I just got new wheels. I noticed immediately after putting them on that the steering wheel shook after 35mph. I was thinking it could be several things. Keep in mind while reading this, that it is happening on the right front wheel.

1. On the two front wheels, I have 3 of the 4 lugs bolted on. I couldn't get the 4th one in on the wheels for some reason, so I've ordered skinnier lugs that will fit the wheels' lug holes. I asked a mechanic if it was safe to drive with 3/4 of the lugs in if the other 3 were torqued down, and he said yes, as long as I got another lug ASAP. Could this be the cause of the shaking? This was my first thought.

2. Wheel alignment. The wheels lowered my car another 2", so this could be an option.

3. New tires. One of the tires (front left) is pretty worn in the front, it has maybe 1,000 miles left on it. Could the tires have something to do with it?

4. Huncentric rings. The hub is a little bigger on the bbs wheels. Would this cause the shaking?

5. Bent wheel.

Please tell me if any of these things would cause the steering wheel to shake, and if so, which ones I should tackle first.

Thank you.

 

The simplest solution is that one of the wheels is out of balance. Go back to the shop and have them check the balance. This happened to me twice, once when I had frozen snow in my wheels (balance off.) and another time when the wheel/tire guy didn't balance a new set properly. Quick fix.

 

3 lug bolts combined with no hubcentric ring is definitely a problem. However all of the points you brought up (and wheel balancing as well) could potentially contribute to shaking. It's bizarre in itself that 3 bolts fit but not the 4th, and only in front. What happens if you swap the wheels front and rear? What is the model and spec of the wheels?

How is that possible? To lower your car 2", the overall tire diameter would have to be 4" smaller, which is very extreme. That would also make your speedometer read 17% high.

 

I did think it was odd as well. It was only on the front wheels too. I had to force the bolts in to get them to screw in, but for some reason I couldn't get the 4th to even make contact enough to screw in. I can't really explain it without showing. But skinnier lugs are what I need. I can't swap them as they are staggered wheels.

About the lowering, I'm not sure how it did it, but it did. I went from 17" wheels with 45 series tires to 16" with 35 series tires. It lowered it at least 1.75". I was surprised.

 

1. Something about this sounds very very wrong. Are you sure those wheels are the right bolt pattern? Also you should probably find a new mechanic.

The diameter of the bolts is not the way to fix this. Wobble bolts maybe. Really the only way all four holes can not be lining up is if the bolt patterns are different.

2. Even if they did lower your car that much, it would in no way affect your alignment. Wheel/tire size doesn't effect suspension geometry.

3. If the wheels/tires were balanced recently this is unlikely to be the cause.

4. Yes ideally you should have hub-centric rings. This plus the bolt misalignment is almost definitely the cause of your problem. Again find a different mechanic.

5. Could be but you should be able to verify that visually if its the case.

Also you may be damaging the wheels by driving around on them like this. I could easily see the lug seat getting wallowed out driving around improperly seated.

And who makes a 16" 35 series tire?

 

to all that said. Also find a shop who has a Hunter Road Force balance machine. That is the best machine for tires because it balances the tire to the rim using weighted force just like you would be driving and turning.

 

The rings and a bolts for each front would be the start. I'd have the balance rechecked.A road force balance couldn't hurt. You wouldn't believe what they can balance with a 9700. If you could only see the wheels on my wife's car....They do balance out though

 

+1 with Creeve. Something just doesn't sound right in Tokoyo.

 

Thanks for the detailed response. I am really hoping it isn't a bent wheel. Would I be able to tell this by simply looking at it?

I took the wheels off, and put my stockers back on until I get my new lug bolts in. The bolt pattern is right, it's just that the center bore (I'm guessing) is about 70 something mm compared to MINI's 56.1, so I need what they call "tuner lugs" for them to fit on my wheel properly.

It's hard to explain the situation with my lugs without a picture. I will try to get one.

---Anyone have an idea how to measure the center bore of my BBS wheels?

I am buying new tires. I will get them balanced then. I'm not sure if these were balanced, the guy from which I bought them didn't say anything about the tires being balanced. Would this really cause the steering wheel to shake only above 35 mph? Why would that be?

The 35 series 16" tires that I have are made by Falken.

Thanks to all that have responded!

 

I'd definitely take them off asap til you can get things straightened out. Listen to Creeve since he seems to have hit most of the important things.

 

I would guess that if its shaking that much you would be able to see the bend under close inspection.

The center bore would in not effect the fit of the lugs. If they are the wrong style e.g. conical vs spherical seat they wouldn't fit correctly but all four would still be able to go on. Another common problem is the 14mm lug size on minis being too big for some wheels but then again none of the lugs would fit not just 3.

Sidebar fact: bbs rs were made in 4x100, 4x98, 4x108 as well as many other bolt patterns so it wouldn't be totally unlikely that the bolt pattern is slightly different.

 

They were filled and redrilled to 4x100. I pretty much had to force the bolts on the wheels. I had just driven 14 hours to get the wheels for a show that was the next day, so trust me, I was desperate to get them on. I got 4 lugs on the rear wheels but couldn't get it on the fronts... I am 99.9% sure I just need smaller lugs.

I don't understand how any of this could cause it to vibrate only above 35 mph??

Any idea how to measure center bore?

Thanks, Creeve.

 

If the wheel and the hub/axle don't share the same axis the wheel will oscillate as it rotates. It is doing it at lower speed but the rotational inertia isn't enough to notably transfer all the way back to the steering wheel until you get over 35.

Sounds like it might not be the greatest fill/redrill job ever. You can measure the center bore with an inside caliper.

Also the only way to go down to smaller lugs that I am aware of is conversion studs, which might not fit under your RS's center caps.

 

So how would I directly fix this? Hubcentric rings?

 

Yes hubcentric rings should be a good start. Preferably aluminum rings rather than plastic.

 

So get new tires, get them balanced and checked for bends by a good shop with good equipment, get hubcentric rings, fit new lug nuts on. Got it. Thanks everyone. I'll inform everyone whether or not these things fix the problems.

 

Explain that a bit more. Did the wheels originally have a different pattern and were modified for 4x100?

I have a feeling that the holes were drilled for 12mm bolts. However, MINI switched to 14mm bolts in 2006. You can't just get skinnier lug bolts because your hubs take 14mm. You could use a 12mm to 14mm stud conversion kit.

 

Yes they are modified. It has become pretty common practice especially on bbs rs to weld in the original lug holes "fill" and "re-drill" a new bolt pattern.

It doesn't really make sense that the problem is 12mm lug holes because then none of the 14mm lugs would have fit.

 

Unless of course whoever drilled did a poor job. According to the OP, he was able to "force" some of the lugs in, which to me suggests that some was just a bit shy of 14mm while the 4th lug is at 12mm. Im guessing that the wheels were filled then refilled for 12mm but whoever drilled went a little bigger. Unless the wheels were somehow drilled at 4x98 instead of 4x100, he could probably have gotten away by drilling the holes just enough to expand it to 14mm.

As mentioned, a 12mm lug will not bolt up to your 14mm hub, what you need is a stud conversion kit from 14mm to 12mm.

1. First is to sort out your lugs for safety.

2. Next step is to definitely get hubcentric rings to center your wheels. That is likely the cause of the vibration itself.

3. Most bends can be balanced out so a good shop should sort that out but change the worn out tire. Especially if the wear is uneven.

 

Yes it does make sense. If you had to force the lugs through, then the holes are right at 14mm. A small variation in either the hole or the bolt could prevent it from going through. Normally a lug should be able to pass quite easily through the wheel hole. A 14mm hole is too tight for a 14mm lug, but it is the right size for a 12mm lug.

When MINI switched from 12mm to 14mm lugs, it happened mid-year and there was no change to the factory wheels. Even the older wheels already had large enough holes to easily accommodate the 14mm lugs. It is the cone shape between the wheel and lug that centers the lug, not the size of the hole itself.

The OP has two choices. Either drill out the holes a bit larger, or get a 12mm to 14mm stud conversion.

 

Okay, so an update. I got the new lugs, and they fit just fine. They were "tuner lugs" so they fit the wheels better. The steering wheel shake is about 80% gone, and it only does it around 35-45 mph, but after that, nothing. So I blame that on either unbalanced tires or it needing an alignment. It drifts to the right when I'm driving, so alignment is next.