Cause of vibration/tremble in steering wheel?

King Kong

I've recently bought a '02 Lexus IS200 and am a bit worried about a noticable vibration/tremble in the steering wheel when driving over some surfaces. I'm assuming this isn't any particular problem, as its intermittent ( my thinking being that if there was a problem with car, the problem would be there the entire time). This vibration isn't violent but its apparent to the naked eye and notice just something you'd pick up through feel when driving.

Does anybody have any idea what might be causing/contributing to this or encounter something similar? The car is rear wheel drive and is fitted with low profile tyres (which is where my suspicion lies at the moment). I originally thought it might be the tracking so I got that sorted but the problem persisted.

I realise its a small issue - but its starting to get under my skin to be honest. If there is anything that can be done about, I'd appreciate the insight.

Jakey

It could be the wheels need balancing or the low profile tyres are feeding back every pebble on the road, How low are the profile on the tyres 35 or 45? Personally I found anything below 45 to be too low for the roads in this country.

unkel

King Kong wrote:

fitted with low profile tyres (which is where my suspicion lies at the moment). I originally thought it might be the tracking so I got that sorted but the problem persisted

If it's the tracking, you usually notice it at a certain speed range no matter what kind of road you drive on. I suspect it's the low profile tyres too. You probably don't have one of the recommended wheel/ tyre combinations. It's called "tramlining" where the car has a tendency to follow the camber in the road. I don't think there's much you can do about it though*, but someone else might have tips

*except changing the wheels and tyres back to one of the standard sizes the manufacturer recommends

Mr Magnolia

Ukkel's correct, it's not the tracking. Tracking causes the car to veer, generally to the left.

It sounds to me like your wheels need balancing. Your car will vibrate at high(er) speeds when the balancing is out. Shouldn't cost you much to get done, maybe €15-€25 for your 2 front wheels. If this doesn't rectify it take it to a garage.

King Kong

All,

thanks for the feedback. The tyres are 45s so not the lowest profile going -but I'll get the balancing checking and see what improvement that makes.

MercMad

As mentioned a lot of people confuse tracking (the actual direction the wheels are pointing in relation to eachother) with balancing. Usually you will notice balance problems between 50-70MPH and generally not under that, however if there is damage to a wheel rim you can feel that at lower speeds.
First thing to do is check the tyres and wheels for obvious damage and that includes the inside of the rim, make sure the wheels are still round !!

Also are they factory wheels, if not they may not be centralised on the hub properly. A lot of spurious/universal wheels may have correct bolt spacing (PCD) but they rely on the shank of the wheel bolt for centralising which is a poor method and can lead top problems.

You say you can feel it driving over rough ground, can you elaborate ?

Are you sensing a clockwise/anticlockwise motion through the wheel or does it just feel like there is play somewwhere ?

I suspect the latter and I would suggest it is the front antiroll bar bushes, and you are feeling the movement through the column and bulkhead.

crosstownk

King Kong wrote:

All,

thanks for the feedback. The tyres are 45s so not the lowest profile going -but I'll get the balancing checking and see what improvement that makes.

Yep - get them balanced first. If that rectifies the problem then all is well. If not, further investigation will be required. One step at a time..............