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vibrating steering wheel. help?

3K views 23 replies 11 participants last post by  touchdownallen1 
#1 ·
i am trying to get advice from 745 li owners. I have an 04 745li and recently put new wheels on bigger size. and now when i hit 45-50 mph i have a slight vibration on the steering wheel. I want to say it feels like its coming from the front driver side wheel... any ideas or hints where i should start looking? I replaced the wheel bearing.? still going on.:tsk:
 
#3 ·
the vibration can be due to a few things:

1. Unbalanced tire -> Go to a tire shop and get the tires rebalanced as best as they can get them. I go to shops with a Hunter Road Force Machine which is the industry best in balancing tires.

2. A bent wheel -> A bent wheel can cause vibrations since the wheel isn't perfectly round.

3. Bad tire -> A bad tire can cause vibrations since a bit of weight can be shifting with each revolution of the tire, or it's out of round

4. Non-Hub centric wheels -> BMW needs wheels that center to the hubs and not the lug bolts. An adapter can help fix this if it is the issue.
 
#4 ·
u have a bent wheel most likely. were the wheels used?
 
#5 ·
1Bad and CS has got this covered. Do a search, and you'll get tons of information. Did you have this issue before changing your wheels? Probably not, I had that issue but vibration was felt in the seats..,After having the wheels road forced, turned out to be defective tires (even though they were brand new).
 
#9 ·
Sorry to have to revive this thread, but, I'm also getting a noticeable vibration (mainly in the front seats) when I get above the 45mph mark.
I've had the wheels balanced and checked for bents/dents, also had air pressure checked and wheels aligned, new tires only have a couple thousand miles on them.
What exactly does this "road force" thing do? I have 117k miles, may be time for front arm bushings, you think?
 
#12 · (Edited)
^^^^ I dont actually know what front arm bushings are (if there is such a part)....I was just trying to sound mechanically intelligent! :rofl:[/QU

1st (2) pic are bushings 2nd (2) control arms front an rear.
 

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#14 ·
Thanks guys for all the responses. There's actually a shop only 6 miles from my house, according to the web link site.
Before I go though, could someone just expand a bit on what makes that particular diagnostic different from any other?
From what I've read, it seems to detect deficiencies in the "roundness" of a tire, but you could technically go thru several tires to find a "perfect" one couldnt you?
The local wheel shop that I go to already uses a pretty state-of-the-art balancing machine that's set up for aftermarket wheels.
 
#17 ·
Sometimes you need an second opinion, some shops slack on maintaining (calibrating) their machines as some do with their cars. My issue was finally solved when I took it to another shop who had a road force machine, found 3 tires that were defective... keep in mind the tires were brand new with the label residue still on them...so go figure..it's worth a shot and probably the least expensive...
 
#19 · (Edited)
Just wanted to take a moment to update everyone who helped me with this issue:
Found slightly warped front rotors. I had recently changed pads myself but was told rotors "looked" to be in good shape (didnt have any grooves) so I didnt change.
Replaced with OEM type and now car rides much smoother. Cost was a little over $250 + $50 labor. ( I bought rotors and the shop that did the Road Force diagnostic gave me a break since I used them).
Thanks again for all the info and assistance on this issue.
 
#23 ·
Well after evrything I've been thru trying to get it resolved, I'm just glad it's smooth again. I did have them check the rear rotors and they were almost double the thickness of fronts. They said OEM rotors are not "turnable".

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Bimmer App
 
#24 ·
I have the same issue in my 2006 750Li, but the issue does not vibrate in the seat area, but vibration appears in the steering wheel - shuttering at 60 to 80, especially on blacktop surfaced highways. Car has been force balanced, all for perrelli tires are brand new, and rims have no damage or out of roundness - Replaced Bushings, and front control arms. What would be the problem at this point?
 
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