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Good day everyone. I’ve been trying to track down the aforementioned problem for a while now on my 91 Accord EX. Here is the timeline of events:
Purchased the car a few years ago with good tread left on tires. Drove fine with no vibrations or pulling.
Installed the following: New springs, struts (no leaks), Honda OEM lower ball joint, SPC adjustable upper ball joint and new outer tie rods. Alignment performed at a shop I normally frequent, but I did NOT receive a print out of the specs. I did however, leave instructions on how to adjust camber (please note this). Car felt and drove fine.
A few months later I begin to install all new front bushings. While the car is up, I notice a rather large amount of inner tire wear from the front wheels. Apparently they did NOT adjust the camber. After I install the bushings I go back to the same place for another alignment with they hope they will adjust camber. Car seemed to drive OK after that too.
A year or so goes by and I notice a wheel vibration starting. The wheel will slowly vibrate starting at 25 on up to about 40 and then stop. From 55+ it’s a fast vibration. I put the car up again and notice even MORE inner tire wear, so I rotate the tires, but I do NOT adjust the camber. The drove much better after the rotation so I chopped it up to a mis-balanced wheel and tire.
About 4-5 months ago it started again with vibrating. I jack it up and notice more inner tire wear from the rotated tires, so I adjust the camber all the way out. This helped a tad, but the vibration still occurred.
Last week I run it up to a different shop for an alignment and balance. The guy aligns it once, test drives it and notices a strong pulling so he had to do it again. Tech said the alignment was WAY off the first time he adjusted it. Everything was good for a day or two, but now it’s back to slowly vibrating from 25-40 and fast from 55+. While I’m making a turn (30-45mph) I can feel the wheel shake during the turn and even when it let go, the wheel shakes as it returns to center.
Every time I have the car up in the air I check for play in the suspension and there is none. Axles are intact and the boots are not ripped.
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Your alignment was way out. Your tread looks worn out.
Have you tried the penny test for tread depth?Haven’t done the penny test for tread depth, but we have yearly state inspection here. As long as the tread stays above the wear indicator, you’ll pass. So far mine looks OK, however, with extra wear on the inside.
sounds like a tire issue. it seemed to get better after the rotation.
But does come back. what brand tires are you using?Suspension parts and alignment do NOT cause vibrations while driving, rotating assemblies do. That said you either have a bad tire, a tire balance problem, or a problem with an inner CV joint. Eliminate the tires first. Honda’s don’t like anything but Michelins, other tire brands do not wear as well and as a result I’ve seen problems similar to what you describe particularly with some brands of tires such as Cooper, Dunlap, and Firestone being the worst, I think you’d be amazed at how much of a difference the extra money spent makes.
I know you say you checked the axles but if you change out the tires and still have an issue look to the inner CV joints, it’s really difficult to ‘feel’ a problem most times you just have to swap them out one at a time till the vibration goes away.
Thanks everyone! Is there anyway for me to check the inner CV joint before replacement of the whole axle? Can you balance a CV axle?
What about checking the tires before I shell out $500 for a set? If I recall they came with the Michelin MXV4’s from the factory, but no one really seemed to like them very much.
Would it help mentioning that I don’t drive this car everyday. It sits still for an average of about 3-4 and is mainly driven on the weekend.
I’m really frustrated with this to be honest as I’ve tried numerous time to cure the problem, and well obviously I can’t. I enjoy the car and it runs fantastic, but this issue is just…well….frustrating to say the least.
I’m dropping it back off tonight at the last alignment shop (the one that provided the spec sheet) to see if they can pinpoint it.
You can really balance a CV axle from a DIY standpoint. You need to be checking the CV boots for damage as well as doing a good inspection of the CV half shaft itself.
I would try rotating your tires. Are you missing an wheel weights?
No damage on the boots as far as I can tell.
I just had the tires re-balanced last week and all the weights are still there as of this evening.
I drove the car this morning to work and it was pretty bad at low speeds and high speeds. However, when I left to drive home…PERFECT. No vibrations at all at any speed! I drove to the gym…perfect…I drive back to the shop to drop it off and then it starts up again, so they have it now.
I’m stumped and I really really just want a smooth vibration free ride while driving.
Suspension parts and alignment do NOT cause vibrations while driving, rotating assemblies do. That said you either have a bad tire, a tire balance problem, or a problem with an inner CV joint. Eliminate the tires first. Honda’s don’t like anything but Michelins, other tire brands do not wear as well and as a result I’ve seen problems similar to what you describe particularly with some brands of tires such as Cooper, Dunlap, and Firestone being the worst, I think you’d be amazed at how much of a difference the extra money spent makes.
I know you say you checked the axles but if you change out the tires and still have an issue look to the inner CV joints, it’s really difficult to ‘feel’ a problem most times you just have to swap them out one at a time till the vibration goes away.
Thanks guys! The shop rebalanced my tires again (third time for a balance from two shops) last week and while it is better, the vibrations still occur. However, above 60mph now it feels pretty good, but at 55mph the wheel still vibrates. From 30-40 the wheel vibrates slowly SOMETIMES, but not all the time. And at other times everything is hunky dory at all speeds.
So we’re down to axles and/or tires. I can’t afford new tires right now, but I can probably swing some new axles from NAPA. Since the boots are still intact on all the joints, should I just make a guess for which side to replace first?
The MXV4’s do ride fantastic, but I never felt like they gripped very good. They seem to be more of a touring tire than a sport tire.
I really do appreciate the help everyone!
As I keep saying it’s almost impossible to tell which axle is bad if that is indeed your problem, you may need to replace them one at a time to see if the vibration changes or goes away. If you want performance tires and you’re going to be driving in a spirited manner than expect inner tire wear because that’s what the suspension is DESIGNED to do and the reason that Honda’s handle the way they do, the downside is inner tire wear due to the extreme camber changes during cornering. I’ve driven more of those cars than I can count with both modified suspensions and stock suspensions and in my experience they ride the best overall on Michelins and other tires like the ones I’ve mentioned NEVER work out and often have problems with tire wear, noise, and vibrations.
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