steering vibration

[Brucelee]

Yes, in fact, to get the wheels perfectly on a Box, the shop should do both dynamic and statis balance and deal with any discrep. between the two. Also, as pointed out above, if the basic wheel has issues, this will make the balance even all the more challegning.

[RandallNeighbour]

What BruceLee is referring to, if I am not mistaken, is two different kinds of wheel balancing.

One is done "normally" by spinning the tire by the center of the rim the way you're probably used to seeing it done.

The other way, which is not that uncommon, is to balance the tire under a load or what he referred to as "dynamically".

I have heard that some Discount Tire stores have both kinds. That's the place you want to take your Boxster.

Another option is to call a few rim shops that specialize in high performance tires and rims... they have balancing equipment that goes up to and beyond 100 miles per hour.

I am told that wheel balancing problems go away after 90 mph or more. So, one very cheap fix for your problem is to drive faster!

Of course, one could become dangerous at high speeds or incur speeding tickets, so that may not be the best idea!

If my explanation requires correction and I'm not right on my descriptions, please do post it here so that I can learn more as well. I've NEVER been pleased with the balancing of my wheels since I bought my boxster last year... had them balanced three times and just decided to live with it.

[Brucelee]

The downside to the feel that a box has is that it IS sensative. Hence, any little balance issue is felt whereas in some other cars, it would not be noticed.

The good with the bad!

[D.L.]

You guys are fantastic with information! I believe the vehicle was taken to a local Firestone and they did the basic wheel balance, and not a "dynamic" wheel balance. I've heard they are also called "high speed" wheel balancing and they are done at my local Porsche dealer, but they charge an arm and a leg! Not to sound harsh, but I'm glad I'm not the only one that is experiencing this problem.

If there are any other suggestions or personal experiences, I would love to hear them. I LOVE the car, but the vibration is a bit of a pain.

D

[Shortbus]

I have a similar problem but mine seems to stop once the tires start warming up a bit. Could it be the tires being balanced in summer, i.e. warm weather then driven in winter where it's cold?

[YellowJacket]

Originally Posted by Shortbus

I have a similar problem but mine seems to stop once the tires start warming up a bit. Could it be the tires being balanced in summer, i.e. warm weather then driven in winter where it's cold?

I have your problem. I was wondering if I had some bad bushings or something and if the vibration was coming from them instead of the wheels and that the rubber had to warm up to operating temperature.

But yeah, on cold days, I get crazy front-end shimmy from about 70+, and then 3-4 miles into my drive, it just instantaneously stops.

[Shortbus]

On top of that I noticed when it starts vibrating, If I turn a bit, like let's say switch a lane or even two, the vibration will usually wear off too. Pretty weird.... At least it seems it's not as uncommon as I expected it to be :dance: :chicken: