NRP87 Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 Recently replaced the front right tire on my '99 Legacy 30th Anniv. that I bought used with 50,000 miles about 3 months back, and a few days after, I began to notice significant vibration in the steering wheel as I reached 50-60mph on my way to work (I commute 40 miles each way). I innitially thought the tires were improperly balanced after they installed the new tire, so I took it to my mechanic for him to look over. According to him, there was a 1oz discrepency (which he corrected), but no issues with the suspension. The very next day during my work commute, I noticed a significant decrease in the vibration, but it didn't seem as good as I was hoping for, so once I got to work, I checked the lug nuts on each tire to ensure none were noticeably loose. I discovered that on the recently replaced tire, the lug nuts were hot to the touch, and being that it was wet/misting out, it made absolutely no sense to me. I Googled it, and I've been finding an array of possible causes (bearings, brake pad, caliper, rotor, etc.), but being that I've never experienced it before, I'm not sure what exactly could be the real issue. Any insight or leads as to the probable cause would be greatly appreciated! Thanks all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdventureSubaru Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 Wobbling is usually a sign of misalignment. Are your tires the same size? Any uneven tread wear on either of them? Before or after? As in - why did only one tire get replaced up front? If it's a bearing going bad or a caliper seizing, you will usually hear some grinding or growling in the front. Any noise to suggest either of these? Rotor issues you should only feel when braking. You can also get wobble out of bad ball joints or an improper alignment. If you can't find a likely culprit, I'd shop around for a shop running a special for a 4 wheel alignment. You can usually find one around $50. The alignment can be tweaked as you hit potholes etc. through normal driving. A decent alignment shop will also be able to tell you if you have any other failing components that will need attention. At 50k on the car though, unless it's seen a lot of abuse/rust you should have lots of life left. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster2 Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 Lug nuts hot to the touch...........I think you could have a brake problem, maybe a seized caliper slide pin, that results in the brake constantly riding on the rotor. That can generate heat, that perhaps has warped the rotor slightly to cause the vibration. I have had this happen with no accompanying noise. Does your mechanic know about the hot lug nuts? If not, advise....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luko Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 Misalignment does not cause a vibration or shaking issue...usually tire balancing...try taking it to another shop and have them balance it, that first shop's balance could be un-calibrated... but with the hot to the touch issue you are getting some friction some wheres...brakes possibly? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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