Wobbly when driving

Tiny
CAROLANM
  • MEMBER
  • 2013 NISSAN JUKE
  • 1.5L
  • TURBO
  • 2WD
  • MANUAL
  • 92,000 MILES
My vehicle has been feeling wobbly when driving and a little lumpy at low speeds. It also feels heavier to maneuver than usual.
I have checked all tire pressures last week and they are all fine.
I had a dog clean and a new air intake pipe a few weeks ago but not sure if that is relevant.
I just want to know what else to check before I take it to a garage.
Thanks
Wednesday, August 28th, 2019 AT 8:36 AM

2 Replies

Tiny
KASEKENNY
  • MECHANIC
  • 18,907 POSTS
Hi,

I am not sure I completely understand what you are experiencing but have you checked the shock absorbers? If you have one or more that are leaking, it will cause the vehicle to bounce or feel like it is less stable. They can also make noise when hitting a bump. I didn't read that so I am not sure this is your issue but we need to eliminate it to make sure.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/replace-shock-absorber

If this is not your issue is there a way to get a video of what you are describing? I just want to make sure I understand what you are experiencing. Thanks
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Wednesday, August 28th, 2019 AT 4:32 PM
Tiny
CARADIODOC
  • MECHANIC
  • 33,870 POSTS
You're describing the common symptoms of a tire with a broken belt. Sometimes you can feel the bulge in the tread, but be very careful when running your hand around the tread as there are often steel wires sticking out and they really hurt when they poke you.

The next step is to raise the tires off the ground, then spin them while watching the tread. You can run the engine, in gear, with the tires off the ground, to watch the driving tires. Non-driving tires can be spun by hand. The easiest broken belts to identify will cause the tread to have a visible hump on one side, in one area. When the belt is really badly broken, the tread will squirm sideways as you rotate the tire.

There's another type of broken belt that is real hard to find. You have to watch the grooves in the tread, not the tread surface itself. If the belt breaks slowly over many weeks or months, the bulge develops slow enough that the high spot wears down from normal driving. Where a bulge in the tread causes that corner of the car to jump up when it hits the road surface, this more subtle type of break isn't able to support the weight of the car, so that corner drops down a little once per tire revolution. It still feels wobbly at low speeds, but you won't notice much of a problem at highway speeds.

If you can't find the broken belt, have the tires inspected at any tire and alignment shop. The people there are experts at finding causes of vibrations, noises, and tire wear problems. A dragging brake can cause similar symptoms, but that is usually felt only at higher speeds. When it's bad enough, it can cause a faily hard shake in the steering wheel.
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Wednesday, August 28th, 2019 AT 4:32 PM

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