Wheel vibration

[Mash]

I'm looking for some suggestions here as I have three cars which all suffer with this problem to varying degrees. On the supposition that the wheels are correctly balanced, what are the most common causes of vibration through the steering wheel?

 

In the Sunny and Triumph, both with relatively recent front tyres, the wobble sets in at around 60mph is frustrating to say the least. I don't want to accept the answer that these are shit old cars and shouldn't be driven at such heady speeds!!

 

With the Alfa, it has two points where it is bad - just above 30mph and then again around 55-60mph but fairly smooth thereafter which means it's ok on motorways (providing the surface is decent). With that car I accept the ride is hard due to it having the Sport pack but it shouldn't vibrate. It also a had a pair of new tyres on the front a few weeks ago but it did it before that. With the older cars it's just a bloody nuisance.

 

What have others found to be the things that solved this issue??

[Split_Pin]

Possibly a buckled alloy or incorrect tracking?

[Albert Ross]

Assuming the balancing is correct, I'd have the balancing checked elsewhere. Calibration should be carried out monthly..... do they?

[cobblers]

Biff tracking won't give you wheel wobble in any normal situation, even if it's absolutely miles out.

 

Wheels are balanced to a tolerance which I assume is 5 grams - they are never completely correct, and baggy bushes/ball joints in the suspension can allow them to wiggle around and will accentuate any imbalance. really shit dampers can also do the same, but they'd have to be very bad.

[Spiny Norman]

I wouldn't be so quick to assume the balancing WAS spot on tbh, particularly in the car that has two different 'periods' of vibration. That definitely suggests a harmonic balance issue that comes and goes at different rates of spin. You might find it shakes again at 120-ish....

The only other thing I've ever had that's caused that kind of shake at speed is a slightly sticking brake caliper that just touches the brake disc every so often and again at certain speeds can set up a shake.

[SambaS]

Fucked tyre caused this on my cabriolet. One had a lump

[SambaS]

swap your front and back wheels round

[retrogeezer]

I had a tyre that had a load of water in it once..that made it wobble a fair bit!

[Volksy]

Did you get them all balanced at the same place?

[vulgalour]

I eliminated wheel wobble on the Princess similar to this by fitting new track rod ends taking the wheels to classic-friendly garages for balancing - regular places seemed unable to balance my wheels, for reasons I do not understand - and getting rid of the tyre that had an inner tube fitted.

[dollywobbler]

swap your front and back wheels round

 

This. I don't know why you'd assume the wheels are balanced properly though. When I had the Scimitar, I had the wheels rebalanced. They were well off! I suspect it had lost a weight or two. On that, loose wheel bearings also allowed some wobble. They could be adjusted up a touch. Problem gone. Not an option on more modern stuff.

[Mash]

Yeah I'll try a few things suggested. I had assumed correct balancing as the tyres were brand new a couple of weeks ago! I'll take it somewhere else and have it checked.

[Rusty Pelican]

Mine was caused by a brake drum run out of only 9 thou , trued the drums to 1/4 thou at work and its cured

 

If you have front discs not drums ignor this ,

Also try on the car wheel balancing , supposed to be better.