JTF NJ Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 92 LS 400 70k. I am having a vibration in my steering wheel at higher speeds. The car was ot used much in the past 5 years. Could it be balancing,alignment or worst senerio struts(budget tight like the rest of us). Anyone have simular issues? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1990LS400 Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 IMO, the first thing to do is have your tires/wheels balanced on a road force balancing machine. If the tires are older than 6 to 8 years consider replacing them -- opinions vary on the number of years after which tires become unsafe. If you can't remember when an alignment was done, a four wheel alignment might be in order. If there is a suspension component problem, it might show up during an alignment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landar Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 I agree with Jim. First thing to check or replace would be the tires. They are often the biggest contributor to vibration. You can do a little test by swapping wheels, front->back, back->front(keeping rotation direction the same), and see if the vibration changes in any way. If so, that would be a indicator that something is not right with the current tires/wheel combination, possibly balance. Most tire shops will say older than 5 years and tires are nearing the end of the trail especially if you have a less expensive brand/model of tire (read: cheap). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curiousB Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 ditto. I'd start with wheel balance and see if that does it. The clue here is vibration at higher speeds. This is the mechanical resonance condition that "amplifies" the vibration at a certain (resonant) speed. Seems to always be in the 55-70 MPH band for these cars. If that doesn't do it search of steering column vibration. Some have posted a fix for that here. Lastly it could be worn out bushings in front end linkages but that would probably have other symptoms too so I am less convinced in this last one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZ Mike Posted May 14, 2011 Share Posted May 14, 2011 I am experiencing the same vibration on a '99 LS with 80 k miles. I have Michelin XSEs that are still in good shape with plenty of tread that are about 5-6 years old. I wouldn't call these tires "cheap".....is it more likely the tires, or alignment or steering/suspension components? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curiousB Posted May 14, 2011 Share Posted May 14, 2011 get tires balanced. As they wear they can go out of balance. That is why some places (like costco) offer lifetime free balance for a set of tires. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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