What is the most common cause of steering wheel vibration? My wheel only vibrates when going 50 plus mph. It is not a severe vibration by any means, but it is enough to make me want to fix it. My car just got new tires, and alignment. It does not vibrate any more or excessively when braking either. What about the steering damper? I know it's hard to tell, but what is COMMON based upon my symptoms? Or is this just pretty much NORMAL?

Was it when you got your new tires and alignment this behaviour started??

Nope, when I got the new tires and alignment done, it was slightly improved. Now it's still slightly bad. I think it just might me normal with 85K miles. It's not bad at all. I just want to correct what I can though.

If you said that when you "got the new tires and alignment done, it was slightly improved" - it could only mean that your balancing of tyres need to be attended to.

If at all balancing did little to remedy your vibration - then it could be possible that your wheel is damaged somewhere.

My 300SE used to have terrible vibrations.

We found the fault as follows:

Balancing was worse on Dunlop, and improved on Michellin - changed all 4 to Michellin.

Balancing improved with less vibration on steering wheel, but noticeable at 70 mph upwards.

Changed all 4 tyres, and the balancing/vibration has since stopped.

My 260E did the same thing and it took two pair of Goodyears, a set a BF Goodrich before it stopped with a set of Michelins. Mine wouldn't start the subtle vibration until 65 mph, so I thought maybe it was mechanical and off to my mechanic I went. He showed me where the tires were out of round, and these were new. That is when I got my Michelin tire speech. Mounted the Michelins, and it hasn't vibrated since, at any mph.

Wheel Vibration
 

Your rim is bent... Prior to hitting the pot hole in Philly, I went through 2 sets of Michelins, without any vibration at all, after that it would vibrate at certain speeds...

DId you replace the "steering shock"?

What is the steering shock? Is that the same as the steering damper? Is that costly? Is it a DIY job?
My rim could be bent, a few potholes here and there and normal wear I suppose over 85K of driving could just normally offset it I suppose... Thanks for all the info guys.

Steering dampner = $30.00 or less from PartsShop.

Time to install = 15 minutes +/- (including time to run up on ramps and remove the old one).

DIY job? = Definitely

Mike,
Thanks for the info. How often do these need to be replaced? So I need to get under the car to replace? GRR, I suppose it will finally force me to buy some ramps. Boy am I going to need help with this one from you all!!! Thanks Mike.

I'll throw in my two cents on the Michelins. I went through two set of Pirelli P-6s, one set of Yokohama Avid V-4s and finally Michelin MXV4s. I wish I had found them earlier. They solved a lot of the minor, irritating vibration problems. I've been told on one occasion or another that those other tires were "out-of-round". Not the case with the Michelins though.

On the steering damper, mine went out on the way to Hershey's world. I hit an expansion strip on the highway and my steering wheel bounced up and down like crazy. I thought the car was about to fall apart. Fix it before it gets bad.

My 2 cents: Did you have the tires mounted/balanced at an MB dealership? If not, the absolute 1st place I'd start is there. MB dealerships use a high-speed balancing machine which does a noticeably better job than others. Also, "official" MB weights are 2-piece weights which stay on the wheel; the typical one-piece weights eventually fly off.

David, you should put your spare on and then drive around to see if the shaking stops. Start with the front wheels. If one of the wheels are bent that will let you know right away. The rim could be bent just a little, you may not be able to see it.....

When was the last time you've gotten your shocks inspected? I've had similar problem with a Mitsubishi once and it turned out to be one of the rear shocks to be bad. Also check if your engin mount. It could be a combination of both. Hope this helps.

You guys have all been so helpful. My car has Yokohama Avid H4s. I got them about a month ago for $90 a peice. They seem like a good tire, they hug the road fairly well when cornering and are a good compromise to ride/comfort.
Just now, I went on a 2 hour drive through Orange County to deliver paperwork (part of my job) to numerous offices. The steering wheel vibrated much less when doing 80 or 90, than at 60. Prior to going on my drive, I ordered a new steering damper. NOw that I am back, I decided I do not need one! The order has already been shipped, so I suppose I will keep it and change it anyway (??) or wait until something happens to my current one??
I believe the shocks on my car are the originals, and will probably be needing replacement fairly soon (15K + miles), and figure that might slightly improve it as well.
As for my spare, it is the original COntinental spare that came with the car (I believe...). Or did they come with Michellins in 1995 (actually 10-94)??
And no the tires were not balanced at an MB dealership, so I am sure that that could also be part of the problem.
Maybe my next tire will be Michellin MX4s?? For now, I will have to drive the life out of these Yokohamas.
I am guessing that there are many minute reasons as to why it vibrates. But like I said, it doesn't vibrate hardly at all above 80, all the way up to 120.
I entered the 405 FWY from another (55) FWY and there were NO CARS, this is SO CAL?! What was going on?? There was not a person in sight in front or behind me!!! So I floored it all the way up to 120 mph, I have NEVER gone that fast in my car! I just wanted to see how it handled. It was surely pushed a bit by crosswinds, but other than my knees shaking from nervousness, the car drove wonderfully! And NO wheel vibration. Seems like it only occurs between (roughly) 40 and 65/70 mph.
Thanks again all.

Lots of suggestions, lots of ideas...

David,
Have your wheels balanced again, take a look when they do it and if you pay attention, you might notice a wobbling tire (Yokohama :confused:, not on a Benz) or rim.
Nothing to worry about...keep the shocks, keep the steering damper and just finish wearing this set of tires and buy some real ones next time. :D

greetingz,

Get the tires rebalanced. You are describing a classic balance problem.

David,

My C has a very slight vibration at about 60-70mph. It used to be a lot worse, but I had the wheels balanced at a MB dealership and it was improved so much I don't really notice.

The other thing I did was to buy a good digital tyre pressure guage (about 10 pounds or $15). Keep an eye on tyre pressures: makes a huge difference to straight line traking, traking under braking, handling and vibration. Checking the tyre pressures is the cheapest fix and often it the only fix needed.

Glad to hear your C280 is rewarding at high speeds. My C is good at 85-100 mph too; even my humble 2 litre 4 pot feels strong at those speeds! After all, that was the speed it was designed to operate at.

I bought a regular tire pressure gauge for $1.99 at a hardware store. I have been keeping tabs on the pressure. It really isn't much of a vibration. Just slight from 45-65 mph or so. Other than that, it's fine. They probably just need to be balance. Maybe I will get this done at MB. Not a big deal really at all though.
I am glad your MB rus great at high speeds too... what fun they are to drive so fast!!

Do you ever think that MB might just incorporate an onboard gauge for all four tyre pressures ... might be quite essential. Would rather check the tyre pressures from the driver's seat than having to go out and getting my hands a little black from removing the steel caps and sticking that gauge manually into all four tyres.

Has the balancing been performed on this thread?

YMSin,
Has the balancing been performed on this thread? What do you mean? If it's have I had them balanced sinced this thread, the answer is no, but that is probably the reason it does vibrate somewhat. I am getting the damper tomorrow in the mail, probably. I need help on how to change it!! ASIST ME!!!

David, replacing the damper is a pretty straight forward job. Get the car up in the air, remove the old one, slap in the new one.

Oh Jeff, I could have figured that one out!! But where is it? What kind of tools do I need? ETC. I have not the slightest idea where to start!

http://members.tripodnet.nl/mbenz/103d6960.jpg
The picture above is taken from the bottom side of my car. The black plate with the rusty scratches is the steel carter protection under my engine. The higher gray plate is the isolation plate under the transmission box. The steering damper is situated above the front side of the trans isolation plate. You need 2 wrenches #17...

greetingz,

Thanks MBenz...
I got the damper this morning, went and bought some ramps and an oil filter. I will attempt to change the damper and the oil and filter tomorrow. Thanks for the help.

Hope it works out well.

:)

I believe you will find the centrifical force exerted above 60 MPH will "hide" slight imperfections in tire balancing, tire roundness, and even wheels that are not true. But you can be sure your tires are suffering at the higher speeds, because you haven't really "fixed" the problem. Besides, 50-60MPH is a fairly common speed and you will surely feel the vibration at that speed. The suggestion to check thoroughly for a bent wheel is really your best bet.

If you are really bugged by the vibration and can't find an obvious cause such as a bent wheel, find a place that balances the front tires WHILE ON THE CAR. Some of the Shell repair facilities can do it--requires a special machine, not like the units that spin balance the tire while off the car. By balancing tires on the car, you can compensate to some degree for balance imperfections in the wheel and rotor. The down side is if you ever remove the wheel for any reason, you need to mark the wheel in relation to the lug bolt and replace it in the exact same hole to preserve your balance.

Thank you for your reply downy.
But I figured out how to change the damper, DUH, wasn't hard at all! I changed it with relative ease, albeit hitting the gym set when the ramps slid forward because I pushed the brake too hard. But my avantgard grill held up well!!
The vibration is about 80% improved. There is still a very very sligh vibration between 50 and 60 though, which is probably due to the need of that "special" balancer I can do at shell. We'll see if I end up doing it though.
In any event, it is vastly improved and old damper was useless. Probably never changed on the car before. You could pull and push on it with no resistance. I feel less of the bumps in the road in the wheel too.
Thank you everyone. Another successful "adventure" you all have helped and guided me with!

The special balancer is sometimes known as an "on-wheel" balancing where the front tyres are jacked up one at a time, and a rotating machine is placed on the elevated tyre to simulate the actual driving speed on that particular tyre. Adjustment weights are then fixed to the wheel - and quite a matter of subjective judgment on the part of the person doing it. So, it might be worth the while to go to a reputable shop for this on-wheel balancing or you might just get ripped off (its more costly too).