1998 Chevy Corvette Severe vibrations at 70+ MPH

COBRATRAXXAS

MEMBER
1998 CHEVROLET CORVETTE
V8
2WD
MANUAL
129,500 MILES

Hi,

At speeds above 70 MPH, I experience severe vibration in the steering wheel and the whole front of the car (for instance, I can see the hood is shaking too).

It's a 1998 Chevy Corvette-- 129,500 miles. Any ideas?

Thanks,

Mike

3 Replies

IMPALASS

MECHANIC
3,112 POSTS

Hello Mike

Have you had your tires high speed balanced lately? How many miles are on them?

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Sunday, November 30th, 2008 AT 11:06 PM

COBRATRAXXAS

MEMBER
2 POSTS

Yes it was the balance of the tires/wheels! Thank you ImpalaSS!

I took it to a tire and wheel place and they cured about 90+% of the problem. There's still a very small amount of vibration, but it's not as regular and might just be normal road feel.

They think what happened was that the clearance between the outer-inside of the front wheels and the outside of the brake calipers was so tight, that it knocked off the lead weights that had been mounted onto the inside of the wheel to balance it.

Because of the type of wheel it was, they didn't want to install lead on the lip of the wheel (where it meets the tire). They felt that it would eventually fly off and ding up the fender paint.

So they put new weights into the inside of the wheel and hopefully they are thinner and will not hit the brake calipers!

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Monday, February 16th, 2009 AT 12:52 PM

IMPALASS

MECHANIC
3,112 POSTS

Hello -

Fantastic! Great to hear the great news. . .. . .. . .. . .. . ..

Wide tires are a nightmare to keep balanced. . .. . .. . .mine are slightly wider. . ...mines an Impala SS. . .. . .believe me. . .. . ..always a little rough. . .. . .. . .

Not sure where you get your tires. . .. . .. . .. . ..I always get mine from The Tire Rack. . .. . .you can sort, view specs etc. . .. . .. . .they drop them right to your door and mine are always less expensive than in town.

I attached the website. . .. . .. . .. . .

http://www.tirerack.com/index_w.jsp

Thanks again for the update. . .. . .. . ..

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Monday, February 16th, 2009 AT 6:19 PM