My name is Michael Pollock from Vienna, WV. I'm a newbie as of 2 hours ago (can't get much newer than that). I've already done a search on this site regarding steering wheel shake but didn't find any symptoms EXACTLY like mine. We have (actually belongs to my wife) an '04 Mini (non-S) with 27,000 miles w/manual tranny. It's developed a shake in the steering wheel around 60 mph and faster. Hands off the wheel, the shake looks pretty violent. However, a tight grip on the wheel almost eliminates it or at least reduces it significantly. BUT, and this is what I didn't find on other posts, the shake seems to come and go at these speeds. It will go from significant shaking to rock steady for no apparent reason and back again. I've checked the front wheel balance (but not the rear wheels) since it only comes up through the steering column. Balance was OK. Since the problem comes and goes I've pretty much ruled out bent rim or lost wheel weight. Would wheel bearings be the next logical thing to consider? Has anyone else had this problem? Should I be looking in any other area? Nearest authorized dealer is almost 100 miles away. All comments will be most appreciated. Mike

 

my mini did that after i put new (used) rims on it, some wheel weights had fallen off. so i had them put new ones on. but... my wheel started shaking a 55-60 instead of 45 and i had them re-check the alignment and now it's a rock like when it was stock so i'd go for an alignment.

 

I know you don't want to hear it but carefully double check your wheels. Look at the inside of the edge of the rims as well as the outside. Bearing usually will not cause what you are describing.

 

If you changed wheels to aftermarket ones, make sure you are using hubcentric rings when appropriate.

 

My daughter's Accord is doing exactly the same thing ...sometimes the steering wheel shakes at about 50 to 60 MPH and others times it doesn't. My mechanic suspects a wheel bearing ...but he hasn't seen the car yet.

 

agreed. they work wonders

 

Thanks for the comments. I guess with only 27,000 miles I didn't want to think it would be a wheel bearing yet. I'll put it in the air and do some wheel shaking

 

What are hubcentric rings?

 

they act like a spacer between this circle on your rotor that "guides" or "supports" rim becasue aftermarket wheels usually have a bigger space between that circle on the rotor than stock wheels so they can be more universal to cars. but the spacer take up the space between the wheels and rotor "circle" and takes off a little bit of pressure from the bolts and let the car ride smoother due to the lack of space the wheel is allowed to move on or around the rotor... make sense? hahaha

 

this happened to my mini after i rotated my wheels.
hella lame.

perhaps i shud rotate it back to see if it still wiggles

 

I had a wheel weight fall off and only at certain speeds (50 to 60) the steering wheel would shake noticeably.
My suggestion (because it worked for me): Take the MINI to a tire shop and have them balance all four wheels. Make sure they torque the wheels back on at ~89 foot pounds. Good luck and welcome to NAM!

 

take it to the tire shop and have them balance your wheels.
This usually happens to me in the winter when i have too much fun in the snow and the snow sticks to the rims and spokes. It makes wheels out of balance untill you clear the snow off. Since it's not winter, you will have to rebalance your wheels.

 

Welcome!

Don't overlook tire wear too. I'm no expert but I think a tire can cause a deal of shake. My shake issue was mild but noticeable right after I put the winter wheels on. In a few days the tires seemed to wear together a bit, or the flat spots got limbered up, and the shake disappeared. I also made sure they all had the same pressure.

Or am I wrong here?

 

Just happened to my Mini S after a brake job. "Shimmy" in the steering wheel between 55 and 65 MPH. It was simply a balance problem. In my experience BMW and Mini are very sensitive to balance so even being a little off can cause problems.

 

You can usually drive thru a balance issue... eventually.. IE> may start at 45 and quit at 60.. If it's induced by a bump/ uneven road surface event and you feel like you have to steer/ slow down to get it to stop it's usually play in the steering gear. (If you take it to a shop tell them what the issue is and let them diag. it, don't just tell them to do a balance!) Swap your tires front to rear if your a do-it yourselfer. That should start you in the right direction for 0 $

 

Bent wheel. That's my assumption.

 

I haven't examined the MINI steering gear all that much, but sounds like something similar that affects Jeep GC and Wranglers. Google "Death Wobble". Might give you some ideas.

 

1) Check your tire pressure.
2) Check your tire wear. Look for even wear across the tread.
3) Get an alignment.
I'm inclined to think you have an alignment problem, but you need to check the vibration issue on the same road, at the same speeds to get some consistency in your diagnosis.

 

It's not a death wobble! My old 94 Jeep Cherokee had a death wobble, and my 06 MCS dropped a wheel weight. VERY different. From what the OP described, I'd get those wheels balanced at a good shop. It doesn't take much to go out of balance. I get mine balanced every 5-10k miles.

Ask the shop what kind of machine they're using. I went to two different branches of the same national chain - but they used different balancing machines. One made it worse, and the other made it better. Try this link, or ask your shop if they're using something similar:
http://www.gsp9700.com/pub/search/findgsp9700.cfm

If that doesn't work, get an alignment, especially with only 27k on the car. It's prob. not a wheel bearing (yet).

 

If the wheel bearing checks out check the rear tires for any evidence of cupping. You can also have someone follow you to look for a wheel hop. If one of the struts is begining to give out a bump could set it to hoping might explain why it seams random.

 

Whaa
1) wouldn't cause vibration alone
3) wouldn't eliminate wheel vibration. Alignment is about wheels geometry not balance
This would be like telling someone to get their wheels balanced when their car is pulling to the side. It would not fix the problem.

 

In my case, with my 06 pt, my tires did not have enough air in them and i had an decreased indent running around the outside of my wheel. Making the wheel "square" as some mechanics call it. Filled the tires with air, rotated the tires putting the bad one in the back and now the wheel doesn't shake anymore. I drive 70 mph where i live, country roads, that's when it was most voilent. I thought it would be an alignment issue because of the many potholes i drove over but it wasn't that.

 

if it's not a bent wheel, or out of balance tire, my guess would be an out-of-round axle, the problem I had with a 2001 Dodge Durango that shook pretty bad between 50-70 mph, but not below or above.

 

How did you verify this?

 

I purchased wheels and tires from tire rack last year. NTB put them on and they worked fine. I just ordered another set of tires and NTB put them on again. When I got on the express way they were not balanced properly. They did them again and much it felt much better but I still have a very small slight vibration at certain speeds. HELP!!!