Steering wheel wobble at low speeds

superiornz, Apr 4, 4:18am
Hey guys,

My steering wheel wobbles, more of a shake at low speeds (50-70)km/h, and more of a less shaky but vibration at 100kmh.

my initial thoughts were wheel balancing but now im more convienced its to do with tyres.

Any ideas how to check! i.e rotate the wheels around!

its a 2009 Holden commodore omega,

If it is the tyres, is there a high risk of popping while im on the motorway which will result in a horrible painfull death!

cheers guys

superiornz, Apr 4, 4:20am
I also noticed it mainly happens when the tyres are warmed up, i.e from cold starts i barely noticable. hence why im more convienced its tyres not the wheel balancing

mugenb20b, Apr 4, 4:26am
Err.tyres need balancing once fitted to rims. So, two possibilities. Either you lost a wheel weight, which will require balancing or you have a tyre with broken cords which would show up as a bulge or a twist in the tread.

stocky88, Apr 4, 4:27am
Probably a bubble forming in your tyre casing, get it seen to ASAP as yes it could pop on you, it is a failure of the casing which is blowing up like a baloon, and you know what baloons do, they pop.
Just call in to the nearest tyre shop and get it checked, they will tell you what you need to know for you and other peoples safety.
Has happened to me and the tyres looked normal from the outside, butwhen i went to the tyre shop it was obvious. when you ran your hand around the tyre you could feel a bubble.
Get it seen to in the morning.

superiornz, Apr 4, 4:29am
If it is the tyre with broken cords, is there a high risk of them popping !

ema1, Apr 4, 4:29am
I would investigate for possible tyre damage!
Take it to a reputable tyre shop to have them and suspension thoroughly checked over.
Explain as best you can your problem, the more info you give the better.

ema1, Apr 4, 4:30am
Bingo .got it in one, thus refer to my previous post!

mm12345, Apr 4, 4:34am
Good lord.It might be tyres, it might be a lost balance weight, but it's probably alignment - with or without one of the above additional factors.
FFS - to be so clueless as to need to ask such a question on this MB, the OP needs to take the car to a tyre shop and get it checked by someone who does have a clue.
Only other likely possibility is that the driver has Parkinsons or had an epileptic fit - and this is the wrong forum to discuss that.

superiornz, Apr 4, 4:37am
haha cheers for that mm12345

it could also be allignment, the inside edges are more worn in the front tyres. unfortunately, i wont have a chance to go to a tyre shop till late next week and hence why im on this mb

stocky88, Apr 4, 4:41am
In that case I hope you are not on the same road that I will be on over the long weekend.

mm12345, Apr 4, 4:42am
Cool - in the meantime - do a visual inspection just to make sure there's not a big bulge or crack in a tyre, drive sensibly until it's sorted, and take it soon to a tyre shop that has alignment gear (budget back-street tyre shops often don't).

Edit - worn treads on inside or outside will be alignment, but also check that the wheel nuts aren't loose or missing when you check the tyres ASAP.

jasongroves, Apr 4, 4:54am
Jack it up and check each tyre/wheel individually for malformations/bulges.
Rotate the wheels while jacked up and listen/feel for wheel bearing play/noise.
No chance of dropping it into a tyre shop and leaving it with them while you are at work!

newtec1, Apr 4, 4:57am
That's what i was thinking,delamination of the layers causing a weak point in the tyre which could pop at any stage.

newtec1, Apr 4, 5:02am
Well there you go.Definately wheel alignment.Most moden cars only have toe in or out,in your case it sounds like too much toe out.If your tyres are worn on the inside it doen't make for safe driving,especialy in the wet,get them sorted quick smart.

kingfisher21, Apr 4, 5:11am
Wheel alignment itself WILL NOT cause it to shake, it will cause tyre wear which will then cause a shake possibly, it's amazing how many come to my work for an alignment and when you ask them why they want an alignment they say they want one because the steering wheel is shaking or shimmying, no wheel alignment in the world will fix that.

newtec1, Apr 4, 5:41am
Quite right,but if her tyres are worn they could show up at low speeds.I know there are many more reasons,but that would be a start.

saxman99, Apr 4, 2:34pm
I took in a tyre with a small bulge on the sidewall because of broken cords and the tyre guy says "Watch this" and gives the bulge a very gentle nudge with a very old, blunt butterknife.It went straight through and popped the tyre like, well, butter.

Get it looked at.

richardmayes, Apr 4, 8:42pm
Yes there is.
Go immediately to a tyre shop and fix this, DO NOT drive around on it all weekend just because that's more convenient!