So very shortly, i'll be installing Road Magnets, D-Specs with new strut mounts, aluminum control arms, new ball joints, poly CA bushings and trans mounts.
thats all very well and good, but there's one problem. i have a BAD vibration in the front end, only from 60 mph - 75 mph (and dont give me that OMG SLOW TEH @!#$ DOWN NATIONAL LIMIT IS 65 WTFBBQ). Anything above or below that range is smooth as glass. Or as smooth as your average well maintained j-body can be. so here's my question: what causes vibration at a specific speed range? it's not rpm specific (can drop a gear at the same speed and vibration doesnt change). engine load seems to play somewhat of a factor, going uphill is worse than downhill. other than this issue, no real clunks squeaks or other abnormal noises.
where do i start looking? i'll be right pissed off if i drop all these nice parts in and the vibrations are still there.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edited Wednesday, May 19, 2010 5:17 PM
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maybe your rims are not balanced correctly, could also be an alignment probelm
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balance thing i can see. however, on the alignment,that will be taken care of after the install, so if that's it, then good. HOWEVER, from what i've read/heard from shops, alignments don't generally cause vibrations at speed. the associated tire wear might, but the tires look fine. also; forgot to mention, it cleans up when turning right, gets worse turning left.
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I would think ball joints, possibly. Best thing to do is jack the car up and see if you have any play in the wheel.
An alignment, as you stated, truly should have nothing to do with a shudder, especially when it goes away while applying force. Other possibility is wheel balance, though typically the vibrations get worse as speeds increase, also turning shouldn't effect the vibration.
Do the front end work, get it aligned, and have the wheels balanced. Should take care of the problem.
new ball joints will be going on with the new control arms. so again, if thats it, problem solved. i'm still looking for ANYTHING else it could be.
also, as an aside, i've seen poly tie rod boots. but i can't remember where. what size are ours? just now remembering this, doing a search after posting.
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Sounds like a typical balance problem.
sounds like could be wheel bearing possibly. only reason i say that is because it goes away turning one way.
Check your wheel bearings also. The front ones on the j-bodies are.known for Not being the most reliable.
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oh yah... have swapped bearings side for side (chasing a groan) bearings are good, after swap, vibration does not move.
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BuiltNBoosted wrote:sounds like could be wheel bearing possibly. only reason i say that is because it goes away turning one way.
This is what i'd go with, because i was taught(if i remember right) that when you turn and the noise gets worse or better it's most likely a wheel bearing.
Look at rims/tires first. You might have a rim out of round..possibly a rotor out of round or even a bad tire.
Balancing your tires is cheap and should be done every so often. Do that. maybe just roatate them, and see if it changes.
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