Wobbling Wheels: What's Causing Them, And Is It Serious? - Torque

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Wobbling wheels are most commonly caused by unbalanced wheels or suspension issues.

Wobbling wheels are bad signs on any car.

If the wobble can be felt through the steering wheel and you’re having trouble keeping your car pointed straight, the issue is even more serious. Your car must be sent to a workshop to be fixed, pronto.

Wobbling wheels aren’t just caused by misaligned suspension, though. Here are several other reasons that can cause this to occur.

These kerbs may look innocuous, but hit them hard enough and you could cause your suspension to become misaligned.

KERB STRIKES

Mounting or striking a kerb can cause serious damage to your wheels and suspension, especially if you hit it hard enough.

In Singapore, kerbs are between 125mm and 150mm tall, of which 25mm to 50mm is vertical and the rest angled towards the pavement at about 70 degrees.

It is not uncommon to incur scratches on the wheels should you misjudge a kerb when parking.

At higher speeds, more damage can be sustained. Once a rim is bent or warped, the wheel will wobble, sending vibrations up to the steering wheel.

You will be lucky if a replacement rim rectifies the problem. Often, the damage is actually to the suspension.

See those two tiny squares on the inner part of the wheel? They are small weights with a big role of keeping the wheel balanced.

MISALIGNED SUSPENSION

When your car’s wheel alignment is off, you end up struggling with the steering wheel to keep the car on a straight course.

In minor cases, you will notice that you keep your steering wheel slightly turned left or right to keep the car going straight. Fortunately, this can be easily and quickly fixed at a workshop with the necessary equipment.

DAMAGED SUSPENSION

Damage to suspension components is harder to address. Depending on the type of front suspension, some or all the suspension arms could be bent or mountings could be damaged.

With MacPherson-type suspensions, the entire strut and damper assembly must be replaced. You should also have your vehicle undergo a thorough inspection of front wheels and for suspension support.

Your tyre shop will perform wheel balancing after new tyres are installed.

UNBALANCED WHEELS

Unbalanced wheels are also one of the main causes of wobbling wheels.

Whenever you change your tyres, the tyre shop will also perform wheel balancing, which ensures that the tyre rolls smoothly and doesn’t wobble at high speeds.

Small weights are attached to the wheel to even out the weight of the entire assembly. If you haven’t hit a kerb or pothole and your wheels are warped, unbalanced wheels are probably causing the wobble.

Can mounting a kerb damage the suspension? Our engineer explains double wishbones and MacPherson struts here Read about how you can improve your ride quality 4 ways to help your car suspension last longer

• car care and maintenance
• suspension problems
• warped wheels
• wobbling wheels

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