Mustang Steering Wheel Wobble

[doitmyself]

My son's '02 Mustang (80K) has a slight steering wheel wobble between 20 and 50 mph. The tires are only about 9 months old and he just had them rotated and balanced by Discount Tire.

Just out of winter storage, he said the wobble was worse initially and wondered if brake rotor corrosion/sticking could cause this. Brakes look good.

The suspension "seems" o.k., no noticeable play in tie rods, etc.. Car doesn't pull to one side.

Any ideas what to look for? Thanks.

 

[Carbon]

"the wobble was worse initially" -- was that before rotation?

I would look at the wheels. You may have one or more bent wheels. I doubt that brakes would do that.

 

[wander2039]

If it was in storage most likely flat spots on the tires. Some even out over time.

 

[Hermann]

Originally Posted By: Eric Smith
If it was in storage most likely flat spots on the tires. Some even out over time.

+1

 

[The Critic]

Have the tires roadforce balanced with a Hunter GSP9700.

 

[mechtech2]

A bent wheel is possible.
So is a bad tire - internally.
And also a brake problem.
Slightly applying the brake can help isolate this problem.
rotating the tires can show a bad one.
And a close visual check can often show the problem.

BTW, any suspension part that is loose will make a slight imbalance feel really bad.

 

[Scott_Tucker]

Does he have aftermarket wheel? Are they cheap? I recommend tire balance with road force variation also.

 

[bdcardinal]

is this mustang a v6 or GT, modified at all?

 

[AdRock]

Chances are it's flat spots on the tires since it was in storage. You could also check the rag joint in the steering shaft, it could be deteriorating.

 

[doitmyself]

Thanks everyone. bdcardinal, it is a v6, unmodified. Stock aluminum wheels.

 

[artificialist]

Did you check the front end by unloading the ball joints, and prying against them to check for vertical play? That can reveal a ball joint problem that doesn't show up just by pushing and pulling on the wheels.

Anyway, I suspect flat spots on the tire and warped brake rotors more than anything else.

 

[swalve]

Have the tires rotated back around again. If the wobble changes, it is one of the tires. If it doesn't, something on the car.

 

[joel95ex]

get a re-balance....i had new tires put on the durango at DTC and driving home I couldn;t believe the vibes......went back and they said it was way off.....the guy installing was not experienced and supposedly used the wrong spacer to mount the tire on the balancing machine. after the re-balance, it was fine. i would also have them rotate as another member suggested.