rotated tires, bad vibration in steering wheel

[Focusfre4k]

I get a pretty good shake in the wheel now after rotating the tires. If the rear tire was off balance could I not tell as bad in the wheel until it was moved to the front? I feel it from about 25mph on up and back down from 60 to 25 or so as well.

Never really dealt with a balance issue before on my cars

this is on the 08 if it matters

[focusownerskid]

Your rears wore a bit and were thrown out of balance.

Get em balanced and you'll be alright.

- Drew

[Focusfre4k]

yea I got them balanced and the vibration is gone, I still hear a humming/pulsing noise that goes the speed of the wheel. I thought warped rotor but I doubt it since I dont get pulsing in the wheel when decelerating from 65 . I will check again on the highway after work where its freshly paved and maybe take it back for them to look at...or try it under warrant if a part is going bad...we shall see!

Thanks for the reply!

[focusownerskid]

It's most likely just the tire frequency.

Either get new tires, live w/ it or drive a bit faster/slower

- Drew

[Focusfre4k]

I will take the car for a spin after work

nothing was as bad as warped rotors on the old focus though LOL

[Auto_Focus]

How frequently do you rotate your tires?

[xFOCIx]

Originally Posted by Focusfre4k

I get a pretty good shake in the wheel now after rotating the tires. If the rear tire was off balance could I not tell as bad in the wheel until it was moved to the front? I feel it from about 25mph on up and back down from 60 to 25 or so as well.

Never really dealt with a balance issue before on my cars

this is on the 08 if it matters

Ugh... I was plagued with the same issue when I first got my tires and balancing did nothing. I researched the web and there were other owners who had the same issue and their solution was to not rotate at all.

I got Tirerack to replace a pair of tires and the problem went away though.

Rear vibration goes to seats and floor. Front vibration manifests as shimmy as you're experiencing. Rear vibration is not nearly as annoying.

When you had your tires balanced, did you have them check the wheels for excessive run-outs? They can go out of round from poor workmanship by whoever installed your new tires, hitting pot holes hard or curbs.

Any panic stops that might have caused flat spots?

If all of those checks out alright, the tires may have non-uniform sidewall flexibility. They balance ok on a free-spin, but not remain in balance under load. The final line solution is to have all tires road-force balanced. It can be effective, but this is no guarantee and it's rather expensive. I believe it's around $80-100 for all four tires. Unlike regular balancing, they actually load the tires with rollers while balancing to simulate on-the-road conditions.

Some Schwabby locations have the roadforce balance machine. The one Barbur near PCC Sylvania has one.