Steering wheel shaking like crazy? Options

[mkernz22]

Alright, so pretty much when ever I am driving, the steering wheel shakes like crazy.
Even with two hands on the wheel trying to control it, there is so much vibration.
I know my tires are getting pretty low, but they can last a couple more months.
I'm not sure if anyone else has had this problem, but do you think it's the wheel bearings, unbalanced tires/rims, or just low treads?
The car pulls to the right when I let go of the steering wheel too.

Please help me out!

[joyworks]

I recently upgraded from the stock wheels to a new 17" tire/wheel combination. Since then, my steering wheel began vibrating at speeds above 60mph and it pulled to the right. I then got a 4-wheel alignment. That fixed the pulling to the right almost 100%, but the vibration remains. Is it possible that the tires were not balanced correctly? I can't imagine it being the tires or wheels, since they were completely new. And I don't think it is a problem with the suspension components, since there was no vibration whatsoever with the stock tires/wheels. I did read somewhere that some aftermarket wheels may need hubcentric rings, or they may vibrate. Could this be the case?

[Jamchell]

@joyworks It's actually a bit too common for tires to develop out of round issues and small bubbles which will cause vibration. If bad enough it will feel like your tires are slapping the pavement instead of rolling over it. You might want to put the tires on a balance machine and observe them while spinning, sometimes tire shop techs don't bother to visually inspect them when they perform a balance.


And yes some applications need hub centric rings or need to be very carefully attached.

This post has been edited by Jamchell: Jun 21, 2010 - 7:38 PM

[joyworks]

Thanks Jamchell. I had the tires/wheels inspected and rebalanced and rotated (even though they are all brand new). I also had new hub centric rings installed. The vibration is still there, although it seems to have improved. The vibration comes and goes, even when the speed is constant. Should I now have a mechanic look at the suspension, tie rods, wheel bearings, ball joints, and cv boots, since the car is 11 years old? Discount Tire thinks I should return the wheels, but part of me doesn't believe they are the problem. What do you think?