The faster I go, the harder the car shakes. What could be causing it and how do I fix it?

Question

I just had my tires rotated and balanced, then had a tie rod replaced on my right front tire. The shaking was reduced slightly by the new tie rod, but it still shakes when I get over 55 mph. My dad thought my tires may need replacing, someone else said I may have a bad rim, another person said that the people that rotated my tires didn't actually balance them. If I take it to a tire shop (like Tire Kingdom) can they actually tell me what's wrong or am I just going to have to replace things until I figure it out?

Answer 1

  Michelle, I'm no super-mechanic but it kinda sounds like you've got a bad rim , if the tire shop did what they were supposed to, then it can't be too big . They could have forgotten too balance the wheels, but most people are good enough to remember that.  So,  check the rims for large dents and then check the wheels to see if any of the wheel weights have been removed (clean spots) and replaced,  one of the weights could have fallen off.  

Answer 2

Lets start with the simple things-

Check the tire air pressures. Make sure they are right.

Look at the tread wear, are they wearing more to the center car or the reverse? If so you need an alignment.

Run your hand over the tread, it there any cupping or scalloping?

If so you may need ball joints and or shocks. There also the chance that it could indicate a bearing problem.

Is it the road you are on? Try driving a different road or lane and see if that helps. Maybe drive a different car on the same road.

Have you put the car into a panic stop after buying the tires? If so you may have flat spotted a tire/s.

As for Tire Kingdom, we don't have them here. But in the case of suspension problems, I look for an independent front end specialist. It may end up costing you less in the long run.

Answer 3

Tire Kingdom will be able to do a front or four wheel alignment and posibly diagnose your shake. After tie rod replaced I would have expected an alignment .Could also have a tire separating. Many causes I would start with alignment

Answer 4

Since you balanced your tires and rotated them, I'm thinking bent rim or bad tire. Try rotating them back to front again. If it goes away, then it's one of the tires or rims you moved to the back. If the problem persists, then it's got to be your steering rack and pinion. Unfortunately, thats a very costly repair. Eliminate everything else first.

Answer 5

It appears to be a tire which has a depressed centre.You will need to replace that tire only.It is usually a single tire and you can even change with the spare one if that is okay.