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Shimmy in steering

10K views 4 replies 5 participants last post by  scr38 
#1 ·
So I have this annoying shake in my steering. It's actually gone from annoying to concerning/embarrassing. I thought it may have been rotors originally, so I replaced those. I'm pretty sure it's not alignment, but could be balance. I've taken it to a local tire shop (not a chain) to get their opinion (where I bought the FRONT tires, and they're saying the rear tires are cupped and to replace them. $420, current ones only have 25k miles but are more aggressive than I'd like. I took it to Midas that happens to be across the street and he says, Yes, they're cupped, but start by replacing the rear shocks, as that was the cause to begin with. And that once that's fixed the tires will start to wear even again.

I'm comfortable replacing the rear shocks myself, but do you guys think that's really the problem? Am I getting a lot of front end shake because of my REAR shocks? I don't mind replacing them since that's relatively cheap and easy on the rear.

Over at Titan talk there's a 30 page thread talking about a "Death Wobble" that sounds very similar and they never reached a standard conclusion. Some people replaced tires, others got balance, some had their driveshaft turned 90'. No one fixed it with shocks that I can tell. And this is NOT the same death wobble that my '03 pathfinder had in the rear that was trailing arm bushings.


https://youtu.be/nM69tt8Xk2k
Oh, and disregard the dash lights, I've fixed those problems already.
 
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#3 ·
I'd get the front tires rebalanced if they haven't been already in order to rule them out. The next thing to inspect would be the bushings on the steering rack assembly. Those wear out and will cause plenty of play in steering.

The OE bushings be replaced with aftermarket polyurethane bushings; such as this from:PRG Kit.

Or this:Ricochet Kit

If your truck is 4WD, you'll need to drop the front differential in order to have room to press/punch out the old bushings and install the new ones.
 
#4 ·
Good morning,
If you have a shimmy in the steering wheel at higher speeds (60 mph or so) you are dealing with a moving part.......tire out of balance, bent wheel, etc. A part that does not rotate can not cause a vibration! Now that being said worn bushings or loose front end parts of any kind can cause uneven tire wear which then could cause a vibration. Tires,Tires,Tires in my experience you are looking for something with a tire!
 
#5 ·
Go to a place that can do a road force balance, such as Discount Tire.
 
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