VIOLENT VIBRATIONS..

[Bmwtvboy]

X5 3.0 2001 auto. 176K miles. Recent upgrades: Last 5K miles: new HD bilstein shocks, sway bar links and all linkage. Control arms, ball j;s, thrust etc. Noticed a slight front end vibration after using the cruise control the other day on my way out of Denver through Kansas. Roads were pretty rough in W.Kansas. Turned off cruise, continued to get worse. Had an alignment/wheel rotation/balance in TN. Continues to have the same problem. NO LITES on dash. None. Steering and suspension is still very tight/solid, turns great. Intense vibration across entire front end when under load/acceleration from about 50 -80 mph. Very noticeable on up hill climbs. It occurs with sport drive shifting or full auto. Very slight vibration during braking hard or soft. No vibe rolling down hill in neutral. Tran system was serviced with fresh fluid and filter about 20K miles ago. Tires are only about a year old. What should I be looking for? Still have to drive from Macon to Palm Coast. FL. Anyone know any great BMW service in the Palm Coast , FL area?? Thanks so much.http://www.xoutpost.com/images/icons/icon6.gif

[TerminatorX5]

is the tail end "dancing" as you drive?

how about guibo? do you know where to look for it?

when making steep left or right turns, any speed (steep turn, probably slow speed), and foreign noise?

[frozenwaffles]

probably the thrust arm bushes. did you replace with OE and get an alignment.
I did min and I replaced with some cheap crap from eBay. they basically wore out within 2 months. MASSIVE front end vibrations to the point I had to pull over!

[Ricky Bobby]

are you hearing noises in addition to the vibes?

maybe a loose wheel bearing? subframe bushings from the rear?

[TerminatorX5]

Originally Posted by Ricky Bobby

are you hearing noises in addition to the vibes?

maybe a loose wheel bearing? subframe bushings from the rear?

subframe bushes - the dancing of the car...

i think it is guibo.. what do you think, ricky?

[Bmwtvboy]

Nothing from the rear. Stays straight and smooth, little or no bouncing. Going to check the AM for engine mounts. NO strange knocking or rattle when turning gradually or sharp , like you might here if it were CV joints. Don't remember what we used for bushings.
Thing is, my good friends with the lift/shop - mentor my fixes that I do is in Oregon, I am in now in FL. I'll check flex disc. Just need to get to Palm Coast, FL.
Thanks for all the input.

[Ricky Bobby]

no vibe when in neutral at speed? could be engine mounts, or anything drivetrain related, have you ever had axles replaced with aftermarket ones? I had terrible vibes on an old VW that had axles replaced with aftermarket chinese ones, and they only occurred under load and at speed.

Guibo is definitely a viable option too...

[bcredliner]

Suspension feels tight but have you checked if all the nut and bolts are tight from when the work was done on the front suspension?

If it doesn't vibrate under hard acceleration from a standing start until you get to 50 and it stops at 80 are you always in the same gear and are you still under hard acceleration at 80 when it stops?

[upallnight]

Are you running wheels with hub rings? Could be the TN people didn't put the rings back on or they fallen off and they didn't notice them.

[SlickGT1]

Center Support Bearing. Have that checked out.