Wheel Balance – Wheel Alignment Problems and Symptoms

Hi there.

I just took a short road trip to the metropolis of Brenham Texas, home of the Blue Bell Creamery and we took my wife’s Kia Sedona mini van (full of hungry kids).  On the way there I noticed a pretty severe tire shimmy that was taking place on the highway between 70 – 75 MPH, which is due to an improper wheel balance.

I made a super short video explaining the problem, showing the tire shimmy that is causing the steering wheel to shake from side to side and what the cause and cure for the problem is.

Her tires are new, but even new tires can have a problem and are prone to faulty installation or wheel balancing so just because your tires are new do not rule out the possibility of a wheel balance problem.

If you can drive out of a tire shimmy….meaning the shimmy is present at a certain speed but gets better or goes away at a higher speed then it is most likely a tire and wheel balance type of problem. If the shimmy is there at all speeds, it could be a bad tire or a problem with the wheel.

If the shimmy and shaking is felt in the steering wheel it is most likely a problem with the front tires, so try moving those tires to the rear and see if the problem is better.  I like to rotate and balance my tires at every 4 oil changes, or about every 12, 000 miles to get the most life out of my tires.

If you don’t see the video below, try refreshing the page. (sorry, not sure why this is happening)  please Facebook like, Google +1 at the top, or leave a review or comment just below. Thank you!