Wobble Wobble As I Drive

[Peregrin-O]

So for the past two months I have had this super annoying wobble that I cannot get rid of. I typically starts at around 70-80-mph and I have already replaced front control arms, sway arms, bushings are new, struts, had a seized caliper so I got the rebuild kit and fixed that, got brakes bled by BMW dealership so no bubbles, new brake pads on all wheels, new front rotors Meyle, had alignment done too and still the damn wobble is there. I called my local shop again to see if they can check the alignment if it got thrown off or something but seriously this is getting very annoying. My tires are pretty much worn evenly too so I dont know what it could be. Also its not the wheels cause I've never hit big potholes or anything like that. Please help me x masters! haha

Thank you!

[X5SND]

Originally Posted by Peregrin-O

So for the past two months I have had this super annoying wobble that I cannot get rid of. I typically starts at around 70-80-mph and I have already replaced front control arms, sway arms, bushings are new, struts, had a seized caliper so I got the rebuild kit and fixed that, got brakes bled by BMW dealership so no bubbles, new brake pads on all wheels, new front rotors Meyle, had alignment done too and still the damn wobble is there. I called my local shop again to see if they can check the alignment if it got thrown off or something but seriously this is getting very annoying. My tires are pretty much worn evenly too so I dont know what it could be. Also its not the wheels cause I've never hit big potholes or anything like that. Please help me x masters! haha

Thank you!

What wheels do you have? Have you had everything road-force balanced?

[Peregrin-O]

I've got Style 69 wheels plasti-dipped . I haven't had them forced balanced since they were put on there a few years ago. Do you think that a slight off balance would cause my car to shake so much?

[Ricky Bobby]

hell a 1/4 ounce difference can cause a wobble.

[Peregrin-O]

Really?! Well I guess I'll try that too. I'll ask my local shop if they can do that cheap :P and check back with you guys. Otherwise, Do you guys know if there is anything else that could be giving me this wobble nightmare?

Also, I forgot to mention I don't get that wobble too much if I drive around 60-65mph only when I go above that. I dont want to ruin my new parts

[Bulk]

One thing that caused a wobble in my vehicle was a a dodgy front CV joint. I replaced both and it went away. Unless you've owned the vehicle from new they may have let the boots split in the past. If you have the money and the time you can buy just the CV joint from ECS - You'll have to search the part number and it's a little hard to find the number but if you chat to them I think a genuine BMW CV joint is about $200 or you can get a Meyle one for about $150 on ebay if memory serves. Generally if one is gone the other is gone as well.

Not saying its your issue but that was my issue.

Google "E53 CV Joint" and that'll point you to the writeup on Xoutpost

[bcredliner]

When a wobble is in a specific range of speed as you describe the first thing I would check is if the wheels are out of balance. Doesn't sound like you have had it done for quite some time. May have thrown a weight. Road force balancing is the best way to go but any decent tire store can get rid of the wobbling if it is a balancing issue.

[Peregrin-O]

Thanks Bulk, I don't think it's my cv joints. I replaced the right outer boot last year in December when it was slightly cracked so I know nothing has gotten in there and the other one looked good. Its been inspected both my my local shop and the dealership.
Which btw Minnetonka BMW is awesome! well so far I guess, I've been there a few times now both for my fiancees car and mine for service and they are not stuck-up like other stealerships.

Bcredliner, Yeah I haven't had them balanced since they were put on a few years ago. I'm almost sure, well hoping, this is what it is.

Thanks for your suggestions so far guys!

[Peregrin-O]

So I talked to my local indy mech and he said he could balance my wheels/tires but he doesn't have a roadforce machine. From what he explained to me he's bought wheels and tires for his cars that were road-forced and they were still off but when he used his nonRF machine he got them balanced. He also said whatever machine is used is only as good as the person knowing how to use it, which makes sense for a lot of other things but anyways my question I guess is whats the real difference in getting them balanced non-road-forced vs road-forced?

I do a lot of highway driving, over 250k miles now on my x, and my average speed is 80-85mph highway. I don't know if I'm over thinking it but if I get a "normal balance" can I still get a smooth drive at these speeds or is the road-forced the way to go

[X5SND]

While your Indy has a point, in that the machine is only as good as it's operator.. But it's a different story if ya put a skilled operator on a RF machine; you simply can't match the level of precision using a 'normal' tire balancing machine. If you spend most of you're time on the highway, and have ruled out everything else except for the tires, find a reputable wheel shop with a RF machine.