Steering wheel shaking

[Wilks]

I was driving home this past Sat and noticed as I started off my steering wheel was moving back and forth (Left/right/left/right etc) all by itself. At higher speeds it was shaking pretty good. It was getting worse as I drove so I just went straight home. Felt like my tire was going to fall off.

I've had issues with the right front losing air but I put air in and it was still at 30 psi when I got home. Don't believe there is a balance issue and although I didn't jack up the car I did try to shake each wheel separately while it was on the ground and didn't feel any play or hear any noises.

Do you think this could be an upper or lower control arm issue or bad bushing maybe? Anyone have this issue?

Please reply to my e-mail if you can at [email protected]

Thanks,

Wilks

 

[aloushi]

if the rim was a little loose I don't think it would have a lot of play if you tried to shake it, I think there would still be alot of pressure on it just from the weight of the car. I would definitely jack up the front end and then shake wheels, tight'n lugs etc and go from there...

 

[01sapphirebob]

Rotors come to mind. Might be warped?

 

[Steve-Indy]

I would first check ALL tire pressures and inspect the tires for defects, then lug nuts (you may later need to check hub nuts)...then, put the car safely up in the air (on a lift or jack stands), then inspect suspension, steering rack, and steering linkage (from top side and bottom).

Nice to know the year!!! 1996-1999??? If so, did it have steering rack/frame recall?? At some point, you may need to check the steering wheel itself to be sure it's on tight (if airbag equipped, you might want a tech to do this!!).

I wouldn't drive the Viper !!!

I'm sure others will jump in with more specific recommendations shortly.

 

[Jance GTS]

I'd get the tires balanced and then check all the suspension, brakes etc when it's up in the air. This way you will knock out all the options at once. (hopefully)

 

[JonB]

I'd get the tires balanced and then check all the suspension, brakes etc when it's up in the air. This way you will knock out all the options at once. (hopefully)

DANGER WILL ROBINSON! Get it Safety-checked ASAP at the closest alignment / suspension shop that can lift it carefully.

Year and Miles Matter. Any prior damage? Any NOISES? Steering Rack, Tie-Rod-Ends; Loose Lugs make a crunching noise.
Frame Crack recall issue as noted. SERIOUS PROBLEM with the 'wandering' you cite.

 

[Fatboy 18]

Ive just had an issue with my Van, Put spare wheel on and steering started shaking.

It turned out to be that the steel wire in the side wall had split within the tire which had made the wheel oval! This can happen to an Under inflated tire if driven on, the side walls get hot which can break the steel wires!

Check your tires

 

[CEJ]

How old are your tires?

Did this problem start with your most recent drive? Had you felt any similar shaking in prior drives?

 

[1buddyc]

Rotors come to mind. Might be warped?

JMO, but bad Rotors are evident only when braking..

 

[JonB]

He states below that the STEERING WHEEL was moving back and forth all by itself. (We suppose he means the car, too, not just the steering wheel?)
He then states 'at higher speeds it was shaking pretty good' The steering wheel? The car? Good = bad?
He then states that it felt like a tire was falling off, but when he got home, no loose wheels or noises (weight on ground)

I also sent him an email, no reply yet. So at this point the car needs an exorcist!

If this post is a legit owner, he needs to be careful!

I was driving home this past Sat and noticed as I started off my steering wheel was moving back and forth (Left/right/left/right etc) all by itself. At higher speeds it was shaking pretty good. It was getting worse as I drove so I just went straight home. Felt like my tire was going to fall off.

I've had issues with the right front losing air but I put air in and it was still at 30 psi when I got home. Don't believe there is a balance issue and although I didn't jack up the car I did try to shake each wheel separately while it was on the ground and didn't feel any play or hear any noises.

Do you think this could be an upper or lower control arm issue or bad bushing maybe? Anyone have this issue?

Please reply to my e-mail if you can at [email protected]

Thanks, Wilks

 

[Wilks]

Hi All,

Thanks for the replies. Sorry I meant to add the specs of the car but forgot. It's a 93 RT/10. I've owned it two years and never had this issue until this past Sat. When I started out the wheel was moving back and forth by itself and at higher speeds it was like a vibration which to me is just the wheel moving back and forth faster because I was driving faster. The faster the car went, the more vibration or shaking back and forth faster it went.

I suppose it could be a tire out of round but will that actually make the wheel shake vs just a vibration or is that what a vibration is......ie wheel shaking at a high rate of speed? I did smoke the tires earlier in the day and the rear end was sideways and popped back straight when the tires stopped spinning in first. I would have thought that might have done something to the rear end but how can that effect the steering wheel which is why I didn't try to connect the burnout to this problem.

As mentioned I have been having issues with the passenger front tire. I did drive on it when it was low. They are the run flat type tires from Michellin so not sure if they have the same issues that was mentioned with the metal wires inside etc? It's probably a good idea to buy a new one and go from there? I did make an appointment with the local Dodge dealer just down the street but I'm a big fan of dealerships and the trust factor is not there.

Hopefully it's something simple as getting a new tire but I drove the car about 25 miles earlier in the day and it was fine. It was just the last 25 miles back home where I had this problem and it seemed to getting worse the more I drove. I guess that could mean the tire may be falling apart from the inside out?

Oh and the car wasn't shaking (or maybe it was slightly and I didn't know) but all the shaking I was referring to the steering wheel.

Thanks again,
Wilks

 

[CEJ]

Wilks,

If your tires are over 6 years old, you need to replace them. Now. No excuses. They are a hazard.

While they are replacing them, check your suspension.

 

[Wilks]

I don't know how old they are but probably a good idea. Can any shop put a Viper on a lift? I bought special ramps to get the front end off the ground as my hydraulic jact won't get uder there but what about like a Goodyear shop or any tire sales store?

 

[Wilks]

Just found the inside of my passenger tire is falling apart even though the tread in the middle and outside is fine. Since I don't know how long these tires have been on the car, I'm not sure what's happening here. This tire I've driven on it when really low and didn't know it. It's a Michellin and the other front is a Kumho so not sure if having two different ones is causing some action. When all tires are up to normal levels the car doesn't pull to either side and drives straight so not sure if there is an alignment issue either.

Strange but I'll try new tires and see what happens.

 

[ViperCollector]

Get two new tires (NOT ONE) and get it aligned.

 

[CEJ]

Better make that four tires...

 

[jdeft1]

The Michellin thats "falling apart" doesn't say XGT on the side does it? .... Probably safe to say that a tire falling apart will throw it out of balance!! Yep, time for some new shoes.

 

[Jack B]

The Gen 1 wheels are notorious for hub going out of center or plane.

 

[Wilks]

Hi folks,

I believe the Michellin that is falling apart is the XGT why? Are they known for this?

So some say get two new tires and others say four? I certainly can understand the two fronts but why replace the rears especially when they have tons of tread left? Is it because I don't know how long any of them have been on there or their age and just safer? Is there a way to determine if the tire that is falling apart is due to age, mix matched with a different drivers front, a front end issue or just a bad tire? The rears are both Michellin Pilot Sports and seem to be in good shape but I will replace all four if that is the thing to do. Just wondering the purpose?

Anyone have anything good to say about Kumho tires? The one on the drivers front is Kumho and seems to have a nice tread pattern and found out they are a bit cheaper than Michellins if I go the all four route. Otherwise since the rears are Pilot Sports, I'd just buy two of those for the fronts.

I imagine I should have the front end aligned after installing the tires as the tire falling apart while driving could have taken it out of alignment I suppose. Can any shop do this or do I need to call around and make sure they can do a Viper? Is there any special equipment needed for a Viper like low profile everything? LOL.....

Thanks,
Wilks

 

[CEJ]

XGT are ancient tires. Original equipment if I remember correctly. You're very fortunate that you didn't suffer a blowout of that XGT.

If your rear tires are only a year or two old, then no need to replace them. Otherwise, toss 'em. Search VCA forum to learn how to determine the age of your rear tires. Michelin has a new tire out for the Vipers, and you may want to look into them.

Tires can look perfect and be totally unsafe. Old rubber compound is really unsafe. Don't doubt this...

 

[CEJ]

Regarding who can do the work, a local Discount Tire replaced my tires last year, and the guy doing the work had worked on Vipers before. He had me pop the hood before using floor jacks to lift the car using the four lift points under the side sills. He did a great job. Alignment wouldn't hurt either.

Where are you located?

 

[Wilks]

Thanks for the advice. I've only owned the car two years and the tires were on it when I got it. It is all original and 40k miles so that may be one of the original tires but the tread on it doesn't look even half worn not counting the inside where it's shreading. I suppose the rears could be as old and just have a lot of tread left. I was told from the dealer I bought it from, that it had been sitting around for a long time so might be a good idea to go with all four just to be safe.

Do you know anything about those Kumho tire as far as quality? Do you know the name of the new Michellins for Vipers? I see a lot of tires out there that seem to serve racing but I'm just looking for a really good street tire.

I'm located in Thomson, Ct.

 

[CEJ]

Tator's Garage is about 2.5 hours from you, but with a bad tire that doesn't do you any good. Try searching the Forum to see if anyone has listed shops in CT that work on Vipers.

Several folks run Kuhmo's on their Viper and like them. The new Michelin tires are the Super Sport, but I'm not sure if they will come in a 17" size. Check with Viper Parts of America and JonB at PartsRack to find out more. The PS2 will still be a great tire for the street.

 

[JonB]

Just found the inside of my passenger tire is falling apart even though the tread in the middle and outside is fine. Since I don't know how long these tires have been on the car, I'm not sure what's happening here. This tire I've driven on it when really low and didn't know it. It's a Michellin and the other front is a Kumho so not sure if having two different ones is causing some action. When all tires are up to normal levels the car doesn't pull to either side and drives straight so not sure if there is an alignment issue either.

Strange but I'll try new tires and see what happens.

YIKES !! One of the cardinal rules is to NEVER, EVER mis-match tires on a "race car" stiff chassis! And to mis-match FRONTS is truly dangerous. They flex, grip, handle, (steer) and brake differently from each other!!! Bad enuf mismatching front to rear, but side to side? YIKES. Even if they are the "same size" tires, they DO VARY from manufactuer to manufacturer.

You found your problem, BEFORE you crashed! Now, GO GET NEW TIRES and CHECK THE ALIGNMENT

The prior owner could not afford a Viper, and stuck you with crap for tires.

 

[jdeft1]

Do a little search here but you'll find many vipers here are wearing Kuhmos. At around 1/3 lower in price than PS2s they're a good option and WAY better than what you have now! Apparently, they have good dry weather traction and tread life but aren't quite as good as the PS2s in wet weather..... Perhaps a kuhmo owner will chime in.

Cheers

 

[Wilks]

Yeah the miss-match thing should have been obvious I guess. I'm new to the high perf car world. I have a 70 Cuda but I don't try to corner with it like I do the Viper even though all my tires match on the Cuda. I was planning on buying tires to match on the Viper actually but thought with the decent tread on them I'd go another year. Almost a very big mistake on my part for sure. Glad it was just a lesson learned and not a hard one!

I'm going to check the date of manufacture on all the tires tonight to determine if I'm going to replace only the front two or all four. If I just need the front two I'll probably buy the PS 2s since I have them on the back. If I need all four I may try the Kumhos. I like the look and everything I've read say they are great handliing but they wear faster and don't work well in the rain. Since I never take the Viper out in the rain, that's not a big deal to me.

I've heard of Tators but yeah a bit far away. I'll check the usual places I've gone to for other cars and see if they can accomodate a Viper and hope for the best.

 

[AFL in NJ]

I bought my tires from JonB - Parts Rack who responded earlier, and I got a phenomenal deal....I'd recommend calling him or one of the other sponsors on here and I believe Tire Rack is one of them as well. (Luke answers questions here when its high-end serious stuff)

Also, at least replace tires in matched pairs....this is the type of car where you'll feel everything feedback-wise that your tires do, so if you do anything at speed, its a neccessity for your safety.

Regards,
Aaron

 

[Wilks]

Thanks. I'm trying to determine the age of the rears since at the least I'm changing the front two but unless the code is on the inside of the PS 2's, the codes I'm getting may or may not make sense.

This is what I'm seeing on the outside sidewall.

0205583 There are no letters here so I believe this is not the year plus before 2000 this would be 58the week of 1993? There are no 58 weeks or 55th week of 1983 but that only works for tires after 2000 so that doesn't make sense.

02 03508-S No letter in front but based upon tires made after 2000, it's possible this means 35th week of 2008? or before 2000 rules would be 50th week of 1998. Big difference here so not sure what I have.

35-55522-01 Again no letters but could only mean 52nd week of 1992 I guess.

So I have one possible good shot at the rears being 2008 but at the same time three shots of them being much older.

Does anyone know if Michellin posts their age info on the inside wall vs outside?

 

[CEJ]

Wilks, did you see this on TireRack: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=11

Have you contacted Michelin to see if they can help you determine the age?

 

[Wilks]

CEJ - Yeah I follow the rules from TireRack which tells you the code for prior to 2000 and 2000 on but it also says the code can either be on the inside or outside of the tire. I was wondering if anyone has experience with the PS 2's and knows whether the code is actually on the inside vs outside as the numbers I put up in my prior message, don't seem to be what I'm looking for but not sure. It's almost 100% and humid today so I just took a look on the outside hoping to get the code and didn't want to jack up the rear to see what may be there.

Maybe someone might recognize the numbers I listed above and let me know but I think I'll take your advice as well and call Michellin.
Thanks,
Wilks