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Front End Shimmy

1937 Views 10 Replies 6 Participants Last post by living2be, Dec 18, 2004

Discussion Starter · Dec 8, 2004

My 2004 SSR has a slight shimmy in the front end. Not sure if it is the wheel balance, alignment, or both. I have an appointment to have the dealer look at it next week but in the mean time would like to know if anyone has the same problem, or, is this to be expected as normal due to the large tires and wheels?

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joedecat

· #2 · Dec 8, 2004

is the shimmy when you touch the brakes ,or at certainspeeds and then go away and come back at higher speeds or does the wheel sort of jerk to one side at slow speeds

1 shimmy when you start to apply the brakes would be caused by warped brake rotors caused by possibly going thru apuddle when brakes were hot
2 a vibration that comes in at a certain speed and goes away as speed increases ,and then comes back at twice the speed of initial vibration could be caused by bad wheel balancing
3 if driving at low speed and you let go of sterring wheel and the wheel moves to either side in slight pulses or jerking motion , this would be caused by a separated belt in the tire that would cause the vehicle to drive like it was driving on a cork screw

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Bill Scott

· #3 · Dec 8, 2004

shimmey

I think most of them will give you a little shimmy if you hit a bump just right, but otherwise it should be smooth as silk going down the road. Alignment should not make it shake it's probably balancing. If you can feel the shake in the steering wheel it's probably in the front and if you feel it in the seat it's likely in the rear.

GOOD LUCK

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Discussion Starter · #4 · Dec 9, 2004

Thanks for the feedback. It sounds like the problem is unique to my SSR which is what I wanted to hear. I think the shimmy is in the balance of one or both front wheels. Also my steering wheel is slightly biased to the left which will be corrected with an alignment. As mentioned in my first post, I have an appointment next Monday to have the dealer check things out. I'll let you know how I make out.

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Buffy

· #5 · Dec 9, 2004

:agree One thing that I have noticed (and it was mentioned in another thread) is that when I hit a slight bump in the road at speed, it tends to "shake" (like a loose front end) a little bit. Not bad, but a noticeable shake for about 2 or 3 seconds and then it smooths out again.

I believe the other thread mentioned that the SSR does NOT have a steering dampener like most cars with a Rack & Pinion setup. Not being an mechanical engineer, I can't tell you if that could cause my (our) sympton or not.

Just my $0.02 worth.....

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beer100

· #6 · Dec 9, 2004

jniedosp said:
Thanks for the feedback. It sounds like the problem is unique to my SSR which is what I wanted to hear. I think the shimmy is in the balance of one or both front wheels. Also my steering wheel is slightly biased to the left which will be corrected with an alignment. As mentioned in my first post, I have an appointment next Monday to have the dealer check things out. I'll let you know how I make out.

Check the tire pressures. Make sure they are even side to side. With these wide tires, even an pound or two of difference can be felt as a pull.

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Flassh

· #7 · Dec 9, 2004

Hey, Buffy

The "cowl shake" is pretty much standard on any convertible - just don't have the structural integrity of a car with a full roof. The frame is actually much stronger than the stock frame on a Trailblazer, but the Trailblazer doesn't shake, even with several less crossmembers.

Ray

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Buffy

· #8 · Dec 9, 2004

Flassh said:
Hey, Buffy

The "cowl shake" is pretty much standard on any convertible - just don't have the structural integrity of a car with a full roof. The frame is actually much stronger than the stock frame on a Trailblazer, but the Trailblazer doesn't shake, even with several less crossmembers.

Ray

Thanks Flassh,

That really makes sense too! (But, having a few Covette convertibles, I hadn't really noticed it before, but the SSR is a heavier vehicle!)

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Discussion Starter · #9 · Dec 16, 2004

jniedosp said:
Thanks for the feedback. It sounds like the problem is unique to my SSR which is what I wanted to hear. I think the shimmy is in the balance of one or both front wheels. Also my steering wheel is slightly biased to the left which will be corrected with an alignment. As mentioned in my first post, I have an appointment next Monday to have the dealer check things out. I'll let you know how I make out.

I have had the wheels checked for balance 3 times, to no avail. If the tire pressure is too high, this can cause a wicked shaky front end. These things are so tight in the front end, it is just a bouncy thing. It sure rides like a roadster, but for $50K + I expected more than just decent looks.
Purplessr

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Discussion Starter · #10 · Dec 17, 2004

I had my '04 SSR at the dealer on Monday. They said that the balance was OK but I still have a little shimmy at 70mph. I may pull the front wheels and take them to a Goodyear or Firestone store for their opinion/inspection. Tire pressure is 30psi.

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living2be

· #11 · Dec 18, 2004

jniedosp said:
I had my '04 SSR at the dealer on Monday. They said that the balance was OK but I still have a little shimmy at 70mph. I may pull the front wheels and take them to a Goodyear or Firestone store for their opinion/inspection. Tire pressure is 30psi.

I took a trip to Florida at Thanksgiving and I too noticed a slight shimmy at 70 -75 mph. I thought I had knocked the front end out or something, but after reading these threads maybe it is a characteristic of the SSR. It only does it at those speeds.

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