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98 RS wheel wobble(?) at 50mph +

Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2011 11:56 am
by SWRT
Whenever I'm driving 50mph or above the driver side front wheel (at least that feels like where it's coming from) feels like it wants to wobble off. It shakes the steering wheel like crazy.

I was thinking ball joint at first, but I'll probably have to
pull the wheel off to get a better look at it. Usually a ball
joint isnt so violent though and it's been sitting for a few
weeks and wasnt doing this before it sat.

Anyone experienced this before? What do you guys think?

Re: 98 RS wheel wobble(?) at 50mph +

Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2011 2:41 pm
by BoostedSubie
I'd check the wheel bearing also and check that all your lug nuts are tight. Did you have new tires put on recently? One could be out of balance or you could have a bent rim. I had a bad cv once that didn't click or anything but at higher speeds it did the same thing due to being out of balance. Those are the usuallys that i've seen.

Re: 98 RS wheel wobble(?) at 50mph +

Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2011 6:38 pm
by SWRT
I thought wheel bearings tended to hop, not wobble.

I'll have to check the lug nuts, but the car's been sitting.
I had them put on about 8 months ago. Some Falken FK452's, but
I've never hit a curb or anything. I know the passenger side CV axle
is bad, but I'll have to look at the driver. The passenger boot is ripped
but it's not clicking.

I'll have to check this stuff out. Appreciate it, man. If anyone else has
anything more I should check I'd be grateful.

Re: 98 RS wheel wobble(?) at 50mph +

Posted: Fri Oct 21, 2011 4:31 am
by BoostedSubie
The front end on my wagon gets shaky when i'm going over 40. My passenger cv is bad, just haven't had time to replace it but my boots aren't torn either. I've had bad wheel bearings before and you usually can't tell if thats the problem. They make a consistent grinding/dragging sound and at high speeds can make the wheel a bit shaky.

Re: 98 RS wheel wobble(?) at 50mph +

Posted: Fri Oct 21, 2011 12:23 pm
by SWRT
Right, but I didnt hear anything. At least if it is I cant hear it over the tires. They're pretty loud, but
my first and last experience with a bad wheel bearing was 2 years ago and it'd hum at lower speeds
too.



**UPDATE**

So I drove it around for a bit last night...nothing.
Didnt wobble a bit even up at 50+. I think it's gonna
need some driving this weekend early in the morning.
I wonder if it has anything to do with it sitting or maybe
it getting colder outside.

Re: 98 RS wheel wobble(?) at 50mph +

Posted: Fri Oct 21, 2011 5:22 pm
by Legacy777
Does the whole car shake or is it more through the wheel?

I had an issue with a CV axle that was causing a horrible vibration. It was intermittant, so a cv axle may be something to look at as well. The axle looked fine from the exterior.

Re: 98 RS wheel wobble(?) at 50mph +

Posted: Fri Oct 21, 2011 6:48 pm
by SWRT
The whole car shakes slightly, but you can feel it pretty hard through the steering wheel.

Re: 98 RS wheel wobble(?) at 50mph +

Posted: Sat Oct 22, 2011 3:02 am
by Legacy777
Well if you can't find anything around the "normal" culprits, you may want to check the CV axles.

Re: 98 RS wheel wobble(?) at 50mph +

Posted: Mon Oct 24, 2011 12:18 pm
by SWRT
Oddly enough it turned out to be the front drivers side caliper locking up and not releasing.
I had ruled that out from the first because I got those calipers less than a year ago. Kind of
makes me lose faith in them now. At least it was under warranty and it didnt warp my rotor.
Crap must have been hot though.

Re: 98 RS wheel wobble(?) at 50mph +

Posted: Sun Oct 30, 2011 10:13 pm
by Legacy777
Well at least you found out what the problem was.

Re: 98 RS wheel wobble(?) at 50mph +

Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2011 12:38 pm
by SWRT
Uh huh. I was pretty shocked though. Sad that those re-manufactured
parts are done so cheaply.

And I do really appreciate all of the help guys! :-D

Re: 98 RS wheel wobble(?) at 50mph +

Posted: Wed May 22, 2013 8:34 am
by LegacyW90
SWRT wrote:I thought wheel bearings tended to hop, not wobble.

I'll have to check the lug nuts, but the car's been sitting.
I had them put on about 8 months ago. Some Falken FK452's, but
I've never hit a curb or anything. I know the passenger side CV axle
is bad, but I'll have to look at the driver. The passenger boot is ripped
but it's not clicking.

I'll have to check this stuff out. Appreciate it, man. If anyone else has
anything more I should check I'd be grateful.

If the car was sitting un moved for a long duration of time it can create problems with the tire as well. So keep that in mind. Of if the tire went flat while sitting there or even sitting with low pressure it can make it go bonkers