okay here goes.. i know this topic has been talked about FOREVER and there are many posts and threads regarding this situation. unfortunately i cannot seem to pin point the correct answer or figure out on the car what it is!!

i lowered my car back in august on v maxx coilovers with adjustable swaybar endinks and im riding on 15" o.z chrono ht's that only weigh 12 ounds with BF Goodrich tires.

now i have adjusted the endlinks multiple times i have replaced a wheel bearing balanced and aligned my wheels and i still get a violent shaking under load.. for the first 3 gears under little load you dont feel anything but the second you open it up and floor it you get a violent shake to the point where you feel like your front end is going to fall apart.

for the last 3 gears any touch of the pedal you feel the shaking even under the lightest pressure on the pedal.. can someone please help has anyone found new light on this situation?

Thanks for all the help!

 

Im not sure as to what it could be, im just throwing this out there, but have you replaced your control arm bushings? Have you checked the torque on all the bolts you loosened when installing the coilovers? it could possibly be a failed motor mount too, take a look at your mounts.
It might help others who are more experienced than me to know some other things about your car. Im assuming from your sn that you live in new jersey, and have an 05 mcs. how many miles? are you the original owner? what other upgrades do you have on it?
I hope you can get this all sorted out!
-Austin

 

I would take a real close look at the tires.
Look for any buldges, or signs of seperation.
Possible loss of wheel weight, etc.

 

that just gave me another idea. could possibly be a dent in your wheel. might check for that. although, im not so sure about how that might be affected by throttle...

 

Raise it up a little at a time till it goes away. Its your axles set at a goofy angle from lowering it.


joe r

 

I was just about to say check your axles. My buddy has a supercharged cobalt and he had a bad axle and it did the same thing! Im lowering my car tonight. Hopefully I can go as low as I really want to without this issue!!

 

thanks for the feedback

LUSEBOY.. motor mounts are all checked i have a 15% reduction pulley 2% crank pulley alta intake pro mini stress bar vmaxx coils sway bar endlinks 15x7.5 o.z chrono hts and bfg g forces.. all of the tires are fine balanced weighted properly no dents dings the wheels are perfect. and i have 70k miles second owner but have had it since 50k. like i said the coilovers were on for a good 4k miles with NO problems of any kind.

VOLLGAS... all of the tires were checked balanced ect. nothing wrong but that was my first guess

JOE R.. i thought that it might be to low. but there HAS to be other minis waaayyyy lower then mine is and that wouldn't make since since i literally drove around for over 4k miles and 3 months on them and there were no problems.

FENSTY.. ive checked the exles and there is no play and a brand new wheel bearing put in about 1k miles before. the spine on the wheel bearing are perfect and there is no play in the axles :/ im still stuck!!! and by the way you bought your car from paul miller? lol
p.s did your buddys cobalt stop the problem with a new axle?

thanks for all the suggestions guys please keep them coming!

 

im pretty sure its axles too. Mine did it at certain heights (mainly very low) and it was still basically a brand new car lol.

Some people just seem to luck out.

Also could be an alignment issue if theyre both toe in a bit or something like that

 

so are you guys saying to replace the axles or adjust the height because i tried raising it and still the problem persists

 

i guess mine is just enough to live with... which I think many do in hopes that the axle will sort of wear itself into place (which I dont think they ever really will)

I think most start replacing axles.

id get an alignment check before anything if you have not

 

and dont get the cheap after-market axles if you have to replace them. They are known to work for 2 months and then fail.

 

yea unfortunately my vibration is terrible!!!

in terms of axles i wasnt even going to go oem i have been in contact with The Driveshaft Shop and i will probably end up going with a level 1 or 2 race axle so i wont ever have to worry about them again.. i know they make high quality products out of their shop.
If any one else is in the market for race axles try ultrarev.com and they actually sell Driveshaft Shop axles but at a discounted price and luckily they are located in new jersey for me
i guess that is my next route and only other option would be to replace the axle and see what happens

 

Yes I bought it from paul miller. Do you know the previous owner?!?! haha And the axle fixed the problem, but then it came back. I just installed my coilovers last night. I get a slight vibration in 1-3 but 4-6 its gone, so Im hoping an alignment fixes it!

 

I did coilovers (Vmaxx), and first time installed, it was vibrating as described in the posts, ie: between 2-4k rpm mostly in 2nd and 3rd gear under full power. I dropped it about a 1/2" further, and vibration got much worst and over a broader rpm range, and spanned 1, 2, 3, and 4th under full power. I took the opportunity today and added some spring spacers between the top hat and the strut tower, may have raised the car about 1/8", and the vibration has essentially disappeared, or at least now, is very subtle.
I have read several posts here, and IMO, I believe that the issue is the drive shaft, and the harmonics at which the drive shaft spins. And at certain RPMs, it hits a resonance that amplifies the vibration. This is all a result of the drop and the angle of the drive shaft. Like others have said in other posts, the drive shafts likes to be offset, and the more the drive shaft is aligned, the more likely the center segment will rotate around the fixed end points (the hub and the transmission). Essentially like a jump rope. If the hub was at a different axis then the transmission, the drive shaft would work normally.
I think that you can change the amplitude and frequency with drop angle, the real question is, what is that sweet spot? and will that sweet spot align with your aesthetic preference.

 

Okay so I didn't realize this site was primarily Mini owners before I signed up...I personally own a 2016 Dodge dart...but was wondering if you guys could help me out. I just lowered my car and it's making a sound that's very similar to a card in the spokes of a bicycle. I'm not sure if it's vibration or what it could be. I didn't lower it much. Approximately an inch and a half all the way around. I'm debating taking it back to the shop that put my springs on for me but not sure if I should. If I had the tools and experience I would have done it myself, but didn't want to risk messing it up. The sound speeds up and slows down as the car does the same. Thanks for any help 😊😊