wheel shaking at 60 mph

[blackbox619]

Hi pEopLe~ i have a 2005 a4 2.0t i just put on a new set of aixs matrix (not staggered) with pirelli pzero nero 235/35/19. the set up is brand new and when i hit 60 or above, the steering wheel vibrates. i had the wheels balanced twice because i thought that the vendor who i had purchased it from didnt do the right thing. they're 19 x 8 and im using the oem bolts... do i need longer bolts, if so what mm? there are no bends on the wheels and the tires are in excellent shape. does anybody know why the steering wheel vibrates? i thought the wheels werent balanced causing it to vibrate. im not using spacers... what gives? any help would be very appreciated. thank you!

[jrok24k]

it either looks like you need a new balance and/or hubcentric rings also maybe you should get aftermarket lugs

[windextor]

Hi pEopLe~ i have a 2005 a4 2.0t i just put on a new set of aixs matrix (not staggered) with pirelli pzero nero 235/35/19. the set up is brand new and when i hit 60 or above, the steering wheel vibrates. i had the wheels balanced twice because i thought that the vendor who i had purchased it from didnt do the right thing. they're 19 x 8 and im using the oem bolts... do i need longer bolts, if so what mm? there are no bends on the wheels and the tires are in excellent shape. does anybody know why the steering wheel vibrates? i thought the wheels werent balanced causing it to vibrate. im not using spacers... what gives? any help would be very appreciated. thank you!

does it go away after a certain speed if you continue to accelerate through 60mph?

[blackbox619]

the vibrations arent that bad after i pass 90. it still shakes but not as bad. below 60mph, theres no problems.

[elwigglero]

Take it somewhere else to get balanced. If the tires are in good shape and are evenly worn, the wheels most likely just need to be properly balanced.

[4RingRook]

Your tires are out of balance. They need to be redone.

Road force balance if you can.

It's possible the wheels could be out of round. I had that happen to me with my HREs. It'd be fine to 60, 60-70 shake like hell, 75, fine.

[toothysaw2]

i have the exact same issue running the same tires although i'm 245. i have hub centric rings, after market bolts, and have had tires balanced and checked for roundness 3 times.

for me it starts at almost exactly 60mph and goes away around 75.

after balancing it usually goes away for a month or two, but comes back without fail.

[blackbox619]

toothysaw2, isnt it annoying? im thinking of getting new tires instead of dealing with it. did u get used to it?

[windextor]

yah my stock wheels do that at 60mph on the dot and at 68mph gone...for 8 months now...i never go that speed so it isn't really and issue but definitely sketchy at that speed

[ArmanB7]

ive got 19" axis pentas with hubcentric rings and aftermarket bolts. Ive got the same problem my steering wheel and pedal vibrate.

[blackbox619]

damn, pedals vibrating too?? and i thought i had it bad... sorry for my complaining. ive been sitting here at my shop having my stasis ss installed and they rebalanced my wheels. it was off by 0.75 and hopefully that will cure my vibarator on wheels. gonna find out when i hit the highroads tonight. wish me luck people!!! thanks for the replies! all i can say is that since im a noobie here, everybody has been more than helpful and hopefully i can return the favor someday!

[AWDTURBO]

like most people are saying, after 55 mph if your rims/steering wheel shake your rims are not hub centric

[marty was here]

did u bend a rim?

[blackbox619]

negative on the rim, rounder than the moon!!

[4RingRook]

you bought BOTH wheels and tires NEW?

did you buy them separately?

[Blarg]

It has to be:

1. Tire out of balance
2. Bent rim
3. Tire runout
4. Alignment
5. Suspension worn (alignment would reveal)
6. Wheel not centered when mounted
7. Tickle-Me Elmo

[toothysaw2]

It has to be:

1. Tire out of balance
2. Bent rim
3. Tire runout
4. Alignment
5. Suspension worn (alignment would reveal)
6. Wheel not centered when mounted
7. Tickle-Me Elmo

yes you would certainly think so. and i think it's number 1 in most cases. but i can't explain why mine always comes back with a couple months of getting tires rebalanced.

[4RingRook]

yes you would certainly think so. and i think it's number 1 in most cases. but i can't explain why mine always comes back with a couple months of getting tires rebalanced.

Maybe you're throwing a weight over time? It happens...

[blackbox619]

its weird but the vibrations weren't as bad as before. im gonna order a hub centric adapter. hopefully all goes well. thanks again for the input people!

[Turn10]

OMG your car gonna splode.

Nah, I would say it has something to do with alignment. My car was bought new and I had the same problem. Took it in and it was realigned and now no more shake. Also my car would start drifting to the side but thats fixed also.

[blackbox619]

i had no problems with the stock 17s even up to 90mph... its gotta be the wheels, hopefully the hub ring will do the trick. the tire and rims were purchased brand new and never used.

[toothysaw2]

Maybe you're throwing a weight over time? It happens...

yes i think that's what happens. are there better ways to weight the wheels than those sticky ones that go inside the wheel? i've never really researched it, but it seems like there would be.

[davis449]

I would say go and get the tires road force balanced. It's a different type of balance than your standard spin balance. This usually solves vibration problems after you've had the tires spin balanced a couple times to no avail. Also, there shouldn't be a need to change your bolts if your new rims are the proper offset (et 35, I think).

[Blarg]

I read somewhere recently that if you brake or accelerate hard enough the tire can spin on the rim slightly which would throw off the balance. Haven't really heard that before but I guess it's possible.

[p1nk50ck]

do you still have your old wheels? throw them back on, and see if you still have the same problem.

that sucks if you already got them balanced twice. does it shake more or less if you apply your brakes? what about while turning/switching lanes?

[Spongebob05]

mine does that as well ...between 60-65, I don't know if my wheels are Hub Centric or not ...I don't even know what that means, it is after market wheels 19's.
But I have aligned and ballanced them before, it still has a little shake to it.
So even if my wheels are not Hub Centric....what can I do to make it so?
TIA

[p1nk50ck]

i haven't taken the wheels off of the audi yet to check, but with the other cars i've owned, there is a small ring or lip that sticks out near the center of the rotor, where you would mount the wheel.

factory wheels are made for the car, so they would have a built in ring that fits perfectly on the car's hub. but because most wheel manufacturers want to mass produce their wheels for a large variety of cars they usually have a large hub, and have a small plastic or metal ring that fits into the hub of the wheel to match the specific size for your car.

if you don't have this "hub centric ring" that matches your wheel to your car, no amount of wheel balancing can correct this, since your wheel may be installed ever so slightly off center.

this being said, most wheel shops will provide the hub centric rings free of charge if you buy the wheel from them. however, if you bought the wheel from an individual seller, and the wheel is not specifically for your car, it may not come with the hub centric ring.

[StratPete]

Put the car up in the air. Loosen the lug bolts in the front (one side). Try and center the wheel and then sung the bolts. I know it sounds crazy, but the tolerance is not good enough to just bang it on. Torque. Do the other side. Drive it. It WILL be better. I've had to do this with several B7 cars I've owned. That's after verified Hunter balancing and runout. Pete, Stratmosphere. 1.866.533.1777

[GottaAudi2]

My B7 had this vibration for about two years from new between 55-65 mph. Tried RF balancing, re-torquing lugs, changing tire pressures, etc. Took it to the dealer several times they would FR balance tires and give me back the car - all to no avail - problem would come and go (sometimes much worse in cold weather). Problem was finally solved with a four wheel alignment that I paid for out of my own pocket. IMO a lot of the B7s that are experiencing steering vibration problems have poor alignments straight from the factory. Recommend paying the $150 -$175 and get it done. In my case, it worked and the car has been smooth as glass ever since.

[StratPete]

That's a great thing to check. If it worked for you I would advise folks to do the same after trying to re-center your wheels (basically free). Plus the correct alignment is great for handling and tire wear.

[Spongebob05]

My B7 had this vibration for about two years from new between 55-65 mph. Tried RF balancing, re-torquing lugs, changing tire pressures, etc. Took it to the dealer several times they would FR balance tires and give me back the car - all to no avail - problem would come and go (sometimes much worse in cold weather). Problem was finally solved with a four wheel alignment that I paid for out of my own pocket. IMO a lot of the B7s that are experiencing steering vibration problems have poor alignments straight from the factory. Recommend paying the $150 -$175 and get it done. In my case, it worked and the car has been smooth as glass ever since.

I have aligned my 4 wheel every year or so, but it still has a little shake..when I put my stock back on it is the same maybe a little less, but it still shake. Dealer have said nothing is wrong with the front end.
So, I'm clue less.

[Spongebob05]

Put the car up in the air. Loosen the lug bolts in the front (one side). Try and center the wheel and then sung the bolts. I know it sounds crazy, but the tolerance is not good enough to just bang it on. Torque. Do the other side. Drive it. It WILL be better. I've had to do this with several B7 cars I've owned. That's after verified Hunter balancing and runout. Pete, Stratmosphere. 1.866.533.1777

Pete,

I'm not following your instruction, can you be more specific on this...thanks man.

[p1nk50ck]

I have aligned my 4 wheel every year or so, but it still has a little shake..when I put my stock back on it is the same maybe a little less, but it still shake. Dealer have said nothing is wrong with the front end.
So, I'm clue less.

so it still vibrates with the stock wheels?

if that's the case, then i would say don't bother with balancing your wheels anymore. does the problem worsen when you're braking or accelerating through those speeds?

1) what happens when you're accelerating from 45 to 70 mph?
2) what happens when you're braking from 70 to 45?

do you notice that one makes vibrations more during that speed?

[agorich]

i had a shake and still do. the dealer said that its to do w/ the tire. so they rotated my tires and put the bad tire in the back and it vibrates a lot less. I'll look for my receipt so I can let you all know the exact reasoning.

[swoardrider]

I've been through 3 sets of different wheels and tires of all sizes, plus a factory alignment and race spec alignment with corner balance. My car has always had a small steering wheel shimmy between 60-65 mph, but only at this speed range. I've learned to live with it, and blame it on AWD.
I believe it has something to do with having 2 driveshafts, 2 diffs, 4 DV joints and axle shafts, and a transfer case. There is just too much shit spinning at once and if anything from the driveline is out of balance, you will feel it. My Land Rover is AWD and had the same exact problem since day 1 too. Lifting it has made it 5 times worse!
Which makes me wonder if lowering an Audi doesn't amplify this problem???
I've come to the conclusion that some AWD cars get this funky harmonic vibration from their drivetrains, and it seems to me that the magic speed is 60-65mph.

[Spongebob05]

so it still vibrates with the stock wheels?

if that's the case, then i would say don't bother with balancing your wheels anymore. does the problem worsen when you're braking or accelerating through those speeds?

1) what happens when you're accelerating from 45 to 70 mph?
2) what happens when you're braking from 70 to 45?

do you notice that one makes vibrations more during that speed?

Just came back from lunch and to test out the 2 questions you have for me.
1) at acceleration 45-70 it shakes between 60-65 other than that it is smooth.
2) braking from 70-45 I feel no shake at all.
Check with my wheel vendor, he confirmed that my wheels are Hub Centric,
however he asked me to is there a gap between the center opening and hub? If so then you will need a hub ring.
And I have a chance to check it.

[john@fifteen52]

...Check with my wheel vendor, he confirmed that my wheels are Hub Centric,
however he asked me to is there a gap between the center opening and hub? If so then you will need a hub ring.
And I have a chance to check it.

A hub-centric wheel requires no rings, the wheel is machined to fit the hub. If he was sure of this, he wouldn't have asked you to check.

An easy way to tell if you need a hub ring is how difficult it is to put the lugs in. A hub-centric wheel or wheel with proper hub-centric rings will take very little effort to line the lug holes up with the wheel holes. Once you get the wheel onto the hub, you simply apply pressure to the center to hold it to the hub and spin the wheel to line up the holes. All 5 holes should line up.

Non-hub-centric wheels will never line up lug holes without holding up the weight of the wheel. You will only be able to line up 1 hole with the wheel, then you have to lift the wheel to line up the rest.

Most aftermarket wheel manufacturers use rings because it would be too expensive to machine each wheel for each specific fitment.

This is just FYI and doesn't necessarily mean your vibration is caused by this.

[boosted2.0]

I have the samething and I have talked to Audi, The aftermarket wheel maker and many drivers. It is my theory that becasue of the increased size (+1 inch) from 18s to 19s You raised the height of the car and with that the aerodynamics. I talked to another fried of mine who had the samething however he lowered his car (1 inch about) And all the vibration went away. You allso might want to check the rims. One might be slighty bent that would cause the car to vibrate but I dont think the wheel. Vibration in the wheel is from the front of the car.

[Gingerkid]

9 month old thread back from the dead.

For what it is worth, hubcentric wheels and Michelin PS2's fixed my problem.

[Grigor@Bestiale]

Hey guys,

I have read quite a few threads all over and I am curious has anyone tried the Audi suggested diagnosis from SSP "861503 Noise, vibration and harshness" (you may find it online or buy it from erwin.audiusa.com).

Also, for the B6/B7 A/S4s (and maybe others) the lower control arms bolt to the sub-frame, which is bolts (with bushings) to the chassis. These bushings can also wear and need replacement (or may be perfectly fine :)).

Anyway, if anyone is still battling this issue, the SSP could be helpful, curious to hear any results.