Re: Other suspension parts could also... (archive)

cause this when you switched to the larger wheels. Any slop in the tie rods, centerlink, steering box or idler arm could also be responsible for this type of shimmy.

Rich '83 533i

The e28 was designed for very low weight wheels and tires (weight one of your old wheel/tire combos). Most moderately priced 16" wheels are very heavy, and when you combine that with V or Z rated tires, you have added a LOT of unsprung weight to a suspension that is very sensitive to this in particular. That weight is hung far out there on moveable pieces mounted in rubber-an invitation to vibrate (shimmy).

I have usually found that it is necessary to upgrade at least the thrust arm bushings to cope with this.

That said, it is NOT impossible that with perfectly balanced tires that are very close to round (you'd be surprised at how un-round some tires really are) that the OEM bushings would be fine. You are just operating at the end of the envelope, and any extra problems (as mentioned above) will put you out of the envelope.

Bob

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