wheel balance problem
 

I have a 1999 S420 with a "wheel balance" problem I can't get rid of. The car vibrates and shimmies between 55-58 miles per hour. It can be felt through the steering wheel and also through the drivers and passengers seats. I have had the following work completed over the last 2 years in my attempt to get rid of this problem:

wheel/tire balancing at dealership
front tire replacement at dealership
rear tire replacement at dealership
steering shock replacement at dealership
balancing at a different shop
replacement of a suspected "bent wheel" with spare wheel/tire at dealership
balancing at dealership

AND STILL IT PERSISTS.....

Has anyone else had this problem with this make, model and year? Can anyone offer a fix?

Clay

RE: wheel balance problem
 

If what you are describing is complete and true...

the only scientific and practical answer is -- you have a hopping tire.

These tire gurus did not tell you that? I am surprised.

Generally, no-name brand tires tend to hop. What it means is that you can never balance it. Even though this problem is never associated with Michelin or Goodyear so far, I've experienced it with a good pair of BF Goodrich mounted on a Firebird. Problem went a way when my friend (the firebird owner) replaced them with Goodyear.

You are sure you do not have no-name brand tires? If in doubt, get a pair of Michelin MXV4 S8.

RE: wheel balance problem
 

Thank you for your reply:

I have Mich MXV4 tires on the car and when I purchased it in August 2004, it came with 50% used Mich tires (these are the tires the dealer ultimately told me were "out of round" and needed replacement).

As of yesterday I have taken my car to a "high-performance" wheel shop (Wheel Works in SLC, UT) to see if they can identify the problem. I should state that the "shimmy" is only noticiable at 55-60 MPH and is not HUGE...but none the less noticable and distracting from the otherwise smooth ride at other speeds.

RE: wheel balance problem
 

Another possibility is: unlike "normal" cars like a camry or an accord, our MB cars have suspension issues that should not exist. My trusted dealer told me that they have been replacing the control arm rubber bushing and ball joints IN VOLUMES! These two things wear out prematurely on MB cars and this attributes to shaking. The shaking or the shimmy is particularly noticeable if you look at the passenger's headrest.

As every case is different, I still want to advise you to go through the steps to make sure wheels are not the culprit. For example, make sure your rims are perfect. Make sure the tire guys use high speed balancer. Also make sure that they check the balance again once the weight has been hammer'd on the tire. Some places do not run the balancing machine again once they installed the weight...and they call it done. In such scenario, a hopping tire will never be caught.

RE: wheel balance problem
 

You might consider looking at the posting on benzworld:
http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w140...ight=lug+bolts
Hope that helps.

RE: wheel balance problem
 

Thank you.

RE: wheel balance problem
 

Thank you.

RE: wheel balance problem
 

I had a similar problem on my 87 300E, the problem was solved with ON THE CAR BALANCING, it balances all moving parts, the wheel, tire, rotor, bearings, etc. I drove the car another 35K and NEVER balanced them again and the ride was perfect.