Re: vibrations (archive)

I took it to a local tire store that has Hunter GSP 9700. They checked for 'road force', looking for out of roundness and/or stiff spot on the tires. They were all very good, almost perfect, as OEM mounting should.

Dealer did check for tire damage, and bent wheels, and found none. Bent wheel was my BMW service advisor's first guess, but he said all of them were round and tires were in great shape. The local tire store did not re-check this, however.

They did re-balance the tires/wheels (off by 0.25 oz, which I think is not a big deal). I road tested the car and it still feels kinda notchy and the steering wheel still vibrates slightly.

Any more suggestion Eddie? Thanks for the input and help.

Pete

: Sounds like it could be within the tire potentially. an out of roundness or a slight tread separation will be a suspect.

: You could also have a minor wheel bend which could cause that also. I would suggest you look at the tire & have it inspected by a local Dunlop dealer first to see if within warranty for it.

: Since you mentioned your dealer checked it, a 2nd opinion would be warranted, I would say.

: Hope this helps- let me know!
: Eddie
: 800.428.8355, ext 369
: : Hi,

: : Lately, I experienced some steering wheel vibration when coasting 35-40 mph and around 55-60 mph.
: : Also, the steering wheel feels notchy when turning at 35-40 mph. Above 60mph, however, the vibration
: : is gone / very unnoticable.

: : I took the car to the dealership, they checked the balancing on the wheels, and everything was ok. They
: : also checked the wheels for bent / bad tires, but none was found.

: : The car is a '00 323Ci with Sport Package. The wheels are the original 17" sport package wheels with
: : 225/45/17 Dunlop SP2000 rubber on them. I have probably only 2000mi on this tires/wheels. They are the very same wheels that come original with the
: : car and they have the OEM balancing / mounting. Given this fact, plus the dealer re-balancing effort that showed nothing was wrong, I would tend to think that the wheels and tires are indeed properly balanced.

: : What could've caused the vibration? Should I take it to a neighborhood tire store and get a second
: : opinion? One of the guy from the E46 board said it's the Dunlop SP2000 that's causing this. Comments from the tires experts?

: : Thank you much

: : Pete

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