Shaky steering at high speeds

B

bmwz4dream

Member
Hi

I was driving on the motorway yesterday and noticed when going above 80mph the steering felt light and felt as if i was slightly driving on ice and car moving abit. I bought it recently with passes mot and last month did a 4 wheel realignment at a place recommended on here

Does anyone know what else the problem could be, like i said its not noticeable at lower speeds eg 60 and below. The tire pressure and thread was confirmed as ok during the realignment

Also if anyone lives near bromley and can recommend a good garage would be appreciated

Thanks
 
Just a thought, but this thread might be worth a read as it's on the same topic:- https://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=113838
 
thecookie125 said:
What’s the mileage? Has it had lower control arm bushes on it?
Click to expand...

mileage is 50k (2008) 3.0 SI Auto. I am unsure about the bushes i only bought the car recently, it had a service at 45k and MOT few months back.

just reading that thread now..
 
It's probably mentioned in that thread (and many many times elsewhere!), but that nervous, jittery steering feeling (especially on somewhat uneven road surfaces) could also very well be related to using runflat tyres, if you are using them. Switching from runflat Bridgestones to non-runflat Goodyear Eagle F1's cured it completely on my 3.0si Coupe. Not sure if we are talking about exactly the same symptoms however, since it was also evident on mine even at lower speeds. The electrically assisted steering also contributes to this, and I find it's better in sport mode.

Dave
 
bmwz4dream said:
thecookie125 said:
What’s the mileage? Has it had lower control arm bushes on it?
Click to expand...

mileage is 50k (2008) 3.0 SI Auto. I am unsure about the bushes i only bought the car recently, it had a service at 45k and MOT few months back.

just reading that thread now..
Click to expand...
 
davelo said:
It's probably mentioned in that thread (and many many times elsewhere!), but that nervous, jittery steering feeling (especially on somewhat uneven road surfaces) could also very well be related to using runflat tyres, if you are using them. Switching from runflat Bridgestones to non-runflat Goodyear Eagle F1's cured it completely on my 3.0si Coupe. Not sure if we are talking about exactly the same symptoms however, since it was also evident on mine even at lower speeds. The electrically assisted steering also contributes to this, and I find it's better in sport mode.

Dave
Click to expand...

i have non-run flats but reading this is a common problem with runflats!
 
If it’s shaky (i.e vibrating) the steering wheel at motorway speeds and all feels fine below that, its usually just a wheel balancing issue. Take it to a tyre place and get them to check if they are balanced ok and not buckled etc.
 
thanks, i did get the alignment done recently but maybe they didnt do it properly?

i am going to a local garage on Saturday and they will check the alignment again
 
It might be your lower control arm bushes at that mileage, they have habit of failing which leads to wobbly, sloppy steering and generally poor feedback. Easiest way to tell is grab the front wheels by the spokes and shake them side to side if there's excessive movement you could have found your problem.
 
ph001 said:
If it’s shaky (i.e vibrating) the steering wheel at motorway speeds and all feels fine below that, its usually just a wheel balancing issue. Take it to a tyre place and get them to check if they are balanced ok and not buckled etc.
Click to expand...

I'd second this. Alignment will check the alignment of the wheels only, it won't factor for unbalanced or lightly buckled wheels. If you're feeling it in the steering wheel it will be one of the front wheels... but worth getting all 4 wheels re-balanced. Will be quick and cheap... hopefully be the easy fix you're after :driving:
 
A friend of mine had this problem it happened just after he had had the split rim 108s refurbished and the rear wishbone bushes changed to polybushes. We both suspected problems with the wheel reassembly, so I swapped wheels with him and went on a 15 mile spin. My car had no problems with his wheeels and his car still had the problem, so our suspicion turned to the change to polybushes. I don't know where it went in the end but rear wishbone bushes may be worth a look at.
 
I think we're all being confused by the wording used to describe the problem.

OP - are you saying that your steering wheel is shaking/vibrating/juddering at speeds? I suspect that isn't what you're saying, but the use of the word "shaky" is throwing some of us.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom