

Have you had a front end alignment? Did you do both sides or just the one?

[DropTopZeek]

Recent four wheel alignment after the repairs. Best numbers I'd seen on the car way better than when I bought it.

[ozzie]

Are the wheels the same ones as the accident? Try swapping them front to rear.

[DropTopZeek]

I definitely should rotate them you are right Ozzie. Simple yet potentially very effective. I'll try it on Saturday morning. These are things I should probably be doing already I just find myself so damn busy st work and end up not putting time into my own car.

[DropTopZeek]

Update on the shaky wheel situation: I rotated my tires yesterday. The rears were worn like this /   \  and the fronts were worn like this \    / (despite recent alignment that was near perfect). My steering wheel doesn't seem to shake the way it did before. What are now my front tires are pretty unevenly and heavily worn compared to the other two. What are now my rears are shredded as if wolverine went to town on them with way more tread than the others. So now it seems i have a harder time losing grip in the back and easier understeer. Oh well I guess theyll even out with some time. Side note, I also changed the oxygen sensor. Oh boy it idles so much better now. The one i took out looked like the original!

[swan song]

No sir! Waiting for them to “even out” is a very bad idea. The conditions you describe are not good. Those tires need replaced ASAP. And I would check your ball joints. Jack up the front off the ground. Grab a tire at the top and the bottom. Shake it, pushing in and out. Any play? ANY movement is bad. For wheel bearings, grab the tire left and right. Do the same.

[DropTopZeek]

There's new control arms tie rods and wheel bearings up front. The tires are pretty bad cuz i drift it occasionally and i used to go offroad in it a lot for tomfoolery. Do I really have to buy new tires? They have double the tread of what is acceptable, just some uneven wear. Some of it probably has to do with me never rotating them before now and going through some short periods of major front end issues due to the wreck I had. Specifically, what warrants spending a whole two weeks of pay on it? Tires for these things ain't cheap. I haven't been able to find anything other than BFG Radial T/As.

[danf]

You need to replace your tires. Your car is a step away from a blowout, if you have that on the highway you're really screwed.

I would say based on your description one or more of your abused dorifto tires has a bulge or other major deformity. Either that or bent rims, or a combination of the two.

You need to go to a tire shop and have your tires inspected, and be prepared to replace them. Tires are the only thing connecting you to the ground, you don't want to have a blowout at speed, trust us.

[ozzie]

It wouldn't be the first time a TPS tested good when the engine was stationary, but failed under a bit of vibration.