Steering wheel shaking at high speeds (19" csl's recently installed)

J-Thurm · 08-12-2009, 01:43 AM

My steering wheel is shaking at 60mph and above. I have 19" csl's all the way around and I'm not sure why its doing this at high speeds. Do all z4 coupes do this in the beginning stages? I only have 3,000 miles on the car!

MR PERSONALITY · 08-12-2009, 02:20 AM

Wheel balancing could be out?

killjohnnyforan · 08-12-2009, 05:27 AM

install them yourself?

Huz-Z · 08-12-2009, 06:23 AM

Sounds like you need a wheel balance and perhaps a front end alignment. Have you hit any curbs hard or a pot hole recently?

Dave

daveysew · 08-12-2009, 07:12 AM

Sounds silly but did you check the torque of the wheel bolts?

gnx · 08-12-2009, 07:34 AM

Get your wheels balanced, again. I had the same issue, I had my wheels rebalanced and its better, although not perfect. The guy at the tire shop blames the tires I got from a UK discount store. What tires do you have on?

3002 tii · 08-12-2009, 08:28 AM

get them rebalanced, had the same issue. for me, the magic number was 80mph. nothing less... the second i hit 80mph, the wheel had alot of play/vibration. got them rebalanced and it was all better.

onelove · 08-12-2009, 08:51 AM

If they're replicas make sure that the hub center on the wheel is equal to that of the hub or else you'll need hub-centric rings.

3002 tii · 08-12-2009, 09:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by onelove

If they're replicas make sure that the hub center on the wheel is equal to that of the hub or else you'll need hub-centric rings.

true but you'd feel that before high speeds...

onelove · 08-12-2009, 10:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dubbedown

true but you'd feel that before high speeds...

Not necessarly. I had a set of TE37s on my last coupe that where said to be hubcentric, turns out Rays was a few mm off on the measurements. Caused the car to vibrate over 50-60mph but was fine down low (again off slightly). Could be the case here. If it was off 10-15mm you are correct he would likely feel the vibration much earlier.

Rick Hunter · 08-12-2009, 10:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by onelove

If they're replicas make sure that the hub center on the wheel is equal to that of the hub or else you'll need hub-centric rings.

X2. I'm with this speculation.

Of course, I'd make sure these were not the issue before going the next level like alignments, etc.:

1) Are wheels properly balanced? Any balance weights maybe fallen off?
2) Are all wheel bolts properly torqued (star fashion) to specs, and re-torqued ~100-150 miles after wheels were installed?
3) Are your wheels hubcentric to the vehicle? Many BMW replica wheels come hubcentric to the 5er / 7er, so rings need to be used on Z4s.

jrich4411 · 08-12-2009, 05:17 PM

I had a similar issue with my 325i with 19" wheels. Their ended up being 2 problems. The wheels were all balanced ok. However, the tech at the tire place showed me how the wheels themselves weren't perfectly round. They weren't tremendously bad, but enough.
Also, the tech cleaned off the inside of the wheels and the outside of the hubs - both surfaces where they meet. That made a distinct difference. After I had the wheels straightened, the vibration & shimmy went away completely.
I'm assuming that your wheels are new, but have them checked and cleaned anyways. The previous comments about the hub centric rims vs centering rings should also be looked at.

J-Thurm · 08-13-2009, 12:45 AM

I had them mounted and balanced somewhere and then put them on myself. Maybe I torqued them too tightly? I'm taking it to the dealership tomorrow, so hopefully they can figure out whats going on. Can this mess up the car at all?

3002 tii · 08-13-2009, 08:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by J-Thurm

I had them mounted and balanced somewhere and then put them on myself. Maybe I torqued them too tightly? I'm taking it to the dealership tomorrow, so hopefully they can figure out whats going on. Can this mess up the car at all?

stay clear from the dealer, they don't know anything more than your local tire performance shop. and given these are non-oem wheels, nothing good can come out of going to a dealer.

last time i went for maintenance, they went OUT OF THEIR WAY to write in the invoice that i had non-oem wheels on the car, wtf?

J-Thurm · 08-13-2009, 09:43 PM

It's free...but they told me it was JUST THE TIRES. I have Nitto Envo's and they are saying its just the tires and its normal. Is there any truth to this? They said keep driving it and it WOULD NOT hurt my car.

ZED4Mjjl · 08-14-2009, 10:32 AM

I suggest you find a good tire and wheel place and check out the tires make sure they are not defective and the wheels. Wheels America is a good place dont know if there is one near you. Had a vibration on a 2000 Audi S4 that never went away no matter what I did, one of the wheels was very slightly out of round or wobbling, it was virtually unnoticeable but they rebuilt the wheel and the car was perfectly smooth afterwards. They said you'd be surprised how many wheels are imperfect from the factory. It makes balancing an impossible task.

melbs · 08-18-2009, 03:07 AM

check the basics first:

1. bent wheel (doesn't mean its new its not perfectly round)
2. tire flat spot
3. unbalanced tire

mimsterzx7r · 08-18-2009, 03:53 AM

I just put on a set of 19" ZCP wheels on my car with michelin pilot sports. I set the torque wrench for the wheel bolts at 85 ft/lbs in a star pattern. I bought em used with about 5000 miles and they were balanced by the previous owner.

I haven't had any problems but I've only had them on for a couple days. Took it up to 110mph without a problem.

I've never heard of re-torqueing the bolts at 100-150 miles but I guess that's not a bad idea.

rc'Z · 08-18-2009, 09:33 AM

Don't underestimate the importance of properly torqued wheels.

RCNet · 08-18-2009, 01:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by J-Thurm

It's free...but they told me it was JUST THE TIRES. I have Nitto Envo's and they are saying its just the tires and its normal. Is there any truth to this? They said keep driving it and it WOULD NOT hurt my car.

I recently put a set of Nitto Invos on my stock 18" wheels (style 224) and have had no problems with vibration at any speed. They are quieter and smoother riding than the original Contis that came with the car. I wouldn't "buy" what they are saying about it being "just the tires" and it's normal. It could be a tire problem causing it (bad tire), but it's certainly not normal.

Matty C · 08-18-2009, 04:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by J-Thurm

My steering wheel is shaking at 60mph and above. I have 19" csl's all the way around and I'm not sure why its doing this at high speeds. Do all z4 coupes do this in the beginning stages? I only have 3,000 miles on the car!

Are the CSL's replicas? If so are the Hub Centric? If not there might be a small gap causing shaking or thumping at 60 - 80 mphs. You probably need hub spacers.

rps · 08-19-2009, 07:37 PM

I've got to throw my two cents in wheel torque. The best way to have the brakes vibrate when you apply them is to have improperly torqued wheels. I NEVER let the tire shop or dealer torque the wheels, I always take the car home and torque them by hand (no torque wrench) to +-90 lbs. You can pick up a torque wrench for less than $100 and it is the best money spent.

08-12-2009, 01:43 AM	#1
J-Thurm Second Lieutenant 27 Rep 204 Posts Drives: 2007 bmw z4 coupe 3.0si Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Crestwood iTrader: (0)	Steering wheel shaking at high speeds (19" csl's recently installed) My steering wheel is shaking at 60mph and above. I have 19" csl's all the way around and I'm not sure why its doing this at high speeds. Do all z4 coupes do this in the beginning stages? I only have 3,000 miles on the car!
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08-12-2009, 02:20 AM	#2
MR PERSONALITY Private First Class 9 Rep 152 Posts Drives: 08 Z4 M COUPE, 07 MINI GP Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: SOUTH AFRICA iTrader: (0)	Wheel balancing could be out?
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08-12-2009, 05:27 AM	#3
killjohnnyforan First Lieutenant 29 Rep 339 Posts Drives: ///M Coupe Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: NY iTrader: (1)	install them yourself?
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08-12-2009, 06:23 AM	#4
Huz-Z Brigadier General 851 Rep 4,057 Posts Drives: Z4 3.0si, 328 XDrive, X5 35i Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Canada iTrader: (0)	Sounds like you need a wheel balance and perhaps a front end alignment. Have you hit any curbs hard or a pot hole recently? Dave
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08-12-2009, 07:12 AM	#5
daveysew First Lieutenant 14 Rep 307 Posts Drives: '91 318is/'05 Z4 SC/'18 440ix Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Toronto iTrader: (1)	Sounds silly but did you check the torque of the wheel bolts?
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08-12-2009, 07:34 AM	#6
gnx Όλα ρόδες 760 Rep 560 Posts Drives: BMW Join Date: May 2008 Location: Athens, Greece iTrader: (0) Garage List 2004 e46 M3 Convert ... [7.50] 2023 M4 CSL [8.17] 2007 E86 M Coupe [0.00] 2008 e93 M3 [0.00] 2019 M2 Competition [9.67] 2017 f48 X1 xdrive 25d [6.00]	Get your wheels balanced, again. I had the same issue, I had my wheels rebalanced and its better, although not perfect. The guy at the tire shop blames the tires I got from a UK discount store. What tires do you have on?
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08-12-2009, 08:28 AM	#7
3002 tii Lieutenant General 2285 Rep 12,565 Posts Drives: Z4 M, X5, GX460 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: CT iTrader: (99) Garage List F15 X5 xDrive35i [8.75] E86 Z4 M [10.00] F10 550i (Retired) [9.17] F25 X3 xDrive35i (R ... [9.43] E82 135is (Retired) [9.50] E85 Z4 M (Retired) [9.41] E90 328i xDrive (Re ... [9.25] E86 Z4 3.0si (Retired) [9.24]	get them rebalanced, had the same issue. for me, the magic number was 80mph. nothing less... the second i hit 80mph, the wheel had alot of play/vibration. got them rebalanced and it was all better. __________________ Follow for latest mods
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08-12-2009, 08:51 AM	#8
onelove Track Head 24 Rep 503 Posts Drives: 07 Z4M Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Orlando,FL iTrader: (0)	If they're replicas make sure that the hub center on the wheel is equal to that of the hub or else you'll need hub-centric rings.
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08-12-2009, 05:17 PM	#12
jrich4411 Private First Class 5 Rep 165 Posts Drives: 2006 ///M black on black Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: New Hampshire iTrader: (0)	I had a similar issue with my 325i with 19" wheels. Their ended up being 2 problems. The wheels were all balanced ok. However, the tech at the tire place showed me how the wheels themselves weren't perfectly round. They weren't tremendously bad, but enough. Also, the tech cleaned off the inside of the wheels and the outside of the hubs - both surfaces where they meet. That made a distinct difference. After I had the wheels straightened, the vibration & shimmy went away completely. I'm assuming that your wheels are new, but have them checked and cleaned anyways. The previous comments about the hub centric rims vs centering rings should also be looked at.
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08-13-2009, 12:45 AM	#13
J-Thurm Second Lieutenant 27 Rep 204 Posts Drives: 2007 bmw z4 coupe 3.0si Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Crestwood iTrader: (0)	I had them mounted and balanced somewhere and then put them on myself. Maybe I torqued them too tightly? I'm taking it to the dealership tomorrow, so hopefully they can figure out whats going on. Can this mess up the car at all?
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08-13-2009, 09:43 PM	#15
J-Thurm Second Lieutenant 27 Rep 204 Posts Drives: 2007 bmw z4 coupe 3.0si Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Crestwood iTrader: (0)	It's free...but they told me it was JUST THE TIRES. I have Nitto Envo's and they are saying its just the tires and its normal. Is there any truth to this? They said keep driving it and it WOULD NOT hurt my car.
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08-14-2009, 10:32 AM	#16
ZED4Mjjl Private First Class 5 Rep 107 Posts Drives: 2013 F13 M6 CoupÃ© Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Broward, FL iTrader: (0)	I suggest you find a good tire and wheel place and check out the tires make sure they are not defective and the wheels. Wheels America is a good place dont know if there is one near you. Had a vibration on a 2000 Audi S4 that never went away no matter what I did, one of the wheels was very slightly out of round or wobbling, it was virtually unnoticeable but they rebuilt the wheel and the car was perfectly smooth afterwards. They said you'd be surprised how many wheels are imperfect from the factory. It makes balancing an impossible task.
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08-18-2009, 03:07 AM	#17
melbs New Member 1 Rep 16 Posts Drives: 2003 2.5i E85 Z4 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Philippines iTrader: (0)	check the basics first: 1. bent wheel (doesn't mean its new its not perfectly round) 2. tire flat spot 3. unbalanced tire
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08-18-2009, 03:53 AM	#18
mimsterzx7r Private First Class 5 Rep 161 Posts Drives: 07 M Roadster, 03 Pathfinder Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Houston, TX iTrader: (0)	I just put on a set of 19" ZCP wheels on my car with michelin pilot sports. I set the torque wrench for the wheel bolts at 85 ft/lbs in a star pattern. I bought em used with about 5000 miles and they were balanced by the previous owner. I haven't had any problems but I've only had them on for a couple days. Took it up to 110mph without a problem. I've never heard of re-torqueing the bolts at 100-150 miles but I guess that's not a bad idea. __________________ ZHP knob/Zeckhausen CDV/ESS Tune/More to come Last edited by mimsterzx7r; 08-18-2009 at 05:03 AM..
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08-18-2009, 09:33 AM	#19
rc'Z Captain 13 Rep 821 Posts Drives: 2009 335i Convertible Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Virginia iTrader: (0)	Don't underestimate the importance of properly torqued wheels.
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08-19-2009, 07:37 PM	#22
rps Captain 35 Rep 609 Posts Drives: 2013 X1 Join Date: May 2009 Location: Pace, Fl iTrader: (11)	I've got to throw my two cents in wheel torque. The best way to have the brakes vibrate when you apply them is to have improperly torqued wheels. I NEVER let the tire shop or dealer torque the wheels, I always take the car home and torque them by hand (no torque wrench) to +-90 lbs. You can pick up a torque wrench for less than $100 and it is the best money spent. __________________ NB8S Past Garage: Z4, 135i. Present Garage: 2013 X Drive X1 2.8i.
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