Wobble Problem Mystery

Just went for a quick drive. Can't be bent rim. Car wobbled very noticeably on way to corner store. Much less so on the way back. Trip was only 5 minutes.
 
Such an off and on problem would make me suspect a tire not fully round plus a weak shock causing said issue. Tire imbalance can be very intermittent depending on conditions and weak shocks just multiply said issue.

Road force balance (prove to you it happened) and shock replacement would be my 2 first steps. ULTIMATELY apologize if i guide you wrong but i would strongly recommend those 2 options.

*Side note* Once told to me "Cars to technicians are but people to doctors, they guess a treatment based on symptoms but not always 100% accurate." Basically no on is perfect. People just don't take a physical object as an importance vs their life.
 
Ya. A wobble is maybe one of the more difficult things to pin point the problem. I've been reading lots on the net about this. Some of the problems people had are brutal.
Educated guess away.
 
I'm no expert but have seen a fair share of weird issues in my day and if you can rule out the easy first then do it! Seeing as you are having an issue with new tires then i would venture back to the shop you had the tire's mounted and have them show you the balance procedure they use. Being a mechanic i see how this could be annoying but honestly there is no beter way then knowing and I'll gladly show a customer my results and explain anything i can.

See what the outcome of all 4 wheels balanced from the shop you went too or at least see the procedure they use to balance. Every decent shop should give some recognition to an issue. The road force machine may not be there and might want to venture out else where BUT a tire balancer (if you can watch it) can show bad tire oscillations without doing a road force measurement. The solid spindle/reference point the machine gives will show more issues than "on the car" can. The technician really doesn't do anything more than wait an extra 30 sec for the machine to give a Road Force read out so don't think it's a Hard thing to do if they try to sell it like it is(unless they force MATCH the rim and tire). I'd say if you can get your tires road forced and they are under 20 lbs then your shocks would be the first thing I would look at.
 
I'm no mechanic but I would be looking a those new tires @Pauly99to17. Maybe one of the belts has shifted or broken?
You said your wife drives the car some times so who knows what she might have hit. A pothole can do some damage to the tires.
 
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Changed wheels. Wobble was still there. Must be something to do with suspension. I put the wheel spacers back on.
 
Darkout said:
Change your shocks!! :bananapoke:
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That's next.
nod-yes-smiley-emoticon.gif
 
You say its usually in the morning. My guess would be the type of tire you have. Some tires get a flat spot over night. After they warm up they regain their shape. Go on tirerack and read the reviews on your tire. If the wobble goes away after a few miles of driving and doesnt come back for the rest of the day, that would be my best bet. This happens whether the tire is new or old, just the type of compound they use.
 
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OMG... this guy... YES! I totally forgot to mention that my old Dunlops used to do that horribly! They flat spotted overnight and it took a few miles to warm them up and get rid of the "wobble" feeling. I hated those tires. They also tram lined like crazy on any little groove in the road.
 
Nix said:
OMG... this guy... YES! I totally forgot to mention that my old Dunlops used to do that horribly! They flat spotted overnight and it took a few miles to warm them up and get rid of the "wobble" feeling. I hated those tires. They also tram lined like crazy on any little groove in the road.
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I had Toyo R888 that did the same. Made you work for the grip they provide.
 
Could very well be the tires. I don't think it is though. I still haven't taken it in to the dealership yet. I have been waiting to change the shocks and struts because then I will need an alignment. I figured I will get the tires/wheels road balanced and the alignment after I do the switch. I was supposed to put them in yesterday with a buddy, but we got rained out. Doing it next Saturday.
 
Flat spotting is a possibility, I had only 1 set of tires that I might justify it happened. My only other doubt was that I had a bent rim that will always cause road force/wobble/vibration. Can't say I've come across any tires lately that have given me troubles. Sorry to hear you got rained out Pauly hope your next attempt goes better.
 
Pauly99to17 said:
Changed wheels. Wobble was still there. Must be something to do with suspension. I put the wheel spacers back on.
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Pauly99to17 said:
Could very well be the tires.
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when you say you changed wheels.... you traded a full set of wheels/tires with someone to test the car right? At least I thought you had mentioned that somewhere. It can't be flat spots if the problem happened with a complete change of wheels & tires.
 
Yea he did, I still suspect the shocks ill performance to be the cause. It's the main component that controls up and down movement (as Pauly explained it feels like) and weak shocks, especially completely blown shocks will not limit any bouncing so your springs now become free to bounce upon any little bump/vibration. Normally this is felt as if you were on a boat ride, since the suspension lowered on his lx and probably riding on the bump stops (which act as a secondary spring in the Si) you don't feel the boat feeling as much. Just a theory
 
webby said:
when you say you changed wheels.... you traded a full set of wheels/tires with someone to test the car right? At least I thought you had mentioned that somewhere. It can't be flat spots if the problem happened with a complete change of wheels & tires.
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Yes, but I'm thinking there are multiple reasons. The wobble was there with my friend's wheels, but is a little more noticeable with mine back on.
 
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