One of my friends drives a dodge neon 2005 and a week back she had 3 flats and drove on it for approx. 5 miles. She took it to the dealer and got all the tires changed, now the steering wheel is shaking . Of what i know about cars, i think she might have damaged her rim( but in that case dealer should have seen it) or she has bad alignment or the wheel need to be rebalanced. it might have affected the tie rod. What do u guys think? Any comments?thanks
Steering Wheel shaking when the car is being driven at 50-60mph?
it sounds as though the wheels need balancing, although the company that changed the tyres should have done it, perhaps there were untrained staff on at the time ?
Steering Wheel shaking when the car is being driven at 50-60mph?
Check wheel balance and alignment first.
It could be the alignment. Driving on three flats would screw that up.
probably damaged something else
Most likely a tire is out of balance.
only costs like 30 bucks to have them checked and the bad one rebalanced...
However...this is often casued merely by mud stuck in under the rim (if you live in an area where there is %26quot;mud season%26quot;...like Vermont)....and can be washed off.
An alignment issue is usually a problem if the car pulls to the left or to the right....sometimes unnoticably so...and the only evidence is irregular wear on one edge of the tire........not shaking
The alignment is toed in. I've seen this a thousand times. Just go to get it aligned and you'll be all set.
maybe have some problems on tie-rod or ball joint
I AGREE THAT IT COULD VERY WELL BE WHEEL BALANCE. I WOULD ALSO CHECK THE TIRE INFLATION'S.
It sounds like you have a tire out of balance. Which could be caused by a bent rim. I doubt it has anything to do with a tie rod. Have to tires checked and balanced. Good Luck.
check 4 rotor warpage,common w/ front wheel drive cars,plus wheels could be out of balnce
If it only shakes at or around 55-60 mph I can almost guarantee that it's the alignment. Especially if she just got new tires. Any changes to the suspension/tires should ALWAYS be followed by an alignment. Improper alignment can cause uneven tire wear and take it from me I know from experience that uneven tire wear can lead to unexpected flats which are no joke. Tell her to get an alignment ASAP it should run around $30-50 or the dealer may do one at a discount or for free if they replaced the tires. good luck and I hope the problem isn't too serious.
THEY PROBALLY NEED TO BE ALIGNED,,DEALERS WHEN BUYING TIRES HAVE TO BALANCE THEM BUT WILL NOT TELL YOU TO GET THEM ALIGNED OR IT WILL EAT UP YOUR TIRES SLOWLY,,OR IF SHE LIVES ON A DIRT RD AND WET DIRT HAS GOT ON THEM AND DRIED THAT WILL MAKE YOUR CAR SHAKE TOO.
Wheel balance or tracking..just pop and see your friendly neighbourhood mechanic. Probably didn't help driving on the flats...lol.
You are probably right. Shaking that happens at a certain speed might be the wheel alignment, or possibly a tie rod. Wheel balancing could also be a problem. A bad wheel balancing job can be checked by looking at the weights that are hammered along the rim to balance it. Instead of using just one heavier weight to balance a tire it is better to use two smaller weights spaced some distance apart to distribute the weight better. So if you see just one heavy weight on a wheel that might be a problem. Most people these days are hacks and don't want to take the time and effort to do a job right.
You might also check out the motor mounts.
Check wheel balance or bad tire..... if it was alignment it will pull one way or another .... you want to do a test here put car in drive and let it roll if you feel anything shake or wiggle bad tire or wheel... now at speed it comes and goes with faster or slow speed then its a balance things... tire guy 30 yrs rebalanced or at least take it back ... sooner the better.. dont think alignment will have anything to do with shake will will be a pulling thing.. quick test take a good look at the steering wheel does it not look right strait
check the aliignment
The tie rod won't make it shake but a bent rim will. Driving 5 miles on 3 flats...you are bound to have a bent rim. Also, it doesn't sound like it is in balance. Check the tires to see if any of them are separated. It will look like a bubble on the sidewall. Did your friend ask the service manager at the dealership if they would please check the rims before mounting the new tires? How in the world did your friend get 3 flats? Anyway, good luck.
Probably tires out of balance, (or maybe they didn't tighten all the lug nuts on one wheel), I have no idea what kind of holes she drove through with flat tire - it is hard on wheels if done on flats! However it depends a lot on how she drove too, as I have driven 15 miles or more at very low speeds, and on shoulder if possible (dirt tears tires up slower than black top)! End result tire was totally shreds by then,- but all I did is smooth edge of rim and spray on some paint (to prevent rust), and wheels were just fine!
It is possible that a rim got bent,-- it will make less %26quot;fuss%26quot; if put on rear! Try swapping fronts to rear -- one at a time, and when bad wheel is in rear, - it will shake less, or possibly not at all! Or if spare good, - you could try on one side then the other to find %26quot;bad wheel%26quot;!! If out of balance, - it won't stop Shaking, but at least it won't be in steering,--- if in rear!
You could also spin (all) wheels on rear axles, and see if the rim tracks ok, and that tire does not have a bad casing- (plys seperating)! Here you watch to see if tire %26quot;bounces%26quot; wheel %26quot;wobbles%26quot; side to side, - or tire tread surface has a %26quot;joggle%26quot; in it (the %26quot;joggle%26quot; is bad tire casing)!
Unless it realy hit something very hard, alignemnt shoud be ok, -- if it was ok before the flats!
Get the tires balanced and while their doing that ask them check if any of the rims are damaged.If it was the alignment it would squeal going around turns and pull hard.
get them balanced it shood help
