shimmy/vibration @ 65 MPH - bad tire?
 

finished replacing all tie rod ends, center link, steering damper, idler arm bushings, upper control arms, guide rod mounts and bushings, front brakes, front rotors, and front wheel bearings. tires balanced and front end alignment

went on 1500 mile trip expecting perfectly smooth ride. boy was i disappointed.

65 MPH felt like a martini shaker, smoothed out about 72 or so, and started to come back slightly at 78 or so.

must be bad tire, as i switched front to rear and now smooth again.

should have switched the tires at a rest area.. would have made the trip a lot more pleasant! :mad:

Vibration
 

You may want to check the trans flex disk. I had a high-speed vibration and this was the culprit. Hope this helps.

Have the tires "road force balanced". You probably have a combination of a slightly out-of-balance tire and a shock that is worn.

Those Bilstein shocks don't seem to go bad the way most shocks do - bouncy and floaty, and obvious. They seem to just gradually get wonky, and in the past I have experienced a similar vibration that I just couldn't get rid of until I purchased new shocks. There was also an out-of-balance tire, but both the tire and the shocks together created the symptom.

I would suspect a slipped belt in one tire. Recommend running Michelin tires on your MB automobile if you don't already.

replace those two tires,been there many times.

Most likely Davids advice will solve your problem. The VAST majority of highway speed vibrations are tire/wheel related.

i've rotated the tires. we'll see if it makes any difference.

i rechecked my wheel bearing play with a dial. perfect as far as i can tell

i checked disk runout. .001in on one wheel, .003in on the other. within specs i think

with the engine off and both front wheels off the ground i get a little play out of the steering box... should that be the case? the box seems to have a little leakage so i'm probably due for a replacement there.

+1 on the tyres.

I had a vibration around 65mph, donuts were on the way out so I replaced them and the bushing on the ends of the tailshaft replaced and rebalanced the tailshaft.
Also had the wheels balanced, all were good.

Guess what? Vibration was still there.
Bought a new set of michelins and vibration gone.
I had michelins on the car but they were 10 years old and had started to go out of shape, thus causing the vibration.

well ok... maybe it's the tires... they are probably 5 years old

just feels like there's still something in the steering.. i can feel it kinda jerk ever so slightly as i steer going down the road as if when turning the wheel when you get to a certain point all of a sudden the wheels want to grab very slightly in a direction.

the only front end parts i haven't replaced yet are the lower ball joints and lower control arm bushings. EVERYTHING else is new

AND when i brake i get smooth braking except right around 40 mph when it feels like warped rotors.. but any speed above and below 40-45 mph, braking is totally smooth

Michelins seconded. Pilot Sport A/S Plus or Harmony, depending on your aim. 16" wheels or smaller, Harmony for sure.

On the upside, your suspension should now be good for another 100k miles!

Recently installed a set of Michelin Primacy MXV4 tires on our 1995 E320 and I'm extremely pleased with the ride and handling.

Had a flat, used "fix flat", drove to so called mechanic, plugged flat, did not wash out liquid fix flat. Drove on highway and developed shimmy, shake, out of balance! Went to reliable shop, had all wheels checked and rebalanced washed out fix flat. You learn the hardway( $50 plus repair for not confirming original flat repair done properly. Regards. Abe G