I did recently rotate the tires and have everything re-balanced so it's
unlikely that it's a balancing issue... That somewhat even brings into
question a rim issue but it's the most obvious place to start consiering
that i'm fairly happy that it's not the tires themselves.

 

It was a 4 wheel alignment and it was done when the tie-rod-ends were
replaced.. i also took it back and had it re-checked twice.

Some force was used to remove the rear tires so this could be the culprit.
Since then anti-seize compound was used to prevent them from sticking in
the future which has worked really well.

So let's say the rims are replaced and that solves the wobble it still
brings into question the pull to the left and right which does seem to
come and go. It's not sever but it is noticable and isn't consistantly
pulling one way.

It's higher milage yes but apart from the steering issue it's been a
pretty good car and is still in very good running order. It's all highway
miles and rarely sits in traffic.

 

jmh_ottawa wrote:
> It was a 4 wheel alignment and it was done when the tie-rod-ends were
> replaced.. i also took it back and had it re-checked twice.
>
> Some force was used to remove the rear tires so this could be the culprit.
> Since then anti-seize compound was used to prevent them from sticking in
> the future which has worked really well.
>
> So let's say the rims are replaced and that solves the wobble it still
> brings into question the pull to the left and right which does seem to
> come and go. It's not sever but it is noticeable and isn't consistently
> pulling one way.

Are you sure it's not just the crowning and tire depressions on the roads?

> It's higher mileage yes but apart from the steering issue it's been a
> pretty good car and is still in very good running order. It's all highway
> miles and rarely sits in traffic.

I certainly wouldn't replace it for such minor problems.

BTW, what are you running for tire pressures? I find the Elantra handles
much better with front/rear pressures of 36/32. The recommended pressure
of 30 psi all around guarantees severe understeer and uneven tread wear
on the front tires. You could try them at 34/30 if you like a softer ride.

A common modification by Elantra owners is to install a stiffer rear
sway bar, which really helps to balance the handling. The stock 13 mm
sway bar is too soft, allows the body to roll excessively in corners and
creates excessive understeer. Most people are using the 19.2mm sway bar
from the '03 Tiburon GT, but some use the 18mm sway bar from the
standard Tib. Either way, you should see a big difference in balance and
sure-footedness on the road. These are bolt-on parts and they don't
affect the alignment or require any other changes/adjustments.

 

>>Are you sure it's not just the crowning and tire depressions on the
roads?

Yes... there is a slight pull to the left but on occasions it is noticably
pulling right. Someone mentioned it could be the strut bearings although
once again quite a bit of work to remove and reinstall everything for a
"maybe"

It's tough to say if cornering triggers the pull to change as it's not
excessive but is noticable.

>>I certainly wouldn't replace it for such minor problems.

Exactly... once more major things arrise fine but to date the only items i
haven't expected to go would be the transmission speed sensors and a wiper
motor, oh and the purge valve. Not too bad a list compared to some out
there haha..

>>BTW, what are you running for tire pressures? I find the Elantra handles

much better with front/rear pressures of 36/32. The recommended pressure
of 30 psi all around guarantees severe understeer and uneven tread wear
on the front tires. You could try them at 34/30 if you like a softer
ride.

I've had them at 32/32 recently but i will try a slightly higher pressure
to see if that has any effect.

>>A common modification by Elantra owners is to install a stiffer rear
sway bar, which really helps to balance the handling.

Something that could be worth doing on a newer car but given it's age it's
a "let's see how long it last" scenerio now.

 

In article
<5c198bc235c38016afa9d3c356cbca1d@localhost.talkab outautos.com>,
jmh_ottawa <john@minasu.com> wrote:

> I think the first step is to verify the rims aren't the problem... i'll
> likely wait till this storm passes and i get some nicer weather before
> checking them out... if a new ones are needed then rims don't cost too
> much but it's a place to start and it would give me some peace of mind
> that they have at least been checked.


We had the exact problem you describe with my wife's 2001 Elantra. It
was at the dealer for warranty work so, while it was there, I had them
mount and balance a brand new set of Kumho ECSTA 714s. Almost
immediately we noticed the steering wheel wobble. Several returns to
the dealer for rebalancing and a 4 wheel alignment were fruitless.

Finally, I brought it to my regular mechanic who, after remounting and
rebalancing them, ran a dial indicator on the edge of the wheels and
discovered that 3 of the 4 were out of round. No salvage yard in my
area had any wheels for car and the dealer wanted an insane figure for
new wheels (I think it was over 120 USD each), so I ended up getting
some American Racing aluminum alloy wheels for $70 each. End of wobble.

BTW, the Kumhos are light years better than the Michelin MXV4s that
they replaced.

John

--
toneguru_uk at yahoo dot com

 

"jc" <toneguru_uk@see-sig.invalid> wrote in message
news:231020061624588169%toneguru_uk@see-sig.invalid...

>
> Finally, I brought it to my regular mechanic who, after remounting and
> rebalancing them, ran a dial indicator on the edge of the wheels and
> discovered that 3 of the 4 were out of round. No salvage yard in my
> area had any wheels for car and the dealer wanted an insane figure for
> new wheels (I think it was over 120 USD each), so I ended up getting
> some American Racing aluminum alloy wheels for $70 each. End of wobble.

Excellent. It's good to see a conclusive diagnosis to a problem like this,
rather than the approach that seems to go the route of do more alignments,
rotate the tires, do more alignments, do four wheel alignments, do more,
rotate thetires again... ad infitum. So much effort is wasted in these
types of efforts. Four wheel alignments being one of the more abused
things.

Most cars that can benefit at all from a rear wheel alignment can only allow
for a camber adjustment in the rear. Camber is not the culprit in most
vibration related problems, yet too many owners suffer through, or worse...
pay for multiple four wheel alignments in pursuit of problems like this.

Hats off to your mechanic. Go buy that guy a beer.

>
> BTW, the Kumhos are light years better than the Michelin MXV4s that
> they replaced.
>

Isn't it a shame how many tires are so much better than Michelins, at far
lower price points?

--

-Mike-
mmarlowREMOVE@alltel.net

 

I agree mike i've almost fallen into that trap but as you say how many
times can you check the same thing. I know balancing and alignments are
renounded for being "easy money". I'll definetly be getting the rims
checked by someone who can actually measure them correctly.

 

jmh_ottawa wrote:
>>> Are you sure it's not just the crowning and tire depressions on the
> roads?
>
> Yes... there is a slight pull to the left but on occasions it is noticably
> pulling right. Someone mentioned it could be the strut bearings although
> once again quite a bit of work to remove and reinstall everything for a
> "maybe"
>
> It's tough to say if cornering triggers the pull to change as it's not
> excessive but is noticable.

If the strut bearings were loose, you'd hear a loud clunking sound on
bumpy roads.

>>> I certainly wouldn't replace it for such minor problems.
>
> Exactly... once more major things arrise fine but to date the only items i
> haven't expected to go would be the transmission speed sensors and a wiper
> motor, oh and the purge valve. Not too bad a list compared to some out
> there haha..
>
>>> BTW, what are you running for tire pressures? I find the Elantra handles
>
> much better with front/rear pressures of 36/32. The recommended pressure
> of 30 psi all around guarantees severe understeer and uneven tread wear
> on the front tires. You could try them at 34/30 if you like a softer
> ride.
>
> I've had them at 32/32 recently but i will try a slightly higher pressure
> to see if that has any effect.

The key is to run more pressure on the end that supports the most
weight, the front.

>>> A common modification by Elantra owners is to install a stiffer rear
> sway bar, which really helps to balance the handling.
>
> Something that could be worth doing on a newer car but given it's age it's
> a "let's see how long it last" scenerio now.

It was just a suggestion in case you were interested in improving the
overall handling feel of the car.

 

In article <7030b$453de583$471fbb6d$26521@ALLTEL.NET>, Mike Marlow
<mmarlow@alltel.net> wrote:

> Hats off to your mechanic. Go buy that guy a beer.

You know it. I've used the guy for years and, if I had a functioning
brain, I would have waited until the car was out of the dealer and had
him mount the tires in the first place. The new alloys do look good,
though.

> > BTW, the Kumhos are light years better than the Michelin MXV4s that
> > they replaced.
> >
>
> Isn't it a shame how many tires are so much better than Michelins, at far
> lower price points?

It is. I've about had it with the MXV4s on my '03 Sonata. I may try a
set of Kumho KH16s although the reviews on the Yokohama Avid series
look pretty good, too.

--
toneguru_uk at yahoo dot com

 

My girlfriends 95 Elantra 151K miles has a slight vibration too. IT
started when I rotated the tires. Had them rebalanced which helped but
still vibrates some I'm almost sure it is a tire problem. Going to
unrotate them when I have a chance see what happens

 

sqdancerLynn wrote:
> My girlfriends 95 Elantra 151K miles has a slight vibration too. IT
> started when I rotated the tires. Had them rebalanced which helped but
> still vibrates some I'm almost sure it is a tire problem. Going to
> unrotate them when I have a chance see what happens

I'd check for tread separation. I've had tire guys miss small bulges
before when I've complained of vibration.

Unluckily theres nothing you can do with separation except replace the
tire. If the tire is under warranty it should be pro-rated to the
mileage or treadwear depending on the warranty policy for that tire maker.

JS