Bad Vibration

[norcallexus]

I have an annoying problem that I'm trying to figure out the cause. I have a 2001 ES300 that has a vibration that seems to be coming from the front end of the car. I thought it was simply a tire balancing problem, but I had the front tires properly balanced last weekend. The vibration is still there and seems to occur when traveling between 70 and 75 MPH on the freeway. I do not feel it at any other times. It's not a rattle your bones type of vibration, but it is definitely noticable and you can feel it on the floor and through the steering wheel. Anybody have this experience or any idea on what might be causing this? Thanks.

2001 ES300 Coach Edition

[byohzrd]

I had the same vibration in my car and it turned out to be warped rotors.

[lexusk8]

When you got your front tires balanced, did you have them road-force (computer) balanced? There are different methods for tire/body shops to balance wheels. I would go back and question the balancing work they did on your car.

Vibration as a result of warped rotors only happens when you brake at medium and highway speeds. Vibration during acceleration is usually attributed to balancing problems.

[mxl4729]

did u just have the front balanced or all 4. from my experence i have found that front tires being out of balence make the wheel vibrate from side to side and the rear being out of ballance make it go front and back. or maby it;s the over way around. but any way did u just have the fron 2 ballanced or all 4?

[kcpth]

I remember reading about this problem a couple of weeks to couple of months ago about this guy having similiar problems on the highway. He also had his wheels recently balanced. He didn't think it could be the balance again. But it did turn out that one of the weights came off so all he had to do was bring it back... n they put the weights back on n PROBLEM SOLVED.

So try that first and see if the weights might have comed off.

Good Luck

[norcallexus]

I had the tires rotated and balanced. I don't believe they did a road force test, just a regular balance with weights. They did indicate that they were out of balance. Before this was done the steering wheel would vibrate. That no longer occurs, but I still feel a distinct vibration coming from the front end. Think I will have the balance re-checked. Someone at my office said it also could be the wheel rim out of whack. What would cause this? Thanks for the many replies.

[ArmyofOne]

a bad set of V joints can cause this on acceleration, seen it many times.

[SKperformance]

for a 2001 i highly doubt it has bad cv joints

their are specialist shops that have better than average balancers which cost (here) $100 to mount and balance a set of wheels but it si truly an extraordinary device .

If they where balanced then i would get the rotors checked also

Is their a specific speed you feel it more?

does it make the wheel shake when slowing down ?

[NeiLtYmE]

could be a bent wheel. Next time they balance your wheels and spin um fast on that computer machine have them check for any bending.

[steviej]

I don't believe they did a road force test, just a regular balance with weights. 

.......

Someone at my office said it also could be the wheel rim out of whack.  What would cause this?  Thanks for the many replies.

←

the road force is not a test it is the name of an superior tire/wheel balancing system by a company called Hunter. Find a tire shop that has this machine and have them do the balancing. Several thing can be done with this system that are not possible with conventional tire balancing equipment.

1. the tire/wheel is balanced while spinning but a force is applied to the rotating tire similar to the pressures and forces imparted on the tire from the pavement or road surface. (balancing during near actual conditions)

2. the rim is checked for trueness (out of round, bent, etc.) and balance solutions are given to the operator so that they can rotate the tire on the rim compensate for the bend (if not to bad) without having to use alot of weights.

What causes a bent rim you ask? potholes, construction grates in the road, severe bumps, etc.

Other possibilities could be:

-a slightly bent axle shaft

-a tire that has belts in it that shift at certain speeds. When they shift, they throw off the balance at certain speeds.

-inconsistent tire inflation. One tire may be different for the others. Check you air pressures.

-improperly tightened lug nuts. Loosen and retighten correctly.

Here is a simple solution to try to pinpoint the problem and you can do it in your driveway. Take you spare and mount it in place of each tire one by one. After each replacement, go for a ride and hit the speeds that you see the problem. If the problems goes away, the the problem lies in the tire that was replaced. This works if your spare is balanced, inflated properly and mounted correctly each time.

let us know what you find out.

steviej

[norcallexus]

Thanks to all for the information and things to try for the solution to the vibration problem. I am positive that there was no road force balancing done to the tires. Just a regular weight balance was done. I notice the vibration at freeway speeds of 70 to 75 MPH and yes, I can feel it even when slowing down or decelerating, too. I believe you all are right about the tire balance is still off. I am going to call around to some tire installers/dealers to see who might have a Hunter machine and have all four wheels checked out. Will let you know my results when I can get this done. Thanks again everybody.

[ArmyofOne]

for a 2001 i highly doubt it has bad cv joints

their are specialist shops that have better than average balancers which cost (here) $100 to mount and balance a set of wheels but it si truly an extraordinary device .

If they where balanced then i would get the rotors checked also

Is their a specific speed you feel it more?

does it make the wheel shake when slowing down ?

←

my bad didnt catch the year...

every car will have some vibration, somemore than others, but on something like a lexus,the suspension should absorb it all...

[norcallexus]

Well, here is an update on the vibration from the front end. It was a tire problem resulting from either a bad steel belt or slight separation. I took the car in to a nearby Les Schwab tire center because they had the Hunter Road Force balancer. The tech showed me where two of my tires had problems. Both of them (one on the left front and one on right rear) had a flaw in the tread. He showed me on the screen of the equipment where the defects were located. When he did the spin balance and applied the equivalent road force to the tire it demonstrated the vibration occurring around 65 MPH. Long story short, because these were tires that were on the car when I purchased it from a private party, they still had decent tread left on them. So I negociated a credit for the remaining tread and turned those tires in to them and bought new tires. Purchased 4 Toyo Proxes and boy what a difference. Smooth quiet ride, much better handling, and a less stiff ride. But most importantly, no vibration in the steering or from the front end at any speed range. BTW the old tires were Dunlop GT Qualifiers.