My friend got a second hand 02 MC and we were test driving it the other day. We are both novice in terms of cars. When we got to about 130kph the steering wheel started to shake. It's back to normal when we slow down to 70kph. Upon checking the tyres they looked a bit worn out. What would be the problem?

The 2nd hand car is still using the stock runflats and my friend wishes to change to something that offers better handling but doesn't want to spend alot. Any recommendation? :smile:

 

I am sorry not to know the answer to your question. And if there is nothing wrong with your tyres, etc... you may concider what came to my mind when you asked for recommendations is .... "if it shakes at 130 then Don't go over 120kph and you'll never see the shake again"

and I don't mean it as humor! (you know the joke, the man says "Doctor it hurts when I bend my elbow like this... and the Doctor says "then don't bend it like that&quot...

I had a Toyota Celica that got a shake at 100mph so I never took it over 90-95 and it was one fine car for years. So have your friend do some tests, see exactly when it starts to shake and make note of it. Then have your friend drive right up to that limit and see if he can avoid the shake. if so then he has his "set point" .

oh, and welcome to the MCO!
This is a great group of people who love cars, especially MINIs!

 

Go to a tyre shop and check balancing and alignment that would doo it as long as the car hasn'y been crashed before. The cooper is good for more than 130 kph. There is no better handling car than the MINI for the price,

Hope this helps

 

130 Kilometers is about 80 MPH so I agree with carcanal2 that you should first make sure the tires are balanced correctly. If that does not sort it out then take it to the dealer as it should still have warranty left on it. It may be one of them early cars with the dodgy suspension.
Limey.

 

>>130 Kilometers is about 80 MPH so I agree with carcanal2 that you should first make sure the tires are balanced correctly. If that does not sort it out then take it to the dealer as it should still have warranty left on it. It may be one of them early cars with the dodgy suspension.
>>Limey.

Thanks! It's hard to know what 130 kph means!!

 

Yeah sounds like it might be the alignment! Get it check ASAP!

 

Thank you all for the advice. We love the Mini, and we enjoy riding in it.

How about some good suggestions for tyres? Are Yokohama good for handling?

 

What's a tyre?

 

100 kph is 60mph so 130kph is about 75mph yes?

You can't tell if anything is wrong by just looking at your tires, although heavy tread wear would certainly be telling. Just take it to a tire and alignment shop or even a good local garage that does a lot of wheel and tire mounting. A quick run on the old alignment machine will tell the story and chances are its a pretty cheap fix.

There are a whole host of potential reasons why, most are pretty quick easy and inexpensive fixes. Good luck

Get back to us after the fix and let us know what the problem was.

 

>>What's a tyre?

I mean tires. Sorry.

Hank: Thanks. Will definitely take the car to the garage tomorrow.

 

Always look both ways before crossing the street, and never look directly at the sun.

 

>>What's a tyre?

The correct spelling of tire. The way all MINI owners should spell it, to go along with boot, bonnet, petrol....

 

>>>>What's a tyre?
>>
>>The correct spelling of tire. The way all MINI owners should spell it, to go along with boot, bonnet, petrol....
>>

Yeah, some people seem to forget that this message board has a world wide audience.
Ton Yarrow, Yokohama are very good tyres, just make sure when you buy them you pay with a cheque. (check for the uneducated yanks!)